My priorities are rooted in relationships and respect. I want to begin by hearing directly from students about their experience: what helps them thrive, where they want more support, and what makes them proud to call Peace home. I also want to listen to faculty and staff about what strengthens teaching, advising, and campus life because student success is built through the daily work and care of the people who make Peace run.
A key part of my listening plan will be reconnecting with alumni — especially those who have been deeply impacted by Peace’s founding legacy. I want to hear their stories: what Peace made possible for them, the faculty and staff who mentored them, and the traditions that still feel essential. Those stories will help us preserve and celebrate Peace’s identity with authenticity — not as nostalgia, but as living heritage that still has power today.
Just as important, I want to explore meaningful ways to reconnect alumni with today’s students because alumni are one of Peace’s greatest assets. That can include mentorship networks, internship and first-job connections, classroom guest speakers, regional alumni-student gatherings, and purposeful opportunities for alumni to share their own pathways from Peace to work, service, and leadership. When alumni and students are connected, Peace’s legacy becomes something students can feel in real time, and alumni can see themselves in the next generation.
At the same time, I will meet early with community leaders and employers to understand regional needs and to build partnerships based on mutual value, beginning with small, meaningful pilot initiatives that benefit students and that can grow over time.