>> HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO BEHIND THE WOMAN!

I'M YOUR HOST, DR. JUHANNA ROGER.

TONIGHT I WOULD LIKE INTRODUCE YOU TO THE PRESIDENT OF LE MOYNE COLLEGE, DR. LINDA LEMURA.

LINDA IS THE FIRST FEMALE LAYPERSON TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF A JESUIT INSTITUTION AND IN THIS ROLE SHE IS WORKING TO MAKE HIGHER EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.

SO GATHER YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY BECAUSE THEY WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE OF BEHIND THE WOMAN.

LY LINDA, PRESIDENT LEMURA.

>> LINDA IS FINE.

IT'S SO GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.

>> I DON'T THINK I'VE INTERVIEWED A COLLEGE PRESIDENT BEFORE EVER IN PLY LIFE.

>> I'M THE FIRST?

>> YOU ARE MY FIRST.

>> I'M SO HONORED.

THANK YOU.

>> IT'S EXCITING TO BE HERE BECAUSE NOW I'M THINKING ABOUT IT, WHAT DO WE WANT TO KNOW?

AND THE FIRST QUESTION I'M GOING TO-- WE ARE GOING TO DIVE RIGHT IN.

>> SOUNDS GOOD.

>> WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST SURPRISING IS ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB?

>> WELL, TO BE HONEST, THERE ARE SO MANY SURPRISES.

THAT'S PART OF THE JOY AND THE CHARM OF THE JOB.

NO TWO YEARS ARE EVER THE SAME.

TO BE HONEST, IF I HAD TO SINGLE IN ON ONE THING, YOU DON'T PREPARE WHEN YOU ARE A COLLEGE PRESIDENT FOR A PANDEMIC.

THAT HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, QUITE THE SURPRISE, SO TO SPEAK.

>> THAT HAS BEEN QUITE THE SURPRISE, YEAH.

>> BUT THANKFULLY IT'S IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST DISRUPTIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE HISTORY OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

>> RIGHT.

>> THAT WAS QUITE A CHALLENGE.

>> AND WHEN YOU SAY THAT, THERE IS A LOT OF HISTORY MAKING MOMENTS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT.

>> SO MANY.

>> SO MANY.

"BEHIND THE WOMAN," THE FIRST SEASON, THIS IS OUR SEASON FOUR, WE HAD TO SHOOT THE SHOW IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC, AND LUCKILY WE HAD ENOUGH CAPTURED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK.

BUT I WAS LIKE HOW DID YOU DO IT?

RIGHT?

LIKE THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT SO MANY FOLKS ARE HAVING AND AS I THINK BACK ON THIS SHOW, HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN?

>> FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, I TRY TO REPRESS A LOT OF THAT BECAUSE-- >> I TRIED TO FORGET IT WE ARE TRYING AT A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY TO HAVE EVERYBODY BUMP INTO EACH OTHER.

WE ENCOURAGE IT.

WE TRY TO FASHION THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ENTIRE CAMPUS.

WE PUT OUR MAIL BOXES TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE BUMPING INTO ONE ANOTHER AND THEN WE HAD A TO REVERSE ENGINEER THAT.

AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD WE KEPT CLASSES GOING FOR THE MOST PART.

MOST OF TIME IT WAS ON ONLINE.

AND LEARNING ITS STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, WHERE IT WORKS AND WHERE IT DOESN'T.

SOME GOOD THINGS CAME OUT OF IT, BUT ASKING PEOPLE FROM 18 TO 21 YEARS OF AIMING NOT TO ENGAGE... >> IT IS BY FAR THE HARDEST JOB BY FAR.

>> GOING AGAINST THE VERY NATURE AND THE PART OF FORMING A YOUNG PERSON.

>> WE STARTED THERE AND I GUESS WE SHOULD GO BACK BEFORE THAT.

I, MYSELF STUDIED HIGHER EDUCATION, MY MASTERS, MY Ph.D. IS IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT LIKE I SORT OF KIND OF STUMBLED INTO.

AND SO WHEN I MEET OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING IN THE FIELD THAT ARE LEADING IN THE FIELD, I LIKE TO ASK HOW DID YOU-- LIKE WERE YOU PLANNING TO BECOME A COLLEGE PRESIDENT?

LIKE HOW DID YOU GET ON TO THIS PATH?

>> WHAT A WONDERFUL QUESTION, JUHANNA.

HISTORY TELLS US THESE INSTITUTIONS WERE ALWAYS LED BY WELL EDUCATED PRIESTS, JESUIT PRIESTS SO IT'S NOT THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU PREPARE FOR, SOME DAY I'M GOING TO BE THE FIRST... >> SO YOU ARE NOT JUST THE FIRST COLLEGE PRESIDENT.

LET'S GET IT ALL THE WAY OUT THERE.

YOU ARE THE FIRST LAY PERSON, THE FIRST NON CLERGY WOMAN TO RUN TO OPERATE A JESUIT COLLEGE IN THE UNITED STATES.

AT THE TIME I WAS SO OVERWHELMED BY THE OPPORTUNITY AND SHOCKED BY IT THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO IMMERSE MYSELF IN THE JOY OF THE MOMENT AND WHEN I HEARD PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND IN MY COMMUNITY, LIKE WE WAITED 500 YEARS FOR THIS, LITERALLY.

DON'T SCREW IT UP.

IT HAS BEEN A JOY.

I WASN'T SURE HOW THE ALUMNI OR BENEFACTORS OR THE JESUIT COMMUNITY AT LARGE WOULD EMBRACE ME AS A LEADER, BUT IT WAS MUCH SMOOTHER THAN I EVER ANTICIPATED AND IT'S NOT LIKE YOU COULD LOOK AT ANOTHER PLAYBOOK BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANYBODY.

>> THERE WASN'T ANYBODY BEFORE YOU.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

AND SINCE MY TIME OF BEING NAMED , THERE IS NOW ANOTHER SIX OR SEVEN WOMEN PRESIDENTS IN THE NETWORK OF 27 JESUIT INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE UNITED STATES.

>> AND IN THE TRUEST SENSE... >> I DIDN'T PLAN ON THAT BUT MAYBE.

>> BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T PLAN ON IT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOMENTS IN YOUR CAREER THAT NOW, LOOKING BACK, YOU COULD SEE WAS KIND OF LEADING YOU DOWN THIS PATH?

>> YES, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CONNECT THE DOTS, IT IS AN AHA KIND OF A MOMENT.

I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SCIENCE AS A YOUNG PERSON AND I ENDED UP STUDYING SCIENCE AS AN UNDERGRADUATE.

AND I THOUGHT FOR A WHILE I WAS GOING TO BE A PHYSICIAN BUT I ENDED UP REALLY INTERESTED IN RESEARCH.

SO I WAS IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, AND I ENDED UP GETTING A MASTERS AND A DOCTORATE IN PHYSIOLOGY.

AND THAT FIELD, AT THE TIME, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE 90s, WAS LARGELY DOMINATED BY MEN.

MY DEAN WAS A MALE AND THE PROVOST WAS A MALE.

AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY WAS A MALE.

SO YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THAT BALANCE WAS REALLY OUT OF WACK AND I THOUGHT ONCE I GET MY SELF ESTABLISHED AS A RESEARCHER AND A PROFESSOR, I MIGHT DABBLE IN ADMINISTRATION JUST TO SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE.

AND I BECAME AN ASSOCIATE DEAN.

AND THEN I LEARNED-- I WAS OKAY AT IT.

THE DEAN IN WAS IN MY HOMETOWN AND WAS AVAILABLE.

I WAS A FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT.

I HAD NEVER STEPPED ON THE CAMPUS EVEN THOUGH I WAS ONLY 10 MINUTES AWAY.

I INTERVIEWED AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THE PLACE AND BECAME DEAN.

A FEW YEARS LATER, I APPLIED TO BECOME THE PROVOST, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, AND THEN I HAD TO MAKE A DECISION.

I WAS AT AN INFLECTION POINT.

I EITHER HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE WOMEN DON'T BECOME PRESIDENTS OF JESUIT INSTITUTIONS AND BECOME A PRESIDENT ELSEWHERE, OR WE TURN TO THE FACULTY.

AND I WAS COMPLETELY CONTENT TO GO BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM.

I LOVED IT.

I MISS STUDENTS TREMENDOUSLY.

BUT THE TRUSTEES MADE THEIR INTENTIONS CLEAR THAT THEY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND I WAS REALLY VERY DIFFERENT AT THAT TIME.

AND THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT IT WAS, LeMOYNE IS THE YOUNGEST OF 27 JESUIT INSTITUTIONS.

GEORGETOWN IS THE OLDEST, TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF BREATH, FROM THE 1700S AND WE ARE THE YOUNGEST.

WE WERE THE FIRST JESUIT INSTITUTION IN THE U.S. TO OPEN CO-ED.

BEFORE THAT, THE JESUIT INSTITUTIONS ONLY EDUCATED MALES , YOU SEE, AND TO ME, I CAN'T PROVE THIS, BUT THAT'S THE REASON THAT LeMOYNE WAS THE FIRST TO SELECT A WOMAN BECAUSE MANY OF THE WOMEN WERE REALLY, REALLY SMART AND THEY GOT A GREAT EDUCATION AND THEY ENDED UP BEING ON THE BOARD AND THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE TO HELP COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRESS.

AND THAT IS... >> I THINK SO.

>> AND I ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE OFTEN TIMES WE GET FOLKS ON THE COUCH HERE AND WE START TALKING AND IT'S LIKE, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT PROPELLED YOU TO GET INTO THAT SPACE BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE YES, I KNEW THIS.

BUT MOST OF THE TIMES IT'S NOT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I INTENDED TO BECOME PRESIDENT, LIKE YOU SAID.

JUST AN ALIGNMENT OF EVENTS,.

>> CIRCUMSTANCES.

THAT'S RIGHT.

ONCE YOU GET BEYOND THAT, YOU CAN START CONNECTING THE DOTS AND START SEEING SOME PATTERNS, AND THEN AFTER THAT, THE NEXT SCHOOL WAS LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

THEY HAVE A WOMAN.

>> AND SO NOW YOU ARE IN THE PRESIDENT'S SEAT.

YOU HAVE BEEN THERE FOR... >> EIGHT YEARS.

>> IT'S FLYING BY.

>> CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN.

SO HERE YOU ARE IN YOUR EIGHTH YEAR.

YOU HAVE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB OF GETTING THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND HERE YOU ARE GROWING UP NOT FAR FROM THERE.

HOW, IN YOUR ROLE, HAVE YOU BROUGHT THE COMMUNITY IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS?

>> WELL, THAT IS AN AMAZING QUESTION.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I GREW UP IN SYRACUSE ON THE NORTH SIDE AND I HAVE HAD MY FINGER ON THE PULSE OF THE CITY OF SYRACUSE AS A NATIVE.

I UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES IN THE ECOSYSTEM, THE MEDICAL ECOSYSTEM, THE DIFFERENCES IN STRENGTHS AND BEAUTY OF VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOODS.

I UNDERSTAND THE LEADERSHIP, THE STRENGTH OF THE CITY, THE PITFALLS, WHERE WE HAVE BEEN AND WHERE WE NEED TO GO.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT EXPERIENCE, HAVING SPENT A GOOD, GEE, 40 YEARS IN THIS CITY, WITH LOTS OF TRAVEL IN BETWEEN, BUT BY AND LARGE, 40 YEARS, I SEE THAT AS AN ASSET TO BRING TO LeMOYNE SO THAT WE CAN BE REAL AGENTS OF CHANGE AND SERVICE IN PLACES THAT REALLY NEED THE IMPACT OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

BUT ALSO PART OF OUR TRADITION, AS A JESUIT INSTITUTION, IS SERVICE.

AND SERVICE LEARNING.

SO IT'S NOT AN ADD ON TO THE CURRICULUM.

YOU MIGHT MAJOR IN PHYSICS OR ACCOUNTING OR CHEMISTRY OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.

YOU STILL NEED TO DO SERVICE.

AND BECAUSE OF MY AFFECTION, MY DEEP LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR THE CITY OF SYRACUSE, I SHARE THAT WITH OUR STUDENTS AND I LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE PROFOUND IMPACT THAT THEY CAN HAVE ACROSS SO MANY DIFFERENT SECTORS AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE LIKE.

AND THEY END UP LOVING IT, TOO.

>> WOW.

>> THROUGH SERVICE.

YOU NEED TO GET A FEEL FOR THE PACING OF THE CITY, AND THE THINGS THAT MAKE IT TICK AND WHERE WE CAN HELP ONE ANOTHER.

AND THEY EMBRACE IT.

>> YEAH WELL LET'S TAKE A LOOK NOW AT HOW LINDA IS ENCOURAGING HER STUDENTS TO SUCCEED BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, BY BEING ENGAGED CITIZENS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

>> TODAY IS DIVE DAY.

DIVE STANDS FOR DOLL VINES IN VOLUNTEER EFFORTS.

OUR STUDENTS ARE ESSENTIALLY ASKED TO BE EXCELLENT STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM ON CAMPUS BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE GREATER GOOD BY ENGAGING IN SERVICE PROJECTS.

AND TODAY, IN COLLABORATION WITH ANDREW, A LeMOYNE ALUMNUS WHO FOUNDED A TINY HOME FOR GOOD NON-PROFIT, WE ARE HELPING HIM IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THREE HOMES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE AND OUR STUDENTS ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED HERE, PITCHING IN WHEREVER THEY CAN.

WE ENGAGE IN SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, BUT DIVE DAY IS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL BECAUSE IT'S IN HONOR OF FATHER JOHN BUCKEYE, ONE OF OUR JESUITS WHO BELIEVED FERVENTLY IN SERVICE LEARNING AND SERVICE EDUCATION AS A WAY TO IMBUE THE JESUIT VALUES THAT WE TEACH AT LeMOYNE COLLEGE.

WE DO THE WORK THAT WE DO AS A PART OF JESUIT EDUCATION BECAUSE IT'S A CONSTANT REMINDER THAT OUR GIFTS ACADEMIC AND OTHERWISE ARE NOT PURELY FOR OURSELVES.

THEY REALLY BECOME EFFECTIVE WHEN THEY'RE USED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BROADER WORLD IN ORDER TO CREATE A SOCIETY THAT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM, ECONOMIC SPECTRUM OF THE INS.

AND-- OF THE UNITED STATES, AND IT ALSO DEVELOPS RESILIENCE IN A SENSE OF EMPATHY AND COMPASSION FOR OTHERS WHO MAY NOT BE AS FORTUNATE AS WE ARE.

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME BEING HERE WITH A TINY HOME FOR GOOD.

BUT EVERY YEAR I DO ENGAGE IN PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF SYRACUSE.

I SEE THIS KIND OF WORK HELPING THE COMMUNITY IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE PROVIDING A MODEL FOR OUR STUDENTS FOR ENGAGEMENT IN THE LIFE OF THEIR COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED CITIZENS.

AND THAT WILL MAKE THEM MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN THEY ENTER THEIR OWN WORKS OF GOOD IN THE FUTURE AND IN THEIR CAREERS.

BUT ALSO IT SENDS A SIGNAL TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY HERE NOW IN THIS MOMENT, ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTING YOUR SKILLS, WHATEVER THEY MAY BE IN ORDER TO BUILD COMMUNITY.

BEING FROM THE SYRACUSE COMMUNITY PS MAKES THIS KIND OF WORK EVEN MORE SPECIAL THAN IT MAY SEEM.

THERE ARE A FEW THINGS ARE WANT MORE THAN I WANT TO SEE THIS CITY BECOME THE RESILIENT, GRITTY, ENTREPRENEURIAL CITY THAT IT ONCE WAS IN MY OWN CHILDHOOD.

AND ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO LEVERAGE MY OWN TALENTS AND THE GOOD WORK AND GOOD FAITH OF THE LeMOYNE COLLEGE COMMUNITY, I WILL DO IN ORDER TO HELP OUR CITY GROW.

I'M HOPING WHEN PEOPLE WATCH THIS KIND OF WORK, THEY THINK REALLY HARD AND REFLECT ON HOW THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE VARIOUS PROJECTS, SERVICE PROJECTS GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.

IN TRUTH, THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, WHETHER IT'S CONTRIBUTING FINANCIALLY OR CONTRIBUTING SPECIFIC SKILLS AND PLUMBING OR CARPENTRY OR FINANCIAL ACUMEN.

THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE BY THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

AND BY DOING THIS IN TAN TANDEM WE HAVE A STAKE IN THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY.

THIS IS WHAT WE THINK OF OUR BELOVED LeMOYNE COLLEGE, OUR JESUIT GEM.

1, 2, 3, THUMB'S UP!

>> THAT LOOKS FANTASTIC.

DIVE DAY.

WHEN YOU SEE OR HEAR ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

>> INTENSE PRIDE, INTENSE JOY BECAUSE THEY'RE INTEGRATING WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING IN CLASSROOMS AND LABORATORIES AND THROUGHOUT CAMPUS.

THEY'RE INTEGRATING IT WITH THE COMMUNITY WHERE, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD.

AND THEY'RE LEARNING FROM THE REALITIES OF THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN A MODERN CITY, AND THAT BRINGS EVERYTHING THAT THEY LEARN TO LIFE.

>> I ALWAYS WONDERED, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE PRINCIPAL OF A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY OR PRESIDENT OF A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.

IT'S A WHOLE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE IN AND OF ITSELF THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO PROVIDE EXPERIENCES FOR.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> WHAT KEEPS YOU DIRECTED ON YOUR PATH?

>> WELL, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE BECAUSE IT'S INCREDIBLY COMPLEX AND IT CAN CHANGE, DEPENDING UPON THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH YOU FIND YOURSELF.

SO WE HAVE-- EVERY INSTITUTION HAS A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT PROVIDES A ROAD MAP, SO TO SPEAK, IN TERMS WHAT HAVE WE WANT TO FOCUS ON IN A GIVEN PERIOD OF TIME.

BUT IN LIGHT OF THE RAPID CHANGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION, THOSE STRATEGIC PLANS DON'T HAVE THE SAME QUOTE UNQUOTE SHELF LIFE THAT THEY ONCE DID.

>> RIGHT.

>> SO WHILE YOU'LL HAVE A FRAMEWORK, EVERYONE IS INTERESTED IN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE.

IT'S NOT EXACTLY CONTROVERSIAL.

OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN MIGHT CHANGE A BIT.

SO YOU NEED TO HAVE IT-- HAVE A FLEXIBLE FEEL TO IT AS OPPORTUNITIES COME UP THAT YOU NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED IN THE PAST.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ONCE A STUDENT GRADUATES FROM LeMOYNE COLLEGE, WE TELL THE STUDENTS THAT THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE RELATIONSHIP.

THIS IS REALLY THE OFFICIAL BEGINNING.

AND THAT THE COLLEGE WANTS TO BE A PART OF YOUR LIFE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES.

THEY'VE MADE LIFE LONG FRIENDSHIPS.

SOME OF THEM FOUND THEIR SPOUSES.

THEY COME BACK AND THEY WORSHIP ON OUR CAMPUS.

THEY USE OUR LIBRARY FACILITIES OR ATHLETIC FACILITIES.

WE WANT THIS TO BE A LIFE LONG JOURNEY OF LEARNING.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE TENETS OF JESUIT EDUCATION, IN ADDITION TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND SERVICE LEARNING.

BUT ALSO LIFE LONG LEARNING.

JOBS CHANGE CONSTANTLY.

>> RIGHT, RIGHT.

>> SO IF YOU ARE TOO NARROWLY FOCUSED AND YOU DON'T LEARN HOW TO LEARN, YOU COULD GET LEFT OUT.

UNLIKE YOU, YOU ARE A RENAISSANCE WOMAN, AND YOU TOGGLE FROM CAREER TO CAREER BECAUSE YOU ARE NIMBLE.

AND THAT'S, WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO BE LIKE YOU.

>> AND WHAT DO YOU DO TO RESET YOURSELF?

LIKE YOU GOT ALL THESE FOLKS YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE TIME.

I'M QUITE SURE YOU ARE UP WAY BEFORE THE SUN.

>> I DO A LOT OF READING IN THE MORNING.

>> HOW DO YOU RESET?

>> IT'S VERY HARD FOR ME.

I'M REALLY WIRED TO CONSTANTLY ENGAGE.

I FIND ENERGY FROM BEING AROUND YOUNG PEOPLE, FROM ENGAGING WITH ALUMNI AND BENEFACTORS.

AND OTHER COLLEGE PRESIDENTS.

I HAVE TO INSIST THAT MY TEAM COULD STEP IN AT ANY TIME AND TO SEND THE MESSAGE OF CONFIDENCE THAT IF I'M NOT HERE, YOU CAN CERTAINLY RUN THE PLACE WITHOUT ME WHILE I'M DECOMPRESSING.

BUT I NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THAT.

AND I NEED TO HAVE TIME SET ASIDE BY MY COLLEAGUES TO ENSURE THAT I ACTUALLY LEAVE THE JOB, BECAUSE LEFT TO MY OWN DEVICES, I KNOW MY STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, I'LL JUST STAY AT IT AND I WILL BE TIRED AS NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS I COULD BE.

>> IT'S PROBABLY HARD, ONCE YOU'VE GOTTEN TO YOUR LEVEL OF LEADERSHIP, TO STEP AWAY.

>> IT IS.

YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOVE THE JOB SO MUCH THAT YOU MAKE-- YOU TELL YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT YOU ARE NOT -- I AM NOT INDISPENSABLE.

YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE-- SOME OF OF US MORE THAN OTHERS-- EGOS IN OUR JOB.

HOW COULD THEY POSSIBLY RUN THE PLACE IF I'M NOT HERE.

GOOD LEADERS PLAN FOR THEIR TEAM TO HAVE SUCCESSION.

TAKING THE TIME WHERE YOU CAN REDISTRIBUTE SOME OF THE AUTHORITY AND THE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE WEIGHTINESS OF THE JOB.

>> SO I'M GOING TO ASK A QUESTION THAT I WANTED YOU TO THINK ABOUT.

LINDA LEMURA, NOT COLLEGE PRESIDENT, BUT IF YOU WERE NOT THE PRESIDENT OF LeMOYNE COLLEGE, WHAT WOULD SHE BE DOING?

>> ONE OF TWO THINGS.

I WOULD BE BACK IN THE CLASSROOM WITH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TEACHING THEM HOW TO DO RESEARCH IN MY FIELD.

AND I WOULD BE LOVING THAT AND PUBLISHING PAPERS WITH THEM AS CO-AUTHORS.

OR MY SECOND FAVORITE THING WOULD BE, YOU ARE SAYING IF I COULD DO ANYTHING.

>> ANYTHING.

>> I WOULD LOVE TO BE MAYOR.

I SURPRISED YOU.

>> YOU DID!

>> I WOULD LOVE TO BE A MAYOR.

IF I HAD THE BANDWIDTH AND THE TIME, YEAH.

>> WOW.

>> WHO KNEW.

>> WHO KNEW.

>> I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING, BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF WORK THAT I WOULD LOVE.

>> IT'S SURPRISING BECAUSE IT'S STILL VERY SIMILAR BECAUSE-- >> IN A WAY.

>> YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

>> ALL THIS DISPARATE CONSTITUENCIES AND YOU ARE TRYING TO USE DATA TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS, RIGHT?

>> AND I OFTEN SAY THAT WORKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION PREPARES YOU TO FOR DOING SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.

>> IT DOES.

>> BECAUSE YOU HAVE HOUSING.

YOU'VE GOT FOOD.

>> I'M RUNNING A LITTLE CITY NOW.

FIRE FIGHTING, SECURITY, SEWERS, WATER, IT'S ALL THERE.

>> IT'S ALL THERE.

IF-- AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK ENOUGH YOUNG PEOPLE GET TO HEAR ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CAREERS AND PATHS AND WE HAVE HAD SOME DYNAMIC WOMEN ON THIS SEASON.

SO I THINK YOU ARE GIVING US A GOOD DISCRIMINATION ON IF YOU REALLY ENJOY LEARNING, MAYBE SOME YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SET THEIR SIGHTS ON BECOMING A COLLEGE PRESIDENT NOW.

>> I WOULD LOVE THAT.

THE PATHWAY GENERALLY IS YOU WANT TO BE A PROFESSOR FOR A WHILE, MAYBE A DEPARTMENT CHAIR, POTENTIALLY A DEAN.

BUT NOT NECESSARILY THROUGH ACADEMIC AFFAIRS.

NOWADAYS YOU SEE PRESIDENTS COMING FROM ALL PARTS OF THE INSTITUTION.

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, CFOs ARE EMERGING, BECOMING PRESIDENTS.

RUNNING A SCHOOL IS REALLY COMPLEX THESE DAYS.

SO, YOU KNOW, TALENT CAN EMERGE FROM ANYWHERE, RIGHT?

NO MORE SILOS WHERE THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY.

NO, THAT'S THE OLD FASHIONED BORING WAY.

>> AND WE ALREADY KNOW YOU ARE A PIONEER.

YOU ARE A TRAIL BLAZER.

YOU ARE NOT ONLY TAKING POSITIONS BECAUSE I THINK IN LIFE AS-- YOU'LL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THINGS.

BUT WHAT YOU USE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO FOR OTHERS, I THINK, IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DOING THAT.

IF THERE IS A PERSON RIGHT NOW WATCHING THIS SHOW AND REALLY INSPIRED BY SOMETHING YOU ARE SAYING, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE?

>> BE COMFORTABLE WITH AMBIGUITY.

YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE.

LET OPPORTUNITIES COME TO YOU IN ADDITION TO YOU PURSUING THEM.

AND FIND A MENTOR THAT CAN LIGHT A FIRE IN YOUR HEART AND SOUL BECAUSE THE REALLY WONDERFUL CHALLENGING WORK IS A HEAVY LIFT BY NATURE, BY DESEEN, WHETHER YOU ARE AN ATTORNEY OR A COLLEGE PRESIDENT OR ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU DO.

YOU NEED TO LOVE IT.

AND DON'T SETTLE.

DON'T SETTLE.

>> DON'T SETTLE.

BE COMFORTABLE WITH AMBIGUITY.

I FEEL LIKE WE NEED A WHOLE OTHER EPISODE ON THAT.

>> ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU >> THANK YOU LINDA FOR JOINING ME THIS EVENING ON BEHIND THE WOMAN, AND ALLOWING US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE WORK YOU ARE DOING TO ELEVATE THE COMMUNITY.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VIEW TONIGHT'S EPISODE AGAIN, OR WATCH PAST SEASONS OF THE SHOW, GO TO WCNY.ORG/BEHIND THE WOMAN.

MY NAME IS DR. JUHANNA ROGERS, AND ON BEHALF OF THE BEHIND THE WOMAN TEAM THANKS FOR WATCHING AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.