It was an electric, standing-room-only audience on a Thursday afternoon in June inside Ashurst Hall when Rita Cheng, Ph.D., stepped up to the microphone. Cheng, the finalist for president of Northern Arizona University, delivered an inspiring, 20-minute address to an overflow crowd gathered inside Ashurst Auditorium in NAU’s Old Main. The following week, the Arizona Board of Regents officially named Cheng as NAU’s new President.
Cheng, currently chancellor at Southern Illinois University, was introduced by LuAnn Leonard of the Arizona Board of Regents. Leonard, co-chair of NAU’s presidential search committee, is a member of the Hopi Tribe and the first Native American to serve on Arizona’s Board of Regents.
Leonard highlighted a few of Cheng’s many accomplishments during her career, including that while at Southern Illinois University (SIU), Cheng managed an $800 million operating budget at a university with 18,000 students. At SIU, Cheng established a distance learning program that recently enjoyed a 36 percent increase in online course enrollment. “She will be an outstanding leader for this institution,” said Leonard. “Dr. Cheng has the experience, the skills and the talent needed to lead NAU and its continued success.”
A Diverse and Accomplished Background
Rita Cheng grew up in a small town in west-central Wisconsin (population 770) and attended high school in St. Paul, Minn. There were 50 students in her high school class. In college, she did not quite know what she wanted to pursue, but after moving to four states and attending five different universities, she said, “… so, after more than a bit of exploration, I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.” Cheng earned that degree, with honors, from Bishop’s University in Quebec.
Cheng has served as chancellor at SIU since June 2010 and spent more than 20 years in teaching and administrative roles at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She earned her MBA from the University of Rhode Island and her doctorate in management from the Fox School of Business Management at Temple University.
“I began my academic career at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, ending my 22 years there as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs before accepting the opportunity at Southern Illinois University,” said Cheng. “I always believed I have the responsibility to help others through service, whether through professional appointments, volunteer work or election to community boards. I firmly believe that we have an obligation to give back, and I try to live by that value.”
A Roadmap to Engage in Partnerships, Contribute to Economic Prosperity
Something Cheng emphasized during her remarks was her intention to look outside the NAU campus and lead NAU to be active in the community and in Arizona.
“We cannot isolate, we must invite people in and we must go outside our walls,” said Cheng. “We must be engaged in partnerships with our community. We must contribute to innovation and economic prosperity. And we must connect our research to the needs of the region, the state and the world.”
She says NAU and Flagstaff are about activity and vitality, mentioning that she had visited Flagstaff incognito and that she was impressed by the community and the university as a whole.
“You live in a beautiful setting, but there is more to this than just the natural surroundings,” said Cheng. “Diversity is apparent at every turn. New buildings are springing up. Your reputation for achievement is in so many areas: in student success initiatives that fulfill the mission of access and opportunity; in expanded programs and services both on the Flagstaff campus and throughout the state; in research and programming geared to regional and global issues; in economic and workforce development initiatives; and in the commitment to the environment.”
NAU Noted for Commitment to Native American and First-Generation Students
Cheng touched on other main themes during her speech, such as how she is impressed by NAU’s accomplishments and the university’s interest in traditionally underserved populations including first-generation, Native American and Hispanic students.
“Frankly, I wasn’t looking for another opportunity, but when I learned about the presidency at Northern Arizona, I was compelled to take a closer look based on what I already knew,” said Cheng. “What I found was impressive. NAU has many of the same characteristics of my past universities. It’s a public, high-research university on the rise that is dedicated to serving students from all backgrounds including those who have been traditionally underserved by higher education and those who are first in the family to attend college.”
She says that she has followed the upward trajectory of NAU from afar. “I’ve been further impressed by having the opportunity to see the university up close and in person. NAU has many additional distinctive attributes that distinguish it from most other universities in the country — commitment to first-generation students, Native American students and resources, sustainability, internationalization — are all recognized by our peers and very important to our future. It is clear that this institution is an institution of energy and vision thanks to you all and I would be honored to be able to build on your good work and expand on its incredible legacy.”
What Kind of President?
Toward the end of her remarks, Dr. Rita Cheng drew in her rapt audience even more by asking, “What kind of president might I be for NAU?” She got a polite round of laughter from the audience and followed up by asking, with a smile, “Did I get that question right?”
She answered by describing the values she intends to bring, values she keeps in mind with everything she does. “First, as you might expect an accountant to say: I believe in making decisions that are informed, but not solely driven by data,” said Cheng. “Numbers are important because they provide context, identify trends and benchmark progress. However, numbers don’t tell you what is underlying those trends. Numbers alone cannot answer the human questions. How does this decision benefit from the public mission and strategic plan of the university? Who will be impacted and how? What are the potential outcomes and how might we improve upon them and build on our progress?”
To answer those human questions, she says a leader needs to hear from all of the very human stakeholders in the university’s future. “I believe strongly in shared governance, in asking and in listening, in transparency and in open, two-way communication. We are all accountable for the health and well being of our university and we must embrace this responsibility to build on the trust of our stakeholders.”
She said she also believes that universities must define their communities broadly. “By this, I mean that we must view ourselves as part of something much greater than ourselves – and depend on and contribute to our success. And I’ll start by listening. I want to understand more about the role that NAU plays in Flagstaff, in Arizona and the region.” FBN
Steele Wotkyns is principal of WotkynsPRplus, a public relations firm serving clients in Flagstaff and throughout Northern Arizona.