The Role of Universities in Creating Social Good with Nancy Zimpher

Kathy Sullivan Explores

Dr. Nancy Zimpher is an educator, state university leader, and former Chancellor of the State University of New York. Before serving at SUNY, Nancy worked as a dean and professor of education at Ohio State University, where she also earned her undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees. In 1998, Nancy served as the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee—the first woman to hold the position in the university—until she joined the University of Cincinnati to serve as its President from 2003 to 2009.

Today, Nancy is the Co-founder of StriveTogether, a national movement that uses collective impact to help more than 14 million children succeed from cradle to career. She is also the Director of The Power of Systems, a project dedicated to transforming public university systems in the United States. She is also the co-author of the books, Creating a New Kind of University, University Leadership in Urban School Renewal, and A Time for Boldness.

Nancy joins me today to describe her vision of universities’ roles in communities and society. You’ll hear about her journey to becoming the administrative leader of three universities across the country and her advocacy for ensuring the academic welfare of students and collegiate athletes. She explains what it means to create a new kind of university and why universities need to collaborate with external social institutions. You’ll also learn about the importance of mentorship and representation and hear Nancy’s advice to young women aspiring to become leaders.

“Universities need to leave behind their isolation and build partnerships with communities and social entities. This is our role—our public good.” - Nancy Zimpher

This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:

• Nancy Zimpher’s childhood in Ohio
• Her academic path and her journey to joining the faculty of the Ohio State University
• The responsibilities of a university provost
• Nancy’s sense of leadership and how it emerged and grew in her life
• Creating and advocating for an academic enterprise for student-athletes
• Her role in the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
• The history of NIL policies for collegiate athletes and where they’re headed
• March Madness and why the NIL rules are a leadership issue like no other
• Joe Burrow’s story and the power of successful professional and collegiate athletes to drive social action
• The crisis of confidence in higher education and the role of universities in the larger social sphere
• How universities drive upward social mobility
• Creating a new kind of university
• Why universities need to focus on cooperating
• The responsibilities of women leaders and Nancy’s advice to women who aspire to become leaders

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “Many of our public social institutions are being questioned in terms of their ability to serve the needs of our society. The wrong thing to do is to be defensive about those critiques.” - Nancy Zimpher
• “Be aware of what your knowledge base is and be an expert in your discipline. Be good at what you do and who you say you are.” - Nancy Zimpher

Connect with Nancy Zimpher:

• Power of Systems
• StriveTogether
• Book: Creating a New Kind of University: Institutionalizing Community-University Engagement
• Book: University Leadership in Urban School Renewal
• Book: A Time for Boldness: A Story of Institutional Change
• StriveTogether on LinkedIn
• StriveTogether on Instagram
• StriveTogether on Facebook
• StriveTogether on Twitter
• Nancy Zimpher on Twitter

Spaceship Not Required

I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.

I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.

In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are--spaceship not required.

Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.

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