Interview with Pomona College President Gabi Starr

Today we’re talking with Pomona College President Gabi Starr. She just received her second COVID-19 vaccine and feels like they’re turning a corner with all the vaccines going out over campus. She looks forward to bringing people back to work and students back to campus. When COVID-19 hit President Starr was in the midst of hiring new members of her leadership team, and they had to get to know each other over Zoom. President Starr has found ways to utilize Zoom such as weekly check-ins with faculty, or taking time out of Zoom classes to really connect with students.

President Starr says the pandemic has reminded her that you can’t do everything, and she hopes to reinforce this idea. She tells students to pick and choose how you engage and that it’s not healthy to try and do everything. We all need to keep our sense of self-regulation. She hopes to also continue all the outreach efforts that have been started under COVID-19, reminding us that programs should start where the students are.

Schools shouldn’t be in competition, President Starr says we should be collaborating to enhance curriculum and share resources. Each school has an individual strength, and we’re all stronger when we bring them all together. President Starr reminds us again that we can’t do everything on our own. There are plenty of students to go around, we should be more focused on how to best serve the students once they're here rather than competing for them.

No matter how prepared you think you are to be a college president, you have no idea what you’re getting into. President Starr says it’s empowering to recognize that and to not take things personally. She says you have to remember that people see you as the institution. She would tell others to hire the best people for the job and then get out of their way and let them do it. Another piece of advice that President Starr would offer is to live like death is on your shoulder. Make decisions to the best of your ability, do the best that you can, and then realize that the outcome is not always up to you.

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Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is a podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the “aha moments” that can propel their work forward. Innovating Together curates the best insights, research, and experts. To connect with us further, visit www.theuia.org.