Izzy Manzo – Photo Editor
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs candidate Trudy Millburn attributes her success in the academic field as well as in the software industry to experiences that make her qualified for the position.
Millburn, who visited campus on Feb. 5, is currently the assistant dean of liberal arts studies and director of academic programs at the State University of New York at Purchase College.
“I started as director of academic programs for liberal studies and continuing [education],” she said. A position that involved running summer and winter programs, as well as an extension program at Rockland Community College. “Then I became assistant dean of liberal arts and sciences, so I also interact directly with students one-on-one.”
Millburn’s first faculty position was at Baruch College in New York City, where she became tenured and was promoted to an assistant professor. In 2006 she moved back to her native California and became an associate professor at the newest college in the California State Universities system: Channel Islands.
“It is where I started [a] communication degree,” she said. “I crafted the curriculum from scratch and collaborated with the other faculty.”
Millburn has three degrees, all of which are in communication. She first attended the University of California Davis, graduating in 1989 before moving to Texas to attend Texas A&M for her Master’s, and then the University of Massachusetts Amherst for her doctorate.
“I think those experiences across the country, as well as the work that I did for a software company that specialized in assessment and accreditation and ensuring quality programs, gives me the right perspective as well as nitty gritty experience to do a good job in this role,” she said.
While working at the software company, Taskstream, where she was a director of campus solutions from 2010 to 2016, Millburn provided software consultations online and on-site, in addition to performing presentations at trade shows and accreditation conferences, according to her resume.
During the hiring process for the position, Millburn said that as a Mexican American, Hispanic outlook served as an integral part of the process because “institutions who are specifically looking at minority candidates and trying to ensure that their administration looks like their student population” frequently post job openings.
“I want to make sure that’s valued,” she said.
However, Millburn said she believes her previous and current experiences, which include founding degree programs that span multiple states, are what make her a qualified candidate for Provost.
“From my perspective,” she said, “the Provost is the person who, in a college, helps set the academic direction for new programs, ensuring that current degrees and programs are at a high level of quality, and making sure that students are getting an optimal educational experience.”
Photo Credit: Izzy Manzo
