28.11
4.11.12
Allen Reflects on Her First Year
Emily Gamiel, Editor
“Boy, what a wonderful welcoming
year it has been.” After her first year
as president of Meredith College, Dr.
Jo Allen recalls that it has been the
hospitable acts of the college commu
nity, especially those from the stu
dents that have defined her time here
so far. The college’s eighth president
remarked, “I think I’m so touched by
how responsive the students have re
ally been . . . that was really special.”
As an alumna, Allen has a special
connection with the campus and has
a unique insight to the needs of the
Meredith.
After Maureen Hartford announced
her plans to retire in June 2011, from
her Meredith College-presidency, Al
len remembers hearing the news. She
said, “I had gotten a wiff of it through
a couple of friends.” And although
she was excited about the informa
tion she learned, Allen described her
hesitation in making the transition
from her current institution, Widener
University, to Meredith. Leaving proj
ects unfinished and work undone was
something that Allen wanted to avoid.
She explained, “Any time you leave
a place that you love, to go to a place
that you’re pretty sure you love more,
it’s always a bit of a toss-up.”
However, it was Allen’s LaGrange,
North Carolina roots that tugged on
her urgency to apply for the position
at Meredith. Although she admitted
she could have done more at Widener,
she said that the energy would have
been better spent at Meredith. After
her deliberation, Allen said that “it
was not a difficult call, at all.” Being
closer to her family and rejoining the
Raleigh community are things that
Allen knew she wanted. She clari
fied her history with the area: “This
is a culture that brought me up, and
taught me so much and changed my
life. To be able to come back and have
whatever kind of impact I might have
was just too great to pass up.”
Being a graduate of Meredith Col
lege is one aspect of Allen’s educa
tion history that can be interpreted
in various ways. On one side of the
spectrum, Allen believes that “being
an alumna helped me because I cer
tainly understand the culture and the
history of Meredith and how revered
she 4S in this community and in this
state.” She also said that not having
SISSI
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to learn the high level of respect that
Meredith graduates and faculty have
was helpful. Having already received
an education from Meredith herself,
graduating in 1980 with a degree in
English, Allen is aware of the commu
nity’s perception of the college.
On the other hand, Allen explains
that it would be easy to think that she
was chosen for the position primarily
because she was an alumna. She then
said, “The board of trustees made
it very clear in their deliberation,
and they even told me in my second
interview, that I was not in the room
because I was an alumna.” Tbe experi
ence that Allen gained after leaving
Meredith was what prepared her for
this position. Allen said that going
other places and seeing that this col
lege was different from other institu
tions gives her a unique perspective
on how the college needs to grow and
change. She explained, “When you see
things that need to change, it’s always
hard to figure out how to deliver that
message because you don’t want to
come in tossing matches.” She con
tinued, “It’s given me a reminder
of having some patience and being
respectful of the incredible goodness
and excellence that is already here.”
One thing about the college that
caught Allen’s attention throughout
her first year was Meredith’s relent
less efforts to get things right. Allen
commented on the Meredith com
munity, saying she believed that it is
“very reflective on decisions that [it]
make[s] . . . it’s very much the thing '
that I noted early on.” In comparison
to other large universities that are
often consumed with athletic pro
grams, Allen said, “Here, it’s about
the college.”
In her first year back, Allen noticed
changes on the campus. After seeing
Meredith from the outside for the past
30 years, she described coming back
and walking through all of the build
ings as “beautiful.” In particular, sbe
pointed out the organic garden and
the Meredith Autism program play
ground.
A noticeable change that Allen
noted was the addition of traditions
since her time at the college. In com
parison with current times she says,
“They seemed manageable when I
was a student.” Allen recalled going
through the freshly painted tunnel
and pointing out illustrations alluding
to traditions that she wasn’t familiar
with. She admitted, “I was just ask
ing earlier, ‘what is 12th night?’ and
‘this Fire and Water dinner?’ We had
neither of those traditions when I
was here.” She added, “They are all-
great, but there are a lot more tradi
tions now than there were when I
was here.” In addition to the added
traditions, Allen also explained a dif
ference in the student population as a
whole.
The diversity of students is some
thing that Allen said has “improved
tremendously” since she was a stu
dent. Allen expressed her satisfaction
with the emphasis she believes the
college makes on having a diverse
group of women in attendance. She
remembers her senior year at Mer
edith and said, “I actually went back
through my yearbook and I think
there was only one African American
in my class that was photographed.”
She also said that she didn’t have
■ any international students as fellow
classmates.
A constant in the history of Mer
edith College, according to Allen, is
its’ ability to find students’ strengths,
highlight them, and help those stu
dents find a way to develop those
talents. She said, “I really think that
is Meredith’s nitch.” Moving students
to the next level is something that Al
len says has happened since she was a
student, and will continue to happen
in the future. She explained, “To me,
that is the power of Meredith.”
Throughout the experience of her
first year, Allen indicates her Inaugu
ration as one of the^proudest mo
ments she has had since taking the
position months before in June. She
remarked that receiving the emblem
necklace from students was “very
sweet and powerful.” Also moving was
having her sister by her side to hold
the Bible as she was sworn in. Allen
even admits that her mother crashed
her Inauguration party, “She’s 84 and
I just loved that.” “There have been
so many moments that just take your
breatb away,” Allen said, “You just sit
there and try to remember them all
and make sure you write them down.”
Allen said that she will continue to
educate as many women as she can
during her future years at Meredith.
One issue that she concluded with was
her wish for tuition to cost “a whole
lot less,” and to reach out to and edu
cate more students. Allen said that
the toughest part is “wanting to do it
all for everybody.” Despite this, she
said that her goal is “doing as much
as [she] possibly can, as well as [she]
possibly can, for as many people as
[she] possibly can.”
SpecialEditiononDr. Jo Allen:
Style Stalker, Ask Gigi, Confessions of a Meredith Alumna, MC Cribs: The Massey House, Meredith’s Bachelor