On Friday, Aug. 22, 2005, at the end of her first week as WSU's new president, Tom Grier, WSU direcor of University Communication,  sat down with Dr. Judith Ramaley for a 20 Questions-style interview to help readers of Winona Currents get to know her better.

TG: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
JR:  When I was five years old, a kindergarten teacher asked us that question. She enjoyed my answer so much that she shared it with my parents and it has been a fun family story. I said I wanted to be a carpenter and a doctor so I could build my own office and then be a doctor there.

TG:  Where did you grow up?
JR: All over the place. My father worked for an oil company so the old saying "have mind, will travel" was a focal point for us. I lived in at least a half-dozen places while growing up. At the time, I didn't like moving that much. Later, I could look back and see that it gave me a wonderful set of skills and an attitude that wherever I am is home.

TG: You graduated with a bachelor's degree in zoology from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. How did you choose to go to Swarthmore?
JR: As a high school student, I was very serious about my education. I wanted to be around other serious students. I loved thinking about the big questions. I visited several places known for academic excellence. I didn't rely on college viewbooks or catalogs. I sat in the student union and listened to what people were talking about. I walked into the Biology department and talked to faculty. I read the bulletin boards. I concluded that Swarthmore had the atmosphere and the seriousness that fit my desire to learn with interesting people and find ways to put knowledge to good use.

TG: Did you work right after obtaining your bachelor's degree?
JR: No, I went straight to grad school. Life is all about connections. I stayed in contact with a couple people I had met at Swarthmore when I was a freshman who had gone on to UCLA to study at the graduate level. They said it was great and I trusted them.

TG:  You earned a Ph.D. in anatomy from UCLA. Describe your dissertation research and your career goals after finishing that degree?
JR: My dissertation focused on the physiology of puberty in female rats. When I finished the program, I had no specific career plan. I just knew that I wanted to be a scientist and a professor. I thought the pinnacle of life would be to establish a research lab and teach occasionally. Why occasionally? Because that is what I saw medical school faculty doing— a dozen lectures a year was a heavy teaching load. I wanted to be a leader in neuroendocrinology, a field that was just getting its footing in those days.

TG:  You've been a college president twice before. Describe those experiences and how you think they will be similar or dissimilar to your tenure at Winona State University?
JR: There are several things in common already. Everywhere I have been, people want to be noticed and taken seriously. They want their work to be appreciated. I enjoy that role. I'm sure there will be many important differences. One of the most exciting things for me is the chance to learn. Being a university president is a chance to work with talented and dedicated people across a broad range of fields who care deeply about education and putting knowledge to responsible use, and perhaps more importantly drawing students into that experience.

TG:  Describe your best day ever in higher education to this point.
JR: When MnSCU Chancellor James McCormick told me I had been selected to be the next president of Winona  State University. That sounds a bit over the top, but it was an answer to a dream for me. When I first was told about the opportunity here, I started to research the school. When I saw the mission statement on the web site, "a community of learners dedicated to improving our world" I knew instantly I wanted to be here and to be a part of that.

TG: Those in the WSU community want to get to know you well.  Tell us one thing about yourself that isn't generally known or that only those closest to you know.
JR: I am amazed at how comfortably and naturally I have found myself talking about these things here. That's a tribute to the people of this community who have welcomed me so graciously and allowed me to be who I really am. What you probably don't know about me is that I am a frustrated poet. I have wanted so badly to capture my reaction to the world in poetry. In reality, I'm better in conversations, so I read poetry instead.

TG: What is your favorite color?
JR:  Before I came here to Winona, it was blue. Now, I've come to see the beauty in purple.

TG: Is there a place in the world that is special to you, that you like to return to often?
JR:  The Pacific Northwest. There's something about the shape of the land, the feel of the air, the sweep of the history. It feels alive. I've noticed many places along the upper Mississippi River that generate some of the same feelings. It's a land shaped by wind and water, worked by many people over the centuries and an environment that projects a deep sense of place.

TG: If a young person asked you today about the importance of the liberal arts in higher education, how would you respond?
JR: First, I'd make the distinction between liberal arts courses, and the idea of a liberal education. The term “liberal arts” usually means a set of disciplines. “Liberal education” means an approach to learning and inquiry, regardless of the subject matter. We are best served when we approach education with a spirit of inquiry, open to knowing that we don't know everything. A liberal education allows students— demands students— to approach all subjects with clarity of mind, honesty of questioning, and the ability to listen faithfully, setting aside previous experience to allow more learning.

TG: You've mentioned your children in a couple of the welcoming sessions on campus. Please give a quick summary of each child and their activities.
JR:  I have two sons. Alan graduated from Stanford with a bachelor's degree in symbolic systems and a master's degree in computer science. He lives in Seattle and with two college classmates is building a company called The Platform which is an internet provider offering communication resources to large companies. My son, Andrew, first earned his RN (registered nurse) then earned a bachelor's of nursing degree on-line through the University of Kansas Medical Center, and is now an adult returning student pursuing a master's degree to become a nurse anesthetist. He and his wife, Ziba, are raising six children. I have learned so much from my children over the years. In fact, I like to say that my children have raised me.

TG:  If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
JR: I'd like to arrange a dinner party so we could have spirited discussion. I'd invite some of our nation's founding fathers and a couple of founding mothers. I'd be especially intrigued to dine with Benjamin Franklin, who was reported to be an excellent dinner companion. I'd also love to chat with Eleanor Roosevelt, particularly in her later years when she was pursuing human rights. I'd ask her what it was like to be the world's conscience.

TG: This sounds like a job interview question– and you already have the job– where do you see yourself in five years?
JR: Here, happily part of the larger southeastern Minnesota community, working at WSU, which, by then, will have fully implemented all phases of the Winona Experience and will be enjoying the satisfaction of seeing its graduates well-prepared for the 21st century.

Dr. Judith A. Ramaley (pronounced Rah may´ lee) began her service as the 14th president of Winona State University on July 18, 2005 . She was appointed to the WSU position by the Board of Trustees of Minnesota's State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) following a national search which concluded in March 2005. Ramaley replaced Dr. Darrell W. Krueger who had served as WSU's president for 16 years until his retirement on July 15, 2005.

Prior to coming to Minnesota, Ramaley held a presidential professorship in biomedical sciences at the University of Maine and was a Fellow of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy. She also completed a residency as a Visiting Senior Scientist at the National Academy of Sciences from January to June 2005.

From 2001-2004, Dr. Ramaley was Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR) at The National Science Foundation. The EHR Directorate is responsible for the health and continued vitality of the Nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and for providing leadership in the effort to improve education in these fields. During Ramaley’s tenure, the Directorate managed an annual budget of over $900 million. Prior to joining NSF, Ramaley was president of The University of Vermont (UVM) and professor of biology from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 2001 . Previously, she was President and professor of biology at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon for seven years. 

Ramaley has a special interest in higher-education reform and has played a significant role in designing regional alliances to promote educational cooperation.  She also has contributed to national discussions about the changing nature of work and the workforce. She plays a national role in the exploration of civic responsibility and the role of higher education in promoting good citizenship and has published extensively on educational reform, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the leadership of organizational change.

Under her leadership, The University of Vermont became a member of the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities that explored the role of research universities in the 21st century. The University of Vermont established new partnerships in the state that support educational reform, economic and community development, and opportunities for Vermonters across the state. The most significant of these partnerships is the Vermont Public Education Partnership (VPEP) an alliance of the Vermont Department of Education, the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges to promote pre K-20 collaboration throughout the state.  In Vermont, Ramaley was a Director of the Vermont Business Roundtable, a member of the Human Resources Investment Council (HRIC), a member of the Vermont Commission on Higher Education Funding, a member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, a member of the Vermont Quality Council Board of Advisors and Co-Chair of the Vermont Campus Compact.

At the national level, Ramaley served as a member of the board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), as a member of the National School-to-Work Advisory Board, and as a member of the presidential advisory panel for the Association of Governing Boards (AGB). She also has held the position of Chair of the Board of Campus Compact, chair of the subcommittee on College Drinking of the Advisory Council of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (National Institute of Health), and serves as a trustee and chair of the Trustees Academic Affairs Committee of Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio. She was chair of the Greater Expectations Panel, a group developed by AAC&U as a multi-year initiative to define the aims of a 21st century undergraduate education and to identify strategies for accomplishing these aims. She also served as a member of the board of the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE). She is the author of 33 papers and book chapters on issues in higher education, including civic responsibility, higher education and the public good, science and mathematics education and organizational change.

Ramaley received her bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in 1963 and conducted her graduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a doctorate in 1966.  She served for two years as a post-doctorate fellow at Indiana University. In 1978-1979, she was an American Council on Education Fellow at the University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha, where she then held the post of Associate Dean for Research and Development. The next year, she joined the University of Nebraska ís central administration as assistant vice president for academic affairs. In 1982, Ramaley became the chief academic officer at the State University of New York at Albany. She also served as executive vice president for academic affairs for two years and as acting president for one semester at SUNY-Albany. Ramaley was the executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas-Lawrence from 1987 to 1990.

Ramaley has two sons, Alan and Andrew, a daughter-in-law, Ziba, four grandsons, Adam, Zachary, Nathaniel and Matthew, and two granddaughters, Zarintaj (Sarah) and Allison.

Last Modified: Friday, November 04, 2005 15:33 by Rhone Richard