[018]MTSU’s SELLS TO BECOME INTERIM VP FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS

MTSU’s SELLS TO BECOME INTERIM VP FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS

July 18, 2008

CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—Dr. Debra Sells, associate vice provost, Academic Support Services, has been appointed interim vice president for the Division of Student Affairs, effective Aug. 1. She replaces Dr. Bob Glenn, who has accepted the position of president at Athens (Ala.) State University.
Sells, who has been at MTSU for 12 years, said when she asked President Sidney A. McPhee what the word “interim” meant to him, he told her he didn’t want to worry about the appellation of interim but rather wanted her to focus on moving forward with projects already in motion.
“I am pleased that Dr. Sells has agreed to assume the position of interim vice president during this transition period,” McPhee commented. “She is an excellent administrator who has demonstrated her concern for students and their welfare on our campus. She has an outstanding record of effective leadership, and I have no doubt she will continue her good work in carrying out her new responsibilities.”
Sells referred to the proposed Student Union as one of those important projects already in progress. She also said it was vital to continue such activities as the Distinguished Lecture Series and the Fall Convocation because such programs “straddle that bridge between faculty and students. We want to bring speakers to campus who connect with faculty. We ask faculty, ‘Who do you want to bring to campus that will enhance your class? We’ll find ways to support those co-curricular programs that enhance teaching and learning.’
“Clearly we’re working in a difficult budget environment,” Sells noted. “When there is a budget crunch, that’s a good time to look very strategically at what you’re doing. Is everything we do addressing university priorities of recruitment and retention? If not, maybe it’s time to take a step back and look again.”
Regarding the issue of student-centeredness, Sells said she wants university staff to get into the business of finding ways to say yes to students instead of no. “Our job requires flexibility and the ability to exercise good judgment about how we can best support an individual student’s needs.
“I hope we’re getting better and better,” she added. She related a story about a student who told Sells that her adviser not only helped her with her paperwork but volunteered to deliver the material to where it needed to go. “The student was totally stunned,” Sells said. “That makes me very happy. It’s not everywhere yet, but it’s better. We need to keep talking about it.”
Sells sees her greatest challenge as being able to prioritize and figure out which areas need the most attention. She said her management style is simply to hire the very best people and give them the support and direction they need to do what they do well. “Hiring the very best people for each job is one of our most important responsibilities. I want to hire the smartest, most highly qualified people we can attract to MTSU.”
She speaks highly of her predecessor who “leaves a rich legacy and who’s been a big part of campus life. … Dr. Glenn came here really determined that we would shift the culture so that a student knew what it meant to be an MTSU student,” she said. “We demonstrate what we value by what we support with our presence. Bob certainly did a great job of that.”
“I have worked with top student affairs professionals from all across the country, and I have never come across anyone better qualified or more able than Deb. She will do a terrific job,” Glenn said of his successor.
Prior to her position in Academic Support Services, Sells was director of Housing and Residential Life at MTSU from 1996 to 2002, and before that, she held several residential-life positions at Arizona State University. Sells earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and communications at Hope College, Holland, Mich.; a master’s in social work at The University of Michigan; and her doctorate of education from ASU.

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NOTE: For a jpeg of Sells, please contact Gina Fann at 615-898-5385 or gfann@mtsu.edu.