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COMMUNITY NEWS
Tell us a little bit about
yourself.
I am a life-long educator, beginning
with the “school” lessons that I’m
sure my younger brother did not
appreciate when we were small. I
think that one of the great joys in
life is the capacity that we all have
to continue to learn and experience
new things throughout the course
of a lifetime, and formal education
is one important means toward
those ends. I am proud of the joy of
learning and the sense of curiosity
about the world that I have managed
to instill in students over the years.
What attracted you to
the position of provost
at BSC?
In conjunction with its focus on
providing a top-notch liberal
arts experience for students,
Birmingham-Southern’s emphasis
on interdisciplinarity, community
engagement, internationalization,
and undergraduate-faculty research
collaborations were attractive to me
as these are all passions of mine.
The fit seemed great!
What would you
describe as your top
accomplishments at
Northern Colorado?
My experiences at the University of
Northern Colorado were wonderful
preparation for the role of provost
at BSC. Not only did I lead and
manage a college with about 130
full-time faculty and more than
2,000 majors, but I was given the
opportunity to work on a variety of
exciting initiatives across campus.
For example, I led a task force that
developed the strategic plan to
enhance internationalization on
campus. I am especially proud of
the work I did to build cohesion
among the college’s faculty and staff.
How has higher
education changed
during your career?
Higher education has never operated
in a more challenging environment
than it finds itself in now. Financial
pressures on institutions and
families, increased competition, calls
for external accountability, changes
in the numbers and experiences
of the college-going population,
and many other issues confront
all colleges in ways that were not
present when I began my career.
What will be most
important to you as
you begin your new
position?
The most important thing will be to
listen and learn about BSC. While
all colleges have characteristics in
common, each has its own unique
mission and culture. One of the
most critical things I did early on
was to get out to meet and to talk
with as many people as I could to
deepen my understanding of the
strengths and challenges of the
college.
What influenced
your college studies
in anthropology/
geography?
Human cultures, artifacts, and
interactions are endlessly fascinating.
Both anthropology and geography
are disciplines that are broad as well
as deep and that allow for wide-
ranging exploration of endless topics
related to people, their interactions
in groups, and how they make use
of the worlds in which they find
themselves. To me, the ability to
ask interesting questions that help
to address real-world problems is
an irresistible draw.
What is the best piece
of advice you’ve ever
received?
Probably the best piece of advice I’ve
ever received is to “invite yourself to
the party.” To me this means that
one should volunteer, get engaged,
stretch oneself, and “step up.” It’s
great advice for life in general, and
it certainly has led me to all kinds
of unanticipated (and wonderful)
career opportunities.
Q&A with Dr. Michelle Behr
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Michelle Behr, formerly acting dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Northern
Colorado, took office as provost at Birmingham-Southern this summer. As the college’s chief academic officer, she will guide
and oversee BSC’s academic programs and support services. She shared her thoughts about the college, academia, and her
passion for education.