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“We knew that Linda was the perfect fit for BSC going in,
but we have been so pleased with how much she has already
accomplished in her short time on the Hilltop,” said BSC Board
Chair David Smith ’79. “Working closely with her as Board chair, I
am constantly impressed by her unfailing energy and intelligence,
her ability to cut to the core of a problem or take advantage of an
opportunity, and her dedication to putting Birmingham-Southern
on the path to an even greater future.”
It may sound like she is trying to do it all, but BSC’s first female
president says she believes strongly that she can and must make a
difference—because she has the support of the BSC family. As an
example of what drives her to maintain such a pace, she cites her
favorite quote from Helen Keller, who said:
“I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but
still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I
will not refuse to do the something I can do.”
“That’s the mantra by which I have tried to live my life,”
Flaherty-Goldsmith said. “When people ask me to do something,
I ask myself these questions: Is it something worth doing? It is
something that calls to my heart? Is it something I can do? If the
answer to all three questions is yes, then I say ‘yes’.
“The ‘something’ I am currently fixated on is making our
nationally ranked educational experience available and
accessible to many more students, so that they, too, can ‘just
say yes’ to BSC.”
Many leaders—in business and academia—are eager to brag about
their accomplishments. But for BSC’s new president, the priority is
giving credit where credit is due. In fact, President Linda Flaherty-
Goldsmith believes that teams do the best work, not individuals, and
she makes sure to systematically recognize members of her senior
administrative team for making the large-scale innovations she has
already accomplished possible, as well as for handling the everyday
details that allow her to focus on long-term strategy for the college.
She even moved the president’s office from its previous location in the
StockhamWomen’s Building back to Munger Memorial Hall to enable
her to share a hallway with more teammembers, especially the provost.
Meet her team:
Dr. Susan Hagen
didn’t expect to be taking over as provost in
the final semester before she retired, but when Dr. Michelle Behr
departed mid-year, she ably picked up the reins. Flaherty-Goldsmith
has insisted the provost is the president’s “right-hand person,” and
credits Hagen with making her dream of articulation agreements
with community colleges, which will increase the number of transfer
students to BSC, a reality in record time. Bringing
Dr. Tim Smith
into the role of associate provost a few months early has made
Hagen’s massive workload much more manageable.
Lane Estes
has helped every BSC president since Dr. Neal Berte,
but Flaherty-Goldsmith officially named him her Chief of Staff
as well as vice president of community initiatives. She depends
on him to manage strategically important projects, especially the
Western Area Initiative that she outlined on her very first day in
office—a shared passion.
CFO
Eli Phillips
and Flaherty-Goldsmith also have a shared
passion for the bottom line; she is a self-described “numbers
person” and former finance officer herself. That’s why she respects
Phillips’ strong financial expertise so much. The two are engaged
in a comb-through of the college’s budget to find ways to redirect
resources to strategic priorities, and most notably were successful in
bringing a dramatic debt reduction financing to fruition this March.
Another finance guru—Interim VP for Advancement
Dr. Sara
Helms Robicheaux ‘97
, who was a math major at BSC— serves as
the interim leader of the college’s fundraising efforts, including the
ambitious Bridge to the Future initiative. Robicheaux is also Dean
of Business Programs, B.A. Monaghan Professor of Business, and
director of the Stump Entrepreneurship Program, and a frequent
traveling partner of the president as they strike out to meet alumni
and donors.
Anthony Hambey
, vice president for Information Technology, and
his team are also critical when it comes to managing expenses and
being innovative in providing greater services with fewer resources.
This spring, IT began a project to run new fiber on the campus,
an early step in a multi-year project to guarantee the college is
technologically up to speed in the future.
Sara Newhouse
, vice president for Enrollment Management, has
the important task of increasing the college’s enrollment each year.
Her department has tackled a range of new projects in cooperation
with Flaherty-Goldsmith, including test-optional admission,
adding recruiters in new regions, and updating financial aid, among
other efforts. And the president has accompanied able recruiters
throughout the southeast to sell BSC to prospective students.
Dr. David Eberhardt
, vice president for Student Development,
has always been focused on making the student experience the
best it can be, and has taken on the role of improving retention at
the college and researching new opportunities to engage first-year,
first-generation, and all students. His department also manages
all aspects of residential and student life, from the residence halls
to the Greek system to career services and counseling—even the
Honor Code.
Another crucial role is played by the president’s assistant,
Chuck Evans
,
who manages Flaherty-Goldsmith’s office and overflowing calendar.
“His collegial style and attention to detail makes all the difference and
makes my office run efficiently,” she said.
“And then there’s
Hannah Wolfson
, this magazine’s editor and this
article’s author,” President Flaherty-Goldsmith insisted on adding.
“She is our star communicator, and not only would publications
like this one never see the light of day, I’d be at a loss for words
without her!”
Collaboration in the corner office