In December 2007, a small group of Shenandoah friends, trustees, faculty and staff members, alumni and students gave this exercise a lot of thought and selected the inauguration theme “Imagine & Inspire,” because they believe it suits both Shenandoah University and President Tracy Fitzsimmons. Shenandoah is a university that fosters imaginative thinking and offers inspiration in the form of its excellent faculty, innovative programs and forward-thinking leaders like Dr. Fitzsimmons.

Students are encouraged to imagine a world of possibilities and to be inspired - or to be inspirational to others. A small student-to-faculty ratio, personal attention given to students by their teachers and administrators as well as constant encouragement to “think outside the box” help students explore the boundaries of their minds and souls.

“I look forward to working with the administration and faculty to identify innovative ways of collaborating across the schools, to deepen our commitment to being a student-centered and learning-centered university, and to find new ways to serve the community,” said President Fitzsimmons, a petite woman who thinks big, big thoughts.

In fact, Dr. Fitzsimmons has been collaborative, innovative and committed to students throughout her career. She reaffirmed those ideals when she arrived on the Shenandoah University campus in July 2001 as dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and professor of political science. As dean, she helped establish the College of Lifelong Learning for adult learners in the community, the International and Cross-cultural Center for all Shenandoah students and the Citizen Scholar Program for first-year students. After she became vice president for academic affairs in 2002, she added the Women’s Studies Program as an undergraduate minor and developed the unique Global Citizenship Project, which sends groups of students, faculty and staff members around the world each spring. She was the guiding force behind Shenandoah’s updated General Education requirements and Mission Statement. Recognizing her extraordinary vision and leadership skills, the university named Fitzsimmons senior vice president & vice president for academic affairs in December 2005.

As Dr. Fitzsimmons prepared to become Shenandoah’s 16th president in 2008, members of the inauguration committee charged with selecting an inauguration theme had only to think about what Fitzsimmons has already accomplished at the university. They quickly realized her greatest strengths are her ability to envision how things should be, to connect people and ideas, to encourage innovation, and to remain true to her high standards for students and the education process. In short, her ability to “Imagine & Inspire.”

While more details are yet to be announced, and other events may be added, the Inauguration Steering Committee has announced a number of diverse events that center around the inauguration theme “Imagine & Inspire.”

On behalf of Shenandoah University, the Inauguration Steering Committee is delighted and honored to announce that two extraordinary speakers will be on campus on Thursday, Sept. 25, to lead conversations about imagination, inspiration and beliefs. Pulitzer Prize nominated author, historian, civil rights activist, actress, producer and director Maya Angelou speaks for an hour, beginning at 11 a.m. That afternoon, National Public Radio host and independent journalist Jay Allison shares stories from the highly acclaimed NPR series and companion book “This I Believe.” Later, Allison will be joined on stage by members of the Shenandoah and Winchester community who submitted “This I Believe” essays. Seating is limited, so tickets are required for Dr. Angelou and Mr. Allison.

Thursday evening, Sept. 25, performers from the university will present “Imagine & Inspire: An Artistic Celebration of Shenandoah,” a wonderfully eclectic mix of world music, vocal and instrumental performances, dance and theatre performed by students, faculty and guests. The concert embodies the spirit and diversity of Shenandoah University. It will be followed by an inauguration gala - black tie optional - where elegant attire is encouraged for a festive event featuring the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble. Tickets are required for the concert since the theatre has limited seats.

Classes are canceled from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, so everyone can witness the installation of Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons and enjoy the activities surrounding the ceremony, which will be held on the Brandt Student Center Soccer Field on main campus. A continental breakfast will be offered as well as poster presentations and outdoor performances prior to the official inauguration ceremony. Delegates, alumni representatives, the platform party and special guests will be assisted by inauguration event staff for the processional robing and line-up.

The inauguration ceremony for President Tracy Fitzsimmons begins at 11 a.m. and features virtuoso trumpet artist Jens Lindemann with the Shenandoah Conservatory Orchestra performing a new work commissioned for the inauguration, Shenandoah Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra, by Jay Chattaway, with the composer conducting.

Everyone is invited to the inauguration and the picnic on the quad, which follows immediately after the ceremony. Music will be performed by an alumni band. 

On Saturday, Sept. 27, the Student Government Association and the Spiritual Life Team are coordinating a food packing event in honor of President Fitzsimmons. Volunteers at this event, which supports the Stop Hunger Now organization, plan to package 30,000 meals in two hours. This student-driven, faculty and staff supported event will bring the campus community together to celebrate Shenandoah University’s mission to be “…compassionate citizens who are committed to making responsible contributions within a community, a nation and the world.”

Allison’s work can be heard regularly on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition” as well as PRI’s “This American Life.” He also works for ABC News’ “Nightline” and other national programs. His essays have appeared in the New York Times Magazine and other publications. He is co-producer of “Lost & Found Sound” and “The Sonic Memorial Project” and “Hidden Kitchens” with the Kitchen Sisters, “The Miles Davis Radio Project” with Steve Rowland & Quincy Troupe, “Beyond Affliction: The Disability History Project” with Laurie Block, and many other series, including “Life Stories” with Christina Egloff, a project that gives tape recorders to citizens and supports them in telling about their own lives. For his “Nightline” documentaries, Allison has worked as a solo crew - shooting, reporting and producing his half-hour specials. Ted Koppel has called him “a journalist in the finest tradition.”

During the last 25 years, Allison has created hundreds of documentaries, essays and special series for national and international broadcast, and he has won virtually every major industry award for his productions and collaborations, including the duPont-Columbia and five Peabody Awards. He was the 1996 recipient of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding contributions to public radio, the industry’s highest honor. In 2002, he received the Public Radio News Directors’ Leo C. Lee Award for lasting commitment to public radio journalism.

He is the executive director of Atlantic Public Media (APM), a non-profit organization he founded to create two new public radio stations for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, WCAI & WNAN, in collaboration with WGBH-Boston. The stations now broadcast from Woods Hole, Mass., where Allison and his family live. On WCAI/WNAN, Allison hosts a weekly four-hour “documentary DJ” program called “Arts & Ideas.”

Allison has taught journalism and production around the United States. He is a founder of the Association of Independents in Radio and the originator and host of online forums for public broadcasting, from the early days on The WELL in the 1980s up to his latest project with APM, Transom.org, an acclaimed Internet portal for bringing new voices and stories to public radio. Transom is the first Web site ever to win the coveted Peabody Award and has been nominated twice by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Science’s for its annual Webby Award naming it one of the “best 150 sites on the Internet.” Also through APM, Allison is the originator and co-founder of the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), an innovative Internet-based distribution system for public radio. 

Before coming to broadcasting, Allison was a theatre director, running a storefront theatre in Washington, D.C., and working with experimental theatres in New York City in the early 1970s. He studied at the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theatre and with the Russian director Zinovy Korogodsky in Leningrad during a year in Europe on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. 

How to submit an essay for “This I Believe”

Go to www.thisibelieve.org/essaywritingtips.html or, go to the Handley Regional Library “One Book” Web page at http://192.168.4.4/handley/beyondbooks.asp?loc=4 and select “Write Your Own Essay.” When you choose “Information on Submitting Your Own Essay,” you need to accept the “This I Believe” submission forms. You may then fill out a form which will include your essay and some information about yourself. If possible, on the second address line, include information that affiliates you with Winchester’s One Book, One Community Project. For instance, you could write “One Book/Shenandoah student” or “One Book/Shenandoah faculty” or “One Book/Winchester resident.” Read the “This I Believe” privacy policy. Be brief - 350 to 500 words - and be positive. State what you believe, not what you do not believe.

Tickets are required for “A Morning with Maya Angelou,” an hour-long presentation beginning at 11 a.m. To reserve a ticket, send an e-mail message to Ms. Kim Keckley at kkeckley@su.edu.

Angelou is considered one of the great voices of contemporary literature. She is a remarkable Renaissance woman: a poet, memoirist, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director. She has authored many dozens of books of literature as well as poetry and essays; she has appeared on the Broadway stage, in films and in television shows; she has written and directed plays; and she has recorded 10 spoken word albums.

Born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Mo., she was raised in segregated rural Arkansas, attending public school in Stamps, Ark., and later in San Francisco, Calif. In her early adulthood, Rita Johnson worked at a variety of professions and studied dance and drama on a scholarship at the California Labor School. In the 1950s, she danced with Alvin Alley and studied with Martha Graham. She created her stage name Maya Angelou.

Angelou, who speaks French, Spanish, Italian and West African Fanti, began her career in drama and dance. She lived in Cairo, where she was editor of The Arab Observer, the only English language news weekly in the Middle East, and she lived in Ghana, where she was feature editor of The African Review and taught at the University of Ghana.

In the 1960s, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she became the Northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1975, she received The Ladies Home Journal Woman of the Year Award in communications. Angelou was appointed to the National Commission on the Observance of International Woman’s Year by President Jimmy Carter, and President Gerald Ford appointed her to the American Revolutionary Bicentennial Advisory Council. She is on the board of the American Film Institute and is one of the few female members of the Directors Guild.

Angelou has been a groundbreaker for black women in the film industry through her work in script writing and directing. She has made hundreds of appearances in television. Her best-selling autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” won critical acclaim in 1970 and became a two-hour special on CBS. She has written and produced prize-winning documentaries, including “Afro-Americans in the Arts” for PBS. Angelou was nominated for an Emmy for her acting in “Roots” and for her screenplay “Georgia, Georgia.” In theatre, Angelou produced, directed and starred in “Cabaret for Freedom,” a collaborative project with Godfrey Cambridge.

In 1981, Dr. Angelou was appointed to a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. In January 1993, she became only the second poet in U.S. history to have the honor of writing and reciting original work at the Presidential Inauguration. Her honors include a National Book Award nomination for “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her book of poetry, “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die,” a Tony Award nomination for her role in the 1973 play “Look Away” and three Grammys for her spoken word albums: “On the Pulse Of Morning,” “Phenomenal Woman” and “Hallelujah! The Welcome Table.” She has served on two presidential committees and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal in 2008. She is the recipient of more than 50 honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the world. 

Virginia has 15 public colleges and universities – excluding schools in the community college system – and dozens of independent, private colleges and universities, including Shenandoah University.

Of all the Virginia institutions, 12 presidents – including President-elect Fitzsimmons – are female. Fitzsimmons, who turned 41 on Jan. 2, 2008, is the youngest. She is also the youngest president in the USA South Athletic Conference, the 11-member conference of schools in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia of which Shenandoah is a member.

The average age of American college and university presidents is 59.9, according to the 2007 edition of “A Brief Guide to U.S. Higher Education” produced by the American Council on Education. The report also says that 23 percent of American college and university presidents are female. Virginia is slightly ahead at 25 percent.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 percent of American college presidents have served in that position more than 10 years. Almost 26 percent have served six to 10 years, and almost 25 percent have served three to five years.

Shenandoah University’s out-going president, Dr. James A. Davis, who turned 63 on April 18, 2008, announced his decision to retire in April 2007. He completes 26 years of service to the institution when he leaves on June 30, 2008. Davis was 37-years old when he became president of then Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music in 1982.

In her first two days as president, Fitzsimmons will meet with a range of constituents, including alumni, current students, trustees, faculty and staff members. She will also host a lunch with other new community leaders – Winchester’s new City Manager Brannon Godfrey, the new president of Winchester Medical Center Al Pilong and the new Chief Operating Officer of Valley Health Reese Jackson.

Shenandoah University celebrates President Fitzsimmons’ formal inauguration in September with a variety of events, including presentations by Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, historian, civil rights activist, actress, producer and director Maya Angelou and National Public Radio host and independent journalist Jay Allison. Tying in with the inauguration theme “Imagine & Inspire,” the City of Winchester and Frederick and Clarke counties have made Allison’s book “This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women” the 2008 “One Book, One Community” selection. President Fitzsimmons will be formally inaugurated in a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 26.

On May 1, 2007, Shenandoah’s board of trustees voted to elect Dr. Fitzsimmons, then the university’s senior vice president & vice president for academic affairs, to succeed Dr. James A. Davis as president. Davis, 63, completed 26 years of service to Shenandoah University when he left office on June 30, 2008.

Fitzsimmons is the first woman president of the 133-year-old institution and the fourth president to serve at the Winchester campus since the institution moved from Dayton, Va., in 1960. “We are very pleased to have a person of Dr. Fitzsimmons’ experience and talent to lead Shenandoah University,” said Bill Brandt, trustee and chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “I believe she will be an exceptional president. She is a visionary, a natural leader and — at her core — an educator. She has the advantage of being mentored by Dr. Davis. I see her building upon this legacy, while at the same time setting her own direction. It will be an exciting time at Shenandoah University.”

Fitzsimmons began her tenure at Shenandoah University in 2001, when she joined the faculty as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and also as a professor of political science. Just one year later, she became vice president for academic affairs at Shenandoah, and in October 2006, she was named senior vice president & vice president for academic affairs. Before accepting the dean’s position at Shenandoah, Fitzsimmons was a tenured associate professor of government at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. While at Redlands, she also served as chair of the College of Arts & Sciences faculty and president of the Academic Assembly. Her regional expertise in Latin America also includes knowledge of democratization, gender, ethnicity and development.

She has taught courses ranging from Global Democratization and Comparative Politics, to Women in Politics in Latin America, Latin American Politics, Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict. She has led travel courses to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She has also published many scholarly works that have appeared in publications, journals and books, and remains a sought-after speaker at academic conferences in the United States and abroad.

Fitzsimmons earned her doctoral degree in political science in 1995 and a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Stanford University in 1991. She earned her undergraduate degree in politics from Princeton University in 1989. She also completed all of the courses for an M.A. in political science from the Universidad Católica de Chile from 1989 to 1991.

She is fluent in Spanish, proficient in French and conversational in Haitian Creole.

Fitzsimmons currently serves on the boards of Shentel (Shenandoah Telecommunications), Blue Ridge District BB&T Bank, Powhatan School, Grafton School and the Winchester/Frederick County Shelter for Abused Women. She served as a consultant for higher education reform for the University of Isai, Romania, in 2004 and has been an invited participant at the Salzburg Seminar. She has served as an off-site and on-site accreditation reviewer for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

She and her husband Charles Call live in Reliance, Va., with their daughter Shayla and twin sons, Dash and Jag. Dr. Chuck Call is assistant professor in the program on Peace & Conflict Resolution at American University in Washington, D.C. He works on post-conflict peace-building, democratization, human rights and policing and justice reform. He has conducted field research in all of Central America, Colombia, Haiti, Afghanistan, West Africa, Bosnia, Kosovo and South Africa. He spent most of 2004 at the UN Department of Political Affairs as its peace-building consultant. He has worked as a consultant for Human Rights Watch, the European Commission, USAID, UNDP, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Washington Office on Latin America, and he has received grants from the U.S. Institute of Peace, the MacArthur Foundation and the National Science Foundation. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University and his B.A. cum laude from Princeton University.

The Fitzsimmons-Call home is a c. 1917 converted schoolhouse (the former Reliance Elementary School, which was once the Shenandoah Normal School, but not affiliated with Shenandoah University), and the couple frequently hosts theatrical productions, concerts and poetry readings. Fitzsimmons and her family are members of Reliance United Methodist Church.

“There was a strong consensus among committee members and it was a unanimous decision to accelerate the process,” Dr. Allen said April 24. On April 4, President James A. Davis announced to the board of trustees his decision to retire in June 2008 after 26 years as the leader of the university.

The Presidential Search Committee was formed and an academic search consultant was hired to help various university constituencies — students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders — determine what Shenandoah needs from its next president.

On April 23, it was announced that Fitzsimmons, the current senior vice president & vice president for academic affairs, was elected by the trustees to serve as the university’s 16th president. Allen said no other candidates were considered.

The many meetings that were held and the work with the consultant resulted in “an excellent document” that made clear the university’s strengths and weaknesses. “It was a deliberate process,” Allen said, “and the document is a very honest appraisal of Shenandoah.”

Allen continued, “It was obvious to everyone that Tracy fits the description of what we are all looking for in our president.” And, yes, Allen said, everyone was aware that not conducting a national search might be a controversial decision.

Sophomore psychology major Autumn Apsey served on the Presidential Search Committee, too. “I am ecstatic that we made the best decision for every student on campus,” Apsey said. “As we went through all the criteria, I kept thinking, ‘Tracy fits that description.’ She is excellent for the students in two areas. First, she is truly concerned about students, and she is concerned about the reputation of our university.”

Allen said that while concerns about the search process were legitimate — and scrutinized intently by the committee — in the end, no one could deny that Fitzsimmons is eminently qualified, both as an educator and as an administrator, to lead Shenandoah University as it continues its re-accreditation process and its capital campaign mission.

“How can you pass up what you know you want, when it’s right there in front of you?” Apsey asked.

The university’s board met earlier today in a special session to review the Presidential Search Committee’s recommendation to promote Fitzsimmons to president elect. “We are very pleased to have a person of Dr. Fitzsimmons’ experience and talent to lead Shenandoah University,” said Bill Brandt, trustee and chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “I believe she will be an exceptional president. She is a visionary, a natural leader and — at her core — an educator. She has the advantage of being mentored by Dr. Davis, our current president. I see her building upon this legacy, while at the same time setting her own direction. It will be an exciting time.”

Board of Trustees Chairman Harry Smith also served on the selection committee. “The process was very thorough,” he said. “After hiring a respected search consultant, the search committee met with a variety of university stakeholders to gather information and input. This led to the development of a comprehensive presidential profile. We concluded we had the right candidate who exceeded the criteria and who possessed the qualities, experience and vision necessary to take Shenandoah University to even greater heights.”

Dr. Karen Abraham-Justice, associate professor of physical therapy and president of the faculty senate, also served on the Presidential Search Committee. “As we evaluated the presidential profile developed with the executive search consultant, it became clear Dr. Fitzsimmons was a perfect match to the criteria for Shenandoah’s new president,” she said. “Dr. Fitzsimmons is a passionate, inspired leader who has demonstrated her commitment to faculty development and shared governance, to the advancement of academic programs and to the individual development of students. We look forward to working with her as she leads Shenandoah forward.”

Dr. Davis announced his decision to retire on April 4 at the Board of Trustee’s spring meeting. When he leaves office in June 2008, he will have served as president for 26 years.

“I’m extremely pleased to hear the search committee’s decision to select Tracy Fitzsimmons as the next president of Shenandoah University,” Davis said. “Tracy is exceptionally gifted as a leader and an administrator. As senior vice president, she works closely with me on administrative issues, and as vice president for academic affairs, she has worked tirelessly with faculty and staff to advance the quality of our academic enterprise, especially making a major contribution in the areas of general education and international programs.”

“I’m honored and delighted to have been chosen to lead Shenandoah University,” said Fitzsimmons. “I look forward to consolidating and building upon the tremendous work of Jim Davis. I also look forward to working closely with our outstanding faculty, staff, trustees and students to take Shenandoah University to new heights.

“My family and I are so pleased to continue to be a part of this wonderful community in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley,” she said.

Fitzsimmons began her tenure at Shenandoah University in 2001, when she joined the faculty as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Since that time, she has served as vice president and professor of political science, and most recently as senior vice president and vice president for academic affairs. Previously, she was a tenured associate professor of government at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. While at Redlands, she also served as chair of the College of Arts & Sciences faculty and president of the Academic Assembly. Her regional expertise in Latin America also includes knowledge of democratization, gender, ethnicity and development.

An educator at heart, she has taught courses ranging from Global Democratization and Comparative Politics, to Women in Politics in Latin America, Latin American Politics, Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict. She has led travel courses to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She has also published many scholarly works that have appeared in publications, journals and books, and remains a sought-after speaker at academic conferences in the United States and abroad.

She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science in 1995 and a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University in 1991, and a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University in 1989. She also completed all of the courses for a M.A. in Political Science from the Universidad Católica de Chile in 1989-91.

She is fluent in Spanish, proficient in French and conversational in Haitian Creole. Dr. Fitzsimmons is also firmly engaged her community. She serves on the board of directors for Shenandoah Telecommunications (SHENTEL), a NASDAQ-traded company, the Winchester Shelter for Abused Women, Grafton School and Global Justice. She served as a consultant for higher education reform for the University of Isai, Romania, in 2004 and has been an invited participant at the Salzburg Seminar. She has served as an off-site and on-site accreditation reviewer for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Locally, she was the 2005 graduation speaker at Millbrook High School and the Women’s Luncheon keynote speaker at the 2005 Apple Blossom Festival. She was named Mortarboard Professor of the Year at the University of Redlands in 1997-98, outstanding professor of the Year by the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce in 1998 and a Harry S. Truman Scholar in 1987-91.

She is a recipient of many awards, including the 2006 James R. Wilkins, Sr. Award for outstanding service to Shenandoah University.

Fitzsimmons’ passion for global education has led to several travel-abroad programs for students at Shenandoah University. She founded the International Cross-cultural Center at Shenandoah University, a place where international students can gather to share their experiences with one another as well as the campus community. Over the past three years, Fitzsimmons helped to establish the university’s popular Global Citizenship Project, which has sent more than 150 people from Shenandoah University on all-expenses-paid, 10-day learning trips to international destinations.

Fitzsimmons and her husband Dr. Chuck Call have three children and live in Reliance, Va. They run the Old Schoolhouse Theatre and the Reliance Theatre Project, which presents films, plays and poetry readings for the public. The family attends Reliance United Methodist Church.

“I’m pleased Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons will now serve as senior vice president at Shenandoah,” said Dr. Davis. “This action confirms the role of Dr. Fitzsimmons as the administrator who acts on my behalf in my absence.”

Fitzsimmons will work closely with Richard Shickle, vice president for administration and finance, to help develop the annual budget plan and provide support for its implementation. In addition, Fitzsimmons will head the preparation for the regional accreditation review in 2009 with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Previously, she was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Shenandoah. Prior to joining the faculty at Shenandoah, she served as associate professor of government and chair of the College of Arts & Sciences faculty as well as president of the Academic Assembly at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.

With regional expertise in Latin America, Fitzsimmons has taught courses on world politics, Latin American politics, global democratization, women and politics in Latin America and has conducted travel courses to both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Her published research has taken her to Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Croatia and Bosnia. Her undergraduate degree is from Princeton University, and her master’s and doctoral degrees are from Stanford University. Fitzsimmons currently serves on the boards of Shentel (Shenandoah Telecommunications), Grafton School, the Winchester/Frederick County Women’s Shelter, Global Justice and the One Book One Community committee.

“I’m delighted the search committee and advisory committee for the selection of the new vice president strongly supported the selection of Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons,” Dr. Davis said. According to Davis, the university received more than 70 applications from across the United States and abroad. The search committee interviewed four strong candidates before Davis suggested Fitzsimmons be considered.

“The skills and energy Dr. Fitzsimmons brings to the university and her knowledge of higher education were the key factors in her selection,” said Davis. “She came to Shenandoah nine months ago with strong endorsement of the search committee. Since then, Dr. Fitzsimmons has made an extremely positive impression throughout the community through her leadership and advancement of new program initiatives.”

Fitzsimmons came to Shenandoah University in July, 2001, from the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif., where she was associate professor of government and chair of the arts and sciences faculty. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in politics from Princeton University in 1989 and her master’s in Latin American studies from Stanford University two years later. Her doctorate degree in political science was conferred by Stanford in 1995.

Fitzsimmons describes herself as a “political comparativist” with regional emphasis on Latin America. At Redlands in southern California where she taught for six years (she was tenured in her fourth year), she taught world politics, democratization, women in Latin America and ethnic conflict. Her research and published work focus on politics in Latin America, gender and policing, women and security, and on transformative pedagogies. She has lived and traveled in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Central America and Central Europe.

Fitzsimmons has served as president of the full academic assembly at Redlands, chaired the curriculum committee and was a member of the president’s 10-person university council in addition to chair of the arts and sciences faculty.

“I am firmly committed to collaborative processes of decision-making in which the appropriate individuals and groups are involved,” said Fitzsimmons. “I have great respect for both professional and liberal learning, and a particular interest in the juncture of the two.

“I look forward to working with the administration and faculty to identify innovative ways of collaborating across the schools, to deepen our commitment to being a student-centered and learning-centered university, and to find new ways to serve the community,” Fitzsimmons said.

“Shenandoah University has an outstanding faculty, a diverse curriculum and motivated, talented students,” she continued. “I look forward to serving the university community as vice president for academic programs.”

Twenty-five people – faculty, students and staff – were involved with the selection process for the new vice president. President Davis is clearly confident in Fitzsimmons’ ability to provide leadership for academic programs. He noted she will also work with faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences as they begin the search for a new dean.