BY CORIE LYNN
From creating book genres like Mary Shelley to becoming the youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize like Malala Yousafzai, women continuously leave their impact on the world around them. March, Women’s History Month, serves as a reminder of the work of women across the world.
While it is easy to look to history for inspiring figures such as Shelley or Yousafzai, it is important, too, to look to those around us. The FHSU campus itself presents many examples of female leaders who act as role models, not only for the women on campus, but for the university as a whole.
Dr. Jill Arensdorf, the university Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, emphasized this point when discussing leadership on campus. She hopes that anyone on campus, not only the women, can look to her as a role model.
“I just hope that, regardless of who it is, that people see in me someone they can trust, someone that really seeks to build those relationships and collaborate to make this institution the best it can be,” she said.
Dr. Arensdorf’s role on campus has her overseeing academics on campus as well as participating in decisions at the university level. Prior to working as Provost, she served as Chair of the Department of Leadership Studies.
One principle she had previously taught that she came to practice regularly in her new position is that of adjusting leadership style according to one’s situation. Dr. Arensdorf explained that “when I go into a certain meeting with certain people, I think about how do we need to interact and work together. And there might be another situation that’s with a different group of people and on a different topic, knowing that I might need to deploy myself differently in that.”
In addition, she places an emphasis on communication. Effective communication in every area was a goal she created for herself early on as it helps to lead and build relationships with faculty and students.
“And I still have a lot of work to do in that area and I don’t think I should ever not have my eye on it, but setting that really critical foundation this year I think has helped me strengthen and deepen some of those working relationships with people so that we can continue to move forward as an institution,” Dr. Arensdorf said.
As Dr. Arensdorf presents an example of leadership at the level of academic affairs, female leaders thrive at all levels of the university.
Dr. Tamara Lynn is the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and has served as the chair for a number of university committees as well as the advisor to the Criminal Justice Club. Like Dr. Arensdorf, she tries to instill what she has learned about leadership into those around her.
“I’ve learned to be persistent, not to hang my head to anyone and exhibit integrity and character. To be accountable for any decisions I make; if I make poor decisions, taking ownership of that,” she said.
Dr. Lynn, too, believes that it’s important to raise up female leaders for the unique qualities they bring to the table, including those of organizations and interpersonal connections. She views the encouragement of female leaders within her department as especially important because there are few within criminal justice and those within the field are typically balked at.
For this reason, it is important for female leaders to encourage other female leaders. Dr. Lynn said that, in general, women do not always support one another, “but women need to realize that they’re in this together. What goes well for one woman goes well for all women, so we need to support each other from that.”
Dr. Arensdorf also believes in the importance of supporting one another. She sees this as taking the form of mentor relationships, including those between men and women, and leading to a better understanding of leadership.
“I also think that it’s just important to have conversations about [females supporting each other] because we’re going to maybe look at problems differently sometimes. We’re going to have other items that might be pulling on our time or our lives, and so to be able to have a conversation with another female who can relate I think is very important,” she said.
Whether one is in a formal position of leadership or not, whether an FHSU student or faculty member, it is possible to act as a leader. Doing so can come through effective communication or encouraging peers, but does not necessarily come from a title or position of authority.
To Dr. Lynn, leaders pursue excellence, are persistent and tap into their strengths. Recalling a time when an instructor told her she was wasting her time in criminal justice, she added that leaders resist their critics.
“My advice to all women is to resist those who are critical of individual efforts to achieve success,” Dr. Lynn said. “Everyone – women and men – can become a leader, regardless of whether they hold a formal position of leadership.”