黑料专区

I am who I am today because of the transformative power of my undergraduate college experience, and because of one professor who saw potential in me — and who took the time to nurture it.

Dr. Susanna Baxter 鈥�96 wrote these on the website of LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga., where she began serving as its 26th President in June 2020. Her inauguration took place on April 22, having been pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baxter鈥檚 undergraduate college experience unfolded at 黑料专区, where she earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Christian education and religion. The 鈥渙ne professor鈥� was the late Dr. Robert H. Conn. He held the Mariam Coltrane Schramm Distinguished Professorship of Religion at Pfeiffer, in addition to serving as the head of its Department of Religion, Philosophy and Christian Education.

鈥淎nyone who鈥檚 around my graduation class will remember Dr. Conn because he always ate in the cafeteria with students,鈥� Baxter said in a recent interview before her inauguration. 鈥淵ou wanted to rearrange your schedule to have classes with him. He had a very engaging teaching style, and students really enjoyed him. Philosophy was his specialty, so regardless of what he was teaching, he offered a you鈥檙e-getting-philosophy-whether-you-know-it-or-not kind of class.鈥�

In Conn, who became Baxter鈥檚 faculty advisor, she also found that special mentor who could help her get to her ultimate destination, namely a multifaceted career in higher ed administration — even if the road to it was paved with uncertainty and navigating course corrections became necessary at times.

鈥淚 have a picture of Dr. Conn in my office,鈥� Baxter said. 鈥淗e was that impactful to my life.鈥�

Baxter vows that students at LaGrange will enjoy similarly positive life changes as a result of their time there. Like Pfeiffer, it鈥檚 a small United Methodist-related and the oldest private college in Georgia.

Baxter is to Mark Huffman, a self-employed consultant in organizational development, and the couple has two sons, Inman and Wade. She compiled a formidable resume before filling her current position. She had done graduate work at Vanderbilt University, where she earned a master鈥檚 degree in general administrative leadership and a doctorate in higher education policy. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to Vanderbilt,鈥� Baxter recalls an 鈥渋nfluential鈥� Conn telling her as she was struggling to decide which graduate program to attend.

In addition to beginning her career as an administrator at Barton College in Wilson, N.C., Baxter served as President of the (2010-2020) and as Chief Operating Officer of the (2000-2010). At one point, Baxter counted the number of colleges she had worked with during her time at the associations.

鈥淚 want to say it was over 60,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat that meant is that I could observe and gain a deep understanding of how systems and organizations work. Even now, when an idea comes up or we鈥檙e struggling with an issue, I can say, 鈥楽ome campuses do it this way, or other campuses do it that way.鈥欌��

When Baxter arrived at Pfeiffer, there was no indication that leadership in higher education would become her calling. A lifelong United Methodist, she had been quite active in the conference-level youth leadership circles of her church.

鈥淚 was comfortable in that space,鈥� Baxter said. 鈥淏ut I wasn鈥檛 comfortable with the rest of me.鈥�

She was also unsure of herself, and she didn鈥檛 yet understand the power of her voice, much less how to use it.

鈥淧feiffer taught me how to use my voice,鈥� she said. By this, she meant that she developed skills that she draws on in her current job, such as how to tell a story, communicate a point, or make an impression as a public speaker (she soaked up a class on public speaking).

Baxter鈥檚 initial plan at Pfeiffer was to train for a career as a Christian educator. It wouldn鈥檛 take long for her to change her mind, and Pfeiffer was a major reason.

鈥淚 had fallen in love with college,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥業 could work at a college. I could make this possible for other people.鈥欌��

The only question was how. Other than the fact that Baxter had no grand visions of becoming a college president when she attended Pfeiffer, a world of seemingly limitless possibilities had emerged. Would these be in the classroom? Or would they be in administration?

鈥淚 could give voice to Dr. Conn about what I was thinking about,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t felt scary to cast dreams, and I really came to value his guidance.鈥�

Initially, Conn felt Baxter had a future as a theology professor and encouraged her to pursue that path. 鈥淏y the time I was 20 or 21, however, I came to terms with the fact that I was an administrator at heart. So, I talked to Dr. Conn about that,鈥� Baxter said.

Along the way, Conn and his colleagues made sure that Baxter 鈥渉ad had a lot of different experiences鈥� at Pfeiffer, experiences that could help move the needle out in the work world. These ranged from participating in student government to working as a resident assistant and a resident director. She was also heavily involved in Pfeiffer鈥檚 religious life.

鈥淚 was afforded leadership positions that I probably wouldn鈥檛 have had at a larger school,鈥� she said.

Writers are often encouraged to 鈥渨rite what they know鈥�; Baxter decided she would try to do what she knew as she pursued her first job. This was the Dean of Students position at Barton, and for Baxter, it was a great fit since she had been so involved in resident life at Pfeiffer.  

As Baxter contemplates her goals for LaGrange in the years ahead, she mentions a just-completed strategic plan and talks about where she鈥檇 like the college to be in the next five or 10 years.

鈥淪ome sort of campaign will come out of that plan, but that鈥檚 not been clarified yet,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you were to interview me in five years, I think you鈥檇 hear me say that our enrollment has increased, that we have more graduate programs, and that we have deepened our town-gown relationship and our ties to the community.鈥�

And like Pfeiffer, which gave Baxter such a promising start in life, LaGrange will still tout its calling card as a place of transformative experiences.

鈥淥ur students are being well-served, and we鈥檙e a very student-centered campus.鈥�