Springfield, Ohio - Since taking over as the 14th president of Wittenberg University in 2012, one major focus for Dr. Laurie M. Joyner, Ph.D. has been to provide leadership development opportunities to students, faculty and staff.
Dr. Joyner has set the wheels in motion through such programs as the Women in Leadership luncheon she recently hosted, the Emerging Leaders Program and the Presidential Leadership Academy. These successful programs along with her recently being named as a member of the Dayton Business Journal’s (DBJ) 2015 Power 50 – the Dayton Region’s 50 Most Influential Women, have helped to draw attention to Wittenberg University and the important work that is being done here.
“It’s a very humbling experience,” she said in a recent interview. “I am always trying to spotlight leadership on campus, not just with the students, but also with faculty and staff. One thing I want to make sure of is that we always aspire for excellence. This has been a wonderful platform for me to reference things like the President’s Leadership Academy, that I started two years ago, which is really geared towards high school students who begin to think of themselves as leaders as they prepare for their own college journey. I think this and a number of things we’ve done on campus, like the Emerging Leaders Program, will help us to develop leadership even further. A true measure of our success is who our graduates become and how they are changing the world.”
Other successes include a four-year freeze in tuition, the establishment of a partnership with Miami University for students to pursue graduate degrees while still attending Wittenberg, and the charge for enhancements at Wittenberg, including a $6.5-million technology upgrade, plans for a new indoor athletic facility, new educational programs and more. Wittenberg is the 10th largest university in the Dayton region with 1,700 students.
The 2015 Power 50 was compiled by the Dayton Business Journal’s editorial board and features women from all walks of industries, including education, health care, manufacturing, defense, government and more. It is the second year in a row that the DBJ has compiled this list and the second time Dr. Joyner has been a part of it.
Other women in education named to the 2015 Power50 include Cassie Barlow, who serves as executive director for the Wright State University Center for Workforce Development; Jo Alice Blondin, president of the Clark State Community College; Madeline Iseli, vice president for advancement at Sinclair Community College; Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, president of Central State University in Wilberforce; Doreen Larson, president of Edison Community College in Piqua; Joanne Li, dean of Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University and Deborah Norris, vice president of workforce development and corporate services for Sinclair Community College.
