Antioch University to Inaugurate Dr. Nancy Leffert President
Posted on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Antioch University Santa Barbara (AUSB) will inaugurate Dr. Nancy Leffert, nationally-known scholar and accomplished academic administrator, as its second president on Saturday, February 26th at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Dr. Leffert’s inaugural comes at a time of dramatic change for AUSB. As resources for public education continue to decline, the 34-year old institution is moving aggressively to strengthen its curriculum and faculty, to revitalize its governance and leadership and to upgrade its physical facilities to better serve the rapidly changing needs of its students and its community.
The formal academic installation of Dr. Leffert is the first in a month-long series of public events hosted by AUSB that will highlight the theme of her inaugural – “access, engage, collaborate.”
Among these will be a community address by Karen Cator, President Obama’s Director of the Office of Educational Technology; the international debut of an exhibition of images and artifacts of the Mbuti people; and Conflict, Cinema & Social Justice, a special series of documentaries highlighting conflict and social justice issues around the globe.
“Dr. Leffert was unanimously selected by the Antioch University Santa Barbara Board of Trustees to become the new President,” said Victoria Riskin, chair of the AUSB Board of Trustees, noting the new president’s 35 years of experience in research, social service and higher education administration. The Trustees cited her impressive academic background, dynamic energy and passionate commitment to the growth of our campus in pledging their full and enthusiastic support.”
“The university as a whole recognizes that over the past year, a strong foundation for the growth of the AUSB campus has taken place under the leadership of Dr. Leffert,” said Antioch Chancellor Dr. Tullise Murdock. “AUSB is now poised to become a major leader in higher education in the Southern California region, and beyond.”
Note to media: The installation ceremony, beginning at 2 pm, offers visual opportunities. Dr. Leffert, Trustees Chair Victoria Riskin and other board members will be available for interview. In her inaugural address, Dr. Leffert will make a new announcement about AUSB’s location.
BACKGROUND
DR. NANCY LEFFERT – Dr. Leffert had been Provost and Chief Executive Officer of AUSB for only three months when she stepped into the role of interim president in 2009. She quickly met the challenge of her new role, and the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to elect her president in June 2010.
Prior to joining AUSB as its top administrator, President Leffert was the Associate Dean for Student Services and Program Evaluation in the School of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara. She is a nationally-known scholar of adolescent development, known particularly for her work delineating factors that contribute to the positive development of young people. One aspect of this work was the creation of the Developmental Assets framework, which is currently used across the country in over 500 communities as a tool to help mobilize around raising healthy children and adolescents. In addition to her lengthy list of published books and scientific articles, President Leffert has authored many reports and technical manuals, and has frequently been invited to give scholarly and community presentations.
“I and the Antioch community look forward to celebrating Nancy Leffert’s inauguration as president of our university,” said AUSB Trustee, the Hon. Susan J. Rose, a retired member of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. “She brings excellent academic credentials, a creative leadership style and a strong commitment to our mission of effecting social change. As AUSB moves into a new decade we will claim our place as one of Santa Barbara’s leading educational institutions.”
THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY – The inauguration begins at 2pm at the Museum of Natural History, followed immediately by a reception.
In her presidential address, President Leffert will share her reflections on the inauguration theme–access, engage, collaborate–and her vision for how AUSB will renew its commitment to meeting the needs of the Santa Barbara community. President Leffert will also formally announce AUSB’s exciting and ground-breaking partnership with the Hutton Parker Foundation and the new downtown home this collaboration has produced for the university.
Dignitaries speaking at the inauguration include: Assemblyman Das Williams; Mayor Helene Schneider; Santa Barbara County Supervisors Salud Carbajal and Janet Wolf; Sharon Siegel, District Director for Representative Lois Capps. Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) President Andreea Serban will greet the assembly on behalf of the Santa Barbara higher education community and will speak about the unique relationship between AUSB and SBCC. Antioch University Board of Governors, Chancellor Murdock, AUSB Board of Trustees, regional and national civic leaders and representatives from the higher education community will also attend.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES – Other inauguration activities will include:
March 1-31 – The international debut of the exhibition of images and artifacts of the Mbuti people, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Tribal Trust Foundation.
March 2; Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, a community address by Karen Cator, Director of the Office of Educational technology at the U.S. Department of Education.
February 25, March 4 & 11 – Conflict, Cinema & Social Justice, a special film series featuring documentaries that highlight conflict and social justice issues, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Fund for Santa Barbara.
News releases for each of these events will be sent out in the coming days. For details regarding these and other inauguration events, visit http://www.antiochsb.edu/news/inauguration.
