By: Olivia Schueller Follow @OliviaSchueller
John L. Lahey’s 33-year long Quinnipiac legacy ended this past month. One door has closed, but a new one has opened for newly appointed dean Judy D. Olian, the former John E. Anderson Chair of Management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Olian was selected as Quinnipiac University’s President-elect on January 29, by the board. On July 1 she began serving as Quinnipiac’s first female president.
Olian comes to Quinnipiac with experience as a professor and a dean. At the University of Maryland, Smith School of Business, she worked as a senior associate dean and professor.
Her work continued at the Smeal College of Business Administration at Pennsylvania State University as a dean and professor of management, prior to her 12 years at UCLA.
In a letter sent by Olian to the student body, she wrote, “I will be building on the deep traditions of Quinnipiac University and reaching out to the many talented members of our university community, including students.”
Throughout the public address to students, Olian displayed her excitement to connect with all of Quinnipiac’s students. She plans to frequently cross paths with students on campus, be active on social media and work alongside the Hamden community. In her letter, she encouraged students to follow her on Twitter, Instagram and to send her an email if anyone would like to voice any feedback or ideas.
“I plan to hold town hall meetings, office hours, and to interact with you at many different events,” she wrote. “I also look forward to spontaneous conversations as we bump into each other on any of our campuses.”
Olian is not alone in her excitement to join the Quinnipiac community.
Students took to Twitter to welcome the new president. Joe Iasso, senior, sent a welcome tweet to Olian on her first day.
.@judyolian welcome to #BobcatNation! Excited to get to know you and learn about your vision for Quinnipiac.
— Joe Iasso (@joe_iasso) July 1, 2018
While welcoming a new president is a big change in itself, Quinnipiac students are accepting of this change. Many are even hoping that it will bring change to other areas on campus.
During this past State of the QUnion, a recurring question was the future of affiliated club sports. At the time, Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Thompson was asked about affiliated club sports at Quinnipiac. Thompson said he believes official, affiliated club sports are on the horizon.
Olivia Curtin, sophomore, said she looks forward to “more opportunity in regards to club sports and our ability to use QU facilities.”
She hopes that with Olian in office, the idea of affiliated club sports can become more of a reality.
While affiliated club sports may already be on the horizon, some students want to see Olian focus on other issues in her time as university president.
Fran Barowski, sophomore, wants to make sure she is getting the most out of her education. She believes Quinnipiac would benefit from some cosmetic changes and updating.
“I would love to see a change in some of the academic buildings- for the amount of money that students are paying to go to Quinnipiac,” Barowski said. “I feel as though Tator Hall and other buildings could look much better and have better technology instead of chalkboards.”
She hopes Olian can look at making these changes during her tenure.
Changes within club sports and updates to technology are some key things students are looking forward to seeing from Olian.
President Judy Olian is eager to listen to students thoughts, and students are ready to share.
Olian wrote, “I’m keen to hear your ideas on how, together, we can further advance QU’s learning distinctions and positive impact.”
