MBC’s Fox is the conductor

STAUNTON - Mary Baldwin College President Pamela Fox does not see herself as the centerpiece of the Mary Baldwin College story.
After five years at the helm of a private women’s college that has increased enrollment, fundraising and tackled new programs, Fox views herself as the conductor of a symphony.
“We are in the middle movement of a symphony,’’ said Fox, a former music professor who uses musical metaphors to communicate the college’s progress. “We have had a successful first phase.”
Mary Baldwin will hold its 166th commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday on its Staunton campus.
College staffers say Fox has provided focus, a high degree of energy and commitment and has forced staff to offer their own ideas in concert with a 10-year strategic plan.
“She is an extremely strong leader,’’ said Brenda Bryant, Mary Baldwin’s dean of students. “She brings high energy, focus and passion about what she does and that is infectious. She has really energized the campus to look to the future and think long-term.  One of her primary contributions is engendering creativity. She has pulled out of us new ideas and programmatic ideas for the future.”
And she is demanding.
Bryant said Fox is candid and transparent about what she expects.
“She sets a high bar and fully expects everyone to meet that,’’ Bryant said. “Assessment and evaluation are a big part of the program. We know how we are doing on many different measures.”

High notes
Early on, Fox set the tone with plans for a 10-year strategic plan called “Composing Our Future.”
Fox led the conversation her first year on the job that shaped the strategic plan.
Part of the plan includes having a residential campus enrollment of 1,000.
Bryant said this year’s campus enrollment has topped 800, and next year’s freshman and transfer enrollment will increase 6.5 percent.
Applications to Mary Baldwin have increased 15 percent from a year ago.
Fundraising is also going well despite a downturn in the national economy.
At the end of June, Mary Baldwin will have successfully completed the $13.5-million Smith challenge, based on a $6.5 million donation and challenge from alumnus Bertie Deming Smith of Alexandria, La.
In addition to the strategic plan, there is a physical campus plan that points to landscaping and renovations over the next 30-plus years.
And there is the overall vision.
“We need to continue to enhance our national recognition, enrollment goals and continue to create innovative programs,’’ Fox said.
Bryant said those new programs include a new major in social work and a five-year master’s program in education. Also in the works is a new major in business administration.

Building bridges
Fox also has sought to build ties with the Staunton community.
“I want to be a college within a community,’’ she said.
Jill Siegel, the program manager for the American Red Cross of Blue Ridge, said that organization has received much volunteer help from the college.
“We have had some amazing student volunteers in the past,’’ said Siegel.
She recalled one Mary Baldwin student who assisted the Red Cross with translation when a Waynesboro Latino family lost their home to a fire.
And just recently, Siegel said students from the college’s physical education department helped the Red Cross and Target Distribution of Stuarts Draft in preparing 7,000 comfort kits of toiletry items for victims of natural disasters.
Staunton Mayor Lacy King said since Fox took office, “there has been a vision that includes the community and the larger community that includes the world. She is very accessible and communicates well with us.”
One new bridge to Mary Baldwin’s community relationship is the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement.
Opened last fall, the center offers a central location for students to become involved in local and global organizations.
Through the Spencer Center, students can work with local nonprofit organizations or perform their own community service projects.

Beat goes on
Bryant said Fox,  a Texas native who spent much of her life in Ohio before coming to Mary Baldwin, has a reverence for the Staunton college’s history.
“She could probably tell you as much about Mary Baldwin as people who have been connected to the institution much longer,’’ Bryant said.
While Fox may be busy as the conductor of the college symphony, she also seeks to stay in touch with students.
“I do work to carefully balance priorities,’’ she said. “After a few days away I want to see students.”
Bryant said Fox goes to the college dining hall to eat with students, attends student events and has students to her home monthly for luncheons.
“They know her and she knows them,’’ she said. 
Fox sees the future as well.
“Colleges must stay true to their mission, but also evolve,’’ she said.
Bryant said Mary Baldwin’s current status is attributable to its plans and Fox’s leadership.
“The reason for our success and confidence in the future is that we have clear plans and know where we need to be,’’ she said.
And of Fox, Bryant said, “she delivers. At the end of the day, if you are going to support an institution, you want some indication its leadership can deliver.”