{"id":143124,"date":"2022-10-05T14:25:30","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T20:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=143124"},"modified":"2022-10-05T15:36:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T21:36:51","slug":"kevin-weinman-05-named-president-of-marist-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=143124","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Weinman ’05 named President of Marist College"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kevin Weinman earned his M.A. in History from UCCS in 2005. His experiences at UCCS launched him on an entirely new trajectory \u2014 one that has led to him being named the fifth President of Marist College. Photo credit: Marist College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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When Kevin Weinman \u201905 started earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration, he was a first-generation student hoping to find a job in finance. He could never have known that his winding path would lead him through three advanced degree programs, a full career in the corporate world, a second career in higher education administration \u2014 and a job as president of a private liberal arts college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, Weinman has been named the fifth President of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. And his experiences at UCCS, Weinman reflects, were the pivotal step in his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weinman had already begun a career in finance and accounting when he earned a master\u2019s degree in history from UCCS in 2005. Thanks to research he conducted to write his thesis in the program, he went on to earn a Ph.D. in History focused on the suburban growth and development of Douglas County \u2014 just north of El Paso County, the home of UCCS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weinman\u2019s academic experience at UCCS \u201cwas the first time I really challenged myself to develop a different part of my brain,\u201d he said. \u201cBy the time I became CFO at Amherst College, I came to realize that the skills I learned at UCCS were far more valuable than anything I learned as a business student. Last August I was named Marist College\u2019s fifth president, and I credit my UCCS experience for launching me on a new trajectory that ultimately led to this appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We sat down with Weinman to learn more about his winding path, from UCCS to college presidency. Read the interview below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to you, to be selected as Marist College\u2019s fifth president?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation college student, I could not be more honored or humbled to serve as Marist\u2019s president. It\u2019s a dream job, really. I\u2019m extremely grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime. Marist is an institution with a rich history, world-class academics, and passionate alumni, and I\u2019m cognizant of the great responsibility I carry as the leader of this institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I come from a non-traditional background for a college president, spending the first half of my career in the corporate world before coming to Dartmouth College in 2007 as an administrator. I pursued advanced studies part-time along the way, including UCCS\u2019 master\u2019s in history program from 2002\u201305 before completing a Ph.D. in 2017 while working and raising a family. It\u2019s been a long road to here, but one that has been immensely rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did your master’s degree at UCCS help to prepare you for the role?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, UCCS has meant the world to me. Before coming to the UCCS master\u2019s in history program, I had spent my entire career in accounting and finance. I had a second major in history from Notre Dame, but coming to UCCS was the first time I really challenged myself to develop a different part of my brain. Reading, writing, constructing cogent arguments, using evidence to make points, delivering presentations, learning how to teach \u2014 all of these things helped me to become much better at my day job, in addition to being so fun and gratifying. By the time I became CFO at Amherst College, I came to realize that the skills I learned at UCCS and in the PhD program at the University of New Hampshire were far more valuable than anything I learned as a business student. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have deep gratitude for all the history faculty at UCCS, but especially Paul Harvey, Distinguished Professor of History, who challenged me to be a better thinker, writer and presenter. He\u2019s one of the best teachers I\u2019ve ever encountered at any college I\u2019ve ever studied or worked at. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also have deep appreciation for Rob Sackett, Professor of History, who allowed me to teach several classes at UCCS after I completed my degree. I loved these courses, and UCCS students. I had a mix of traditional college-aged students and adult students, including some retired military students who were pursuing their degree later in life. I\u2019ve never been so nervous as I was the day I taught the history of the Vietnam War to a class that included several veterans of that war! I had nothing to fear \u2014 they were great students, and very committed to their studies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a side note, I was incredibly grateful and honored that Lynn Vidler, Dean of the School of Letters, Arts & Sciences, made the trip to celebrate my inauguration on Sep. 23 with me. Dr. Vidler fought through flight delays to make it there, barely on time! It made the celebration even more special for me, and a wonderful show of support from UCCS, a school that I love dearly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your vision for your Marist presidency?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we approach our centennial as an institution, I believe Marist has an incredible opportunity to build on our historic strengths and forge a bright and bold future. And our signature approach to education is one of our biggest strengths. Like UCCS, Marist believes that a traditional liberal arts education and professional education are mutually reinforcing, and that this combination prepares our students uniquely well for success in their careers and lives. Our students blend coursework, research, and experiential learning, exploring our broad and diverse curriculum while remaining keenly focused on preparing themselves for meaningful careers. While others debate the relative merits of a liberal arts education versus professional education, Marist knows that they are the perfect fit. We aspire to and<\/em>, not or<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As important as our sustaining our commitment to the liberal arts is, competition for talented students is fierce, so in order to succeed, we must do two things: first, innovate relentlessly; and second, make Marist\u2019s form of education available and accessible to any student with the talent and drive to succeed here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, innovation is in Marist\u2019s DNA, having consistently launched distinctive new programs to meet the emerging needs of a shifting society. Some examples include our 34-year Joint Study partnership with IBM; New York State\u2019s first fully online MBA; majors in cybersecurity, data analytics, and games and emerging media; a world-class fashion program; graduate programs in technology and health sciences; a four-year bachelor\u2019s degree at our branch campus in Florence, Italy; and freshman year abroad programs in Florence and Dublin, Ireland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, we must continue to attract a diverse and talented group of students, make a Marist education accessible to every student who can succeed here, and ensure that every student feels a deep sense of belonging. We also want each student to have equitable access to the same experiences as their classmates, free of the financial and social barriers that too often exist on college campuses today. I consider achieving these goals central to our mission and will work tirelessly to achieve them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an exciting time because Marist has so much going for it: a first-class educational experience, dedicated faculty and staff, incredibly bright and talented students, a culture of innovation, one of the nation\u2019s most beautiful campuses, and a passionate alumni base. I believe we can build on Marist\u2019s impressive accomplishments and position it to thrive in its second century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The University of Colorado\u202fColorado\u202fSprings (UCCS) offers 55 bachelor\u2019s, 24 master\u2019s and eight doctoral degree programs and enrolls about 12,000 students annually. Located in the heart of Colorado Springs, UCCS has a strong student focus and access mission, with a goal of transforming lives for the better. Learn more about UCCS<\/strong><\/a> at uccs.edu. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From first-generation student to president of a private liberal arts college, Kevin Weinman M.A. ’05 never could have predicted his winding path. But he knows one thing for sure: his academic experience at UCCS was the pivotal step. (More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":143126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,427,45],"tags":[370,107,369,87],"class_list":["post-143124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-alumni-stories","category-arts-and-culture","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-relations","tag-alumni-success","tag-department-of-history"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Kevin-Weinman.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-Bes","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=143124"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143149,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143124\/revisions\/143149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/143126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=143124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=143124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=143124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}