‘No time to slow down,’ President Stone tells WHRV
Posted on September 24, 2015 by Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Sweet Briar College President Phil Stone spoke with National Public Radio affiliate WHRV’s Cathy Lewis on a Headlines edition of her show HearSay, a locally produced public affairs radio call-in program that discusses issues important to the Hampton Roads area.
He talked about the events of the last few months — including the very first, and very brief, board meeting on July 2, which rescinded the College’s closure and named him president — and marveled at what alumnae and other supporters had accomplished since the previous administration’s closure announcement on March 3.
“This place is just alive with passion and emotion,” Stone said, describing the continued alumnae involvement on and off campus.
“When I say we got things ready [for the fall semester] in twenty-one days, it’s because we had to operate in this way or we’d get run over by all these alumnae who are charging ahead. We don’t have time to slow down.”
Looking ahead, Stone said the College is “trying some new things in terms of enrollment,” including recruiting international students and engaging more alumnae as admissions volunteers — several hundred, he added, had already signed up. Its marketing strategy is simple: Tell the story of how the Vixens saved their college.
“These folks did something really special,” Stone said. “They’re really demonstrating what can be accomplished with effective, passionate leadership.”
You can listen to the full interview here. The conversation begins at 3:07 minutes.
He talked about the events of the last few months — including the very first, and very brief, board meeting on July 2, which rescinded the College’s closure and named him president — and marveled at what alumnae and other supporters had accomplished since the previous administration’s closure announcement on March 3.
“This place is just alive with passion and emotion,” Stone said, describing the continued alumnae involvement on and off campus.
“When I say we got things ready [for the fall semester] in twenty-one days, it’s because we had to operate in this way or we’d get run over by all these alumnae who are charging ahead. We don’t have time to slow down.”
Looking ahead, Stone said the College is “trying some new things in terms of enrollment,” including recruiting international students and engaging more alumnae as admissions volunteers — several hundred, he added, had already signed up. Its marketing strategy is simple: Tell the story of how the Vixens saved their college.
“These folks did something really special,” Stone said. “They’re really demonstrating what can be accomplished with effective, passionate leadership.”
You can listen to the full interview here. The conversation begins at 3:07 minutes.
