When Carol Cartwright retired as president of Kent State University in 2006, she never expected that two years later she would be at the helm of another university.

But a passion for higher education and a call to public service brought Cartwright out of retirement in 2008 to serve at BGSU, where she became its first female president.

Originally approached to serve as interim president while a search was conducted for President Sidney Ribeau’s replacement, Cartwright was named president of BGSU in January when she was asked by the Board of Trustees to extend her contract through June 2011.

Cartwright

Cartwright said she could never have imagined as a college student in the 1950s that her career in public higher education would have included serving as a university president. Back then, Cartwright noted, women typically had two choices when it came to professions — teaching and nursing.

“The power of higher education is pretty interesting in that once you take one step, you gain confidence and believe you can take the next step,” she said. “And I had some people in my life at key times who reached out and encouraged me to take the next step. It certainly was a great surprise to everybody in my family, me included, that I ended up getting a Ph.D. and being a college professor and moving through the ranks to be a university president. It certainly wasn’t anything in my dreams as a young girl.”

Cartwright said at pivotal moments in her life, mentors encouraged her to do more and made suggestions that caused her to “think bigger,” which is what she, in turn, hopes to impart to students at BGSU.

“I think we have a responsibility to encourage students to think more boldly along their own paths, but when you’re in an administrative post, you always have a responsibility to encourage faculty and other administrators to watch for opportunities to encourage students. Both sides of the coin are important.”

The first generation in her family to attend college, Cartwright credits her strong work ethic and can-do attitude to her parents, who instilled in her these values at a young age. Cartwright said she typically works 12 to 14 hours a day, which suits her well because she enjoys the complexity of her work, the high level of multitasking that is required of her and the myriad responsibilities and commitments that come with being the head of a university.

“Dr. Cartwright has an extraordinary commitment to her job and to BGSU, and her work ethic embraces extremely high standards,” said Anne Tracy, assistant to the president for administration. “Her typical workdays are consumed with a rigorous assortment of individual and group meetings, speaking engagements and off-campus commitments. President Cartwright is keenly aware and knowledgeable of BGSU programs and its operations and she has the remarkable ability to move seamlessly from meeting to meeting throughout each day.”

Because of her leadership role, Cartwright said she is often called upon to offer wisdom on what it means to be an effective leader.

Earning one’s way, a step at a time; finding balance in one’s life’s; understanding the value of failure and learning from it; and being flexible and open to unexpected twists and turns along one’s career path is the advice she most often imparts to others, Cartwright said.

Most important is staying true to one’s self and ambitions.

“The single biggest piece of advice that anyone can give others, regardless of their dreams and aspirations, is this idea of understanding who you are and being willing to be that person,” she said. “Understand what drives you, what excites you, what you’re passionate about and follow that path.”

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Community, Education.
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