Peggy Shadduck, Ph.D., vice president for Regional Campuses and dean of the College of Applied and Technical Studies at Kent State University, serves as the senior officer responsible for overall leadership of the Kent State Regional Campus system. She oversees the operations of the seven Regional Campuses and the College of Applied and Technical Studies, promotes student enrollment and academic success and is responsible for expanding the visibility, influence and effectiveness of Kent State as a catalyst for regional development. Learn more about Shadduck’s job, experience and personal life as she answers these 10 questions.
Describe your role at Kent State. What would you want people to know about what you do?
I actually have a few roles for Kent State. As the Vice President for Regional Campuses, I bring perspectives to Kent State’s decisions at the cabinet level. I lead the overall decisions for our seven regional campuses, including budget oversight, curricular vision and thinking about how we support partnerships within our region. My role as Dean of the College of Applied and Technical Studies is like any other college dean, including working with curriculum, the faculty and the programs in that college. I also work with lifelong learning to help develop and support learning experiences that are complementary to traditional degree programs. This may include microcredentials, things that are in the noncredit world, learners who are at different stages in their lives than more traditional learners, and more.
How has your extensive education helped you with your current role?
I've been privileged to work with some really great professors at really great colleges and universities leading to wonderful educational experiences. I use parts from my entire education in my daily work. My mathematics background is really all about logical and systematic approaches to thinking. My East Asian studies experience is really about appreciating people who have different kinds of backgrounds and experiences. My master's and doctoral degrees are in the areas of neuroscience and neuropharmacology, so I'm always thinking about how brain processing works and why people think the way they do. Finally, my degree in public administration really helps me appreciate the complexities of organizations and to think a lot about the structures, budgetary constraints, procedures and policies that we have and how those can help guide us. I feel like I use things from all of my formal educational experiences, as well as informal experiences, in my job even though you wouldn't necessarily say any of those are exactly aligned with my job description.
What do you love most about working for Kent State?
I really believe in the overall vision that we have at Kent State and what we are providing. We are a public organization that is trying to provide valuable learning opportunities and I have a tremendous appreciation for that. We impact lives with what we do by providing those excellent learning experiences. It makes the world a better place, in my opinion.
Have you adopted Kent State’s missions and values into your own life?
The reason I came to Kent State is because it's aligned with the values that I already have. Learning experiences can be some of the most valuable things that we provide. In my own life, those include working with Special Olympics athletes, helping my delightful two-year-old grandson as he's trying to figure out colors and numbers and language, helping non-profit organizations and working with Kent State. I'm very driven by an appreciation of how much it matters to provide high quality learning experiences and collaborate with people in order to do that.
What do you see for the future of the regional campuses?
The regional campuses will continue to do many of the things we already do very well, like providing really high quality learning experiences. We have many very talented and bright people working within the system. They are dedicated to what we do. As we go into the future, we're going to expand on the kinds of opportunities that we provide, looking for ways to complement what we have already been doing in the area of credit classes with additional learning experiences that can help individuals, employers and organizations. We'll have even more partnerships with folks in our communities and the surrounding areas. We will also do more purposeful integration of learning and work.
What’s one thing you hope never changes at Kent State?
There are a lot of people who are deeply engaged and caring about the mission of the university. That's really why I came here and I hope that part doesn't ever change. We may change the exact actions that we're taking to achieve that mission, but I think the mission the university has is good. I hope we stay very aligned with that as we go into the future.
What’s one piece of advice you have for anyone getting their education at one of our regional campuses?
I think the biggest advice would be to make sure you take the time to really get to know the people as much as you possibly can. Whether it’s spending time at office hours with professors, engaging with other students who are also taking classes at a regional campus, or going to the extra supplemental assistance sessions, building relationships that support you now and carry on after graduation is the best advice I’d give.
What’s your favorite Kent State tradition?
The school spirit. I love wearing the color blue. I think the fact that folks really do appreciate the school spirit and show that through the clothing they wear is great fun. Overall, caring for the university and the directions that we're going is evident to the students from day one.
What’s something you want people to know about you?
I care very deeply about the work we do at Kent State and I think that's probably the most important thing for people to know about me. They may not always agree with the particular direction that I think we ought to go with something, but if we're in agreement about the overall work and thing we're trying to do, then we're allowed to respectfully disagree with each other and have conversations about how to do that in the best possible ways. As long as we put our heads together and realize we all want the best for the university, we can do anything.
What are some of your favorite things you do outside of work?
I love going to the library, doing jigsaw puzzles and watching my grandson grow up and learn. I could spend hours reading books or relaxing while doing puzzles. The greatest thing on my list, however, is spending time and doing activities with my grandson. I'm expecting another grandchild pretty soon. Being a grandma is a pretty great thing.