Sondra F. Stallard heads one of the nation's most expansive universities out of Washington, D.C., but her roots are a little more local.
Sondra F. Stallard heads one of the nation's most expansive universities out of Washington, D.C., but her roots are a little more local.
A West Virginia native, Stallard is the president of Strayer University. She oversees 65 campuses in 14 states, and for the first time the university is opening a campus in her home state.
Strayer University will hold its grand opening for its new Teays Valley location Wednesday. The university offers a variety of courses and online classes aimed at working adults and nontraditional students.
Raised in Hugheston in the Upper Kanawha Valley, Stallard attended Cedar Grove High School and graduated from West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery. She also was the first in her family to graduate from college.
"Education opened up doors for me," Stallard said. "I went from a kid of a holler in West Virginia to president of a major university. Who would have thought?"
Like many students, Stallard lived at home and worked while attending Tech. She graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in history and government then went on to get her masters in history from Morehead State University in Kentucky.
"What excited me about education was after I earned my master's degree I had an opportunity to work for the West Virginia Department of Education. That's when I began to truly get a glimpse of the transformational power of education," she said.
"You don't notice when it happens to you, but you do when you see it happen to other people. It's powerful," she said.
Stallard went on to work for the University of Virginia for 32 years. During that time, she also obtained her doctorate while working full time.
"I'm not unique, people do this all the time," she said.
But it was that experience that gives Stallard a firsthand perspective of the challenges and needs of many of the students who pass through Strayer's doors.
Stallard joined Strayer in 2007 as its 13th president. Under her tenure, the university has launched a new degree program in criminal justice and redesigned its masters in business administration program to allow students to customize the program to fit their needs.
The university has also continued to expand and will open campuses in Utah and Ohio, in addition to the new Teays Valley location.
"I just think that West Virginia is a very unique place," she said. "The people are warm and welcoming, they're interested in higher education, and they're interested in providing opportunities for themselves and their family members and their children."
Sondra F. Stallard heads one of the nation's most expansive universities out of Washington, D.C., but her roots are a little more local.
A West Virginia native, Stallard is the president of Strayer University. She oversees 65 campuses in 14 states, and for the first time the university is opening a campus in her home state.
Strayer University will hold its grand opening for its new Teays Valley location Wednesday. The university offers a variety of courses and online classes aimed at working adults and nontraditional students.
Raised in Hugheston in the Upper Kanawha Valley, Stallard attended Cedar Grove High School and graduated from West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery. She also was the first in her family to graduate from college.
"Education opened up doors for me," Stallard said. "I went from a kid of a holler in West Virginia to president of a major university. Who would have thought?"
Like many students, Stallard lived at home and worked while attending Tech. She graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in history and government then went on to get her masters in history from Morehead State University in Kentucky.
"What excited me about education was after I earned my master's degree I had an opportunity to work for the West Virginia Department of Education. That's when I began to truly get a glimpse of the transformational power of education," she said.
"You don't notice when it happens to you, but you do when you see it happen to other people. It's powerful," she said.
Stallard went on to work for the University of Virginia for 32 years. During that time, she also obtained her doctorate while working full time.
"I'm not unique, people do this all the time," she said.
But it was that experience that gives Stallard a firsthand perspective of the challenges and needs of many of the students who pass through Strayer's doors.
Stallard joined Strayer in 2007 as its 13th president. Under her tenure, the university has launched a new degree program in criminal justice and redesigned its masters in business administration program to allow students to customize the program to fit their needs.
The university has also continued to expand and will open campuses in Utah and Ohio, in addition to the new Teays Valley location.
"I just think that West Virginia is a very unique place," she said. "The people are warm and welcoming, they're interested in higher education, and they're interested in providing opportunities for themselves and their family members and their children."
For Stallard, the grand opening is a unique homecoming experience. Her family lives in the Teays Valley area and she returns to her home state often.
"In my heart, I was always hopeful [Strayer] would come to West Virginia, but certainly that decision was made because we felt there was a demand for the kind of programs Strayer University offers, and [we will] meet the demand for programs that allow adults to study at the times and places that are convenient for them," Stallard said.
Stallard came to Strayer with a strong background in creating and supporting programs for nontraditional students. She served as dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia, and led the development of the university's first distance-learning classes, in addition to the National Criminal Justice Command College and the post-baccalaureate pre-medical program.
"The interesting thing about higher education is the fastest-growing population in higher education are nontraditional students," Stallard said. "It's not the 19- to 20-year-olds, it's the people that go back to school, either for the first time or [to retool]."
"Twenty-six year olds and up is the fastest-growing segment of higher education," she said. "And I was one for many many years."
From her own experience, Stallard has a healthy appreciation for the students who juggle family, a career and other commitments while also working toward their degree.
"What I so admire is when I'm leaving [work in Washington, D.C.] at 6 or 6:30, I see this place fill up with people that have worked all day and they ... will be here until 10 at night."
"But to slog through that year after year takes a lot out of a person, and a lot of courage," she said.
Stallard said her favorite moments with the university have been attending the graduation ceremonies.
About 7,000 students graduated from Strayer this year alone.
"I never walk away from a commencement [ceremony] without feeling a great sense of emotion or appreciation for education, and for the power of education to transform lives," she said. "I'm hooked."
For information about Strayer University visit www.strayer.edu or call 304- 757-1430.
Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.
Post a comment