With Dr. Cady Short-Thompson, Northern Kentucky University’s seventh president, in office effective Oct. 2, interim president Bonita Brown looks toward her next steps.

Toward future tasks

For starters, she will return to her previous role as vice president and chief strategy officer, but with additional responsibility as the new head of admissions, financial aid and the registrar. The offices of Enrollment Management, Admissions and Financial Aid came under the president’s direct supervision on June 1, after the departure of former Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Eddie Howard.

“I’m going to roll up my sleeves and get into that, to help that area out and also support the president,” Brown said. “She’s new, and so I plan to help onboard her, tell her all the historical perspective of how we got to certain positions.”

The new offices she will assume responsibility for are complex and crucial functions, Brown added. For example, admissions is not simply a matter of telling prospective students to come, but it involves communicating the right message to the right audience at the right time. Financial aid is even more sophisticated due to federal regulations and rules around scholarship packages.

“Hopefully I can work with the amazing team that’s there, and we can get that kind of strategically moving forward so that we can boost our enrollment, because as you all know, we need to boost our enrollment, which will help our financial position,” Brown said.

Nine months in the presidency have provided her with a new wealth of knowledge about problematic areas in the institution, as well as star faculty, staff and students. She will start contacting staff members she did not seek out before as she devises strategic plans, framed in a broader perspective, for enrollment management and financial aid.

Advice for the next president

Since Short-Thompson was announced as president, Brown says they have been “attached at the hip” as Brown gets Short-Thompson ready for her new role as president. 

When asked what advice she would give to Short-Thompson, Brown hopes that the new president will listen to the diverse ranges of voices at NKU. 

“I think everybody has a lot of different perspectives at NKU and their experience here,” Brown said. “Listen to all of them and I think the picture will come together of what this place really is.”

Brown also advised putting one’s heart into the president role, which she feels Short-Thompson will do well in. 

“Put your heart in it. You can’t do this kind of work, it’s service, without putting your full heart in, and [Short-Thompson] is the kind of person that puts her whole self into it,” Brown said. 

Looking back

“Multifaceted” was the word Brown picked to describe her presidency.

She was entrusted with filling the leadership role left behind by former president Dr. Ashish Vaidya, after NKU’s budget deficit came to light. She did not step into the interim with clearly defined goals, so she sees her tenure in office as a stabilizing moment.

“Any time you change leadership positions, any time you have a financial crisis is kind of like stabilizing,” Brown said. “And I’d like to think I stabilized.”

As she met with faculty and students, she reassured them of NKU’s promising position in the region despite problems the university is facing. This communication was also her favorite part of the president role, enabling her to interact with all groups of constituents and people on campus.

“I met alumni from 50 years ago to a year ago. I met business people who said, ‘I went to NKU!’ When [the campus] opened, it was only one building. I met corporate people who said, ‘You all produce the best graduates.’ I met faculty and staff,” Brown recalled fondly. “It was just amazing to feel that across the spectrum.”

The people she met expressed concern about the fiscal situation, Brown said, but she believes they are unified in their advocacy for NKU.

“I think we’re the beacon in this region. We continue to produce the leaders, entrepreneurs and the workforce and talent for this region,” Brown said in regard to the future she sees for NKU. As local demands shift, she believes NKU is capable of adapting to support whatever change may come.

One of the biggest highlights for Brown was giving her husband, Wesley Brown, his four-year photography degree.

“That was a phenomenal moment. Both of our families were in town. I can’t even articulate how proud that moment was for me to be able to give him his degree on that stage,” Brown said. “That was one of my most memorable highlights of all time.”

Looking back over her experience as a whole, Brown wants to thank the NKU community for their support while she was interim. 

“Everybody was so supportive. That was so helpful, because some days I was like, ‘This is heavy, this is very heavy.’ I wanted to do what was best for NKU,” Brown said. “I want to thank all of the students, the faculty and staff and the [Board of Regents]. I just want to thank everybody for their support during this journey.”