Small College America

Today, we are speaking with  Dr. Frank Shushok Jr., the 12th president of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, since 2022. He collaborates with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and regional partners to position the College as an agile, innovative, and learner-centered institution. 

 

Under his leadership, the College launched Imagine Roanoke, a strategic plan that includes creating four transdisciplinary schools and transforming the residential campus into a 21st-century learning laboratory. The plan's signature initiative, Roanoke College–Roanoke Valley (RC-RV), expands access to continuing education and workforce development. The College has launched new programs, begun construction on the McConnon Discovery Center, and revitalized student life. Shushok has over 30 years of experience in higher education, including roles at Virginia Tech and Baylor University. 

 

He holds degrees from Baylor University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Maryland, College Park. He and his spouse, Kelly, have three adult children and two dogs. 

Q1: To begin, tell our audience about Roanoke College and what makes it different from other colleges?

 

Q2: While there are no “non-traditional pathways” to the presidency anymore, your pathway is distinct. You’ve spent much of your career in student life and student success, when did you know you wanted to be a college president?

 Q3: Most of your career has been at large institutions. What are three or four big adjustments you had to make as you moved to work at a small college?

 

Q4: You’ve made some big bets at Roanoke. You’ve worked with the community to add football and marching band. You’ve also been on what seems like a partnership tour as you’ve signed new agreements with all kinds of partners. What have you been so focused on, new programs??

 Q5: At a small college, a president is usually expected to be everywhere twice. How do you handle the expectations to attend every event with the pressure to find and friend-raise? And what do you do to prevent burnout?

 Q6: Like many private institutions, Roanoke has experienced significant changes and survived and thrived in its 180-year history. If we were to look five years into the future, what gives you the most hope for Roanoke College and, more broadly, for the role of small colleges in American higher education?

Closing: Frank, thank you for joining us today and getting the opportunity to learn more about you and Roanoke. For those listening, if you'd like to learn more about Small College America, go to our web page at www.smallcollegeamerica.net, where you can find details on upcoming episodes, contact us, and suggest topics you’d like us to cover.

This episode of Small College America is made possible with underwriting support from Perspective Data Science, a firm specializing in AI-powered tools and data solutions, including the Financial Compass platform.

On behalf of our guest, Frank Shushok, my co-host Kent Barnds, and Dean Hoke, thank you for listening.