Jan 31, 2021 | News
By Lois Elfman, Women in Higher Education
Dr. Tracy Y. Espy, president of Mitchell College CT, understands what it means to forge new territory. Since beginning her presidency on July 1, 2020, she is the first African American woman to lead Mitchell, a small liberal arts college founded in 1938.
“The liberal arts teach you how to be in relationship with people, how to critically think, how to ask questions and how to critically analyze,” says Espy, who prior to becoming Mitchell’s eighth president was the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Pfeiffer University NC.
“I like the fact that liberal arts are a forever educational focus because we’re preparing students for all kinds of things for the rest of their lives,” she adds. “All of the great liberal arts push us to critically think, to write well, to speak well, to reason well, to be…learning both inside and outside of the classroom.”
Preparation
Having attended a small liberal arts institution as an undergraduate and seeing its value in her life helps Espy understand how today’s students will similarly benefit. It prepared her to envision what she wanted to study as a graduate student, and it helps current students adapt to whatever careers they want to pursue.
Espy received a master’s degree in family studies and her doctorate in child/family-marriage and family therapy. While doing her residency in behavioral medicine for a health care system, she realized she didn’t want to work full-time in a therapy setting. Her interests went toward teaching, research, and eventually administration.
Her research has focused on systemic theory, ethnic identity and self-esteem, servant leadership, service learning, and student engagement. This has provided her with excellent preparation for her presidency.
“I understand systems and systems thinking, so it really helps me understand that what happens in one part of a system affects all other parts,” she notes. “I understand human behavior.”
“It’s helped me be very level-headed and not take things personally because in most cases it’s not personal; it’s just human behavior,” she continues. “When you look at it from a family systems perspective, you really understand that in a lot of ways organizations and institutions are like families. They all have challenges, no matter how well-endowed they are.”
“You learn how to build a community like you would be building a great family system and create healthy systems in the organization to be successful.”
Becoming a College President
Espy didn’t envision a presidency when she entered the academy but as her 23 years of experience in higher education—15 of them as a senior administrator—unfolded, her goals evolved. What crystalized those goals was the Council of Independent Colleges’ (CIC) presidential vocation and institutional mission program.
“[I had the] opportunity to explore the potential of what I would see as a calling, more so than a job,” says Espy. Leadership development programs helped her reflect and contemplate her mission and how she wanted that to align with an institution’s mission.
The presidential program included readings, group discussions, and even a couples’ mentor for Espy and her spouse, Marvin Espy. She was able to see her strengths as well as areas she needed to strengthen.
“In a COVID-19 world, there’s a lot you cannot do, but I’ve tried to keep [Mitchell] connected to what’s happening in the community,” Espy says. “Continually building internship opportunities for our students. Now, we’re looking virtually.”
“There are some virtual things that are happening where we’ve been able to participate virtually in experiences within our New London (CT) community,” she adds. “We’re doing it in a way that’s safe and that’s keeping our community partners connected, and also allowing us to meet new people that may want to partner with our students in internships and things like that.”
Leading in Challenging Times
By the time Espy arrived on campus, Mitchell already had a task force to deal with issues related to the coronavirus pandemic. That task force examined all the different aspects of safely bringing students back to campus, which happened in the fall semester.
“We believe that an in-person experience would be very important [for our students],” says Espy. “Navigating it is obviously keeping my eyes to what’s happening on campus, but also looking at what’s happening in our local, regional community and what’s happening beyond that. This involves being informed, communicating, and trying to be encouraging and supportive of our faculty, students, and staff.”
In the fall semester, a significant amount of the student body returned to campus. All were initially required to isolate for a period with their meals delivered to them in the residence halls.
Situated in a picturesque location, the college purchased Adirondack chairs that have been placed around campus. Given the warm weather in November, students would sit outside to study, socialize, and even eat their meals because of limited space in the dining hall.
“As challenging as a college president’s job is, it has been the most refreshing time because I can look out my window and look at the shoreline,” says Espy, who enjoys the scenery around Mitchell’s campus.
At present, her presidency is taking her total focus, but eventually she would like to do research on learning differences across ethnicities, and access to services and what can be done to improve access. She collects data and hopes to do some writing on the subject.
“I’m very interested in service learning and civic engagement,” says Espy. “We talk a lot about informed citizenry and…I really want to encourage our students, faculty, and staff to engage more intentionally in the community. I see civic engagement as a critical experience of students in higher ed.”
Published in the January 2021 issue of Women in Higher Ed.
Jan 25, 2021 | News
L+M staff launches COVID-19 vaccination site at Mitchell College
By Brian Hallenbeck, Day staff writer | January 25, 2021
New London — Tom and Susan Fournier drove from Westport to New London early Monday morning intent on being among the first to get vaccinated at Yale New Haven Health’s COVID-19 vaccination site at Mitchell College.
They arrived outside the low-slung section of the Student Center that houses the De Biasi Drive site at 6:30 a.m. — two hours before their scheduled appointments, which their daughter had helped them arrange.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” Tom said. “We heard there might be long lines.”
The site, manned by staff from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, a Yale New Haven Health affiliate, functioned smoothly at the start Monday, with vaccinators expecting to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to 131 people by the end of the day. All of those receiving the shots — currently reserved for residents 75 and older as part of the state’s phased rollout of the vaccine — had made appointments in advance.
There were no long lines.
“This is an exciting day,” said Patrick Green, L+M’s president and chief executive officer. “This is the next step in defeating this pandemic. We’re excited to be serving the community in this way. We’ll be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m to 8 p.m., and we’re going to be here as long as we have vaccine.”
Read full story in The Day.
Jan 25, 2021 | News
Mitchell College recently welcomed Dr. Marilyn Sutton-Haywood as its Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs. Sutton-Haywood takes over the position from Dr. Catherine Wright, who retired in late December after a 40-year career at the college.
Sutton-Haywood will oversee several divisions of the college, including academics, student life, Living and Learning programs – including Thames at Mitchell, the Bentsen Learning Center and the Mystic Program – and the Children’s Learning Center. She most recently served as dean of the division of liberal arts and sciences at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina and held similar positions at Shaw University and Johnson C. Smith University, both also in North Carolina, for many years. In addition, Sutton-Haywood was a longtime professor of biology. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Atlanta University and a B.S. from North Carolina Central University.
Dr. Tracy Espy, Mitchell College president, said, “Dr. Sutton-Haywood is an exceptional professional with the acumen to lead Mitchell College’s broad-reaching and dynamic division of academic affairs. She brings more than 40 years of higher education experience, both in the classroom and administration. In addition to being a strong academic and student affairs advocate, she has extensive experience in strategic and institution-wide planning as well as accrediting processes. Her expert guidance will positively impact Mitchell across the board – from faculty and staff to students – and we are thrilled for her to join us.”
Sutton-Haywood said, “In the short time I have been here, I have found an extremely dedicated and supportive student-focused faculty and staff. I look forward to using the deep knowledge and experience that I have gained over the many years to help Mitchell continue to be strong and mission-focused, especially in these times where we must be flexible, adaptable and innovative.”
Dec 10, 2020 | News
December 10, 2020
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College recently awarded four of its students the inaugural George Floyd Scholarship, recognizing their leadership ability and desire to effect social change. The students – all juniors or seniors studying in the Human Services core, with concentrations in criminal process and behavioral sciences/psychology – received $2,500 each for the 2020-21 academic year. Recipients include Emil Cortorreal of New London, Conn.; Desmond Knowles of Indianapolis, Ind.; Dylan Radovich of Groton, Conn.; and Stephanie Zavala of Norwalk, Conn.
“Mitchell College celebrates diversity, fosters inclusion and promotes empathy. The George Floyd Scholarship aligns with these values, awarding these students for contributing to this culture on campus and aspiring to connect with their communities in an impactful way in their lives after college,” said Dr. Tracy Y. Espy, Mitchell College president.
Nominated by Mitchell faculty in the Human Services core for their positive contributions in the classroom, the four student recipients model Mitchell’s values by their desire to support, serve, protect and help others to build stronger communities and effect social change.
Junior Emil Cortorreal said, “Using the abilities I acquire at Mitchell, I aspire to bring positivity and generational change within my community, providing support within the criminal justice field to those who need and seek help for reintegration in our community.”
Senior Desmond Knowles seeks to change the U.S. criminal justice system that deals with racial and minority justice. He said, “When I graduate from Mitchell, I would like to serve the community by raising awareness and creating a network to help promote and solve this racial and minority justice issue.”
Senior Dylan Radovich plans to join a police homicide unit to help and protect people who have been impacted by violent crime. He said, “No one deserves to lose someone that you hold close and dear to violence. The people who commit such acts should be brought in to face their punishment and have their day in court. The pain and sorrow that a family faces when they lose family to an unnecessary killing is pain that no one should ever have to bear.”
Junior Stephanie Zavala aspires to be a high school guidance counselor. She said, “I see the need for more people working as guidance counselors who are willing to get to know their students and help them navigate adolescence, a developmental time with stressors and changes that can have a long-lasting effect on their lives. I would like my students in the future to know that they have someone that they can count on for those four years. I would also like to create an impact among the adolescent Latinx youth, demonstrating that there are people representative of them in their own community who genuinely understand them and their culture.”
The scholarship was established in memory of George Floyd, who died during an arrest by Minneapolis police, sparking protests in this nation and around the world. Mitchell College Trustee Peggy Flood initiated the scholarship, with support from Trustee Luci Arango. The scholarship provides financial support to junior or senior students of color in the Human Services core whose work in the classroom suggests they will continue to effect change in their community. Students are awarded the scholarship through faculty nominations.
