In a Q&A, Interim President Sandra Bulmer, and Student Government Association President William Moroz, senior, political science major, answer questions about being the campus leaders.
1) What brought you to the university?
SGA President William Moroz: “I like New Haven. My mom went here and said nothing but good things about it in her master’s program. My dad works here, so in a way, I belong to Southern.”
SCSU Interim President Sandra Bulmer: “I fell in love with my husband, who I was dating at the time. [He] was from Connecticut, we were dating long distance, and I decided to move here for a year to be near him.Now I’ve been here for 26 years.”
2) What do you want the university community to know about your job?
WM: “Everybody’s voice has power, regardless of if you don’t think it does, and you should always try to sit in the room where it happens.”
SB: “I think I have the best job on the planet, that it’s really, really a fun job to be president of the university. And it’s an honor. It’s just so fun for me because I’ve been here so long, and I love the place so much. I also think it’s just the best-kept secret in Connecticut, in that it’s really a wonderful, amazing place. We do great stuff here.”
3) What is the most pressing concern you have heard from students?
WM: “Honestly, I feel like right now there are so many unknowns about what’s going to happen from the federal level, and how the trickle-down impact are going to affect the state and subsequently Southern.”
SB: “It’s hard to compare different concerns that people express and put themside by side, but I think that the things that are going on outside of the campus, with changes in federal regulations, or things that are being said or services that are being threatened, is on the minds of a lot of our students. Rightfully so. I do spend quite a bit of time really advocating and making sure that we have the resources to support the students, as all of these things change around us.”
4) What is the biggest improvement you hope to bring to campus?
WM: “I would say, to foster a connection between students, faculty and staff. And bring everybody in kahoots with each other.”
SB: “The first thing that I’m focusing on this year is trying to really improve our internal operations. We’re doing a lot to automate and put systems and technology in place to make it easier to be an employee here and take care of our students.”
5) What is your favorite campus event or tradition?
WM: “I really enjoy Week of Welcome. I think that’s a time where everybody’s united together. And I wish that there could be an entire semester of it, but that’s just not possible. I like the sense of community on campus.”
SB: “Doesn’t everyone love graduation? It’s just the best. The whole month leading up to it, when individual departments have their ceremonies and students start to finish their degree requirements, and then we have parties and celebrations and honors. It’s just a happy time on the campus, culminating in the Commencement. So that is always going to be one of my favorite times.”
6) Which of the university’s values resonates with you the most?
WM: “The sense of community. I really enjoy seeing people I know everywhere, and I think that’s a great thing.”
SB: “Definitely our social justice. When I was looking at places to work, after I had made the decision to move here, I went around to a lot of universities looking for part-time teaching. And when I came here, and I saw the mission statement had social justice in it, that really stood out 26 years ago. Not many universities were that bold and that clear about how important that was. And it remains one of the main reasons I love working here to this day.”
7) What do you want the wider New Haven community to know about the university’s students?
WM: “The students at Southern, from what I’ve seen, have been very engaged in their community. And I think, given that we’re in New Haven, a lot of people think about the university down the street from us. I still think that Southern, in a lot of ways, could be better, and not to write Southern students off.”
SB: “I want them to know how outstanding they are, academically and artistically, and civic-minded. We are producing some of the best, most talented parts of the workforce. And I don’t think people always think first that Southern is producing the strongest employees, but we are. We are producing the talent of the state with such outstanding programs.”
8) What is your favorite part of your role on campus?
WM: “I love engaging with students. I meet so many, and I just love seeing where people come from and getting to know them. And the humanistic side of things. And just talking with people.”
SB: “I get to be everywhere. I get to be in spaces with students, with faculty, with employees. I get to be in athletic events. I get to just experience all of the great things about being in a university.
There are a lot of other meetings where I have the privilege of representing the university and telling our story. And those are really special.”
9) What do you hope your legacy will be on campus?
WM: “Something positive. A guy who tried his best.”
SB: “I don’t know that I need a personal legacy. I really just hope that I can leave the place better than I found it, and that people really are able to thrive and do their work. I always see my job as being primarily to support the employees who directly get to serve our students every day.”
10) What are you most excited about for the future of the university?
WM: “More ways to connect with the community. I think that’s always my favorite thing, is seeing how people are together at these events. And just bringing people together. I don’t know what it is, but it’ll be something cool.”
SB: “I’m pretty excited right now about our new R2 status, of being the only student research university in all of Connecticut. As the first, I think we can do a lot with that at this moment in time when higher education is under threat. I think everyone’s going to want to come here and work; everyone’s going to want to come here and study. And I think we can be that special place for a lot of people.”
