Special
Features / June 2007
Academic Excellence in Motion
 Rhonda Richards
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By Pat Lawrence
In accepting the new position of Executive Dean of WVU-Parkersburg, Dr. Rhonda Richards may have come full circle, but she hasn’t been standing still. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she completed her Master’s degree at WVU and her doctorate at OSU after her husband took an engineering position at Dupont’s Washington Works plant. “My first job in higher education was in Marietta.” In 1992, Rhonda returned to South Carolina as a professor at Winthrop College, to teach reading, literacy and technology. “I always planned on teaching. Since I was going to be a mother and carry family responsibility, I wanted a profession that would allow for that. And, I knew I wanted to go into higher education.”
Rhonda liked the classroom, enjoyed teaching, and was good at it. But, she saw changes that needed to be made and wanted to be in a position to make them. She made the move from teaching to administration, first at Winthrop and then as Dean of Education at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Promoted to Vice Chancellor for Academic affairs, she realized a talent for writing grants. “It was an impoverished region, but I was able to write a number of successful grants.” Rhonda brought in over $3 million dollars to the school. “I’m always looking for more ways to contribute, more ways to give back, and make a difference.”
In 2004, success brought another opportunity at Midway College in Kentucky as Vice President and Dean of the Women’s College. The Women’s College has been there since 1847. The mother of four daughters, Dr. Richards found the offer irresistible. “In our family, we’re very strong on women!” In Kentucky, she made time to teach a class on women’s studies and to write a book, The Starting Gate, a leadership guide for young women. She was appointed as Bluegrass District Commissioner for the Kentucky Commission on Women and active in women’s outreach programs. She relaxed in a historic home built in 1850, surrounded by the antiques she avidly collects.
“I wasn’t looking for another position. But, I found this, and it was so nice and has so many possibilities - and I would be near two of my daughters.” Her new job begins June 1. She found a new home, in Marietta, built in 1899. Another new life is about to begin.
It’s a familiar feeling.
Rhonda’s father retired from the Air Force when she was a senior in high school. The family was stationed overseas in the Azores and in California, Texas, Florida and South Carolina. “Moving is just part of life,” she says.
Dr. Richards has already begun implementing her own three ‘R’s of education - reading, research and reaching out - to get quickly up to speed in her new position. “I’m very data-driven in decision making.” Her hope is “to bring education to more students in the MOV. We want to give more people access to higher education. We want to make sure we’re doing all we can to reach out to them. And, we want to make sure we have programs and curriculum that reach into the future. It’s a lot of challenges, but that’s why I look forward to it.”
As the author of over thirty professional publications on issues related to education, literacy, and technology, Dr. Richards won’t be starting from scratch. She hopes to export some of the successful programs she initiated in Kentucky but is especially interested in developing programs specifically to meet the academic and vocational needs of potential students throughout the Mid Ohio Valley.
“Encouraging women to explore their educational opportunities will certainly be one of my interests. Academic programs will be my responsibility, along with developing curriculum, new programs and course scheduling. WVU-P is an important resource for women of all ages, and in a variety of situations. We want students to use the resource, and realize their potential to the fullest.”
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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