August 31, 2015
Shop Talk
Q&A with Mary Lou Retelle, President, Anna Maria College
RESIDENCE: Worcester
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree, Merrimack College; master's degree, Northeastern University
there’s an advantage to having the inside track on a job. Mary Lou Retelle owned the position of Anna Maria College interim president for nearly a year before the trustees at the small Catholic school turned to her to take the job permanently — even though more than 70 people applied for the job after former president Jack Calareso left to become president of St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, N.Y. Retelle was “not only the best prepared candidate for the position, but the one who has lived it, and performed extremely well,” Paul A. DiPierro, chair of the school’s board of trustees, said about her appointment.
You're in this job at a time when small private colleges such as yours are facing heavy competitive challenges. How can a school like Anna Maria move confidently into the future?
What we decided to do was focus on what we do best. A school like Anna Maria, and any other school that is looking to the future, particularly in this very competitive market, (has) to focus on what you do best. What we do best and what we determined we did best was serving the public good, training students … like we have for the last 70 years: law enforcement, nursing, teachers, social workers, music therapists, firefighters.
Has your experience working for a public university also helped you prepare for this role?
Sure. It’s a whole different kind of emphasis in that you don’t have quite the same marketing challenges that you do with a smaller college, because you have a natural affinity toward people (who are) looking at a public institution as being more affordable. There’s always a cost factor (and) you have to look beyond the value that you’re getting, with the attention you’re getting at the private versus the public (institution).
At the time you were named interim president, did you want the job on a permanent basis? Or did you see it as a way to “kick the tires”?
In a way, both. My all-time aspirations were not to be a college president. When they offered me the interim position, I saw it as an opportunity not only to hone some skills … but really to contribute back to the institution and do the best that I could to prepare for the next president.
Is there a point where you wanted the job on a permanent basis?
Oh sure, because I was starting to see things happen that were really exciting. People were getting excited about it. There was a new rhythm on the campus; the students were engaged, the faculty was engaged.
Anna Maria, in recent years, has added specialty programs, such as a graduate program in health emergency management. How critical is that to driving up enrollment?
One of the things we have to do is stabilize the undergraduate enrollment. So looking at the specialties at the undergraduate level, (they’re) critical to our success. Building on those, strengthening our faculty, internship availabilities, making sure that the classroom experience (is) a good one for the undergraduate — that pays the bills. What happens in the graduate and online programs are the things that we really want to do to advance. So, yes, it’s really to advance the institution at a whole different level.
We're seeing quite a few qualified women accede to the role of college president. Generally speaking, is there something extra that they bring to the table?
I’m joining the ranks of three very accomplished women here in the Worcester area (Laurie Leshin, Gail Carberry and Susan West Engelkemeyer). But over the course of my career, I’ve had great mentors, both male and female. As long as you are bringing to the table the best quality leadership, budgetary experience, making sure your management style is fair and equitable … I don’t see a big difference who I’ve worked with — either male or female — nor do I think I’m bringing anything totally different from the perspective of a female president.
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Mary Lou Retelle, president, Anna Maria College
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