Ramona Lumpkin, PhD Principal, Huron University College 2001 ...

8
C OMMUNIT Y
aroundHuron
Dr. Alfred Chan
By Ken Andrews, Director, Alumni and Community Development
As you read
this issue
Huron’s 15th
Principal,
Dr. Ramona
Lumpkin,
will have
become
President
and Vice-
Chancellor
of Mount St. Vincent University in
Halifax. Dr. Lumpkin’s last day at Huron
was September 30th. Her portrait
graces the cover of this issue and hangs
in the Great Hall at Huron with those of
other former Principals.
During her nine
years at Huron, Dr.
Lumpkin (left) made
life at the College one
full of joy, engagement
and rewards for its
students. The CeO of
any university in this day and age faces
formidable challenges at any time, and
during her principalship, Dr. Lumpkin
successfully worked with her colleagues
– from faculty, staff and students to
board members, alumni and friends
– in a way that produced remarkable
successes including, in financial terms,
operational budget surpluses in each of
the past eight years.
The bottom line is not only financial.
It’s also the exceptional results which
the College has achieved in student
satisfaction surveys as reported in
Maclean’s magazine (see sidebar).
The connection between positive
financial results and high student
satisfaction is no accident. Within a
positive, stable environment, students
have been able to pursue their dreams
and prepare for the future in the
uniquely supportive and engaging
environment that is Huron; faculty
pursue their individual commitment
to teaching excellence and scholarship;
and staff develop innovative programs
and services for students. For her
leadership we owe Dr. Lumpkin
enormous thanks.
Moreover, being the kind of person
she is, Dr. Lumpkin showed an ability
to bring out the best in people. I knew
that five minutes after meeting her,
and that never changed over the nine
years she was Principal. She appeals to
people’s best instincts and their best
qualities, and the result was that people
contributed to the Huron community
in ways that brought out the very best
in them. Dr. Lumpkin embraced the
community of alumni and friends at
Huron with a genuine and heartfelt
interest in each of them, and the
College is that much better for it. The
comments of many
alumni and friends
are included in this
issue.
Huron is also
fortunate that Dr.
Trish Fulton (right)
has been appointed
Interim Principal. Dr. Fulton brings
enormous experience and wisdom to
the position at Huron, having joined the
College in 1977 as Assistant Professor
of economics and served in a number
of roles over the years including Chair
of the Department of economics and,
for two five-year terms, Dean of the
Faculty of Arts and Social Science.
Indeed, the transition from Dr.
Lumpkin to Dr. Fulton was as smooth
as can be, ending with Trish driving
Ramona and Bill to the London train
station for the trip to Halifax, complete
with luggage and cats Marley and Rosie.
Dr. Fulton is known to Huron alumni
over four decades, and in the months
ahead she looks forward to seeing
alumni and friends at
many Huron events.
Her Principal’s Corner
column appears on
page three.
Another person
who has made such a
remarkable difference
in people’s lives, Miss
Catharine Ridley (above), Huron’s
Registrar between 1961 and 1991,
continues to improve after some health
setbacks in 2010. Over the winter she
was hospitalized twice following falls
at home, the second of which resulted
in a broken hip. In both instances,
after long rehabilitation and, as much
as anything, a fortitude, independent
spirit and resoluteness which carried
her forward over pain and weakness,
she returned home where she is now
resting comfortably, although she is not
as mobile as she once was.
Miss Ridley’s memories of Huron
are as vivid now as they were 19 years
ago when she retired, and its students
continue to have a special place in her
heart. For Miss Ridley, any student
who qualified to attend Huron and