An Interview with Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead, Regis’ 29th President
Eamon Lujan, Guest Writer from Writing for Media Practicum
In March of this year, Regis learned that Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead would serve as the new president of Regis University. Dr. Cooper Whitehead is the first black woman to lead Regis University; and is also the first black woman to be president of any Jesuit university in the U.S. I had the chance to sit down, talk with her, and learn more about what this historic inauguration means to her as well as what the future of our nearly 150-year-old university looks like.
Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead photographed in the Hopkins Memorial Garden
“It starts with wanting to be of service, and I've always ultimately wanted to help people.” – President Cooper Whitehead
Dr. Cooper Whitehead previously served as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Boston College before making her way to Regis. “I started my career as an elementary school teacher, because I thought that was a very direct path to being able to help individuals. I taught kindergarten, first, second, and fifth grade.” Dr. Cooper Whitehead eventually began working with college students due to the tremendous amount of growth that happens over a typical four-year college period. Her career has been marked with a commitment to inclusivity, with a particular focus on including student voice in her work.
Dr. Cooper Whitehead has communicated that “in order to be a good leader, you have to respond to and be part of the community that you are committed to serving. I found that leadership opportunities allowed me to invite more people to the room, and I don't pretend to know everything. One of the things I say over and over again is ‘I try to lead with curiosity and humility.’” The culture of Regis was a big draw for President Cooper Whitehead, especially our liberal arts foundation. She emphasized, “our nurses, pharmacists, and STEM professions all start with liberal arts,” adding, “that’s not typical at every school.”
A Historic Occasion
The upcoming inauguration marks the first time an American Jesuit university (of which there are 28) will be led by a woman of color. Dr. Cooper Whitehead commented on the occasion saying, “to be honest, part of it is very humbling, because I think that I hold certain identities that have historically been marginalized in the world.” She added, “I stand on people's shoulders. My ancestors, women, other folks who have fought for their rights and equal rights.” Dr. Cooper Whitehead mentioned that she wants to create a space where everyone has a place at the table, regardless of who they are or what values they hold. “Diversity” and “inclusivity” have become contested and sometimes controversial words in recent years, but our new president doesn’t shy away from talking about diversity and inclusion at Regis; in fact, it is part of her central mission. She told me, “when we talk about diversity, I think about how sometimes people put it in a specific bubble of race and gender. And I've said over and over again, that is absolutely important and part of who I am, but it's also bigger than that.” She firmly believes in access to education for all, especially for those in the margins. She has an interest in students who have financial hurdles that often make higher education difficult, and finding ways to ensure that students have the support they need to have access to education.
“It’s a responsibility of mine to make it easier for those who come behind me, regardless of who they are.” – President Cooper Whitehead
150 Years of the Only Jesuit University in the Rocky Mountain Area
Dr. Cooper Whitehead joins Regis as we approach the university’s 150th birthday, which will occur this upcoming August. She has been involved in Jesuit education for a long time, and I wanted to ask her what makes Regis special. She mentioned all the usual things; that we are the only Jesuit university in the Rocky Mountain West and the four corners, and that we’re also a Hispanic Serving Institution. All of these points were brought up by Dr. Cooper Whitehead, but she would not say these are not the only things that make Regis truly unique. “It is our mission, our commitment to the liberal arts, and our commitment to serving people in the margins.” In addition to this, Dr. Cooper Whitehead also highlighted Regis’ commitment to honoring Lapudato si’, and Fr. Curran’sfo founding of the Jesuit Prison Network.
A People-Powered Mission-Focused Future
It has not been a secret that Regis has faced some major institutional challenges over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic saw enrollment rates plummeting overnight, and the 2008 recession birth rate time bomb has been hitting the university. Students and faculty have seen a lot of departments get closed or consolidated (I myself will be one of the last Peace & Justice grads after the department was consolidated into Criminology, Sociology, & Justice). With all of this in mind, I wanted to ask Dr. Cooper Whitehead how she plans to steer and direct the university through the choppy waters the university finds itself in. This work starts with people — the bread and butter of her operation. “The biggest capital that we have at this institution is its people. This is a phenomenal faculty. It's a gifted student population. I think what Regis has encountered is just a number of leadership changes where folks weren't able to work together or understand each other, and I think part of what I'm trying to do here is get out of a space of surviving and into thriving, and we've got the talent already here to do it.”
The engine of Dr. Cooper Whitehead’s Regis Machine is people, and Regis’ mission is the steering wheel and compass. On the difficulties and changing times Regis has faced, she said “it starts with mission and trust. And building that kind of trust in our administration builds trust in how we're moving as an organization, but it's about accompaniment. Are we going to do this together and grow in the same direction?” She added, “things are changing, and we have to be able to respond to it. Our mission, however, will not change. That's the thing that grounds us.”
On the topic of institutional change, I asked Dr. Cooper Whitehead how she was going to communicate changes and decisions to students and faculty. From this question came a story about her time at Boston College, and her fame as the “Email Lady.” “I said, I'm going to talk to my friends, the provost and the VP of Mission Ministry, and we're going to have one newsletter that goes to students, but I'm going to gather information from other departments and highlight it, and it's going to go to every student at Boston College.” This brought students into the fold and helped increase trust in the college administration, an accomplishment that Dr. Cooper Whitehead is very proud of. She said that “it wasn't about student affairs, it was about what we wanted our students to try and experience” and “they didn't necessarily know the VPS of student affairs, but they knew they got an email every Monday from Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead.”
Prior to her inauguration, she had the opportunity to go to Rome this past summer and meet Pope Leo XIV, and on that trip a group of young people came up to her and asked if she was Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead. They were all Boston College graduates who knew Dr. Cooper Whitehead from the weekly emails they would receive! In our conversation on communication amidst change, Dr. Cooper Whitehead made sure to direct me and readers to the Strategic Framework page on the Regis Website, a framework which she hopes to “really bring...a little bit more into the forefront.”
Moving Forward, Together
The last question I asked Dr. Cooper Whitehead was about her experience as an elementary school teacher and what skills in that field transfer over to being a university president. She tied the question back into the topic of communication, saying, “there's a term that education majors will be really familiar with, and folks who teach, called ‘differentiated instruction.’ How I'm talking to you might be different for people who have a different learning style. That's not too different from being a college president. I don't mind sharing the same message over and over again in different ways so that people truly grasp it and feel like they are able to give feedback and constructive criticism.” Dr. Cooper Whitehead ended our interview by reiterating how much faith she has in our institution, and the people who learn here, teach here, grow here, and make sure the institution is running day in and day out. “We've got awesome students and I want to let the world know. I want to highlight our faculty, our staff, and our students in the great work that they're doing,” and adding with a smile, “and I'm a great PR agent.”
Let’s welcome our new President, Shawna Cooper Whitehead to Regis University!