Mullen: 'There's no place like Elms'

By Paula Canning

Staff Writer

CHICOPEE From his role as vice president of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., to serving as chancellor at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Dr. James Mullen, Jr. has had more than an insiders view of liberal arts colleges across the country.

And, according to Mullen, in all of his experience, he's yet to see a place like Elms College.

"The spirit of this place is its greatest strength," said the western Massachusetts native, who officially began his new job as president of Elms College in July.

Mullen, who grew up in Granby, explained that it is the spirit of the college, along with his western Massachusetts roots, that inspired him to step down as chancellor of UNC and assume presidency of Elms College.

"I am who I am because of western Mass," he said. "I am lucky to be home."

Although he was content in his position at UNC, and had predicted he would stay at the institution for longer than six years, when the opportunity arose to return to his hometown area, he "couldn't pass it up."

"The opportunity to be able to come home and be part of a community such as Elms made up of such wonderful students, staff and faculty doesn't come that often," he said. "It's a unique opportunity at a place with a wonderful future," he said.

According to Mullen, one of the benefits of assuming leadership of the college is that, "I don't have to come in and change [the college's] identity. The college has a wonderful mission that I've very proud to represent."

He explained that he is looking to expand on the college's existing strengths.

"We have excellence in the classroom, and we will continue to have [that]... framed by a Catholic identity and focused on social justice, human dignity and community service," he said.

As he looks to capitalize on the college's assets, some of Mullen's top priorities include the continued expansion of the college's degree programs, the creation of a new Science Center, more athletic programs, improved playing fields, and the expansion of co-curricular life on campus.

"The bottom line is that I see this college on a wonderful trajectory and now we're really going to take off," he said.

Another one of his goals is to bring Elms College to a position in which it is regarded as among the finest in the country.

"I want to help Elms College to be recognized as one of the finest liberal arts college's in the nation," he said. "This is going to be a great time to be a part of Elms," he said.

Mullen also said that he's hoping to preserve and expand upon the college's passion for academic excellence and focus on "developing the entire person."

Learning to take what you learn from the classroom and apply it outside of the classroom one of the core beliefs of a liberal arts education is what Mullen said he will continue to stress.

"A liberal arts education at Elms College allows the full person to develop," Mullen explained. "Nursing majors [at Elms] are not just nursing majors, but work at developing their full person, and developing that full person makes them a better nurse."

Another one of Mullen's priorities is to continue the college's strong connection with the surrounding community.

"Elms College has a great heart," he said. "You see that every day. We want to continue to build the bridge between the campus and the community."

He said the college accomplishes this in a number of ways, one of which is to require that students complete at least 30 hours of community service a requirement that he hopes most students will continue to exceed.

Mullen also noted a recently established "wonderful partnership" with the Chicopee school system to allow teachers to complete masters level work at a lower cost as another way in which the college works to embrace the community.

The Pioneer Valley will get a real taste of how dedicated Elms College is to the community on Sept. 16 when the entire Elms College students and faculty will be in various locations throughout the region donating their time.

"We're very proud of this event," Mullen said. "It really shows how much we care about this community."

Mullen said this emphasis on community is part of what makes being part of Elms College a good experience for anyone.

He is confident that loyalty for the college is something that is felt by anyone who has had any type of association with Elms.

"Whether it is a student, an alumni anyone connected with the college has a passion for it. That's something you just don't see."

According to Mullen, the move from UNC to Elms College has been "as seamless a transition as one could hope for," and has far exceeded his initial expectations.

"Everyone has been so welcoming," he said. "I get up every day excited to go to work."

He said that he is looking forward to the students arriving on campus with great anticipation, explaining that he intends to create a strong presence among the student body.

"When a student becomes part of the campus's family, they become part of my family too," Mullen said. "I want to know who they are, and the students are going to know me."

He added that he believes "every person truly matters."

To ensure that every students knows this, Mullen is in the process of writing a hand-written welcoming note to each incoming freshman.

In looking towards the future, Mullen said he sees himself remaining as Elms College's president well into the future.

"I've never looked at jobs as something you do for a short while," he said. "I've never respected that."

He also wants to be able to see though his "aggressive goal" to be "among the best" liberal arts institutions in the country.

"I don't promise what I can't deliver," he said. "If you come to Elms, you will have an academic experience second to none. I'm very confident that I can make that promise."

I believes in what Elms stands for, and its potential and importance," he said. " I want to be here for a long time."