 "Photo: Anna Kartashova")
If students are unsure of what career plan to take, U alumna Ann Weaver Hart advises that they ask themselves, "What am I doing when I completely lose track of time?"
"Unless you're willing to start over, build on what you've already done," said Hart, who now serves as the president at Temple University.
She said the most important thing is that students do what they love. Hart was honored as one of four 2008 distinguished alumni at the U's Founders Day banquet Wednesday.
Before she received her award, Hart held a more informal discussion with a small group of friends and former colleagues on Tuesday about leadership preparation in higher education.
Hart, who was accompanied by one of her four daughters, Kimberly Hart Baker, received an ovation from the small group assembled in Milton Bennion Hall.
"(She is) such an inspiration," Hart Baker said. "She just encourages us all the time."
Hart described the traditional track to higher education leadership, where students begin their undergraduate degree, then enroll in graduate school, become an assistant professor, associate professor, tenured full professor, before finally making their way into a leadership position.
"At some point you become intrigued with that idea that you might want to add university responsibilities to your teaching and research," Hart said.
Hart wanted to stress that the traditional track is not absolute and that she herself deviated, stepping off the traditional track immediately by starting a family before returning to graduate school. She distanced herself further from the standard path by receiving all her degrees from the same institution, the U.
Despite her good fortune in Utah, Hart did not want to overlook the importance of seeing what other places have to offer. She cautioned that an effective administrator must not be limited to a narrow set of experiences, an obstacle she overcame when she took a leadership position at Claremont Graduate University, a liberal arts college in California, and gained further experience by later serving as the president of the University of New Hampshire before making her way to Temple University.
Many of those in attendance had time to catch up with their former colleague. Michael Hardman, dean of the College of Education, presented Hart with a gift from the college.
"(I) really appreciated her sharing both her personal and professional experiences," Hardman said. "We have a lot to be proud of."
Further emphasizing the importance of being adaptive, Hart recalled what one of her former colleagues had told her, "If you get your head set on the one job that will make or break your career or life, it will."
d.roberts@chronicle.utah.edu
