Swoope VP Student Affairs

New Student Affairs Vice President Swoope ‘Hits the Ground Running'

 

By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU

 

"Hitting the ground running" is the only way to describe the first two months on the job of one of the newest member’s of the President’s Cabinet, Dr. Malinda Swoope. A Houston, Texas native, she has a wide range of duties at ASU as the lead administrator of two key areas: student activities and organizations, and the retention, admissions and recruitment of students. 

Swoope began Jan. 3 as the University's newly appointed vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management in the midst of high winds and tornado warnings, which have continuously impacted her tenure since being on campus.

 

"On my very first day at ASU, while I was making my introductions to students and staff, and didn't even have all of my boxes unpacked, the University was alerted by the National Weather Service of the potential of very dire bad weather moving into the area with possible tornado activity and sheer-line wind alerts. I immediately began work with President Ross to ensure that our most precious asset, our students, were safe and secure," Swoope said from her office in the John Garrick Hardy Student Center. "To take no chances, school was cancelled a half-day on my very first day at work, and it has been 'full speed ahead' for me ever since."

On Jan. 12, another line of dangerous storms struck just a few miles north of Montgomery, causing seven deaths and widespread damage and destruction over a 70-mile path from Selma, Ala., to Autauga County. 

"While God blessed our campus from any direct impact, the E-3 tornados did impact our students with several hundred of our young Hornets having their family homes hit by these killer winds," Swoope stated. "That is when ASU joined forces with several local non-profit organizations and formed a tornado relief effort that delivered an 18-wheeler loaded full of disaster relief supplies for Selma, which our students worked diligently to achieve and that I helped organize with two local community leaders."

 

Swoope also has worked with students to coordinate similar disaster relief efforts for the tornado victims of Autauga County.

 

SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL EVENTS ON CAMPUS

 

In the midst of all of these storms, Swoope also played a leadership role in coordinating two major on-campus events on the same Saturday: the nationally recognized Honda Battle of the Bands and ASU's Connection Day, a major recruitment event. Most recently, Swoope presided over the grand opening of ASU's Gaming Room and E-Sports Laboratory, a highly successful event that drew print and broadcast media, reporting on yet another ASU student-centered initiative on campus. 

 

HER OBJECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE

 

Swoope has a formal plan for success that she has been developing and implementing since her first wind-swept day on campus:

Objective 1:    To create an engaging and fulfilling student life experience;
Objective 2:    To ensure institutional improvement by building a culture of quality customer service;
Objective 3:    To increase student persistence toward timely degree completion through comprehensive academic support initiatives;

Objective 4:    To establish and sustain impactful community partnerships and involvement;
Objective 5:    To maintain a retention task force to engage academic affairs/student affairs in leading efforts that promote student enrollment and academic success; and,
Objective 6:    To build a comprehensive recruitment and enrollment plan to broaden ASU’s outreach to traditional and nontraditional students. 

 

BUSY FIRST TWO MONTHS

 

Swoope explained that it has been a very busy first two months for her at ASU, but that is the way that she likes it.

 

"My hope, my dream as vice president, is to focus on both our current students’ success and happiness, as well as recruitment and enrollment for our upcoming class of fall 2023 students. We are pushing hard to move our number of new students upward while retaining our present student body," Swoope explained. "Growth is the key and while we have a plan with objectives to meet, I welcome any positive suggestions and input because it's all about making the Hornet Nation as great as it can be and that requires everyone to contribute and for me to listen and lead," Swoope said.

BACKGROUND

 

Swoope came to ASU from Edward Waters University where she served as associate provost of Academic Affairs. 

 

She is a chemist by profession with a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry from the University of California-Davis and a B.S. in Chemistry from Texas Southern University, which is located in her hometown. She served at numerous schools where she earned a variety of academic accolades, honors and fellowships, especially in chemistry. Most notably, her accomplishments include a research fellowship with the internationally acclaimed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Swoope’s CV is also loaded with other duties and honors that are related to a plethora of student retention and enrollment honors. 

News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104.

 

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