Kimberly Ballard-Washington outlines goals, next steps as Savannah State's new president

Kimberly Ballard-Washington was officially announced as Savannah State University president on Thursday, a week after being named the sole finalist for the post by the Georgia Board of Regents. Ballard-Washington had served as the school's interim president since June 2019.

Ballard-Washington shared insights about her next steps as SSU president and plans for the coming academic year in a recent interview.

More:Savannah State University to name Kimberly Ballard-Washington president, lifting interim title

What are your next steps as president? What are some of your goals that you would like to see happen at the school?

Kimberly Ballard-Washington: "We're going to have to solidify the team that we have here. Because I was interim, we have a lot of people in interim positions. So we're going to have to finalize a lot of those positions. We've already started posting positions. We're hiring right now for the chief business officer. We're also going to be looking for a chief information technology person and a provost. We have three interim deans right now. The vice president for advancement is a position that we need to fill. We're going to need to solidify these positions so that we can really get started and move the institution forward. But of course, we want to make sure that we're looking at things then moving into the institution the right direction. It's time for us to revisit our [five-year] strategic plan. So we'll be initiating that very quickly."

Can you share some of the bullet points from the strategic plan?

KBW: "No, not yet. I want it to really be a process that we work with all of our stakeholders — the students, staff, faculty and the community. I want it to be not just my vision, but a group effort."

The U.S. Department of Education just announced that President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan is going to make $36 billion available for higher education.

Of that, $2.6 billion is earmarked for Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as Savannah State.

What are some of the items that SSU could fund with its share?

KBW: "We would have to wait and see what the regulations allow. We're very grateful to the federal government for the funding that they made available for over the past year. Its really been helpful, particularly during COVID, to have those funds to make sure that we're able to keep everything moving in the right direction and protecting our students. We (want) to use it to try to build up our infrastructure. We want to make sure that we have everything in place so the university can move forward, not just for this year or next year, but for its long-term future. That's why we're trying to make long-range plans to use those funds as opposed to making smaller purchases. There are things that we need to do (to improve our information technology systems). When we move classes online, (we had to make) sure that our faculty and staff had the technology that they need to work in a very systematic fashion with the students regardless as to where those students are. And from what I understand, this time some of the monies that we're receiving will go directly to the students."

How is enrollment looking for summer and fall?

KBW: "Enrollment is looking pretty good. A lot of institutions are down. We have had a downward trend over the last five to six years but it leveled off over the last year and a half. I think that we're going to be in a good place. I can't give you an exact (number) right now, but we are we are feeling good about enrollment for summer and fall."

Any new programs or majors you have that you can talk about?

KBW: "We don't have any new approved (programs), but we do have some in the pipeline. Data Analytics is a new program that will be hopefully rolling out very soon. We're waiting for (Board of Regents) approval and finalization on that. But we have several that we're looking at what the needs are in local industry (and) local businesses. We have several master's-level programs. We're making sure that we're specifically looking at what the constituency in this area needs us to focus on, so that we can make sure that our students are ready to fulfill their needs. We have Masters of Public Administration. We have a virtual reality programs. One of the things that we continue to focus on is looking at those needs, working with the local community and making the determination as to what new programs we need to offer our students."

Describe SSU's relationship with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools

KBW: "We definitely have relationships with Savannah-Chatham County Schools. Our faculty are strongly engaged in their programs. (SCCPSS) students are often on our campuses participating in the engineering programs or other STEM-related activities. We have the marine sciences program, forensic science, and engineering. We are very science-based. We just had graduation last weekend and conferred probably more degrees in the sciences and technology than anything else." 

Are you going to offer in-person classes in the fall?

KBW: "We will be offering primarily in-person classes for the fall semester, face-to-face classes, getting back to normal. Of course (it) is going to be a new normal. But yes, getting back to normal, having our students on campus, living in the residence halls and going to class on a daily basis. We're very much looking forward to that — not just going to classes but also participating in student activities and interacting with the faculty and staff. One of the things about attending an HBCU is the mentoring relationships that normally occur. We definitely want to make sure that our students have every opportunity to learn from our faculty and staff inside and outside the classroom."

Are you going to require that students have the COVID vaccine to attend class or live in the dorms?

KBW: "I would expect that point to be a decision that the University System of Georgia presidents (make) with the chancellor and the Board of Regents because (the vaccine) hasn't been approved through regular means yet. But I'm hopeful that long term, meaning years down the line, it will be just like the measles. We require every student to (show immunity against measles). I don't expect that (requiring the COVID vaccine) is going to happen in the University System of Georgia right now."

Students and staff will still wear masks when they're on campus and in class, and maintain social distancing?

KBW: "Things are changing very, very quickly right now with so many of our population having the vaccines. We're going to await (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines and also from the Department of Public Health to see what they're recommending when we get closer to fall semester."

Is there anything else you would like to add?

KBW: "(As president) I would like to concentrate on the student experience here at Savannah State making sure that we are constantly thinking about the needs of (not only) our students, but also our staff and faculty and making this a wonderful workplace. So many individuals, because of COVID, are rethinking where they work, (and) what they're doing in their lives and so forth. We want to be a destination, not just for our students but also for our staff and faculty. (We want to) be a good community for each other. And with that, to be a community liaison for Savannah and the surrounding areas. With everything that is going on in the world — the social unrest — we want to be positioned properly in this community to make a huge difference. We can work with the community and not just be here for the students who are coming to Savannah State, but be here for the community to serve. I look forward to improving those relationships and being a great community partner."

Barbara Augsdorfer is the education reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Reach her at BAugsdorfer@gannett.com or on Twitter @Babs7983.