Winona State president to step down next year
This just in from Winona State:
Winona State University President Announces Final Year
Winona State University President Judith Ramaley announced today this will be her final year with the university.
Dr. Ramaley began her service as the 14th president of Winona State University, and first female president, in July 2005.
Prior to coming to Minnesota, Dr. Ramaley held a presidential professorship in biomedical sciences at the University of Maine and was a Fellow of the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy. She completed a residency as a Visiting Senior Scientist at the National Academy of Sciences, served as president and professor of biology at the University of Vermont and was president and professor of biology at Portland State University.
During Dr. Ramaley’s six years at Winona State, the university has made strides in many areas, including new academic initiatives, the grand opening of two new facilities—the Integrated Wellness Complex and New Residence Halls, prudent financial management during a time of state-wide budget pressure, stable high-level enrollment and national athletic successes.
Under her leadership, Winona State launched its first-ever capital campaign, Light the Way; achieved accreditation of its College of Business; and partnered with the Bush Foundation to transform teacher preparation, receiving the university’s largest-ever single award of $4.04 million.
Dr. Ramaley has guided the university to establish a new direction in Rochester, streamlining the partnership with Rochester Community and Technical College and developing more efficient pathways for transfer students within the system as a whole.
She has overseen the first doctoral degrees awarded by Winona State as part of the new Doctorate of Nursing Practice; established Healthforce Minnesota, the MnSCU Center of Excellence led by Winona State; fostered the growth of the American Democracy Project; facilitated degree completion programs in the Health Sciences; spearheaded a restructuring of the University Studies program; and developed the Math Achievement Center to address the performance gap and provide improved remedial preparation for incoming students.
Dr. Ramaley’s model of developing and supporting leadership at many levels of the university is considered a hallmark of her tenure, as well as her charge to seek out and cultivate partnerships with both businesses and cultural entities across the state. Her legacy will also include a campus-wide focus on sustainability and the university’s status as one of the early signatories of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
“I have been grateful for the opportunity to work with the people of Winona State over the past six years and to live and learn from the communities that we serve,” said Dr. Ramaley. “I will prepare the way for new leadership and will be engaged and involved in the life of this fine institution and the communities we serve until the day I leave Minnesota to explore the world in new ways. I am confident that we are well-prepared to move forward, to accomplish our mission and to make our world a better place.”
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