News Center

Sue Gaylor has served as the executive vice president of Allegheny College since July 2013. Today, she answers our questions about her Allegheny experience so far. Her current work at Allegheny spans many areas, including finance and administration, human resources, information technology services and institutional research, development and alumni relations, and enrollment and communications. Previously, she served as vice president for administration and planning at Lycoming College.

1. What is your favorite spot on campus?

There are two spots that come to mind as favorite places at Allegheny.  The first spot is the walk from the Park Avenue parking lot to Bentley Hall.  I make this walk daily and it is one that constantly reminds me what a beautiful and historic campus Allegheny is.  I love the view of the lawn south of Bentley, the tall and wide-trunked trees, and the buildings that have weathered two centuries of life and learning.

The second place that is a favorite is Henderson Campus Center. For me, the Campus Center represents the heartbeat of the campus.  Whether seeing students, faculty and staff in McKinley’s, to the colorful banners highlighting the diverse range of activities that our students pursue, to seeing posters for upcoming academic lectures, to students sitting in quiet spots on the second or third floor studying together, to the third-floor conference rooms where so many campus groups meet — it is a place that is always alive with dialog and positive energy.

2. What in your opinion makes Allegheny a unique place?

When I was interviewing for my position, I was struck by the College’s theme of “Unusual Combinations.”  I absolutely love hearing students talk about the range of combinations they are pairing through the College’s academic requirements. There is also a great rigor about Allegheny — people work hard at what they do, whether it is our students preparing for their senior comps, our faculty juggling superior teaching with thoughtful research and service, or our staff working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.  That rigor is balanced by a true sense of community where people support one another, which is something that I think Allegheny does very well.

3. What is the coolest thing that Allegheny has made possible for you?

Higher education as a career is frequently a profession that forces one to specialize in order to excel.  My position at Allegheny is unique in that it allows me to interface with all areas of the institution and with a wide range of constituents. The fact that I get to be one of the few people who comes to work each day responsible for thinking about how all of the pieces fit together to make the Allegheny student experience the best it can be is very cool. 

4. What goal(s) have you set for the next three years?

As executive vice president, my job is to serve as the chief operating officer and supervise the non-academic divisions of the College.  As a result, most of my goals relate to the College’s strategic plan, Combinations 2020. 

My primary goal is to empower those with whom I work to succeed in their areas so that we can make progress on the strategic plan.  I also have the goal of using my institution-wide perspective to help inform conversations about priorities and trade-offs.   I am particularly interested in reviewing and strengthening the College’s financial model, especially the balance between our operating budget and our endowment, so that Allegheny’s financial foundation will best insure that the student experience in the future is as strong as what our students experience today.  

5. You are seated next to President Mullen at dinner. What do you strike up a conversation about?

My first conversation topic would be to remind President Mullen, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, of the recent success of the Boston Red Sox and then talk as much as I could about my favorite team, the New England Patriots. 

On a more serious note, I would ask President Mullen about his ideas on civility in politics and about his thoughts on how to get more of today’s generation of college students interested in careers in public service.