On August 1, Dr. Barri Tinkler assumed the role of interim chief academic strategy officer, following five years of leading the College of Education (COE). She recently chatted with us about how this role is evolving, special projects she’ll work on and why she’s happy to serve as interim.

Q&A

Academic Expressions: Serving in an interim role can encompass a lot of different kinds of work. How do you envision your impact in this role?
Barri Tinkler: This position was first created before we revitalized institutional research and created the office of institutional effectiveness under Dr. Egon Heidendal [associate provost for institutional effectiveness]. Now, that group is doing much of the work that was in the original job description for this role, and this role is becoming more about supporting faculty success. Part of my service as interim is to manage that evolution. I’ll work on updating the job description so that, when a search for the permanent role is conducted, there will be greater understanding of what we now need.

AE: It sounds like you’ll be exploring and articulating the contours of how this role can support faculty success.
BT: Yes, I’ll be engaging with operational issues and core processes, like tenure and promotion guidelines. Part of it is defining what it means to support faculty success going forward. This role can serve as a strong connection point between administrators and faculty.

About her projects and collaboration style

AE: Are there specific projects you’ll be involved in?
BT: I’ve been asked to look at our policy around AI—both what it means for students and what it means for faculty. I’ll also be working with programs that are experiencing low enrollment or low completion. How can we strengthen these programs and help them develop a plan? I’ll be working closely with institutional effectiveness on this, and for me, it’s not just about the data. It’s about creating processes that faculty really buy in to.

AE: If faculty have ideas about these or other topics, can they reach out?
BT: I love to hear great ideas. And while not every great idea can come to fruition, they tend to stay with me, in my mind. Oftentimes, I connect multiple ideas in ways that move us toward an outcome. I like conversations that are generative about what we can accomplish together. And when something’s not working, I like to think about how it might work better.

AE: So, you’re a great fit for conversations that are productive, expansive and solutions oriented.
BT: Definitely.

On her next chapter

AE: As I recall, when you shared that you would step down from COE leadership, you were excited about returning to a faculty role. How did we convince you to take a small detour into this interim position?
BT: Having been in the role I was in, I knew I could step in and hit the ground running. And I very much want to support the provost’s vision in whatever ways I can.

AE: What are you looking forward to when you return to being a professor?
BT: Administrative work is incredibly important, but a lot of times you’re managing issues and solving problems. You don’t get as many opportunities for that excitement of helping someone develop into the person they will be, which is why many of us choose this field. Getting to work directly with students on a consistent basis is something I’m really looking forward to.