Dublin Core
Title
Virginia Tech Vice Presidents Oral History with Sandra Sullivan, September 25, 2014 (Ms2024-082)
References
Subject
Description
Dr. Sandra Sullivan served as the Vice President of Student Affairs from 1981-1988. Her insights about the changes on the Virginia Tech campus and years of serving the students of Virginia Tech are documented in this interview.
Sandra believed in the importance of broadening one's world view, leading her to many different schools and universities in her education and career. In 1978, Sandra served as the first state coordinator for the Virginia Identification Program for Women in Higher Education. In this program, she helped to find women in higher education in Virginia and create a network for them that would assist in advancing their careers. This experience highlighted the difficulties that women were facing when attempting to join higher education spaces.
In September of 1981, Sandra was named the acting vice president of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. One year later, she was named the first vice president of Student Affairs, making her the first woman to hold a university-wide executive position on campus. One of her first tasks in this position was reorganizing Student Affairs and bringing in people from the outside. Sandra believed that restructuring the order and administration she inherited was vital in ensuring Virginia Tech could change and improve. One challenge she describes is finding a balance between innovation and improvement while still honoring our past and history here at Virginia Tech.
Sandra spent her years at Virginia Tech working tirelessly to improve the lives and educational experiences of the students. Her passion and commitment to this school is present in this interview as she discusses her life, career, dedication to women's advancement, and changes and improvements made to the Virginia Tech campus life.
Sandra believed in the importance of broadening one's world view, leading her to many different schools and universities in her education and career. In 1978, Sandra served as the first state coordinator for the Virginia Identification Program for Women in Higher Education. In this program, she helped to find women in higher education in Virginia and create a network for them that would assist in advancing their careers. This experience highlighted the difficulties that women were facing when attempting to join higher education spaces.
In September of 1981, Sandra was named the acting vice president of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. One year later, she was named the first vice president of Student Affairs, making her the first woman to hold a university-wide executive position on campus. One of her first tasks in this position was reorganizing Student Affairs and bringing in people from the outside. Sandra believed that restructuring the order and administration she inherited was vital in ensuring Virginia Tech could change and improve. One challenge she describes is finding a balance between innovation and improvement while still honoring our past and history here at Virginia Tech.
Sandra spent her years at Virginia Tech working tirelessly to improve the lives and educational experiences of the students. Her passion and commitment to this school is present in this interview as she discusses her life, career, dedication to women's advancement, and changes and improvements made to the Virginia Tech campus life.
Date
Type
Identifier
Ms2024-082_SandraSullivan
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Narrator
Sandra Sullivan
Duration
02:00:09