ReflectionswithDr. Cevallos
QA
&
ASPECIALFAREWELL
What were your greatest achievements?
First of all, I don’t think of it asmy achievement; every-
thing that’s been accomplished duringmy time here has
been a team effort. I’m proud of howwe changed the
student body profile,which is beginning to reflect the
diversity of the society that we live in. In terms of aca-
demics, it was a great achievement to develop graduate
programs for social work and communication design.The
most visible accomplishments are how the campus has
changed over the past 12 years.We haveAlumni Plaza,
the Boehm Science Building,GoldenBear Village South,
DixonHall,GoldenBear Plaza,HonorsHall, the
Student RecreationCenter and heating plant.Of course,
we can’t forget the newly renovated Sharadin and
Schaeffer!They really are beautiful facilities.The Small
Business Development Center and Latino Business
ResourceCenter have also benefitted the local communi-
ties. I’m very proud of that.
What was your favorite thing about living in the
KU community?
It’s a wonderfullywelcoming andwarm community.
People are so friendly.We’ve always felt verywelcome,
and havemade a lot of friends. It was nice to seemy
childrenwalking to school in themorning.There aren’t
thatmany places in the nation you can feel comfortable
about a second and fifth grader walking amile to school.
Also, I love that you canwalk everywhere.
During your time as president, what is the
greatest lesson you’ve learned?
That’s an easy one: communication. It doesn’tmatter how
often you communicate, you always have to domore. It’s
important that you stay consistent and be as transparent
as possible.
What will you tell your grandchildren about KU?
I’ll tell them that it was a very important chapter in our
lives. I want them to know that this is a place where
you can go to theKutztownFolk Festival and immerse
yourself in history.And funnel cakes! Kutztown is one
of the only places where you can see rural history and
the future interacting every day.And, I want them to
know that I cherishmymemories of themost beautiful
campus inPennsylvania.
What are your fondestmemories?
I have somany!My childrenwere in second and fifth
grade whenwe came here, so they grew up in this town.
Eight years ago,mywife was diagnosedwith breast
cancer.The reaction of the campus and the community
was sowonderful.Theymade a very difficult year for
us, easier.We felt very supported by everyone, andwe’re
grateful for them.One ofmy favoritememories is bring-
ing cookies to the residence halls, the night before finals.
Some students are expecting them, some are surprised.
Overall,my interaction with students has to top the
list.The students are always great.They’re dedicated
and committed; they’re why we’re here.
If you could take one thing from campuswith
you, what would it be?
Probably the bell from theCollegeHillMemorial
Grove, because it’s full of history. It was the bell
fromOldMain, and it represents the history of the
institution and our linkwith alumni who have passed
away.We named the space ‘memorial grove’ intention-
ally, so it could be a repository formemories. It’s a
way to remember the institution, and how all mem-
bers of theKU community are connected through
the university.
Dr. Cevallos and First
Lady JoséeVachon
enjoy a tribute video
shown at a campus
farewell celebration
inApril.
Cevallos is leaving
KU in July tobecome
the 16thpresident
of Framingham State
University in
Massachusetts.
