On December 12, New England College officially named Dr. Wayne Lesperance as President. To date, he has completed 65 days in office.
Although he was previously the Interim President, not much has changed besides the fact that his position is now permanent. The President has much to offer the college community with his knowledge, approachability, and overall love for the institution.
Dr. Lesperance encourages faculty, staff, and students to stop by with concerns, questions, or even just to have a conversation.
“It is really important to me that this community know that they have a president that wants to hear from them. In fact, one of the first things we did was change the wood doors to my office that were never opened to a door with windows. This way, people can actually see me and hopefully come stop in and say hi. For me, that’s the fun part about the job; being able to talk to students, faculty, and staff. I love working here and the people I work with,” President Lesperance said.
Regarding his predecessor, President Lesperance is confident he will leave a positive impact on the college community.
“Dr. Perkins left me some very big shoes to fill. She had incredible strengths in things like fundraising and management. However, I come to it from a different world; I come to it from academia. What I hope to do is to live up to the standards that she set in those areas and then bring the skills that I have regarding the faculty, the students, and the curriculum. There is no question I have a great predecessor, and I am ready to live up to that,” President Lesperance said.
Unfortunately, the President is no longer teaching classes in the political science department but tries to stay as active as possible.
“Nathan Shrader and Colleen McElveen are the new generations of faculty, and I get to live vicariously through them,” he said.
President Lesperance is certainly busy in his new position, but his work ethic and dedication will aid him in providing greatness to the New England College community. With a full to-do list, the President assuredly plans to give attention to graduation and retention rates, cost and affordability, and providing an overall positive experience for all in the NEC community.
If you are in the Administration Building, do not hesitate to stop and say hello to President Lesperance.
