When Ripon College’s presidential search committee set out to find the institution’s 14th president, its goal wasn’t to appoint the first permanent female president.
Rather, it wanted to find the most qualified candidate, regardless of gender.
As it turns out, the most qualified person to assume the role of president is, in fact, a woman.
Victoria Folse will be the 14th president of Ripon College and will be the first woman to be formally inaugurated as president of Ripon College in its 170-year history.
“She was by far the most qualified and we’re very excited,” Mark Franzen, chair of the presidential search committee, told the Commonwealth. “I think it’s great that Ripon College will have a full-time female president.”
The Ripon College Board of Trustees announced Folse’s unanimous selection as the institution’s 14th president Tuesday.
“I am honored to be Ripon College’s 14th president,” she said. “Ripon’s relative advantage has to do with the relationships that are established between faculty, staff and students.”
She will succeed Zach Messitte, who announced in September 2021 that he was resigning from Ripon College.
Current interim President Andrea Young, meanwhile, has been appointed as the next vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at DePauw University in Indiana.
Folse currently serves as the director and professor of the School of Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts college in Bloomington, Ill.
Ripon College describes her as a respected scholar and administrator, bringing more than 30 years of experience in higher education and a commitment to the liberal arts to Ripon.
Since 2009, she has served as the director and endowed chair of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Illinois Wesleyan. And since 2019, Folse has been the executive director of Counseling and Health Services.
Folse also has served as interim director of the School of Music and continues to teach and conduct research in the School of Nursing.
Additionally, Ripon College says her executive leadership roles in both academic and student affairs have prioritized a “shared governance model” with input from faculty, staff and students.
“I’m excited to join the Ripon team. I am honored and awed at the foundation that I’m inheriting and will lead into the future,” Folse said. “One of the things that attracted me to Ripon was knowing the impact that I could have as part of a high-performing team, influencing the experiences students, parents and alumni have as they stay connected to the college.”
She plans to move into 1 Merriman Lane with her husband, Dick, this summer and will officially assume the presidency Friday, July 1.
“What intrigues me about Ripon is the commitment to the liberal arts core and the capacity to make an impact on social mobility,” Folse said. “As a first-generation college student myself, I see the opportunity to contribute to the next generation of Ripon graduates.”
Search process
The board of trustees confirmed Folse’s appointment after a seven-month, nationwide search. Ripon College says Folse stood out among a “highly accomplished group of candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences.”
The Presidential Search Committee, composed of board of trustees members, faculty, students and community members, had more than 20 “very qualified” candidates, which it systematically interviewed and narrowed down over time to three finalists, Franzen said.
Of those finalists, Folse was selected to be the next president because of her energy, care for the liberal arts and collaborative leadership style.
“The committee was very impressed with her energy and intellect,” said Franzen, who is on the board of trustees. “She was extremely well-prepared and thoughtful through the entire process.
“When we heard from references, people were very impressed with how she collaborates in her decision-making process. The folks at Illinois Wesleyan think very highly of her.”
Likewise, Presidential Search Committee member and Alumni Association Board of Directors member Carrie Roca-Dawson noted Folse showed a strong connection with her students and a “genuine spirit of collaboration with faculty and administration” throughout the process.
“I am excited to see what her energy, student engagement and collaboration accomplishes at Ripon,” Roca-Dawson said.
Folse noted her leadership style aims to build consensus and involve everyone in making important decisions.
“I’m inclusive and it’s important to me to bring in voices that can contribute to improved processes,” she said. “When I think about leadership, it’s important to me to make sure everyone is involved in the process. To establish a shared vision is critical, so we are moving Ripon forward in a way that’s impactful.”
Franzen added that small liberal arts colleges face new challenges and Folse is uniquely suited to help Ripon College overcome those obstacles.
“She tackled whatever challenges were thrown at her at Illinois Wesleyan; we think that bodes well for her term at Ripon,” Franzen said. “… She cares about the liberal arts and understands the new realities and challenges. She is prepared to lead the liberal arts and this institution into the future.”
Folse added that she will honor the traditions of Ripon College, while looking for opportunities to respond to the changing higher education landscape.
Similarly, history professor and search committee member Rebecca Matzke described Folse as energetic and thoughtful, noting her success in different programs “truly speaks to her leadership skills.”
“She is dedicated to the principles of the liberal arts and has interesting ideas about directions Ripon can go in that build on our current strengths, while keeping us true to ourselves,” Matzke said.
From the student perspective, search committee member and class of 2023 student Jacqueline Hanson added that Folse is “extremely adaptable” and is able to “jump into things” outside of her comfort zone.
“I also really admired that she is a woman who knows what she wants,” Hanson said. “She has a strong personality and is willing to learn. It’s cool she will be our first female president. Representation is important.”
Board of trustees chair and search committee member Tom Abendroth added that Folse demonstrated a passion for the liberal arts and understands its importance.
“She is detail-oriented, very thorough and seeks deep understanding,” Abendroth said. “She has proven herself as someone who takes on challenges and rises to the occasion.”
Folse expressed a deep commitment to the liberal arts and its ability to enrich the lives of students.
“As we explore opportunities for students to explore professional and pre-professional programs, I am unwilling to compromise the foundation in the liberal arts,” she said.
Diverse skill set
In the School of Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan, Folse oversees an annual budget of $1.7 million, led a successful $2 million campaign and oversaw renovation of classroom and laboratory facilities.
She also doubled student enrollment — emphasizing diversity and retention of at-risk students — and hired diverse faculty to better mirror the student population.
Additionally, Folse stewarded curricular revision and accreditation, implemented a semester-long, study-abroad nursing program and developed an interdisciplinary public-health program.
As executive director of Counseling and Health Services, she led the university’s health and safety response during the COVID-19 pandemic, oversaw the transition to telehealth and telecounseling, monitored campus educational and programming needs and prioritized diversity hires in her role as search chairperson for counselors.
Folse plans to bring that commitment to diversity with her to Ripon College as she views the president as playing a “critical” role in shaping inclusivity on campus.
“I’m committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, and look forward to conversations that bring people together,” she said.
Folse earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Illinois Wesleyan, a master’s in psychiatric nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Ph.D. in nursing from Saint Louis University.
She also is a licensed clinical nurse specializing in adult psychiatric nursing, an advanced practice registered nurse and a licensed counselor.
She is an active researcher, international lecturer, consultant and scholar, with an expertise in suicide risk, eating disorders, sexuality, self-concept, interprofessional communication, drugs and alcohol, leadership, as well as quality and safety in healthcare.
Upon coming to Ripon, Folse plans to be active in the larger Ripon community as she loves antiquing, the fine arts and running.
“Dick and I are excited to join the Ripon family and look forward to getting started,” she said.
Additionally, her interest in being college president comes from a desire to build and establish a sense of community. She hopes to emphasize making “student-centered” decisions.
“As president, I can have an impact on the undergraduate student experience and I want to be actively involved in the students’ lives,” Folse said. “I can’t wait to attend concerts, theater productions, sporting events, research presentations and visit with students, faculty and staff, making this community my home.”
Another part that stood out to Folse is the opportunity to leverage Ripon College’s 175th anniversary to help shape a strategic vision for the institution.
“When I think about strategic planning and visioning, I think, together we can create a shared vision over the next four years that coincides with that 175th anniversary,” she said. “By bringing everyone along in the process, we can guarantee success.”
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