Olivia Russo
Editor-in-Chief
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length.
After nearly two years serving as interim president, Risa Dickson was officially named 20th president of the University of La Verne earlier this month.
Dickson grew up in Oklahoma. She originally thought she was going to be an engineer. She attended Oklahoma State University for two years, but moved to California for job experience.
She ended up pursuing organizational and interpersonal communication. She earned her bachelor of arts in communication theory, her master of arts communication and her Ph.D. in interpersonal and organizational communication.
Dickson started her academic career at Cal State San Bernardino as a professor of communication, then she moved to the dean’s office. She has also served in leadership positions at the University of Toledo, Palo Alto University and University of Hawai’i.
Dickson was accepted into the American Council of Education, or ACE, Fellows program, where she was trained to be a university president in 2008.
Last week Dickson discussed her journey, and her hopes and plans for the University with Campus Times Editor in Chief Olivia Russo.
Olivia Russo: Did you always want to be a university president?
Risa Dickson: I don’t know that there’s a little girl in the world who wakes up and says, “I want to be a university president today.” I was working as a professor and then, after about four years in that position, I was asked to move into the Dean’s Office. I got into that role and I was like, “Wow, I can actually affect even more good at this level.” I was accepted into a program, called the ACE Fellows, which was a training for presidents. So from about 2008 on, I’ve had my eye towards leadership in higher ed. So there’s been knowledge or the suggestion that I had the capabilities to be a president, but I was never on fire to be a president. I just wanted to do what I could to really move higher education forward. It’s also when I identified that there were huge changes coming in higher ed, huge changes based on any number of things that I could see back then. And so I’ve really wanted to be one of the people creating what the future of higher education is. And I think the University of La Verne is the perfect place to do that. We’re just such an amazing institution that fulfills such an important function in our community.
OR: Why University of La Verne?
RD: I was sitting in the Bay Area, on my way back to Hawaii, and I thought “You know what, I know the school, I know the community and I’m invested in this community and I think that there’s some really good opportunities.” I understand the school, I understand what needs to be done.
OR: What has been your favorite part of being university president so far?
RD: The students are always the favorite part. But the other favorite part is understanding the community and making connections. I’m exploring ways to help students incorporate work experiences as part of their education. Because one of the things you’ll hear me say is, “Student success is community success.” So if our students are successful, our communities are going to be successful.
OR: Where do you see the University in five years?
RD: That’s exactly my timeline. I am dedicated to building nimble, strong structures that will enable us to pivot quickly as the workforce pivots and as the needs in the community pivot, so that our students are well prepared to go out in the community and create jobs. You are all going to go out into a world where jobs are created and go obsolete faster than any time in human history. We can’t just educate you to do a thing because that thing is likely to go away. So how do we educate you to create the jobs that come after that? As we build the institution forward, I expect nimble, flexible structures that are deeply integrated in the business community, in the city communities, the legislative communities in the area, that we have a lot of opportunities for our students, that we’ve kind of essentially knitted the education with the external community.
OR: Is there a project that you want to complete within your first official year of presidency?
RD: I think most people who have been here will say that the institution feels much more stable than it did a couple of years ago when I stepped in here. I think really building out those key structures, making sure that we’ve got the right people in the right position, so that we’re able to move forward. We will start a strategic planning process, probably late next fall. I would love to have a clear budget by fall.
OR: What do you see as your primary role as university president?
RD: Depends on the day. I’m the liaison between all the constituent groups. The president is the person who’s involved in all aspects to make sure it’s all working well. I don’t care if it’s Stanford or USC or Harvard or the University of La Verne, we’re all struggling with a lot of the same stuff.
OR: Does any part of it scare you, leading a whole institution?
RD: Scare me to lead the institution? No. Scare me about what’s ahead of us? Yes. And there’s a lot coming ahead. We’ve got a shortfall in Pell grants, which means some of our students may not have the funding to go to school. If we’re not giving students access, then that is going to affect our communities. The federal government has capped Parent PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students), which is going to hurt the middle class. The federal government has taken away Grad PLUS loans, for key industries. There are things on the horizon for higher ed that are frightening me. And we’re all trying to figure it out.
OR: What are your fundraising goals?
RD: Scholarships. There are a number of goals. I think we’ve really got to get stable before we figure out what any more specific goals are. There are plenty of needs. I would love to have a museum to house the Grace Napolitano congressional archives, to house the stuff in the Jaeger Museum, to show some of the art we’ve received from donors. Scholarships are essential in terms of helping students afford college.
OR: We are a Hispanic Serving Institution. Do you feel like you need to put that on the back burner with the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI agenda?
RD: I have made no changes around DEI. I was more worried at that point about the changes in financial aid that I was hearing about. Whether or not we’re designated HSI, is only important to the extent that we qualify for federal aid or federal grants. He’s killing that. For an institution like ours, it’s unlikely to make a big difference.
OR: During these scary times, how are you planning to support students?
RD: Financial support is essential. Support through food banks to the extent that students need it is essential, making sure that students can make it through college in a timely manner is essential. If the curriculum is good, the advising is good and the classes are structured in a way that you can get through, all those things help you get through college with the least amount of cost.
OR: Shifting into in-house programs. How is the School of Professional and Continuing Education program going to differ from what’s previously offered?
RD: What we’re doing with SPACE, it is replacing what we called ROC, Regional and Online Campuses. So we’re restructuring it to address the adult learners. There are tens of thousands of people in the country with some college and no degree or a cohort model of a group of people to complete degrees. It should have very little effect on the traditional education here. If you look at other universities, it’s very common for them to have schools of continuing education or extended education.
OR: Do you have a university program it is modeled after?
RD: I don’t think we’re modeling it after, but every Cal state has a college of extended learning or a school of continuing education. Northridge has one of the largest in the state. It’s a very common model. I don’t know that I’ve ever worked in a school that actually didn’t have programs like this.
OR: How do you envision the College of Health expanding?
RD: I think maybe expanding might not be the right world. We’ve hired a dean, and the dean is now working with the faculty to determine what programs are in demand in the community. There are a lot of health programs, they’re in demand in the community. So just because there’s a demand for something doesn’t mean there’s an opportunity for us. So they’re building out. We got a couple of very strong programs, and there are side programs that are very strong.
OR: How do you unwind after a whole day of being the University president?
RD: That’s assuming that I have any time. If I’m not too tired, I’ll go for a walk or I’ll try to work out. Sometimes I just sit on the couch. I really am spending most of my waking hours trying to figure out how to ensure that the institution is well positioned, that there are not any threats, that everybody is getting what they need so that our students are going to be successful. But I like to take at least one weekend day off, if I can.
OR: I live on campus and I’ve seen you at The Spot. I wanted to know what your favorite meal is.
RD: I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal at The Spot. My favorite times at The Spot are just seeing the students coming in and seeing all the energy. Sometimes we see athletes there, other times we see student clubs.
Olivia Russo can be reached at olivia.russo@laverne.edu.
Olivia Russo is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism and a minor in criminology. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Campus Times for Spring 2026. She has previously served as the News Editor, LV Life Editor, a photographer and a staff writer for the Campus Times, as well as a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine.
Jasmine Lyn is a sophomore photography major and photography editor for the Campus Times. She is also a staff photographer for La Verne Magazine and a former staff photographer for the Campus Times. Her work can also be found at Jazzylyn.com
