The rise of an educational leader : Lakeesha Ransom

Lakeesha Ransom or the climb of an education manager? As Dr. Lakeesha Ransom heads to the University of Akron to lead its Honors College as vice provost and dean, a law professor is named interim dean of the UT Jesup Scott Honors College. Ransom joined UT as dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College in early 2013 after a career in corporate, nonprofit, educational and government organizations. She completes her tenure at the end of the month.

Lakeesha Ransom quotes: Dean Ransom said, “This extremely generous donation will help us advance several different initiatives that are part of our new strategic plan. That plan focuses on developing a rigorous, transformative learning experience to produce citizen-leaders with a global mindset, a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving and exceptional interpersonal skills across cultures. At the heart of our proposed curricula are design-thinking principles, which combine technology and the social sciences to better understand what people need and develop tailored solutions to real challenges in today’s world.”

Lakeesha Ransom publications : Maruyama, G. & Ransom, L. (2004). Impacts of the President’s Multicultural Faculty Research Award on faculty attitudes and productivity. Paper presented at the Keeping our Faculties III National Symposium: Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At our annual Alumni and Student Breakfast held April 8, 2017, the Committee honored ten outstanding seniors, the recipient of the The John B. and Kathryn M. Hunter Award in Community Leadership and Service, and the 2017 Endowed Scholarship winner, Neil Bernard. Neil is a native of South Africa who chose The University of Akron Williams Honors College to begin his educational journey towards becoming a doctor, and he was selected for his excellent scholastic accomplishments, in addition to his civic engagement. Looking to the future, I hope to continue fostering relationships between University of Akron students, alumni, and Akron’s community leaders, ideally to help Akron maintain bright, driven young people. I am extremely grateful to State and Federal Communications, Inc. for supporting me in this goal.

Lakeesha Ransom (M.A. ’03, Ph.D. ’07), vice provost and dean of the honors college at the University of Akron, served as a graduate student representative for one year on the nonvoting student advisory body while earning a doctorate in human resources and strategic management. She was elected the student regent in 2001 for a six-year term. Ransom found the difference between being a regent and a student representative striking. As a regent, she observed that her views were taken more seriously, something that came into play early on during her term when she was thrust into heated deliberations over whether the University should join a University of Arizona astronomy research project on Mount Graham, a sacred site for Apache people. Read even more details at Lakeesha Ransom.