'A great time to join.' Q&A with TU Provost Melanie Perreault

February 17, 2019

Dr. Melanie Perreault officially starts her new job Monday as TU's provost and executive vice president of academic affairs.

The chief academic officer of the university is excited about her new role, and is planning to spend as little time in her office as possible over the next few weeks as she aims to learn the people, the programs and the culture at Towson University.

She's no stranger to the area — in fact, she was born not far from here, and spent a lot of her summers as a child nearby.

We welcome Dr. Perreault to campus, and hope you find this Q&A with her informative as she gets settled in to help continue TU's trajectory as a first-choice institution.

TU: Welcome to Towson! How are you feeling as you begin your new role?

Dr. Perreault: I’m excited. It’s a great position at a great university. There’s no better time to be at Towson University. When I was interviewing with the committee, they always start with, 'Why would you want this job?' Let’s review: you have the largest, most diverse, most highly-qualified freshman class in the university’s history. That’s a great time to join. It has taken on a national prominence. I feel very fortunate to be allowed to be a part of it.

TU: You aren’t a stranger to Maryland, having served at Salisbury University in your career. What things did you learn about TU in the appointment process?

Dr. Perreault: My mother grew up in Towson. I was born in Towson, kind of accidentally. She didn't know she was having twins. She was visiting my grandmother on Murdock Road. She went into labor two months early. Then, we would visit my grandmother in the summer. I was aware of Towson University, obviously. And when I went to Salisbury, I worked with folks at Towson closely.

“ The feeling that Towson University is going in the right direction is palpable. ”

It’s clearly grown tremendously in the past 10 years. That’s one thing I really appreciated in the process, getting to know the president and her vision for the university. It was telling. Everyone on campus knew the vision, understood it, and were on board. That’s not typical. It’s clearly a university that knows where it wants to go. That’s a quality that is quite rare.

TU: What do you see as TU’s potential?

Dr. Perreault: There’s a full embrace of the region — what is Towson’s role and frankly responsibility, to be a part of the revitalization of the region, the City of Baltimore, the surrounding areas. The academic plan has a huge role to play in that. I’m really excited about having a part to do with that.

TU: Is there anything about the TU campus you’re especially excited to experience?

Dr. Perreault: First and foremost, it is the outstanding students and faculty on this campus. I look forward to that.

The connection between athletics and academics is a strong one. That’s something that I appreciate. I’m looking forward to a lot of the outside the classroom activities that have to do with academics, too.

The new buildings going up — if you see cranes on a college campus, that’s always a good sign. The new facilities are going to be amazing.

TU: How about the surrounding community?

Dr. Perreault: I’m looking forward to my first steamed crabs in a long time. Baltimore feels a lot like Buffalo in the sense that it is a hidden gem, in that nationally people don’t always recognize the special quality of the city. When you get there and see the hard work being done, and doing it the right way this time. That’s where higher education can come in and make a meaningful contribution to the revitalization, the full development of the area. We can definitely be a part of it.

TU: You’re coming in at a busy time — spring semester is underway, we’re in the midst of the general assembly in Annapolis. What are your hopes and goals for your first few months at TU?

Dr. Perreault: The timing is interesting. The first move is to get the lay of the land. I need to understand the particulars. I need to understand the particular culture of Towson, get to know the people and programs in a deeper way. I’m looking forward to that process. It’s truly about listening in the first few months. I’ll be out on campus. Once I figure out where my office is, I don’t plan to spend a lot of time there. I’ll be out on campus meeting with folks there.

TU: You had an opportunity to take questions from faculty and staff during your campus tour in December — what did you learn from that process?

Dr. Perreault: I think people might not understand, that this is unusual — It was overwhelmingly positive. The feeling that Towson University is going in the right direction is palpable. This is something to celebrate. There’s almost a sense of confidence on campus, and that’s truly important.