Five Questions With President Weinman

Photo by Carlo de Jesus/Marist College

Editor’s Note: These questions, submitted by Marist College students, have been edited for length and clarity.

What motivated you to join the Red Fox Family?

To me, Marist is the most fascinating college to serve as president. There is so much about Marist that is outstanding already, yet we have immense potential to improve further, as we advance the vision we articulated in the Marist 100 strategic plan of “improving the world through education.” I was impressed to learn that here at Marist, an enduring commitment to a liberal arts education lives alongside innovative pre-professional programs, such as fashion design and merchandising, accounting and cybersecurity at the undergraduate level, and graduate programs for aspiring physician assistants and physical therapists, among many others.

The Poughkeepsie campus is stunning, while the branch campus in Florence and first-year programs in Dublin and Florence are distinctive. Our Division I athletics has an unparalleled record of success in our conference on the playing surface and in the classroom, and so on. But it was only when I met our people that I realized how special Marist is. 

There is a deep affection for Marist that attracts dedicated faculty, committed staff and talented students with great potential who are generally happier than elsewhere and support each other. In the end, it’s not any one thing, but this incredible combination of features and offerings in and out of the classroom that drew me here and has me so excited for the future.

Was there a point in your life when you could clearly foresee your career path in higher education?

My pathway here was very unusual. I spent the first half of my career in the corporate world, first in public accounting, then in finance and marketing roles for companies like Hewlett-Packard and Western Union. All the while, I was drawn back to the classroom for my real love, history. While working full-time, I pursued a master’s degree in history and taught nights and weekends. 

I was so excited to get through each workday so I could get to the classroom. I’d prepare to teach each day by retreating to my car at lunch. After one particularly bad day at work, I thought to myself: maybe I can “do finance work” for a college? If there was a moment where a career path in higher ed became a reality, that was it. 

I was lucky enough to get a job directing financial planning and budgeting at Dartmouth and then as CFO at Amherst, leaning on my formal training in finance, while also continuing my studies in the classroom as a PhD student at the University of New Hampshire. After years of living two professional lives, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to bring it all together here at Marist, as I find elements of everything in my career to be useful at different times in this role. It’s why I advise students to find something(s) they love to learn, say yes to every opportunity that comes their way and trust that their careers will evolve in ways that they will be ready for success.

If you could choose one building on campus to rebuild next, which would it be and why?

I prefer to think of buildings as enablers of our strategic vision and our mission. So, instead of “what building needs renovating/rebuilding,” to me, it’s “Where can we improve the educational and living/learning experience at Marist, for students, faculty and staff, through investments in facilities?” 

We are in the middle of a major campus master planning exercise right now, one that begins with just that question, drawing upon the aspirations articulated in Marist 100 and the ideas from hundreds of members of the Marist community. Thankfully, this campus is already both beautiful and functional in most ways, with less deferred maintenance than you would see on most campuses. So for us, the next wave of facilities projects can mostly be opportunistic and propel Marist forward, rather than merely be one that renovates aging buildings. 

We have a real opportunity to enhance our science facilities for students and faculty at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. I’d love to provide better access to and utilization of the Hudson Riverfront, which is an underutilized gem on this campus. Increased demand for on-campus housing, coupled with first-year residence halls that are aging, offers an opportunity to improve our housing stock and continue to enhance learning and development opportunities out of the classroom.

None of this and the other ideas will happen overnight, and we need to balance investments in facilities with investments in people, while keeping a Marist education accessible and affordable. This will be the challenge of the coming years, one I’m looking forward to.

Are there any plans to install a sidewalk on the path from the North End Gartland residence areas to the crosswalk intersection at Route 9, making it more accessible for students to walk towards the Mid-Hudson Plaza across the street?

In just my short time here since arriving in 2021, it’s been exciting to see the development in the surrounding area and up in Hyde Park. This is clearly a region on the rise, and I’m thrilled our students have many more options — and walkable options at that — for shopping, dining and fun than even just a few years ago. But just like the underpass project that opened up the east side of campus to easy and safe pedestrian and bike travel, we do need to continuously monitor and improve how students access the areas adjacent to campus. 

As part of the Campus Master Plan, we are evaluating everything about transit to and throughout campus, including walking options, vehicle patterns, parking locations and policies and the possibility of a shuttle system, among others. There might be some short-term improvements, such as a sidewalk installation or better-designed crosswalks, but these should be part of a larger vision for mobility, accessibility and safety.

How is the new puppy doing?

Cody is doing great! Thank you for asking. We pick her up in mid-November from her birthplace in Wisconsin. She is part of a litter (10 puppies!) of mini Australian Labradoodles from the same lineage of a beautiful and sweet dog, Wheezie, belonging to a good friend of mine who lives in the Midwest. So, the hassles of traveling to pick her out in October and again to bring her home with us soon are totally worth it! All of her siblings melted Beth’s and my heart, but Cody was especially loving…shy at first, but she crawled right up in our laps after a few minutes of checking us out. We can’t wait to bring her to her new home soon. While she will always be a family pet first and foremost, we look forward to introducing her to the Marist community and walking her across this beautiful campus as she says hello to Marist students, faculty and staff. We know she’ll get a warm Red Fox welcome.