Taking over as interim vice chancellor for institutional advancement, Lisa Goodnight has served PNW for 25 years.

Goodnight will remain the interim for this year and then decide with Chancellor Keon whether or not she will continue in the role permanently. If not, she will return to her previous role.

Andrew Pettee, assistant dean of students, will oversee the Dean of Students while the search to fill the role with an interim is conducted by Carmen Panlilio, vice chancellor for enrollment and student affairs.

Goodnight, former associate vice chancellor of student affairs and senior dean of students for five years, was asked to consider the role by the chancellor due to her various roles throughout the years.

“Given my background as a both faculty and an alumni, I’ve spent a considerable amount of my life at this institution making sure it is moving forward, advancing and that it’s the best it can be,” Goodnight said.

In a statement to the university on May 28, Chancellor Keon noted how Goodnight restructured the Dean of Students and implemented new changes that he believes show her strong leadership and make her fit for the role.

Goodnight, who served as a professor of communication for 21 years and Dean of Students for 5 years, said these roles help her see things from a different perspective than previous holders.

“I’ll always be a faculty member and I’ll always be thinking like one. I’m always thinking about what impacts the students, which was the sole factor when I was Dean of Students as well, and I draw on those all day, all of the time,” Goodnight said.

Goodnight has already changed the setup of the office so that the student workers are now welcoming guests and answering the phones, a setup from her days as Dean of Students.

“Student staff are now the front face and I firmly believe they’re the best marketing and advancement tool. When the media or a donor calls, the first person they’ll talk to is one of our outstanding students. They should always be front and center at everything we do,” Goodnight said.

As the interim vice chancellor of institutional advancement, she will oversee the two units of Marketing and Communications and Alumni Relations and Events. Goodnight received her bachelor’s in communication in 1986 and said that her concentration in public relations means she is now working to do things she is academically trained to know about. Having taught interviewing and principles of persuasion at PNW, she said it will aid her in the third unit: Fundraising.

“My role is to facilitate internal communication between these three and make sure they have the support they need from me and from each other. The structure hasn’t been as conductive as it can be in the past, but I’m working to change that,” Goodnight said.

She has been meeting with higher level managership of the three units, something that had not been done in the past.

Goodnight said she will also be focusing on supporting the deans, colleges, faculty and students, as well as expanding interactions with the alumni.

“We want to make sure students understand what it means [to be an alumnus] and that they’re informed of the events and opportunities that come with it,” Goodnight said.

Goodnight also received her master’s in communication at Northern Illinois University in 1988 and her doctorate in speech communication and rhetoric at Purdue University in 1993.

“I want to tell student stories and empower them, to be able to tell them they’re amazing,” Goodnight said.