Barbara Lyman
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Shippensburg University’s top official on the academic side, Barbara Lyman is a reservoir of calm. Seemingly gliding from place to place, she weighs in on the many concerns and opportunities facing the university.

Foremost these days is assessing and getting the university ready for its review by Middle States, the major accrediting agency for colleges and universities in our region.

Barbara came to Ship from the University of West Florida where she became vice provost for academic programs and planning after serving as associate vice president of academic affairs since 2005. She began her academic career teaching and has undergraduate and graduate degrees in literature. She holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction.

Why leave literature for administration?

It was through an incremental process that began when others expressed with confidence that I could be effective. When I was invited to consider an administrative assignment, my first inclination was not to leave the professorial world. When the invitation was re-extended, I decided to take the assignment and see how I could contribute in academic administration. My trajectory involved coming up through the academic ranks from assistant to associate to full professor during a ten-year period from 1988 to1998. Over the next ten years from 1998 to 2008, I served as department chair, associate dean of graduate studies, associate vice president for academic affairs, and vice provost for academic programs and planning. Having been privileged to build various applicable capacities, here I am at Ship.

What makes you good at what you do?

It helps to have parents who discouraged complacency and who usually felt that no matter how good a job my siblings and I had done, we probably could do even more! At the same time, my parents and extended family also showed an affinity for people, which was a powerful example for me and my six siblings. I also keep learning, taking part in leadership development programs, and as mentioned earlier, I’ve had opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and abilities over time in a variety of roles.

Your favorite letter of the alphabet is…?

… S because it reminds us that surprises, both challenging and fascinating, may be just around the next curve in the road.

List the last three books you read.

I’ve recently read Confidence by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Mirror to America by John Hope Franklin, and Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. I am reading the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon, a SU Honors Program Read in the spring. In May, I enjoyed reading Never Ride Your Elephant to School to first and second graders at the Luhrs Elementary lab school.

If you had to spend a year in any historical period, which would it be and why?

I would not mind living in a year leading up to the French Revolution so I could better understand why those in power did not see what was coming or, if so, were not able to change in time to avoid the catastrophe.

List three unusual things about you.

I graduated from high school at age 16; I have an advanced degree from Harvard; I am the oldest of seven children and grew up on a small cotton farm in South Louisiana.

Describe your favorite meal, what makes it special?

My favorite meal is something I grew up on and is what I call “prairie gumbo”—featuring chicken and smoked sausage, ingredients people who lived on the Louisiana prairies had available for making gumbo as opposed to the seafood at hand in New Orleans and coastal parishes of the state. Gumbo is a comfort food, especially on a cold fall or winter day. Gumbo can’t be rushed. It takes a while to make a roux, the sine qua non of gumbo.

Your favorite bumper sticker is…?

“Don’t believe everything you think.” It encourages healthy skepticism, in this case, directed towards oneself. It also reflects a core value of a university which is maintaining a questioning attitude.

You are writing your autobiography, what themes emerge?

Hard work and persistence still pay off; we seldom accomplish anything completely alone but usually through positive interdependence with others; and as one of my mentors likes to say, “Life does not have to be this good.” I have been privileged that excellent educational and leadership opportunities have given me options and made me of greater service.

Your theme song is…?

… an instrumental: The Pink Panther by Henry Mancini. It’s my cell phone ring tone and reminds me to avoid the Inspector Clouseau syndrome, that is, I should take my responsibilities with the utmost seriousness but not take myself too seriously!

After hours I love to…

… slow down and be more present to the natural world—take a walk down the country lane where we live; marvel at the persistence of the cardinal who keeps pecking at his reflection in the windows; read just for pleasure; write a letter in longhand….

Who is your favorite superhero and why?

Wonder Woman—I remember her as being relatively cool, calm, and collected while doing pretty strenuous work! My favorite incarnation is the television series with Lynda Carter. Come to think of it, some of her powers would come in handy!