Acting President Denna: An Insider’s Look
by Abby Hansen
Earlier this semester, I had the opportunity to meet with Acting President Eric Denna. In our hour-long conversation, we discussed his priorities for Southern Virginia University, his top three must-read books, as well as some personal anecdotes. Throughout the interview, Denna frequently referenced “The Four Stages of Psychological Safety” by Timothy R. Clark. This book, which Denna included as one of his top three, focuses on how “leaders can transform their…organizations into sanctuaries of inclusion and incubators of innovation”. The instruction in this book appears to have a great impact on Denna, specifically in how he aims to make Southern Virginia University an inclusive space for students to feed their curiosity. Denna expressed his hopes that every student at Southern Virginia University will graduate feeling prepared to live in a pluralistic society. Denna has had a diverse career, so he strongly believes in the importance of continuing to learn beyond school.
As acting president, Denna is excited to bring in guest speakers that will provide insight for students into different careers and life experiences. Timothy R. Clark, the author of “The Four Stages of Psychological Safety” will be speaking on April 7 at 11 a.m. in the Knight Arena.
If you would like to read more about President Denna’s top five priorities for Southern Virginia University, his top three books, or his personal anecdotes, read below.
Denna’s Top Five Priorities for Southern Virginia
Eric Denna has compiled a list of five priorities for the school’s future and advancement. Denna hopes that focusing on his five priorities will help connect students across campus and prepare them for success after graduation.
Top five priorities:
- Campus Culture
Denna sees the importance of revitalizing campus culture at Southern Virginia. The pandemic “did a number on most universities and organizations” and Denna aims to help Southern Virginia University advance past the limitations that the pandemic has caused. Frequently attending athletic events and other school sponsored events, Denna encourages everyone to support each other in their events.
2. Implement operating system
Denna believes in defining and measuring goals for Southern Virginia University. By implementing an operating system at the University, Denna believes that measuring and defining goals will be made possible.
3. University Plan
Denna wants to have a well defined plan for Southern Virginia and its future. By creating a goal oriented system, Denna believes that this ideology will aid in the process of defining a true plan for the school’s future.
4. Recruitment
Recruitment has been a huge part of Southern Virginia’s growth over the last several years. Acting President Denna wants to encourage every student to be a recruiter for Southern Virginia University. Denna values the importance of individuals sharing their experiences, and suggests that those experiences are crucial in obtaining more enrolled students.
5. Fundraising
Acting President Denna sees fundraising as one of his most important responsibilities at Southern Virginia. Denna made note that he would like to notrely so heavily on donors in the future, leaning more towards fundraising instead.
With these five goals, President Denna wants students of Southern Virginia University to stay curious, to seek the uncomfortable, to prepare to live in a pluralistic society, and to never stop learning.
President Denna’s Top Three Books
Acting President Denna is an avid reader who has picked up many books over the years. Of those books, Denna has three that he finds himself returning to.
The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation
By Timothy R. Clark
“The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety” provides a roadmap for creating an inclusive and productive environment. This book explores the concept of psychological safety, which refers to the belief that one can express themself without fear of negative consequences such as humiliation or punishment. Clark outlines a framework for understanding the four stages of psychological safety: inclusion safety, learner safety, contributor safety, and challenger safety. He argues that each stage builds on the previous one, and that creating a culture of psychological safety is essential for promoting innovation and creativity in the workplace. This book provides practical advice and tools for leaders to create a psychologically safe environment for their teams, including tips for giving and receiving feedback, building trust, and fostering a growth mindset.
President Denna knows the author of “The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety” personally and admires the concepts on psychological safety that Clark outlines in the book. Denna is working to implement the stages here at Southern Virginia University in an attempt to create psychological safety.
This author will also be speaking to the University at April 7’s forum.
2. Gödel, Escher, Bach
By Douglas Hofstadter
“Gödel, Escher, Bach” is a complex book that explores the relationships between the work of mathematician Kurt Gödel, artist M.C. Escher, and composer Johann Bach. This book dives deep into the nature of creativity and intelligence through different lenses.
President Denna values the intellectual challenge of this book. He aims to encourage students and faculty to “stretch” their minds in the classroom and to not be afraid of an academic challenge.
3. Washington: the Indispensable Man
By James Thomas Flexner
“Washington: the Indispensable Man” is a biography about George Washington, one of America’s most important historical figures. This book dives into the personal life of Washington as well as how his public persona was built. Wasghinton’s biography does not shy away from the struggles he faced and uses them to create a detailed insight into his life.
President Denna chose this biography as he admires George Washington and seeks the benefits of reading “great biographies about great people.”Denna referred to “Washington: the Indispensable Man” as “one of [his] favorite biographies [he has] ever read.”
Anecdotes of President Denna
When I was given the opportunity to speak with Acting President Denna personally, he was able to provide some anecdotes of his life. Continue reading for more insight on Acting President Denna’s life.
Birthday Dilemma
“Lynn’s older. And I have to be careful when I say that! She’s a year and a half older than me. I was almost 22 when we got married, and she was 23. And so when she turned 30 I thought it was gonna be really funny if I got her birthday card and on the front of it, it said with your advancing years, it’s time to plan ahead. You open it and it’s a Social Security benefits card. She did not respond. I thought it was hilarious.”
Staying Active
President Denna aims to do a ten mile hike every Saturday. However, on one particular Saturday, Denna faced an unexpected roadblock.
“I walked the Chessie trail earlier this semester. I try to do a 10 mile hike on Saturdays. I was told that VMI was having some military exercises along the Chessie trail by the provost and probably more by Lexington. But not to worry about it. So I got from the guest house across the bridge, and I was coming up on four and a half miles. I wanted to get five miles. I look up and here’s this wall of men. So I turned around… I got nine miles in.”
Not the Perfect Hitchhiker
As Denna and I spoke about the Appalachian trail, the conversation turned to hitchhiking backpackers. Denna reflected on his time backpacking and how he understands the caution in picking up backpackers.
“I can feel for people picking up backpackers. When I did the Pacific Crest trail I had a shaved head, which is another story. So my second day of walking. This is Southern California in June. My hat blew away over a cliff. So all I had was this bandana, and the sun went right through it. So all of a sudden inside my hairline was all blistered. And then my hair started growing through the blisters. And all this stuff started draining out. I looked like I was right out of a horror movie. Surprisingly, no one picked me up during the day. But yeah, the packers can look pretty gross at times.”
