The City Wire Person of the Month: Blondin pursues the mission

Editor’s note: The City Wire will highlight each month a person in the Fort Smith region. Special recognitions, accomplishments, philanthropic support and many other factors will be considered when selecting a person to profile. Input from The City Wire readers also will be considered.

story and photos by Roy Hill

Dr. Jo Alice Blondin is all about the mission.

The chancellor of Arkansas Tech University-Ozark focuses her efforts according to the institution’s mission statement.

"We call it the mission test," Blondin said. "We ask ourselves if doing something on campus will help us fulfill the mission. If the answer is ‘No,’ then we don’t do it."

Originally from Indiana, Blondin earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Spanish from Purdue University. She now resides in Van Buren. Her husband, Andy Fox, works as a systems analyst for Datatronics in Fort Smith, and their daughter Helena attends Butterfield Junior High in Van Buren.
 
After earning her masters and doctorate at Arizona State University, she moved to the Fort Smith area in 1999 when hired as an English professor at Westark College. It was there she met Andy, who was also part of the Westark English faculty.

"I always joke that being an English professor uniquely trained me to lead a technical institution," Blondin said. "English professors teach skills, and skills are transferrable. So many synergies happen in technical education, it can be a model for all other education."

During her time at Westark, the institution became the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, and she won the Whirlpool Master Teacher award in the spring of 2003. At the end of the fall semester of that year, she left UAFS to become the head of student services at ATU-Ozark. Blondin became ATU-Ozark’s chancellor in 2006, replacing Carl Jones, who retired after 37 years with the school.

"Student Services is the best clinic in running a college," Blondin explained. "It all starts in student services and my time there solidified my intent to become a chancellor. It changed my life. I’m not a chancellor without working in the office of student services. I became conversant with registration, financial aid, admissions, and student accounts."

Rusty Myers, economic development director for the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD), sees Blondin’s influence on the region in her first three years as chancellor.

"She’s got a lot of energy and drive and she’s sharp,” Myers said. "She’s on a mission to provide educational opportunities for the River Valley, and education is key to our economic future."

During her time at ATU-Ozark, the student body has shown tremendous growth. But one of her objectives is to manage ATU-Ozark’s growth.

"We’re up over 300% since I started in ‘04," Blondin said. "We had 270 students then, and this fall we’ll have 850 to 900. … We have the goal of right-sizing. We are mindful of our growth, and see ourselves right-sizing at about 1,000 students."

As part of that growth, ATU-Ozark is nearing completion on a $2.7 million Student Services and Conference Center.

"We want to provide students and the community with the space they need to conduct the business of the campus and the community," Blondin said. "We also want to put all services students need under one roof. … Everything students need — financial aid, registration, admissions — will be right there in one place."

Blondin sees the new building as a manifestation of ATU-Ozark’s mission of providing vocational and work-force training in an open, accessible fashion in an effort to improve educational attainment and the socio-economic success that goes with improved skills. She also is proud of the responsiveness ATU-Ozark has shown in working with local business concerns.

"We were approached by local healthcare professionals to train physical therapist assistants, and we did it," Blondin said. "We were approached by Green Bay Packaging to do an advanced manufacturing program and their training site, and we did it."

In addition, ATU-Ozark started a program in law enforcement education, partnered with the Department of Workforce Services for a dislocated worker training program, and worked with the Franklin and Logan County GED programs.

"She has a vision that moved ATU-Ozark way ahead of where they used to be," said Debbie Faubus-Kendrick, director of the Crawford County Adult Education center. "She’s a dynamic individual, but very approachable and very friendly, and open to constructive criticism, not afraid of a challenge."

At the end of July, ATU-Ozark’s newest program — a technical certificate in viticulture and enology, or grape growing and wine making — goes before the Arkansas Department of Higher Education for final approval.

Joseph Post, vice president of sales and co-owner of Altus-based Post Familie Vineyards, says such an academic program has the potential to be an economic development program.

"It could produce a lot of employees with good skills," Post said. "It could educate some vineyard owners. I could learn some things from that program. It has tremendous potential."

Continuing, Post noted: "There are so many facets to viticulture. There’s the fresh market for grocery stores, and grape juice and jelly."

Blondin sees the River Valley and the rest of Arkansas in a position to make great strides in the future, especially if businesses and colleges inside the state work more together.

"We need to realize that we’re a region," said Blondin said. "To paraphrase Governor (Mike) Beebe, what’s good for Helena is good for Ozark. What’s good for Fayetteville is good for Pine Bluff. The whole state needs to work as a region. We need to be proud of Arkansas, and proud to be from Arkansas. We’re competitive, and we produce the best."

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS
The previous recipients of The City Wire Person of the Month
June 2009: John Pope
May 2009: Craig Pair