
At the end of the spring 2024 semester, Dean Robbin Crabtree will conclude a decade of impactful leadership in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA). However, she will never stop extolling the virtues of an LMU liberal arts education!
A communication and media studies scholar, Crabtree was appointed as dean of BCLA in 2014 after serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University for six years. Dean Crabtree has a lot to look back on and be proud of, including collaborating with faculty to establish shared governance; increasing faculty diversity; steering faculty, students, and staff through the coronavirus pandemic; and growing opportunities for all liberal arts students to engage in high-impact practices such as research and global learning.
In this Q&A, she shares what drew her to LMU and why it is a special place, a few highlights of the last decade, and what she is looking forward to in her next chapter.
What drew you to LMU and BCLA? What is a favorite memory from your tenure as dean?
I came to LMU for the first time in the fall of 2013 for the AJCU Arts & Sciences Deans annual conference. I was so impressed with the program, the faculty and staff who presented to us, and the gorgeous campus. When I found out the BCLA Dean job was open and a search underway, I decided to apply. I had already been Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Fairfield University for six years, and felt I’d achieved my goals there. LMU and BCLA inspired me and gave me a new sense of energy for the Dean role.
When I arrived as Dean, the welcome I received from LMU leadership across the institution was incredible. It was empowering to join a leadership team with more women leaders than at any other institution where I’ve worked. It’s an even more diverse leadership team now, and I’m proud to be a part of it. There was a sense of excitement and momentum in the college that was intoxicating at that time, particularly as the team in the Dean’s Office and the faculty worked together on shared governance.
What goals did you set out to accomplish? How do you think you did, and which ones fill you with the most pride?
My primary goals were to inaugurate shared governance in BCLA, along with transparent structures and processes for college operations. I said when our Shared Governance Document & College By-Laws were adopted by full vote of the BCLA faculty and staff that, no matter how long I am BCLA Dean and no matter what else we will have accomplished together over that period, inaugurating shared governance will be among my proudest and our most important accomplishments. I reiterate that sentiment now. I also had the goal of building a more diverse faculty and disrupting the well-understood barriers to equitable success in the Academy. The 100+ faculty I have hired, so many of which are already tenured and/or promoted to full rank, represent success and witnessing their efforts and accomplishments as Teacher-Scholars fills my heart with joy. Another set of goals were related to building the reputation of BCLA at LMU for academic excellence and for student success, and improving our student supports and outcomes. So many of our efforts this past decade have been designed to achieve these goals and I am pleased with how much we’ve done.
What has been a big challenge you have had to overcome?
The global COVID pandemic was a challenge that dwarfs all others I’ve experienced during my career in higher education. It was not only totally disruptive to every aspect of our daily lives and work, but it was sustained over several semesters as we navigated requirements from State, County, and LMU. The massive pivot to online delivery, the management of remote teaching/working and learning, and the accompaniment of students, faculty, and staff through this crisis was all-consuming. On the one hand, I think we lost momentum on key initiatives and many routines during the pandemic; on the other hand, we also demonstrated tremendous resilience and learned so much. I thought LMU and BCLA navigated it all well, all things considered. The effects of that crisis/pivot, the rippling impacts on current and future students especially, will be felt for a long time.
You are a champion of the liberal arts. How are the liberal arts essential to Jesuit education, and to an LMU education?
LMU cannot lay claim to a Jesuit identity or to living its Ignatian heritage or hope to deliver its educational promise without a strong liberal arts foundation for every LMU student. While a liberal arts education in the Jesuit & Marymount traditions involves elements (disciplines, courses) from other schools/colleges at LMU, it cannot be realized without students taking many courses in social sciences and humanities as part of their holistic curriculum. The humanities classes are especially essential to our educational traditions and to the values-rich education we want for our students. BCLA also provides deep encounters with DEIA content and methods, upholds rigorous processes of reasoned inquiry and analysis, and ensures students do a lot of reading and writing. These educational traditions never go out of style (and must not), even as our contexts and technologies evolve.
What do you think makes BCLA faculty, students, and alumni special?
The spirit of contributing to the common good through teaching, learning, service, and careers is palpable all around. LMU folks have a strong sense of purpose and care so much about justice and making the world a better place. When I read faculty tenure and promotion dossiers, attend student awards events, meet with alumni across the country, these passions are a common thread. Across the board I find wide open hearts, generosity of spirit, and desire to make a positive difference. The Lion’s Code, the Ignatian spirit, LMU pride all resonate brightly.
What will you miss most about being dean?
Working with the faculty, especially the department chairs. I loved being a department chair back in the day, and as Dean I have always wanted to support the work of the chairs as the centerpiece of making the College go. Talking about important issues, facing educational and institutional challenges together, sharing our professional journeys, building their leadership potential …. these are among the joys of being a Dean. I’m so proud of the leadership pipeline that has developed here in BCLA, evidenced by the wonderful group of faculty who have served as Chair, associate chair, grad director, associate dean, etc., and now with one of our own – Richard Fox – coming in as Dean. I’ll also miss the team in the Dean’s Suite. We have such a wonderful esprit de corps and everyone’s shoulder is always to the wheel. It’s a team that lives our motto (GSD!) with joy.
What is your next chapter looking like?
I knew when I came to LMU that it would be my last academic leadership position and that I would eventually retire from LMU, and I believe this is still true in my heart. But when I think about returning to teaching, research, writing projects, community engagement, and other aspects of my longstanding commitments and work as an academic, I’m not sure how it will all come together. I look forward to my sabbatical, and the time and space to reflect, to discern, and see what calls to me. I will surely seek to be outside as much as possible, have some trips and adventures planned, and look forward to reading for hours on end.