SOMERS — Walking outside the Callahan Family Student Success and Learning Commons, new UW-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey waved to students as they passed.
Akey has been a visible and active part of the campus in Kenosha County since taking over the reins at the start of the spring semester. She succeeded Debbie Ford, who left the university last summer to lead Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana.
An Illinois native, Akey became Parkside’s seventh chancellor on Jan. 2, and has spent the last few months getting to know the university, students and staff, from the mailroom to the chemistry department.
Prior to accepting the role at Parkside, she had been vice president for Student Success, Analytics and Integrated Planning at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota, since 2019.
She has served the Mankato campus since 2000 in such roles as associate vice president for Institutional Research, Strategy, and Effectiveness; assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs; assessment coordinator; and assistant director for Academic Initiatives in the Office of the First Year Experience. She was named Minnesota State System Academic and Student Affairs Administrator of the Year in 2021.
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Akey earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northeast Missouri State University/Truman State University; Master of Arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University; and a doctorate in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota.
History with Parkside
Akey previously toured the campus with her son, a current Parkside student, in 2021.
“We came over and explored it with him, and realized what a wonderful place it was,” she said.
Akey had an even closer look at the college, too, as she shadowed Ford for two years as part of an executive leadership development program.
“When Chancellor Ford decided that she was going to pursue an opportunity at Indiana University Southeast, she called me up and she said, ‘Lynn, there’s an opportunity for you here at Parkside. You have to come check it out,’” Akey said. “I had the good fortune of getting to know Parkside (for) sort of an extended period of time, first as a Parkside parent before being Parkside chancellor.”
Taking over
Akey said she has been meeting with every department in the university “to learn about that unit, the people who are working there, the opportunities they see in front of them, and challenges and things that we can work on together.”
She’s also spent time connecting with the multiple communities Parkside serves.
“It’s a really big community, in many ways, and there are a lot of sub-communities, there’s a lot of coordination and collaboration, which is wonderful,” Akey said. “That foundation in place of collaboration and close working relationships was important to me. The other thing, I would say is, two months in, the community and community leaders have been very supportive.”
She said her days at Parkside are both intense and fascinating.
“It’s a position in which you move from having very serious conversations about the future of the institution, to also having wonderful conversations with alumni and friends. And then you’re also engaging with students who are here right now,” she said. “What I find so rewarding is the opportunity to move between all of those different conversations, almost hour by hour. It’s challenging at times. But I also find that to be a really rewarding aspect of the job as well.”
Akey said she did not plan to assume a chancellor’s role in her career, rather she saw it as a way to make a difference and add meaningful value to an institution.
“For me, it’s about doing the work of being a chancellor that I find so rewarding,” she said. “Would there not have been a strong alignment between the mission of Parkside, where Parkside is at right now, and what I think I could bring to the table as chancellor, I would not have proceeded.”
Akey said she hopes to build upon the successes in Parkside’s academic programming, community outreach and support structures.
“I think there are some opportunities for us to further, not just serve our community, but to be in partnership with our community, to really think about the type of experience that we can provide our students,” she said. “One of the pieces that I’m challenging the institution to think about is how we meet what our students are looking for, and how we match their expectations and needs.”
About Akey
Akey enjoys spending her free time outside biking, walking or running on a trail. She also enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs — a goldendoodle and German shorthaired pointer. Akey also enjoys traveling and exploring new places.
The pieces of advice she often gives to students are “Find something that you’re passionate about and that you’re naturally good at,” and “Be active in that exploration.”
The best piece of advice she received from her father was, “If you gave it your best, and you put in your best, then be happy with that.”
“And know that you did your best. Even if it didn’t work out the way you want it, take away from that, pride in the fact that you gave it your best effort,” Akey said.
Akey describes her leadership style as “engaged.”
“One of my skills is bringing people together around a shared vision, developing the strategy to pursue that vision, and then working with others to move forward,” she said. “So even on really difficult things, taking that challenge on and finding the pathways forward— that’s something that I enjoy doing.”
Akey said she wants the surrounding communities to know “I am absolutely excited to be here.”
“I am looking forward to the work that Parkside will continue to do in our community (and) in our region,” she said. “I do absolutely believe that education is something that can transform an individual’s life, and by way of that their family and their community. I’m very passionate and committed to taking those steps forward as an institution to continue to see that opportunity here.”