A CONVERSATION WITH REGIONAL CHANCELLOR CHRISTIAN HARDIGREE

Carrie O’Brion

With her background in hospitality management, Christian Hardigree relishes experiences that make a person feel welcome. But she was unprepared for just how warm the community response would be after being named regional chancellor of USF’s St. Petersburg campus in May of 2022.

“People have just been so unbelievably generous and kind,” Hardigree said. “Not only members of the local community but also our wonderful faculty, staff and students. This is truly a very special place.”

Hardigree, who began her new role July 1, has done quite a lot in her short time here. She has met with civic and political leaders, interacted extensively with faculty, staff and students, captained a vessel in the annual Cardboard Boat Race and led the campus through Tropical Storm Nicole and Hurricane Ian – even spending several nights in a residence hall while Ian was approaching.

Now, after about six months on the job, Hardigree continues to work with USF President Rhea Law and other members of the leadership team to build a vision for the future of USF’s St. Petersburg campus that will capitalize on the campus’ unique character, remarkable growth and upward trajectory.

As the former dean of the School of Hospitality Management at Metropolitan State University in Denver, Hardigree brings an eye for detail and an emphasis on improving the student experience to the position of regional chancellor. A trial lawyer by training, she is also detail oriented and meticulously prepared.

We sat down with the regional chancellor to learn a little more about her experiences at USF so far and discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead. The conversation has been edited for length.

SO, WHAT HAVE YOUR FIRST FEW MONTHS AT USF’S ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS BEEN LIKE?

I’m just so energized by the opportunities and possibilities on the horizon. I’m already looking forward to the St. Pete Grand Prix in February and the Tall Ships Festival at the end of March, both of which will be right next to our campus. There are just so many ways for us to interact with our community and to get them more involved in our campus.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY SURPRISES?

Of course, I knew how beautiful the campus is. But I’m surprised by just how much natural beauty there is here. Just yesterday I looked out my window and saw a dolphin playing out in the bay. I mean, what a great experience for our students, where they can check out kayaks and paddleboards and enjoy being on the water.

It’s also been a new experience for me to be at a campus that is largely residential. We have nearly 930 students living on campus now. The University of Nevada Las Vegas [where Hardigree began her career in academia] was just stepping into dorms when I was there. MSU Denver didn’t have dorms at all, so this is new to me.

Having had the opportunity now to visit more of our classrooms and labs and talk to faculty, the quality of not only our faculty research but also our undergraduate research is just impressive. I’ve enjoyed viewing the galleries and seeing the work of the faculty and students in our Graphic Arts program too. It’s all very exciting.

People have just been so unbelievably generous and kind. Not only members of the local community but also our wonderful faculty, staff and students. This is truly a very special place.

YOU’VE PUT A BIG EMPHASIS ON GETTING OUT AND MEETING MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. WHY IS THAT COMMUNITY CONNECTION SO IMPORTANT?

I think that’s critical. It’s a defining characteristic of this campus. It’s also how higher ed differentiates itself moving forward.

You know, the ‘sage from the stage’ days are over, where a professor just lectures from a book. Today, that has less relevancy for our students because they want to know how to take what they’re learning in a classroom and translate that into what they want to do next, whether that’s graduate programs, a career pathway or just for knowledge enhancement. That means you’ve got to be able to get out and apply that knowledge. Maybe that’s through entrepreneurship, or internships or apprenticeships, or job shadowing or mentorship. I mean, this community is clamoring to be engaged with our students. So, I think it’s essential to understand how we truly integrate with our community for the benefit of the students.

YOU COME FROM A HOSPITALITY BACKGROUND. WE’VE SEEN SOME EVIDENCE OF HOW THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF. THERE’S A LOT MORE POM POMS AT MEETINGS! BUT ALSO, WE CAN FEEL THAT SENSE OF WANTING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY. TELL US ABOUT WHY YOU’VE EMPHASIZED THAT AS REGIONAL CHANCELLOR.

There are about 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States. They have fantastic faculty and offer very similar programs. So, I think about our students and how do we provide the value-added proposition? What is the value of coming to USF St. Petersburg? People may forget what you told them, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

In college, it’s almost like you’re at an enhanced sensory level. You’re outside your comfort zone because you’re doing a lot of new things. All your senses are heightened and that includes the element of how people make you feel. I can be lost in a sea of confusion and despair. But if you make me feel safe, I can navigate through that with success. If I feel unsafe, if I feel like there’s not a safety net, somebody to catch me or prop me up or help me, then I’ll quit. I’ll go away, I’ll find something else. The hospitality approach really is about making sure that everybody knows there’s a net and they’re valued and seen and heard.

WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES DO YOU FORESEE ON THE HORIZON FOR USF’S ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS?

We need to go through a comprehensive academic planning process. That will include a discussion about the Environmental and Oceanographic Center of Excellence that is planned for this campus and how we will integrate the expansion of teaching and laboratory spaces, as well as the funding that goes with that.

I think the continued changes in leadership create some challenges. This is an organization that’s had a lot of change in a pretty short period of time, and I think some stabilization is necessary.

I also think we need some celebration. There’s almost a crying out to have a big soiree of fun and games that acknowledges that we’ve come through this pandemic and are reemerging to support our students. We rarely encourage people to celebrate in higher education, but we should.

LET’S FAST-FORWARD AND PRETEND THAT IT’S A YEAR OR TWO FROM NOW. WHAT’S HAPPENING AT USF’S ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS IN YOUR VERSION OF THE FUTURE?

I don’t know how far it is down the road, but I’d like to have 100 percent placement of students with careers upon graduation. At least for every student who wants one. We should be able to pick up a phone and get them a position, just like we should with internships.

I also want to encourage more community engagement, particularly opportunities to bring middle school and high school students to our campus. We want to be a space where our neighbors are eager to visit and get engaged.

I think about deferred maintenance projects, getting our campus facilities up to date and making sure they are spaces that make us proud. I’d also like to build another residence hall and explore creative ways to use that space. Maybe it’s providing housing for veterans. Maybe it’s short-term housing for our recent graduates, giving them a landing place while they are getting established in their careers. There are a lot of opportunities to consider.

YOU MOVED HERE FROM DENVER WITH YOUR HUSBAND AND THREE CHILDREN. ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR NEW HOME?

We’re settling in really well. The boys are on the Clearwater Chargers, which is a travel soccer team. They’re also on the St. Petersburg High School soccer team. My daughter played volleyball at the YMCA, but that just wrapped up and I think she wants to play soccer next season. So, we haven’t had a chance to do a lot of sightseeing. But everybody loves the area. We went to the beach, and we’ve started to get around to some restaurants. They love the downtown area and how walkable it is. We haven’t delved into watersports yet, but for my 15-year-old’s birthday, we did promise him some jet-skiing opportunities. We just haven’t had a free weekend yet.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

I’m just so immensely proud of everybody’s hard work. People take a lot of pride and they’re so genuine about their enthusiasm and their love for this institution.

It’s humbling to work with our Tampa and Sarasota Manatee campus friends as well. USF President Rhea Law is an amazing leader who has built a phenomenal team. (USF Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor) Karen Holbrook has so much experience and insight, and she’s also just a delightful and lovely person. They’ve really been so supportive.

I’m also looking forward to working more closely with our alumni and donors. We have amazing donors that allow us to elevate our ‘A game’ and do the things that we couldn’t otherwise do.