The president of historic Stephens College in Columbia says the students and the relationship between Stephens and the community have been the most meaningful parts of her job.
Dr. Shannon Lundeen joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable”:
“I saw that in September when we tragically lost one of our students to random gunfire downtown. I’ve seen that at every turn,” President Lundeen says.
Dr. Lundeen is referring to September’s horrific triple shooting in downtown Columbia, which killed Stephens College nursing student Aiyanna Williams. President Lundeen has described Aiyanna as a shining Stephens woman “whose kindness, drive and joy inspired everyone who knew her.”
Meantime, President Lundeen says says the biggest challenge she’s facing is deferred maintenance. Stephens is the nation’s second-oldest women’s college. It was founded in 1833, 193 years ago.
“So we need to make sure that we’re prioritizing the safety of everyone on our campus as well as visitors. And that’s hard to do when you have a long backlog of deferred maintenance,” President Lundeen says.
Dr. Lundeen tells listeners that next year will require a hard look at facilities.
She started with humble beginnings and once sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door. You can listen to Fred Parry’s full “CEO Roundtable” interview here.
What’s next: Because of Stephens’ aging facilities and deferred maintenance, President Lundeen tells listeners that 2027 will require a hard look at facilities.