Staff spotlight on Dr. Elizabeth Pruden
Dr. Elizabeth Pruden
Dr. Pruden and her husband are retiring on April 30, which also happens to be the weekend of their 40th wedding anniversary. They are embarking on a new journey and moving to Portland, Oregon along with their two daughters and their families. Lib’s future includes working as a personal fitness trainer and enjoying the lives of her children and grandchildren. We wish her happiness and farewell.
Q. What excites you about being a part of higher education
A. I find great satisfaction working with faculty and administrators who are committed to broadening the perspectives and experiences of students who are seeking to learn more and reach further.
Q. If you could have any job in the whole world, what would it be?
A. It would be the job I am going to – fitness training. I realized two years ago that I want to focus the next chapter of my life on helping people be healthy and fit, particularly as they pass age 45 and their bodies change. I enrolled in community college classes, passed a national certification exam, and shadowed trainers in preparation for working with individuals. Evenings and weekends I have begun teaching body sculpt classes and training individuals so I am prepared to do more after I retire. As you can see the goal is to never stop learning!
Q. What surprises people about you?
A. That I lived in Dachau as a child. It was only twelve years after World War II and I knew it only as a military installation, but learned in high school of the camp’s original design and intention. I believe that is when I began my life-long fascination with and commitment to history and social justice.
Q. What is your favorite book, and why?
A. “To Kill a Mockingbird” – this book had a significant impact on me as an adolescent. I loved teaching it to other adolescents and sharing it with my children. It has so many lessons for all of us about community, parenting, social justice, racism, and compassion.
About Dr. Pruden
Dr. Pruden has been with Union Institute & University since 2003. She served as Dean of the Cincinnati Undergraduate Center and Associate Provost/ Vice-president of Institutional Effectiveness. Her role as Vice-President of Institutional Effectiveness included the challenging task of overseeing Union through two HLC accreditation visits.
Dr. Pruden also worked with the American Council on Education (Washington, DC) on Women in Leadership and coordinated the efforts in Ohio for furthering leadership opportunities for women. For a time, she also directed Union’s Women in Union Program.
She received her undergraduate degree from Mount St. Joseph University and her master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.