Lisa Coleman, Ph.D., is a distinguished scholar with a proven track record in academia and organizational stewardship. Her career is marked by a commitment to collaboration, multi-sector partnerships, and systemic equity, having consistently driven initiatives at the intersection of innovation, diversity, and social impact. Dr. Coleman began her tenure as president of Adler University in September 2024, marking a new era of innovation and leadership. Prior, she served as New York University’s inaugural senior vice president for global inclusion and strategic innovation, spearheading initiatives that helped foster cultures of co-creation, inclusive leadership, and innovation. At Harvard University, Dr. Coleman also served in an inaugural role as the special assistant to the president and its first chief diversity officer.
Throughout her career, Dr. Coleman has consistently demonstrated the capacity to launch innovative global initiatives by collaborating with students, faculty, staff, alum, and other partners to secure funding and drive philanthropic and grant-cultivation efforts, as well as to expand fiscal support for health-related programs, faculty and student research efforts, arts initiatives, and technology projects. Dr. Coleman is an interdisciplinarian who earned her doctorate in Social and Cultural Analysis, American Studies from NYU, and her master’s degrees from the Ohio State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Anthropology, focusing on Women’s Studies and Computer Science from Denison University. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr. Coleman is passionate about the arts, music, and travel. She enjoys photography, gardening, and cooking and is currently taking flying lessons.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Higher Education Digest, Dr Coleman shared her insights on the evolution of the higher education landscape over the last five years, Adler University’s key focus on mental health equity and wellness of students, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Dr. Coleman. You have numerous years of experience in the field of education and academics. How do you see the changes which have taken place in the higher education sector over the last 5 years?
I have been in the field of education for over 30 years — and even when I worked outside of higher education, my work was affiliated with higher education, including work with medical academic centers at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The changes are vast. From technology to changing students and demands of the market, mergers and consolidation, changes in the law, state and federal guidelines, and the relationship to partners such as government industry and K-12, as well as other nonprofits. And, of course, I must mention the shifting mental health needs of students, professors, and others affiliated with any part of the higher education industry. The change is rapid. And while I can’t say all of this has happened in the last five years, what we have seen in the last five years is an acceleration of these issues.
What do you love the most about your current role?
I love being able to advocate for equity — particularly health and wellness which is the foundation for people to do anything in their lives. As we know, mental health, which is often seen as the last rail, is central to our overall health, and as we have seen globally, there have been significant shifts in mental health needs across constituencies and age groups. I am excited about the research and the work that we (Adler University), as an institution, are doing in this space. I came to Adler because of its mission and the people dedicated to it. In my first few months, I have learned that we are an undervalued gem, similar to the bumble bee pollinating the world, taking flight against all odds, and I am excited about what we can do to create more flowers and grow the Adler gardens.
As President at Adler University, what challenges do you face and how do you overcome them?
As a graduate and professional school, some of the challenges relate to the issues I mentioned earlier. New regulations, changing student demographics, and a better understanding of the global trends in adult education are desperately needed. I would also say that increased desire for graduate degrees, education, and certifications across adult education are part of the challenges and opportunities. This question also brings me back to the leadership. As the leader of Adler, I face many challenges that any leader might face, but what is particular for me are the specific challenges at the intersection of higher education, the health industry, and graduate trends. Lastly, the increased need for mental health leaders is a global challenge even identified in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we are a small but mighty university, so again, it is a challenge but also an opportunity.
How does your university approach diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within the student body and among faculty and staff?
We are committed to inclusive and equitable practices and infusing them into our work, particularly in pedagogical work with students. Thus, equity, diversity, access, and inclusion are deeply steeped within our mission, from recruiting students to selecting our faculty, staff, leadership, and board of trustees. We want to educate a new generation of health equity experts and changemakers who are deeply steeped in inclusive excellence and understand the social determinants of health, as well as the remedies to address pernicious and ongoing issues.
What are your views on leadership? How should university administrators ensure that their faculty members and students transform into world-class leaders?
Leadership is hard, and there are pitfalls in every corner. In higher education, we create pathways to all fields, and the question of what types of leaders we want to create is pivotal. We have to not only model timely, effective, innovative, and nimble types of leadership but also train and educate our leaders to remain forward-thinking. Leadership is about today and tomorrow. At Adler we are creating changemakers in the field of mental health equity and health justice. We are infusing research and practice with real-world applications to prepare our students. Our students work with faculty, many of whom also have primary practices, to learn in real time. Additionally, we are constantly evolving and engaging in multi-modal and multifaceted partnerships, as well as creating new institutes, certification programs, and executive education offerings. Some examples of our partnership collaborations include Fulbright Canada – focusing on global leadership and organizational health; Vancouver Community College – supporting student assessments of undiagnosed learning challenges; Canadian Indigenous communities – focusing on Truth and Reconciliation; and our own Adler Community Health Services – community-based clinical assessment programs. We continue to develop relevant and timely leadership institutes, research, and partnerships to ensure that our students, alumni, and faculty are leaders in their fields.
As a seasoned administrator, what are your suggestions, to integrate quality and excellence at all levels of education?
Integrating quality and excellence into all levels of education suggests that we must be willing to innovate, fail forward, and learn as we grow. As many scholars point out, attaining excellence is a continual learning process. One does not unusually get to excellence on the first try; it is an iterative process where one learns through mistakes and collaboration. In fact, this plays out in what we have all learned from the best of experimentation and science. Therefore, we need to think about how we create, generate ideas, test and measure, and help people learn and grow as leaders and contributors willing to take strategic risks to enhance educational excellence. This is part of our pedagogical learning process of becoming an inclusive mental health practitioner. Our students learn in community, which helps them become excellent because it underscores learning in collaboration.
Mental health is a key concern for many students. What steps are you taking to support students’ mental health and well-being?
Adler’s primary focus is mental health equity and wellness. It is actually what we do. Many of our faculty are trained clinicians, and they are focused on teaching the next generation of leaders across all areas of mental health. Unlike so many other institutions that are just now beginning to consider the implications of mental health, we have been at this since our inception. We are now in partnership with other organizations to assist them in navigating the tremendous and ongoing mental health issues and concerns. We very much want to expand our partnerships, particularly those focused on mental health equity and reimagining wellness through inclusive excellence models.
Where are you seeing students engaging the most and the least?
Students are less interested in a cookie-cutter, simply theoretical approach, and we continue to lean into their interests. Emerging students indicate they want practical and applicable research and experience to prepare them for the world or help them advance further in their career, work, etc.; that is what we do at Adler. Therefore, we have a lot of students who are interested in coming to Adler across all of our programs, including sports, arts, and the military. Two of our fastest-growing programs are our doctoral program in psychology (Psy.D.) and our industrial and organizational psychology program – for people working with companies to think about the future of work, employees, etc. Additionally, our focus on health equity and wellness is very attractive to students, many of whom are navigating workplaces. This is also an area that our alumni highlight when speaking about what they got from their Adler experience – it is not just learning about psychology, medical trends, and research in mental health, but the curriculum is infused with a particular focus on health equity and wellness.
With an ever-changing higher education landscape, what do higher education leaders need to be mindful of in the coming year?
In the coming year, we will see shifts in some governmental regulations, etc., that govern higher education, so higher education leaders will need to pay close attention to these developments. Additionally, higher education leaders will need to continue paying attention to enrollment, demands, cliffs, and shifts, and lean into research that builds upon knowledge basis and expands educational learning based on real-world experiences. And lastly, higher education leaders will need to pay attention to creating more capacity for multi-sector partnerships, new and innovative funding streams, diversified investment portfolios, and breaking out of traditional silos. At Adler, as I stated earlier, and as a new president, we are just getting started. We are focused and doubling-down on global, cross-cutting research and partnerships that address the social determinants of health and working to create action-oriented processes and practices that aid in ameliorating global health inequities.