Elon University’s new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Rebecca Kohn rounded out her first month at Elon at the start of the spring semester. Kohn comes to Elon from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, where she served as the senior vice provost and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Elon News Network spoke with Kohn at College Coffee Feb. 7 to discuss her transition to Elon, her plans for the future and tuition for the upcoming school year.
This interview has been edited for clarity. Click below for the full interview:
Can you talk about how the first couple of weeks in your position have been so far?
“Thank you for asking. It’s been a really great start. I just crossed over one month here at Elon University. People have been so welcoming and that’s been making the transition to the university so much easier, and I really appreciate everyone’s great attitudes in terms of bringing me into spaces to talk with people and just have conversations and get to know them.”
Why Elon, why did you choose to come to this school?
“Well I certainly knew of Elon by reputation as a student-experience centered institution and that’s my focus as well in higher education. Everything we do, no matter what level or what office we’re working in at the university, it all feeds back into the student experience, and I am so completely in agreement with Elon’s main priorities.”
I know it’s only been a month for you, what initiatives and things are you working on in your role right now?
“Well, certainly a number of things, thinking about what will curriculum look like in the future, where do people see interest, both students and faculty, and where they want to go with their academic programs — but also focusing at all times to make sure that wherever we are in and around the classroom that we’re maintaining an atmosphere of inclusion and access.”
The previous provost was here during the tuition increase last year, how has that impacted your role so far?
“In terms of the tuition increase, that’s something that will happen overtime as costs fluctuate, as we’re doing exciting new things here at the institution. We always want to be mindful of making sure we have an affordable program for our students and keeping an eye on that increase is really critical.”
Is tuition going to increase for the 2023-2024 school year?
“I’m sure the institution will be making announcements about what will happen with that in the near future, because that is something we have to report at specific times of the year and traditionally there are increases over time, so we’ll watch to see what that announcement says.”
Do you not know [if there is a tuition increase,] or do you not want to say?
“We need to wait for an official announcement to have any details and so that it is accurate.”
In the event that it does increase, what do you say to students who already have a hard time affording to come here?
“Certainly if there are students who experience a true hardship and that affects their ability to pay their tuition, they should work with financial aid to see if there are ways that they can be supported differently. And for other students who can match that increase because that is something that does happen typically, across higher [education] over time. If they're able to handle it, great. If they're not, then they should work with financial aid.”