Charting a Course for the Future

Dr. Monica J. Casper knows how to steer the ship, both literally and metaphorically. An accomplished academic leader and aspiring powerboat captain, Casper is now at the helm of the College of Arts and Sciences and embracing the challenge of piloting Seattle University’s biggest and most diverse college as its new dean.

Casper, who began her tenure at SU on August 1, has hit the ground running with a collaborative leadership model and an equity-driven vision for the college. Casper is replacing David Powers, PhD, who served as dean for 15 years and will return as a Professor of Psychology after a sabbatical.

Prior to arriving at SU, Casper served as the Special Assistant to the President on Gender-Based Violence, Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University.

In this Q&A, the dean talks about her vision for the future of the college, her excitement about moving back to the Pacific Northwest and reveals some of her favorite books.

What attracted you to Seattle University?

The mission! SU’s commitment to fostering Jesuit education, our very public and energetic commitment to equity and inclusion and our desire to support students in an engaging and accessible way made this role very compelling. 

What is your vision for the role?

Vision-setting is a collective exercise and to that end, I’m collaborative and transparent in how I work. I look forward to spending meaningful, informative time with students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members. I love hearing from people about what excites them. 

The interdisciplinary nature of the college is unmatched and I would love to continue to find ways to foster that and encourage partnerships between departments and centers to discern how we address big challenges and do innovative things together. 

What challenges and opportunities do you see in higher education and, in particular, the College of Arts & Sciences?

I believe there’s a role for educational institutions to contribute to the practice of democracy and freedom. It’s important to position the college as a model for how we can engage higher education in this moment, given the challenges we are facing.

Educating the whole person is baked into the mission of SU and I am looking forward to finding ways to promote the dignity of all persons, human and nonhuman alike, and to foster difficult dialogues.

How does your work as a justice-driven administrator inform what you would like to accomplish at SU?

Sustainability is central to my priorities. I’m invested in the question of how the liberal arts supports sustainability. Every discipline has a role to play in how we center environmental justice and how we address these life- and planet-threatening issues. I’d love to see the college lean into that challenge.

And I’m always thinking about how we can live out racial justice and equity. I’d like to do my part to foster an environment where antiracism is the prevailing attitude, teaching students how to think about the world from a critical and compassionate perspective.

In addition to being an accomplished university administrator and scholar, you’re also a prolific creative writer. What genres do you love to read? What’s on your nightstand?

I love mysteries and detective fiction, as well as comics and graphic novels. Right now, I’m reading Secret Identity by Alex Segura, a mystery novel set in 1970s New York City that revolves around the comic book industry.

I also just started reading The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin, S.J., and just received Christine Blasey Ford’s new memoir, One Way Back. I’m often reading multiple books at any given time!

What are you most looking forward to about living in Seattle?

After years in arid climates, I’m looking forward to the green and rain of the Pacific Northwest. I’m also looking forward to being near and on the water. In fact, I recently completed a four-day, all-women powerboat training class on a 45-foot boat in Bellingham.

The class was a lot of fun and I’m now more confident that at least I won’t crash into the dock like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack. I’m going to keep taking classes—the next one is in Vancouver—and learning more about what it takes to pilot a vessel of that size. Eventually I’d love to have my own boat and cruise around the Salish Sea.