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Ever since junior high school,LucyAnn Geiselman knew what she wanted to do in life: become a university president. What she didn't realize was that in addition to that dream, she would develop a passion for continuing education.
"The work I like best is what goes on in colleges of extended learning," says Geiselman, who began her new position as dean of San Francisco State University's College of Extended Learning in September. "I enjoy working right at the edge of the university, where it meets all the different publics that it has and tries to meet the needs of different groups of people and extend the intellectual resources to meet them."
Although Geiselman did spend six years as president of Mt. Vernon College in Washington, D.C., where she was credited with increasing student enrollment by 86 percent, many of her 30-plus years in higher education have been spent in extended education programs.
Geiselman moved to California in the early 1970s to become assistant dean of university extension programs for the entire University of California system. Later, she joined UC San Francisco as dean of continuing education in health science.
In fact, Geiselman has become so enthralled by extended higher education that her most influential mentors were leaders in that field, including Milton Stearns, former dean of UC Berkeley Extension, and Frank Jessup, who held a similar position at Oxford. Geiselman says she learned a great deal from Jessup during her post-doctoral fellowship at Oxford.
"He had the improbable title of 'secretary of extramural delegacy,' which means dean of college of extended learning in Oxford terms," she says, pointing to a picture of Jessup in her office. "He helped me think about higher education in new terms and ultimately influenced my opinion of the role of public service in higher education. It's imperative to make the wisdom of the university available to the community."
That being said, Geiselman and those who work with her believe that she is a perfect fit for SF State's College of Extended Learning. Marci Manderscheid, executive director of Continuing Education and the SFSU Downtown Center, says she is impressed by Geiselman's energy and enthusiasm.
"LucyAnn is vivacious and engaging--she listens very intently and looks you in the eye when talking to you," Manderscheid says. "She has some fresh, innovative ideas that will build on CEL's strong base to expand our program offerings and reach new audiences."
Geiselman has returned to the Bay Area after serving three years as president and chief executive officer of the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, which is based at CSU Monterey Bay. Previously, she was vice president for university advancement at CSU Monterey Bay. With additional experience as vice president for institutional advancement at the Eisenhower Medical Center and vice president for planning and advancement at the California Institute for the Arts, she knows the importance of raising money and, better still, how to do it.
"I'm giving people the opportunity to participate in something really important that could change their lives," she says.
Geiselman says she plans to stay at SF State for as long as she can, with hopes of keeping the College of Extended Learning ahead of the trends and ensuring that it meets the needs of the community and workforce.
By coming back to the Bay Area, she is basking in San Francisco's urban atmosphere and culture, as well as discovering parts of the city where she had never traveled--specifically SF State.
"Having never been on the campus, I was stunned by how beautiful it is. The campus is just delightful," Geiselman says. "I've met faculty and staff here that I already consider as friends. There seems to be a kind of vitality here, and the University moves at a rapid clip.
"I feel, in a sense, that I've come home."
--Matt Itelson
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