Counting Your Blessings Along the Road to Success

By Rebecca Bibbo

Twenty-seven years as a statistics professor, six years as a department chair, five years as an associate dean, five years as a dean, one year as interim provost – when you add it all up, Interim Provost John Skillings has given Miami University more than they bargained for when they admitted him into the mathematics and statistics graduate program many years ago.

Now, on any given day, he’s likely to run from meeting to meeting, tackling a plethora of issues ranging from approving the establishment of a New Distinguished Service Educator Award to reviewing suggested revisions to promotion and tenure guidelines.

Dressed in a crisp grey suit, this highly successful, 6’2” man could easily use his stature and prominence to intimidate, yet when addressing his colleagues, a warm smile quickly lights up his face. He handles each issue addressed with tactfulness and composure, moving promptly from one topic to the next.

It would be easy for him to become caught up in his hectic lifestyle by neglecting relationships with faculty members and students that he has established throughout his career at Miami. However, Skillings makes this his priority, as those who have met him know that he has not only been an influential leader, but also a highly respected coworker, teacher and friend.

“It is easy to stay in your office all day long, focused on everything that needs to get done, but I try to avoid that and make myself approachable and available to the faculty and administration,” Skillings said.

Skillings has devoted almost 30 years to improving the quality of education at the university. After earning his Masters in Mathematics in 1971, he became one of two of the first graduate students allowed to teach Calculus I.

Skillings began showing early signs of his respectable leadership abilities through his involvement in a variety of intramural sports with the faculty and other graduate students. He was often appointed as the captain of his teams.

“That role was not something he claimed for himself; he simply fit it, and other players recognized that. Athletically, he wasn’t a Terminator, but he was a leader by temperament,” recalled Fred Gass, former teammate and current professor of mathematics.

Skillings then went on to earn his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University before returning to Miami as a statistics professor in 1976. In 1987, he became chair of the mathematics and statistics department. He improved the statistics program in a variety of ways, but he is particularly proud of helping establish the Statistical Consulting Center (SCC), which is a group of statisticians who consult faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students on their data collection, analysis and interpretation of their research conducted at Miami. He also introduced a variety of undergraduate statistics courses and worked closely with the environmental science department for many years.

“When I came here in 1976, my intentions were to be the best statistics professor that I could be,” said Skillings, reflecting on his career.

Although Skillings did just that, he then became an associate dean in 1994 while continuing to teach statistics. He then was promoted to the dean of the College of Arts and Science in 1999. He still continued to teach one class, yet he regretted that he was now distant from his students, with his new office located in Upham, according to Vasant Waikar, mathematics and statistics professor.

“John wished the students would look at him as a faculty member and not as a dean,” Waikar stated.

He explained that Skillings feared that students would feel intimidated coming to office hours in a new building, and asking ‘the dean’ for guidance on a math problem. Despite Skillings’ concerns, according to Waikar, his students would continuously rate him very highly on his faculty evaluation.

“On a scale from zero to four, with four being the highest, some students would give him a five or a six, stating that our scale just didn’t have high enough numbers for John,” Waikar said. “He didn’t lose his touch after going to an administration role.”

As the dean, Skillings flourished. While he balanced the daily demands of this often-stressful job, he continued to maintain close relationships with students and faculty members, and quickly became highly respected by administration members in the college.

Dianne Sadoff, currently an Associate Dean within the college, said he has the ability to make faculty members feel as though their opinions, suggestions and problems would be legitimately considered.

“As Chair [of the English Department], I would come to him just to talk about my problems,” remarked Sadoff, when reflecting on her previous position within the English Department. She recalled that Skillings’ door was always open to everyone.

Sadoff highlighted some of the qualities that have allowed Skillings to become so well-liked and successful: his ability to attract and retain superior faculty, the value he has for teaching and scholarship, and his nourishment and support for student scholarship.

Therefore, no one was surprised that President Garland asked Skillings to serve as interim provost after Provost and Executive Vice President Ronald Crutcher decided to resign in March of 2004.

As acting provost, Skillings is now accountable for a broader segment of the University, yet he is faced with many of the same problems and challenges that he encountered as Dean.

“When you move into a new position, you have new challenges – you learn new things as you are exposed to new things,” states Skillings. “My experience as dean was helpful in preparation for this year.”

As Dean, Skillings was responsible for negotiating with the faculty and the previous Provost. He would periodically evaluate the faculty members, letting them know how they were progressing and how they could improve. He was also responsible for overseeing their promotion and tenure.

“Dr.Skillings was not only well-liked, I think it is safe to say that he was revered,” said Interim Dean Steve DeLue. “John has charisma which allows people to know that he really cares -- this ability comes from circumstances that he was once in [as a professor]. He appreciates their hard work and sympathizes with problems that occur.”

According to DeLue, Skillings has facilitated the hiring of at least two eminent scholars, helped the college faculty obtain an astonishing 12 million dollars of external funding, spear-headed informational seminars for first-year students and began the Dean’s Scholars program.

“Without John, I do not think the honors program would have maintained such a high level of excellence,” DeLue commented.

Skillings reflected on his new position as provost as rewarding yet often hectic and demanding. Most of his days are filled with meetings and appointments, and he cannot help but miss his days as a professor.

“My heart has always been in being a faculty member, and I miss being in the classroom and interacting with the students,” Skillings said.

So, maybe its not necessarily the years in the various jobs that make Skillings such an important influence in the university. Rather its the number of people whose lives he has touched and the esteem that cannot be put into a statistical formula.

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