Cindy Clampitt to Head Lafayette Campus
By: Katie Shane
Harrison College’s Lafayette campus has a new leader in Cindy Clampitt.
The college released the news of Clampitt’s promotion in early February 2016; a move Clampitt says comes exactly a year after she completed her advanced degree at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Clampitt says. “You set out with a dream, but to see it happen in reality is deeply satisfying.”
Clampitt credits her promotion in part to her time at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC). She graduated with honors from the Master of Leadership Development (MLD) in 2015. Clampitt says she sought out an advanced degree after she was passed over for a promotion because she did not have a master’s degree.
“I had a missed opportunity when I was working at another university,” she says. “I couldn’t continue further because I didn’t have a master’s degree. I thought ‘never again.’ I was qualified; I just didn’t have the credentials. I’m here to tell people, don’t limit yourself.”
Clampitt took that career rejection and used it as her motivation to aspire higher. She began researching programs and found what she calls a “perfect fit” at SMWC. With a full-time career and full-time job raising five children as a single parent, she says she found a flexible degree program that combined online and on-campus course work.
“I wanted something smaller, an intimate setting, and beyond that I loved the program structure as a working professional and being able to do the work when I needed to,” she explains. “A lot of the programs I considered were exclusively online, and I wanted to be face-to-face with my instructors and cohort.”
The 12-month program enables professionals to continue work and family life, while pursuing a graduate degree. Around 90 percent of MLD students continue working while taking classes. The hybrid format combines on-campus cohort group seminars and interactive webinars, web-based assignments and discussions. Although many assignments are completed online, Clampitt says the relationships she formed with her cohort has become just as valuable as the degree itself.
“I now have lifetime friendships,” she says. “I have had the opportunity to create some pretty remarkable friendships; I have some close friends that I wouldn’t have had before.”
In addition to gaining friendships both professionally and personally, Clampitt says her time at The Woods prepared her for challenges in her new position, including leadership skills and financial management.
Since 2012, Clampitt has worked for Harrison College. Most recently she served as senior director of career services.
“It’s kind of interesting the creative strategy that’s involved,” she explains. “We learned a lot of creative techniques that have been beneficial. I remember taking finance, it was a stretch for me, but now I find in this new role it serves me well and prepared me for the new role in terms of operations and budgeting.”
In December 2015, Clampitt officially stepped into her new role. While she had her sights set on career success, she’s still pinching herself at the speed in which it happened after graduating from The Woods.
“I was surprised the opportunity opened up so quickly,” she says. “I knew that the opportunities would come because I believed in the program and everyone at The Woods believed in me.”