Dan
Mahony is originally from New Jersey and worked for higher educational
institutions in South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky before becoming president of
the Southern Illinois University System in March 2020. He began his career in
public accounting and later worked in intercollegiate athletics before holding
faculty and administrative positions.
He
and his wife, Laura, live in Springfield. They have been married for more than
25 years and have two children, son Gavin and daughter Elena.
Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job?
I was born in Pennsylvania, and we lived there for 10 days and moved to New Jersey, and that's where I was actually raised. My first job was delivering a free paper in Clinton, New Jersey, and my first job out of college was as an auditor in Washington, D.C.
What drew you to the SIU education system, and after you were hired, what surprised you the most about the system?
I was a campus president before I was a system president, and there was a part of me that was wondering whether I would enjoy this role as well. I was a little hesitant at first but once I got into it, I really found it had a lot of appeal. I could do a lot more broad things than I could as a campus president. Having a good board to work with is critically important, and that helped me make the decision to want to come to SIU.
I was surprised about the passion of the alumni for the universities. I had one week on the job before COVID-19 hit, but in that first week we had a chance to interact with a lot of alumni and supporters and we got really excited about how much passion there was behind the universities.
The SIU School of Medicine in Springfield has been a respected local institution for many years. How do you intend to keep it vibrant, successful and relevant?
We want to continue trying to expand some of the things that we do and potentially have a slightly bigger medical school class going forward. A big part about keeping it vibrant is our relationship with the hospitals in the area. Having good partnerships across health care in Springfield is critically important.
I have been extraordinarily impressed by the health care in Springfield. My kids are still down in North and South Carolina, but if they need any medical help, we fly them here, and they see the doctors here. They've been wonderful since we have been here.
What has your career in sports administration and management taught you about overseeing a multi-campus institution of higher learning like SIU?
One of the things you learn in sports management, particularly in college athletics, is you have a lot of coaches and all of them think their team is the most important team. You have to show a lot of love to a lot of people in the system.
All of our campuses want to know that you care about them and that you appreciate the work they are doing. I spend a lot of time here in Springfield, but I also spend a lot of time in both Edwardsville and Carbondale. I'm present on campus interacting with people, and I've been able to develop really strong relationships on each campus by being there physically quite a bit of the time.
What have you found that you like most about Springfield when you are here?
We enjoy getting out in Springfield and have gotten to meet more of the community, business and political leaders. We are excited about being part of the process in the positive things that are going on right now. We appreciate the support we've gotten from the legislature and the governor over the last few years, and that has made a huge difference for us.
What is the major challenging reality of higher education, and how must universities be prepared to meet it?
By far the biggest challenge is the fact that the population going to college is declining. We need to make it easier for transfer students. We need to make it easier for adult learners to come back to college, and we need to retain the students we have. We need to do a better job of using our financial aid dollars so we can be more competitive and put together a package that can meet the needs of families here in Illinois.
Why are diversity and outreach programs so vital for higher education today, particularly at a medical school like the one in Springfield?
The population is becoming more diverse. We need to be a place where people feel they belong and are included across all of our programs. For the medical school, all the research will tell you that having diverse doctors makes a difference in health care outcomes.
One of the things we're proud of at SIU is the medical-prep program at Carbondale which has produced a large number of doctors who are in underrepresented minorities over the past 40 to 50 years. Some of them come to SIU School of Medicine and some of them go other places, but the program has really helped a lot of people get into medical schools across the country.
What advice would you give to young people who are entering the workforce today?
Be open to possibilities and opportunities and take advantage of whatever things you can get involved in. Some of that includes getting involved in your workplace, but it also means getting involved in your community. You never know what experiences may help you in the long run. I started as an accountant and had no idea I was going to be the president of a university system, but each step along the way I tried to get involved and engaged in everything.
I think a lot of people have a set idea of what they want to do in health care and sometimes may find there's a different path to get involved that keeps them in the health care industry but may not be exactly the role they thought they were going to have.
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
I've had 30 addresses in my life, and I've had driver's licenses in eight or nine states. So the amount of moving I've had to do throughout my life is probably unique.
