Dr. Denise Trauth was a 65-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in her office in San Marcos, Texas. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1947. She was educated at the College of Mount Saint Joseph, the Ohio State University, and the University of Iowa, and was previously employed as as the Dean of The Graduate School and Provost of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1993-2002, and as President of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas since 2002.
Dr. Denise Trauth, president of Texas State University in San Marcos, discusses the tenure of Chancellor James H. Woodward while she was at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she served as Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Programs from 1993-1997, and also as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs from 1997-2002. She recalls that she was drawn to UNC Charlotte because she wanted to help the University implement its first doctoral programs, and she describes how she was promoted to the position of Provost by Chancellor Woodward in 1997. Dr. Trauth sees the tenure of Chancellor Woodward as transformative for UNC Charlotte, both in terms of academics and the campus aesthetic. She discusses the academic planning process under Chancellor Woodward, crediting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Phil Dubois for implementing a process that prioritized programs. She also addresses the reallocation of faculty resources under the Academic Plan, noting that she brought parts of this plan to Texas State University when she became president there. Dr. Trauth speaks at length about the implementation of doctoral programs, focusing on the interdisciplinary nature of the first programs, and how that concept helped drive future program development. She also discusses master planning at UNC Charlotte, noting Chancellor Woodward's concern with the public perception of the university. She points to the considerable impact of the Master Plan on campus development, particularly in how it created standards that changed the campus aesthetic, presenting a more traditional looking university to the public. Dr. Trauth also speaks of Chancellor Woodward's role as a mentor to her personally, noting that working for him influenced her to seek the presidency of a college or university. She speculates on where UNC Charlotte would be today without doctoral programs, and concludes the interview with an anecdote about the relocation of TIAA-CREF to University Research Park, and Chancellor Woodward's role in making that happen.
