By Larry Field

In February of this year, Mildred Mihlon, P.h.D became the seventh president of Felician University. The 100-year-old institution, founded by the Felician Sisters of Lodi maintains campuses in Lodi and Rutherford, New Jersey. With a full-time enrollment of 2,100 students in four schools, the university offers 60 career-focused programs ranging from undergraduate, pre-professional, certificate, and graduate programs. COMMERCE Magazine was fortunate to have a conversation with Dr. Mihlon recently and talk about her new role and the opportunities on the horizon at Felician.

Please tell us a little about your educational and professional background.

Dr. Mihlon: My educational background is in both psychology and education. I pursued my Ph.D. in educational psychology at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. My emphasis was on child development. I also have a passion for teaching. That’s what I was preparing myself for as a college student before I pivoted into administration. However, I have always maintained a foothold in the classroom. It’s a love for me.

Before joining Felician, I worked for about 18 years at St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, serving the last ten years as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

When you look back at your experience, what are you most proud?

Dr. Mihlon: I am most proud of my work supporting students’ success, particularly first-year students. We talk about access and affordability, but throughout my career and even now as President I have been hyper-focus on finding ways to get our students to the finish line and graduate.

What are the challenges that keep students from graduating? Is it financial?

Dr. Mihlon: It’s very easy to say it’s financial, right? However, when you dive in a little bit deeper, sometimes it is really about the investment. First-year attrition students will tell us, the school wasn’t a fit for me, or I decided on a different major, or I was planning on transferring anyway. There are a variety of reasons. However, academic preparedness is a significant issue for us.

Many students struggle in their first year. It’s challenging. That is why it is so important to have the right support structures in place to help them be successful. Students need to learn how to navigate and who they can go to for help. To this end, we have invested in our academic support structures. As a result, last year our Fall-to-Fall first-year retention rate improved by 10 percentage points.

Can you briefly describe how you arrived at Felician and your initial role here?

Dr. Mihlon: I arrived at Felician in 2020 first as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. And I was attracted to that role for a variety of reasons. I live in Bergen County, very close to the campus, and I have two younger children. Also, my first professional job out of college was with the Felician sisters at another one of their former ministries. I maintain a fondness for the sisters and the Franciscan values.

You joined Felician during a pandemic and managed to help secure $4.5 million in one grant. Can you tell us how that funding was used to improve the University?

Dr. Mihlon: We call that project FIESTA, which stands for fostering inclusive excellence for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) achievement. It is a federal grant. We focused on advancing educational and career outcomes for Hispanic students. We built two new chemistry and physics labs, a STEM Resource Center, and a multipurpose teaching and learning space. It also allowed us to develop summer bridge programs focused on STEM readiness and career awareness, as well as offering cost-of-living stipends to students. Our faculty also benefited from professional development opportunities. We also developed a STEM Advisory Board, a wonderful group of individuals who have great ideas.

Have the new STEM resources lead to new degree programs?

Dr. Mihlon: Well, yes, we just recently approved two new graduate programs in STEM, a Master’s of Cybersecurity and a Master’s of Data Science, and we are in the early stages of developing a Master’s in Biotechnology,

Now that you have moved from acting to permanent status, can you share your vision for the University moving forward?

Dr. Mihlon: Felician University enjoys a very long history rooted in our Franciscan values. We have always been an institution serving first-generation college students and I am committed to continuing that tradition. Continued emphasis will be on our core values, particularly relating to service, social justice, and equity as well as inclusion.

Please share your thoughts on why STEM is important to you and the impact STEM will have on today and future students.

Dr. Mihlon: So clearly, there’s great interest in demand in the STEM fields. Many of our students following STEM majors are females from minority backgrounds. For Felician, it’s really exciting to be able to advance these initiatives and increase the number of women and students of color in STEM fields. Considering New Jersey’s economy and workforce demands—health care, life sciences, and pharmaceuticals—it’s no surprise that we have prioritized these disciplines for practical reasons. This is an effort to promote the opportunities for Hispanic women to get well-paying careers in the sciences.

How does the business community fit into your success?

Dr. Mihlon: Our business partnerships are particularly important for a variety of reasons. Our industry leaders who serve on our advisory boards provide critical information and insight. They inform us in terms of what’s coming, how we need to pivot, and what students need to be learning. I think it’s also reciprocal because we are creating a pipeline of new professionals who improve and grow the state’s workforce.

Felician is this hidden gem. We possess the desire and the bandwidth to partner with businesses large and small in creative ways. Because we’re small, we have the agility to create customized programs for professional development. We can assist in tailoring their workforce and upscaling opportunities.

I should also say that over 90% of our student population is here in New Jersey, and will likely remain in New Jersey. Partnering with Felician and investing in our success is going to have a direct impact on the local economies in our communities.

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