The road to a college presidency can take many routes. For Janice Cervelli (A’79), an early turn came through meeting famed Purdue professor Harrison Flint. “He was a leader in the Department of Horticulture, and he was not only terrific as an instructor but as a teacher of teachers,” she says. “I was a teaching assistant, and he encouraged me to truly understand the different learning styles of students.” These days, Cervelli has a greater number of students to guide. In June, she returned to Indiana college life as the new president of Saint Mary’s College.

Leading a school isn’t so unlike her work as a landscape architect — everyone can see the excitement, such as the architecture of beautiful plants or a teeming crowd at a college sporting event, but few notice the less glamorous issues being dealt with behind the scenes. “I think it takes patience and commitment,” she says. “You have to care about the inner workings of a school, and you try to deal with problems before they become bigger issues.”

“It takes patience and commitment. You have to care about the inner workings of a school, and you try to deal with problems before they become bigger issues.”

—Janice Cervelli

Previously dean of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona and dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities at Clemson University, Cervelli has been particularly proud of helping to grow programs. “I enjoyed being a part of developing new degree opportunities that were interdisciplinary,” she says. “At Clemson, there were two such degrees. One was a PhD in rhetorics, communication, and information design, connecting English to communication studies to digital arts. The other was in real estate development, looking at marketing, finance, design, and construction arenas.” At Saint Mary’s College, she hopes to build on its strengths in the liberal arts. “We can add on to this with more applied and career-oriented degrees,” she says. “I see some great potential in the health sciences.” 

When a community welcomes Cervelli, it not only receives an educational leader but also a landscape architecture resource. Her academic position at Arizona allowed her to aid urban revitalization. “I worked with the mayor, major business entities, and governmental organizations to help when it came to revitalizing downtown Tucson,” she says. “The modern streetcar corridor that’s recently been added has driven a lot of economic development, and I enjoyed being a part of that community. My background in landscape architecture has given me insight into urban planning and design, which includes developing policies for communities. I hope to use my experience in the South Bend–Mishawaka area as well.”

It’s her first time in the role for a college, but president is a title Cervelli is quite familiar with. She was previously president of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and was even president of the student chapter of the organization when she attended Purdue. “I remember Claire Bennett lectured at Purdue, and she was actually one of the first female presidents of ASLA,” Cervelli recalls. “It’s great to have a role model like that. There are really so many ways academic life has inspired me, and it’s a big reason why I love being a part of these communities.”