Compassionate leadership

His experience with Peter and with IMPACT greatly shaped John’s leadership style, as did his upbringing. This former university professor, dean, president and chancellor was born in “The Friendly Little City” of Pickneyville, Illinois. His father graduated from 10th grade, and his mother graduated high school. It was during these years he learned the lessons of humility and respect for every person and what they contribute to the greater community, regardless of where they fall on an organizational chart.

Trust is another important part of John’s leadership philosophy. “Your word is really important. We know that, and we hear people say that, but you have to live it and really mean it,” he says. “And if you, for some reason, have to reverse direction and it seems like you’re not being consistent or trustworthy, then you’ve got to acknowledge that. Don’t say something if you really don’t believe it.”

Along the path of his career, John also learned the value of self-reflection, engaging in genuine interactions, admitting mistakes and apologizing. “People respect that because they know that nobody's perfect,” he says. “We'd like to think we are, but we aren't. Compassion is part of leadership.”

Regardless of the monumental changes that have occurred in higher education during John’s career, one thing that has always been important, he says, is leadership. To be clear, this leadership isn’t the “I’m in charge” type, but rather the “donate-all-my-salary-increases-to-student-scholarships” variety.

Although times change, “We must find ways to connect better with students such that they know we really do care about them and their progress and future successes,” he says. “Telling our story about personal struggles is one way to help humanize the experience such that students don’t feel they’re alone. I think many students view faculty and administrators as successful from day one without having to face hardships or setbacks, but that’s just not true.”

Something else that’s remained true, which might seem obvious, is the value and need for education.

“I don't care what people say today about the value of higher ed. We have to value education – period. We need to have people who are informed. The Pope recently made a very interesting observation. Someone was asking him about artificial intelligence, and he says, ‘Well, that's important, but I'm really much more worried about human intelligence.’ I thought, “Wow, that's really right on.”

During his time as a leader, John experienced the many highs and lows that accompany being responsible for a large institution educating thousands of young people. He recalls lying in bed, hearing sirens and being worried about the safety of students, faculty and staff. “You just live that kind of life,” he says. “You worry about that.”

On the flip side, the thing that brought him the most joy was getting out of the office and in the midst of those he served. “When I was university president, I loved to walk across campus. I'd love to be with the students and with faculty, staff and others. It was refreshing. And, you know, I came along during the era of the selfies. God, I don't know how many selfies I took, but I loved doing that.”

The value of diversity

With the mindset that every interaction is an opportunity to grow, John quickly learned the importance of diversity in his work and his life. This understanding began while he was an undergraduate and continued as he became an administrator, where he found joy in engaging with international students and celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures and perspectives that each student brought to the university.

John became friends with a fellow student from India while washing pots and pans during his undergraduate years. What he took from that experience is that we’re more similar than different.

“Their dreams, hopes and aspirations aren’t a heck of a lot different than ours,” he says. “They want to have a nice family. They want their children to have opportunities. They want to have enough resources and food on the table – pretty universal stuff.”

While at Oregon State, his wife, Linda, worked with international students. One day, “I was all out of control,” he says, “because I got into the doctor’s office and had to wait over an hour for my appointment. And when I got home, my wife tells me about these ladies she met who walked with a sick child, an infant, miles to a medical facility only to be told they couldn’t be accommodated and would have to come back the next day. I thought, ‘Man, that's it. OK, I'm over it.’ I got a different perspective. This goes back to having big ears – you’ve got to be willing to understand and listen to people and their stories to understand.”

John’s ability to listen and care for others is one reason he’s remained a lifelong mentor to Jeff, his IMPACT successor. “I always trusted him and the advice he would give; he listened really well. He was remarkable at listening to a group of people and being able to synthesize or clarify or ask for questions. Sometimes, leaders talk a lot – too much. I didn’t find that with John. He also had personal qualities around how he treated others around him, his students, faculty and support staff.”

A legacy in progress

Even after achieving tremendous professional success, John says there are many things he’s yet to accomplish, including sharing the lessons he’s learned over a long career.

“First on the list is doing what I can to assist other university administrators with the challenges they are facing,” he says. “My goal is to be open to conversations that others might find helpful and supportive. Given the various leadership roles that I have been fortunate to undertake, there are not many situations that I have not confronted.”

Also on his list is continuing to serve diverse communities.

“I have always enjoyed international travel and connecting with students, faculty and others from around the world. Helping to open the door to higher education for individuals from less fortunate or resourced countries remains a priority,” he says. “Related to this is working with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to increase the number of health care providers from the Hispanic community, which is a major need.”  

He also plans to continue his close relationship with the Universidad Ibero Americana in the Dominican Republic and will continue efforts to learn Spanish.

A professor emeritus in the college, John continues to give back to the college and university.

“The College of Health has a true champion in John Dunn,” says Jessica Merkner, senior director of development for the college. “Not only has he given back generously and passionately to launch the IMPACT Leadership Endowment Fund, but he also graciously and thoughtfully offers strategic insights from his various university leadership roles that are invaluable. We are tremendously grateful for his volunteer service on the College of Health Campaign Cabinet for the OSU Believe It. Campaign.”