Beyond the Boardroom: UI College of Education’s Chrystalla Mouza

For CHRYSTALLA MOUZA‘s cash, there’s no higher feeling in larger ed than the celebration that ends with the turning of the tassels.

“It’s rewarding to see the enjoyment and satisfaction in our college students and their family members as they attain this necessary milestone of their lives {and professional} careers,” says Mouza, who simply wrapped up her first semester as dean of the UI’s School of Schooling.

“Commencement ceremonies additionally remind me of my very own doctoral ceremony, when my mom visited the US for the primary time to be a part of this expertise. Regardless that she spoke no English, had solely attended elementary college and understood little or no of what was occurring, I may see the satisfaction in her eyes.”

For Mouza, diploma No. 4 got here from the identical Ivy League establishment as Nos. 2 and three — Columbia. No. 1 got here from the College of Ioannina in Greece, nearer to the nation the place she was born and raised — the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which didn’t have a four-year establishment of its personal on the time.

She spent the final 19 years on the College of Delaware — the place she rose from assistant professor to director and distinguished professor of instructor training — however she knew loads about Illinois, having married an alum of the UI’s Gies School of Enterprise.

James Anderson’s successor as UI training dean took day out to reply questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio within the one hundred and sixtieth installment of our weekly velocity learn spotlighting leaders of organizations huge and small.

If I may commerce locations for every week with another enterprise individual on the town, I wouldn’t thoughts switching with … an area bakery proprietor. I prefer to bake, although I’m not all the time good at it as I do a variety of eye-balling as an alternative of cautious measurement of substances.

That’s how my mom used to prepare dinner — she by no means measured something.

On my workplace partitions, you’ll discover … not a lot. I’m lucky to have a complete wall of home windows in my workplace.

I like pure mild and even on gloomy days, my workplace may be very brilliant. I’ve not too long ago put in a whiteboard, which I take advantage of for reminders and planning.

So far as an expert function mannequin goes … I shouldn’t have a single function mannequin, however I search for inspiration from leaders of the previous who made a robust societal impression and broke new floor for future generations: Aristotle, and his dedication to interdisciplinary work in training, physics, drugs and politics; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who not solely turned the primary tenured girl at Columbia Legislation College, but additionally co-authored the primary casebook on intercourse discrimination; and Martin Luther King Jr., one of the crucial influential civil rights leaders in historical past, who devoted his life to human rights.

The toughest factor about being a pacesetter is … driving change and making an impression, whereas remaining versatile and calm within the face of adversity.

I can’t stay with out my … household and morning espresso — with milk, not cream.

My one unbreakable rule of the office is … be supportive of one another.

The three adjectives I hope my employees would use to explain me are … respectful, collaborative and dependable.

My philosophy on conferences is … have an agenda and give attention to productive conversations fairly than info that may be communicated through electronic mail.

I’m frugal in that … I’m not an enormous fan of pricey designer garments, luxurious holidays or fancy automobiles. I choose performance, and I typically store on-line and search for gross sales specials.

And sure, I drive a Subaru.

In relation to the final luxurious through which I indulged … we attempt to take an annual journey to Greece/Cyprus to go to household and mates. It is a chance for our youngsters to study extra about their heritage and expertise a barely totally different tradition.

We normally keep for just a few days in Athens, the place we reconnect with my husband’s household and mates, take a brief journey to an island, after which fly to Cyprus, the place my household is from. The seaside is our blissful place.

Sadly, the pandemic interrupted these excursions the final couple of years.

I wind down after work by … cooking. I like getting ready meals, particularly totally different worldwide dishes, for my household.

I’m up and at ’em daily by … 5:30 a.m. I’m a morning individual. I like getting up when it’s nonetheless slightly darkish and quiet. I’m way more productive within the early a part of the day.

As for my train routine … I want I may say I’ve one, nevertheless it has been a problem since becoming a member of Illinois in my new place. When the climate is sweet, my husband and I prefer to stroll across the neighborhood or experience our bikes.

That’s an space I promise myself to work on in 2023; that needs to be my New 12 months’s decision. Ask me once more in February …

On a 1-to-10 scale, the impression of the pandemic has been an … 8, fairly profound. We couldn’t go to members of the family overseas whereas our youngsters missed a variety of milestones, together with highschool commencement, in-person lessons, sports activities, social actions and way more.

Importantly, my mom handed away in January 2022 — from well being problems following COVID.

Nonetheless, I stay grateful for persevering with to work throughout the pandemic, and our youngsters being able to work and proceed with their instructional journeys, even remotely. We should always all the time be appreciative of life and never take it without any consideration.