By now, our community has had the opportunity to read the article from the Danville Register and Bee that highlighted Dr. Tiffany M. Franks’ leadership of Averett University, which began July 1, 2008.
Franks, now in her 16th academic year, has become an anomaly in the world of college leaders with the average tenure of a university president being 5.9 years. Franks attributes her longevity to her daily approach to her responsibilities in leading to what she describes as the Averett Family. “I’ve never thought about not being here, if that makes any sense,” Franks told the Register & Bee. “I think the whole time I’ve thought, OK, what’s next — here we go.”
Drawing highlights from this article, the newspaper illuminated the positive affects that Dr. Franks has had not only on this University, but also on the entire community and region.
The feature article stated, “Community leaders agree that longevity — combined with her never-ending energy — has positioned Averett to be a central part of the community. It was the naysayers who eventually caught on to what Franks saw in the city. They soon hopped on the hope express, a train somewhat driven by a university that grew beyond its footprint — well, they would call it pawprint, because of the Cougar mascot — to become a catalyst of change.”
To read the full article on the Danville Register and Bee’s website, please visit: https://godanriver.com/news/local/education/danville-mayor-the-model-of-community-engagement-is-dr-tiffany-franks/article_5a77f2b0-4c44-11ee-8d9a-a77bd211daa9.html
