NE Campus President Kenya Ayers hosted a “State of the Campus” conversation with faculty and staff Nov. 8, where she shared some insight into campus operations, ongoing projects as she elaborated on her vision for the future of NE.

Ayers focused on what she learned from her listening tour, a series of events where students, faculty and staff could inform her of what they saw as crucial issues on campus.

Ayers showed district success rates in various demographics and how the campus can improve them, noting that men of color were more likely than women to leave school before finishing their degree.

Ayers said she believes faculty needs to reach out to students and ensure they can always receive help if they ask for it.

“Connect your excellence to change the numbers I am sharing with the campus,” Ayers said. “We need to see our students succeed.”

Throughout the presentation, Ayers also commended many NE departments, such as the library, campus maintenance and campus police, for the services they provide.

Assistant professor of English Cecilia Sublette said she is impressed by Ayers’ leadership style and willingness to share information about things happening on NE.

“[Ayers] is very student-focused,” Sublette said. “It seems like she’s invested in combating any cloud of secrecy on campus.”

Ayers told the audience that the issue most people spoke about during her listening tour was communication and transparency from the campus president.

“I’m gonna give you my pledge,” Ayers said. “The biggest thing I promise to work on is communication.”

NE health services administrative assistant Gloria Randles said she appreciated the level of transparency Ayers showed.

“It seems that she has brought a new connection for everybody to be connected to our school,” Randles said. “I’m very impressed with her and her communication skills.”

Randles said she would like to attend similar events because it gives her a chance to communicate with other faculty members and discuss issues they deal with on a regular basis.

“It brings a lot of value and brings a sense of community,” Randles said.