Virginia L. Parks, Ph.D., CPA

Professor Emerita, Retired 2003

Professor of Accounting
Chair, Dept. of Accounting
Program Director, Masters of Science in Accounting
Vice President of Finance
Special Assistant to the Provost
Associate Vice President for Information Services

Faculty Member at SU from 1972 - 2003

PhD, Accounting, University of Houston

Home Phone: 425.396.7865 

Email: vparks@seattleu.edu

Address by Dr. John Eshelman honoring Dr. Virginia L. Parks
Spring 2004 

At the commencement ceremonies, Dr. Virginia Parks will be honored with the rank of professor emeritus for her 32 years of excellent service as faculty member in the Department of Accounting. The rank speaks particularly to teaching excellence, and that is certainly an important part of her contribution to SU, but its only a part. Its a privilege to be the person to introduce her today, because she and I have often worked closely together, so I have seen first hand the differences she's made in her many roles. And, because she and I have been good friends through these three decades.

Virginia came to Seattle University in 1972 as Assistant Professor of Accounting. Her rise was swift. She became chair of the Accounting Department in 1973, and in 1975 was appointed the first director of the Master of Science in Accounting program which she helped initiate. In 1976, things really began to happen. When Fr. Sullivan was appointed president early that year, it took him about three minutes to conclude that he did not have the right vice president for finance. So he created a vacancy. He asked Virginia Parks to assist in the interim, was impressed with her work, and shortly thereafter, asked her to take the position permanently. Vice President for Finance was not an enviable position at SU in 1976, because we were still digging out painfully from a very deep financial hole. Virginia was Fr. Sullivan's right-hand person in righting the university's financial ship in the first years of his presidency. After ten years as VP-Finance, in 1986, Virginia determined to go back to her first love, the classroom. Then, in 1993, the university agreed to acquire the School of Law from University of Puget Sound. Acquiring a law school is not like walking into a grocery store and buying a loaf of bread. It is a very complex transaction, involving two universities, faculty, staff, the Bar Association, the accrediting agencies, the federal government, and so on. As Special Assistant to the Provost, she took the lead in working out all the many, many details for a successful transition, and did it superbly. Then, back to the classroom and a stint as Associate Dean of the Albers School. Her next incarnation came in 1997 when she was appointed Associate Vice President for Information Services. IS made major progress under her leadership. In 2003, after stepping down from IS, she took on the challenge of Interim Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and that center is now launched and a permanent director hired. 

Few people in the university's history have made such important contributions in so many different areas. I don't know which of them she is most proud of, but I do know that her students from thirty years back still speak of her with affection and gratitude for the quality of the education she gave them. Please recognize Professor Emerita Virginia Parks.

In the News:

Virginia Parks was awarded Professor Emerita status as of February 2004.

Seattle University's Chief Information Officer to return to full-time teaching

September 4, 2002

Seattle University announced today that Dr. Virginia Parks, associate vice president and chief information officer, will return to teaching full-time in fall quarter 2003.

This is a decision Parks has been considering for the past few months, and to ensure adequate time for a smooth transition for both her and the university, Parks concluded that now was the right time to inform the university of her decision.

With Parks' announcement, Seattle University has the opportunity to reflect on the many significant accomplishments the IT group has achieved since she assumed the role of CIO. Parks assumed the position of CIO in March 1997 in response to an invitation from John Eshelman, then Acting President, and Denis Ransmeier, then Vice President for Finance and Administration. At the time, Parks was Associate Dean of the Albers School of Business and Economics, and had a successful track record as an administrator, as well as being a member of the faculty.

Parks brought to her work as CIO an invaluable faculty understanding of instructional needs. That understanding is reflected in IT's development of the technology tool known as Classes 123 and in the creation of the Instructional Design Center, to mention just two of many initiatives that successfully serve the faculty's needs. Among the other accomplishments that bear Parks' signature are the original launch of Seattle Universitys public website in 1998; the implementation of campus-wide standards for desktop computers and productivity software; the development and launch of our intranet InSite in 2000; the implementation of on-line registration through SU Online; the implementation of electronic voting for ASSU; the development of an array of high-quality IT training classes; the creation and maintenance of technology-enhanced classrooms and the portable technology carts; and the implementation just this summer of wireless connectivity throughout the campus. Without a doubt, Parks' leadership brought Seattle University's technology infrastructure into the 21st century and laid a solid foundation for the next major evolution in our use of technology.

At this point, Seattle University is anticipating Parks' official last day as CIO to be in early to mid-January. Parks will be working closely with Seattle University administrators during her transition to full-time teaching as the university explores how best to find her successor and assure the continuing success of IT's contributions to the university. For all the contributions and improvements Parks and her IT team have made and will continue to make, Seattle University is enormously grateful.