Baldwin City residents who stroll through campus on evening walks often meet a couple walking three dogs.

The couple smile, they’re friendly and always speak. But this couple is different from others that take walks on campus.

This couple walks on Baker’s campus with a little more pride than others. This couple lives in the Collins House. This couple truly represents Baker University.

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University President Pat Long and her husband, Dennis, came to Baker in 2006 after Dan Lambert stepped down as university president following a 19-year reign.

On Oct. 27, 2006, Long was inaugurated as Baker University’s first woman president, and on May 23, Long will deliver the keynote address at commencement to the class that took its first steps on Baker’s campus the same year Long took hers.

“The seniors that are leaving now, I’ve watched for four years, and remembering the first day I said ‘hello’ to them and then now to see the men and women that they’ve become … is just amazing,” Long said.

While Long has waved goodbye to three other classes since becoming university president, the class of 2010 is the first class she has seen from beginning to end.

“I felt like we have shared so many ups and downs together,” she said. “We’ve seen students who have had tragedy and we’ve lost students and we’ve seen so many highs and some lows. I just wanted to be able to say some things to this class that are different than I probably would have said to other classes.”

Myra Glover, executive assistant to the president’s office, said while every graduation is fun, she anticipates this year’s commencement to be a little more memorable than the past three.

“I know it’s going to be very special,” Glover said, “And I have a feeling that we probably won’t have very many dry eyes in the place.”

Glover came to Baker in 1995 and worked with Lambert before transferring to student development for 10 years. In March 2007, she transferred back to the president’s office, only this time with Long.

“Dr. Pat is so involved with all the students. Dr. Lambert was involved also, but Dr. Pat’s energy level with students – she knows everyone,” Glover said. “Her genuineness, her loyalty and involvement with the students is wonderful, which has made it just a joy to work with her. She’s a real person.”

Long’s open-door policy is something Glover feels students, faculty and staff take comfort in.

"Students love Dr. Pat. She is honest with them," Glover said. "She may not always give them the answer they're wishing and hoping for, but they know they can trust her and they know she's doing what's best, not only for the institution, but for them."<br/>Glover credits being connected with the university 24/7 as one of her favorite aspects of working with the president.Glover credits being connected with the university 24/7 as one of her favorite aspects of working with the president.
Glover credits being connected with the university 24/7 as one of her favorite aspects of working with the president.

That same 24/7 nature of being president of a university, however, is something that neither Long nor Dennis was prepared for four years ago.

“I think I was expecting to meet some wonderful students and I was expecting to meet alums that really cared about the university. I was expecting faculty that really, really cared about the students,” Long said. “The 24/7 nature of the job, though, I knew it but I hadn’t lived it, and so I don’t think I was prepared exactly for that.”

Dennis, who describes himself as an introvert and private person, said it was hard to get used to going to all of the events and having people through their home, the Collins House, all the time, but it’s gotten better over time.

The small town of Baldwin City and family-like atmosphere of Baker, though, are the parts Dennis thoroughly enjoys when it comes to being part of Baker’s family.

“Baker is a neat school. I went to (University of Missouri-Kansas City) , Pat worked at UMKC and she worked at Johnson County Community College, so we’ve been involved with several different schools and Baker’s different,” he said. “It’s more of a family. I like the family atmosphere at Baker.”

Dennis retired from Honeywell in Kansas City, Mo., in 2006 when Long was chosen as Baker’s new president.

In his spare time, he enjoys working on computers and websites and walking their dogs – Frankie, Morgan and Prissy. He also likes riding motorcycles when he gets the time.

“When we moved to Baldwin I got my first motorcycle, now I’ve got my second one, I’ve upgraded a bit,” he said. “So, I like to ride motorcycles when I have the chance and the weather’s decent. Pat’s been on the back a couple times, but when she was young she had a small bike – maybe someday again. Her board probably wouldn’t like her to be riding motorcycles, too risky.”

Dennis has enjoyed seeing his wife establish herself as president of a college institution, but knows that didn’t come without a few bumps in the road – namely, the budget crisis Baker has faced over the past year.

“I didn’t expect the economy and the finances and how that seemed to put a stop in so many of our initiatives, and just weathering the storm,” Long said. “That was the biggest challenge. We had to deal with people’s lives and layoffs and cutbacks and that was very difficult.”

The memorable moments, exciting events and accomplished goals that have taken place over the past four years, though, outweigh the challenges that Long has faced.

When Long came to Baker four years ago, she focused on thinking about Baker as a whole, on thinking about Baker’s four schools as one. And looking back, she thinks Baker’s done a good job at doing just that.

Over the past four years, Long has learned she can’t attend every student event and activity, she’s learned there’s a certain element of sleep that’s needed to be successful and she’s learned what the “Baker magic” that people talk about really is. But most importantly, she’s learned to treasure the parts of a job that’s not always easy.

“You have to remember to cherish the moments that you have that are positive and with students, and realize that as the president I will probably be here a very short time in relation to the history of the university,” she said. “Whether I’m here four, six years, seven years, whatever, it’s really a short time in the span of the university and so just to realize that and to do your best every day. That’s what I’ve tried to do the first four and hopefully the next few.”