The story below is a from our July/August 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Presidential spouses share their side of serving an institution.
Courtesy of Roanoke College
Kelly Shushok is a constant presence at Roanoke College functions, often side by side with her husband.
While it’s hard to argue against the fact that a president is the face of a college or university, it’s also worth keeping in mind that they don’t serve an institution on their own. Many are supported by their spouses—the first lady or first gentleman of an institution.
Many of the Roanoke Valley’s colleges and universities have active and engaged presidential spouses, including Jane Sandel at Virginia Western Community College, Kelly Shushok at Roanoke College and John Martin at Ferrum College.
Jane Sandel: A Legacy of Support and Advocacy
Courtesy of Virginia Western
Dr. Robert Sandel and Jane at the Virginia Community College System’s 50th Anniversary Gala.
Jane Sandel is the longest-serving presidential spouse in the Roanoke Valley by far. For over 20 years, she has been by her husband’s side as he’s served as president of Virginia Western Community College. But her experience as a first lady extends back even further to when her husband, Dr. Robert Sandel, was president of Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap.
“It’s been so much fun to watch him grow and accomplish what he has. I’m so proud of him,” she gushes.
Aside from her experience as a first lady, the South Carolina native is no stranger to the education field. In fact, she had a 37-year career as a secondary school teacher before retiring from Salem High School a little over 10 years ago.
The fact that she was a teacher and he’s an administrator has led to some interesting conversations between the two. “I would understand where he was coming from with issues, but I’d sometimes play the devil’s advocate. I’m a teacher. You’re an administrator. So, let me tell you my side of the story,” she jokes.
While teaching, she often encouraged her seniors to attend Virginia Western. “At the beginning of the year, I would ask how many of them were going to Virginia Western. Maybe two of them would raise their hands, but by the end of the year many more said yes, they were going because they realized the advantages and opportunities there,” she says.
One of Sandel’s biggest contributions to the college is championing several programs that are close to her heart, including the Dual Enrollment program and the Community College Access Program. CCAP is a public-private partnership that pays the cost of tuition if a qualified student doesn’t have sufficient financial aid. Over the past 15 years, $10 million has been spent to support over 4,000 students.
She also helps entertain, which she really enjoys. “There are dinners and conferences and other social events that we go to, which I have a good time at. That’s fun. I’ve gotten to know the people of Roanoke through those and also the Virginia Community College System,” she says. Luckily, her commute to campus is short because she lives within walking distance.
Although the Sandels had originally thought they might one day go back to South Carolina, they’ve decided Roanoke is where they want to be for good.
Kelly Shushok: Navigating a New Role with Grace
Kelly and Frank Shushok greet students during summer orientation.
Kelly Shushok became first lady of Roanoke College, a Salem-based private school, when her husband, Frank Shushok, left his administrative role at Virginia Tech to become president in July 2022.
The Texas native and her husband are high school sweethearts. Virginia is one of many stops the two have made in their pursuit of education and work, including stints in Ohio, Arizona and Maryland.
Unlike other local presidential spouses, this is Shushok’s first time in the role. As her husband learned how to become president, she also learned how to become first lady.
“It’s a bit sobering to know that you always represent something beyond yourself. That’s taken some getting used to at places like the grocery store. At the same time, I consider it the most humbling honor of my life,” she says of the transition.
She knew going in that the college wanted an active and engaged presidential spouse, which prompted her to have a frank conversation with her husband about whether they were ready to undertake such a big effort as a team. She decided to give up her senior pastor position at a church in Blacksburg to dedicate herself to Roanoke College. “When we took this job at Roanoke College, it was a we. It wasn’t that he took it, it was a we took it,” she stresses. “We wrestle through topics together. We talk about what are the greatest hopes and dreams and what seems to be the challenges. That requires both of you having a hand in the pie.”
As time has gone on, she’s tried to feel out where her skills might be a natural fit. “I’m doing many of the same things I’ve always done, just now directing them to and through the college community,” she explains.
Her duties at the college center on three areas: teaching and mentoring, working behind the scenes to support campus initiatives and building goodwill with members of the college community.
Prior to her current role, Shushok was a teacher and later a pastor, both of which she says translate well into her work with students on campus. She currently teaches two seminar classes, advises a cohort of 15 freshmen, mentors international students who are acclimating to their new environment and offers pastoral/emotional care for additional students seeking support.
Her support of campus initiatives includes helping with the campus food pantry, which officially opened in January 2023, and the campus garden. Working on the food pantry, she says, energizes her because it helps equalize the playing field and provides students with what they need to thrive.
As part of her efforts to build goodwill with members of the community, she has led alumni book club sessions, traveled to represent the college at various events and opened the President’s House, which she describes as a mansion, for numerous occasions that bring the community together, including a holiday tree lighting event she came up with. “We have a revolving door at the house,” she jokes.
Shushok says that getting to serve Roanoke College alongside her husband has been the gift of her life.
John Martin: A Gentleman’s Commitment to Service
Courtesy of Ferrum College
One of John Martin’s biggest roles at Ferrum College is helping the maintenance and grounds crews.
John Martin officially became the first gentleman of Ferrum College, a Franklin County-based private school, in October 2023 after his wife, Dr. Mirta Martin, was named president after serving a 10-month stint in an interim role.
The Richmond native met his wife while they were both studying at Duke University.
The role of first gentleman isn’t new to Martin. In fact, this is his third go around, having been first gentleman of Fort Hays State University in Kansas from 2014-16 and Fairmont State University in West Virginia from 2018-22.
During his wife’s previous tenures, he primarily resided in Richmond to run his family’s commercial construction business and would commute to the campuses for special events and weekends. As first gentleman at both institutions, he carried out several hosting duties and promoted the universities in their respective communities.
He’s now largely retired, which means he’s a permanent fixture around the Ferrum campus. “Being connected to the campus and getting to see the students, faculty and staff really makes it special,” he says.
Immediately upon arriving at Ferrum, he started pitching in by assuming the responsibilities of the grounds supervisor after the previous one retired. It was quite an undertaking because the college needed to get caught up on its groundskeeping after emerging from COVID-era closures.
“Since then, I’ve had a daily task role…just pitching in where it’s needed. It’s all on a volunteer basis. It’s pretty much full time,” he says. He still fulfills the traditional role of a presidential spouse by serving as a host and goodwill ambassador for the institution. “I’ve been responsible for planning and implementing our semiannual campuswide service day where we put about 500 students and faculty to work and work on about 30 projects around campus.”
Now as an experienced presidential spouse, Martin has observed that each institution has its own unique culture.
“This is a very hands-on culture. I think it fits Mirta and myself very well,” he says. “This is a school that very much gives a lot of opportunities to our students that they might not have elsewhere. The mission here is very strong. We feel very connected with it. Both of us are first-generation college students.”
The story above is from our July/August 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!