Out of pure coincidence, the top three positions at Bradley – president, vice president and provost – are currently filled by Bradley alumni.
Even though they are well acquainted with each other now, President Gary Roberts, Vice President of Business Affairs Gary Anna and Provost Walter Zakahi graduated from Bradley in different years and with different majors. They said they never met each other during their time as students.
Graduating first, Roberts earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1970. Anna then received his Bachelor of Science in accounting in 1975. Finally, Zakahi graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor’s in speech communication.
“We don’t spend a lot of time reminiscing,” Anna said. “We’re really focused on trying to move the university forward, and we know how personal the experience is because we all certainly share in that.”
Despite their different experiences on campus, Anna, Zakahi and Roberts said they attribute their positive college experiences to their relationships with the faculty and staff on campus.
“I had a number of professors over the time that I was here who really made a difference,” Zakahi said. “For me, the difference between Bradley and other institutions is that [the students] get to have a personal relationship with the faculty.”
Returning to the Hilltop and assuming their new positions came with different experiences for the three. Even though there were physical changes on campus and more technology had been introduced, all three said the intent to provide students with the best college experience has not changed.
“What is the same as half a century ago is Bradley’s core commitment to undergraduate education and giving all of our students an educational experience rooted in close relationships with the faculty and staff and in active engagement,” Roberts said. “Also the same is the fact that there is an excellent faculty dedicated to the students and to Bradley.”
One establishment that has stood the test of time is Avanti’s, which both Anna and Zakahi said they visited in their college careers.
“Avanti’s was a favorite place when I was a student,” Zakahi said. “[My friends and I] used to go on Sunday nights and get all-you-can-eat spaghetti when the dorms didn’t serve dinner.”
Because of the experiences the three had as students, Zakahi said the three of them coming back to work at Bradley is a “labor of love,” and he said their interests lie in improving the university for students now.
“If I’m lucky, I’ll get to retire from Bradley,” Zakahi said. “What that means for Bradley is that [the students] have three leaders whose interests are not in their personal agenda, but really, [we are] interested in the future of this institution and trying to make it better.”
