Maghan Keita ’72

• 38 years at Villanova University as a faculty member and an administrator
• 50 years with the College Board, including chair of its Board of Trustees
• 50-plus years in curriculum design, development, and implementation, nationally and internationally

Q&A

Service on the board represents a significant commitment of time and effort. What draws you to this service?
Service. Inasmuch as my family has shaped me, Oberlin has also been an essential element in making me into who I am today. In that is an Oberlin intrinsic: service. In my mind, this entails giving back, as I can, so that following generations might have access to an Oberlin education and its ethos.

What elements of your personal and professional life would be helpful to you in your service as a trustee?
With over 50 years in higher education, possibly my most valuable contribution to the Oberlin Board of Trustees is my desire to find insight in competing views through analysis and critical and creative thinking.

What else do you want your fellow alumni to know about you?
I’d like alumni to know that I am “process oriented.” In that, I mean that I regard life and all that we do in it as a journey rather than a destination. This means that I make long-term commitments to finding solutions to our most pressing issues. This also implies that more people should be involved in the journey, and that their voices must be heard and honored.