As Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad prepares to become Emory University’s next provost, members of the Oxford community reflected on the legacy she has made during her two years leading the campus. For many students, Ahad’s presence was more personal, going beyond her administrative responsibilities as dean.
Jacey Mok (26Ox), who worked as Ahad’s social media intern, recalled their monthly meetings to plan and record content. She said Ahad is “beloved” on campus.
“She was always really open to hearing about the student scoop and what students were up to, and especially what students were concerned about,” Mok said. “It was very clear that she cared deeply about students and she cared about interacting with students.”
Oxford Advising Support Center Academic Advisor Matthew Brittingham (23G) emphasized that Ahad always advocated for Oxford in her role as dean.
“She has done a very good job of being very understanding with faculty and their concerns and raising those concerns to people at the Atlanta campus,” Brittingham said.
Brittingham added that Ahad worked to change the school spirit at Oxford.
“When she first started, there was a larger proportion of students who their vibes were ‘I’m mostly here to get to Emory, rather than here to enjoy Oxford,’” Brittingham said. “Her decisions in steering Oxford in certain directions really helped just improve the general vibes, in relation to the interest that the students that we were getting, their interest in experiencing Oxford as Oxford.”
Oxford College Director of Career and Professional Development Adelaide Richardson emphasized Ahad’s focus on student-centered initiatives.
“Students had mentioned that they wanted something to be able to have experience related to pre-health,” Richardson said. “She met with the leaders of Piedmont Newton, and that’s how we came up with the 492R internship course.”
The 492R internship course, which encompasses all disciplinary internships, now provides an opportunity for a cohort of Oxford students to shadow healthcare professionals at Piedmont Newton Hospital.
On Oct. 20, Madison Forsythe (26Ox) interviewed Ahad about her time at Oxford and the transition toward a larger role at Emory University in a fireside chat at Oxford College’s Phi Gamma Hall, for an audience of about 15 community members.
During the discussion, Ahad called herself a “servant leader,” emphasizing how Oxford belongs to everyone in the community.
“I don’t ever enter into a leadership role thinking about my own ambitions or my own sense of advancement or the mark I want to make on a place because Oxford isn’t my college,” Ahad said. “Oxford belongs to all of us.”
Ahad characterized her transition to provost as a “leap.”
“I never in a million years thought I’d be here at Oxford with you all,” Ahad said. “I certainly never thought I’d be any provost, much less a provost at Emory. I couldn’t have scripted my life’s journey by any stretch of the imagination.”
Nate Occilien-Similien (26Ox) highlighted his excitement to see what Ahad would do as provost.
“She’s been great to me as a dean at Oxford, and I can’t wait to see her on the Atlanta campus,” Occilien-Similien said.
Forsythe mentioned that she was initially skeptical about why Oxford selected her as an interviewer, but expressed that Ahad motivated her to do the job.
“Being another Black woman on campus, and getting to interview Dean Ahad in that position really gave me the motivation to go through with it,” Forsythe said. “Before I formulated the questions, I took my time to do research more about Dean Ahad’s story.”
As Oxford prepares for a new chapter, those who worked with Ahad say her impact will continue to last.
“The culture at any institution is filtered down,” Richardson said. “She was an example of how we all should be. At the end of the day, we are all here to serve the students. She was a perfect example of that. A daily reminder that, yes, we are indeed here for the students and not for ourselves.”
