Dr. Gloria Oikelome, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, spoke with DELCO Today about her childhood growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, in a large family of Nigerian immigrants and how she, growing up in a family of avid readers, cultivated an appreciation for learning at a very early age.

Oikelome was always passionate about education and that led to a career in teaching, first in K-12 and then later at the university level, but a few influential mentors turned her toward administrative roles in higher ed.

She shared how she’s guiding Delaware Valley University to enhance experiential education, embrace the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, maintain the university’s distinctive advantage with agricultural programs, and how she’s shifting her thinking about different learning styles.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in West Africa. I’m the only girl of seven; I’m number five. But we settled in the Midwest — St. Paul, Minnesota — when I was very young, probably four or five years old.

What did your parents do?

My father worked for many years for the American Embassy in Lagos. We grew up in a political household, which helped shape me. My mother was a math teacher. After 30 years working for the embassy, my father became eligible for a retirement pension, which included the option to relocate to the States with your family. My father was told that when you have that many children and want to move to America, you should pick somewhere in the Midwest because it’s a good place to raise a family.

Although he retired, when my family settled in the States, my parents started a ministry group that supported families in the diaspora. This grew into a decent size church that they led for about 20 years. Most immigrants in our circle at that time were all nurses or nursing assistants. So, my mom, through a connection, shifted to health care and found work in a nursing home for nuns, Home of the Good Shepherd.

What’s your role in the family?

Being the only girl, even though I’m number five, by default, I had to be responsible at an early age. I was the surrogate parent when my mother and father were not around. As a result, I’m very close to my siblings even now as adults.

What do you remember about growing up in St. Paul?

We quickly found out that everything in America is not as it appears on TV. We lived in a predominantly Black neighborhood, but we struggled with navigating the differences between African culture versus Black culture. My father was very in tune with American culture because of his work and travel. He was keen for us to understand and adjust to American culture, but at the same time, both my parents were determined to have their children retain the African culture that was part of them.

I grew up in a neighborhood where you kept your head down. It wasn’t always safe. In the ‘80s, there were a lot of challenges and a lot of crime.

We were all avid readers, and we read everything we got our hands on. My parents instilled in us the idea of education as a ticket to a better life. We were not in the best schools, but our teachers took notice of us — our love of reading, our love of learning, and the fact that we never felt challenged enough. A couple of my siblings and I skipped grades. They saw that and reached out to my parents to say, “There’s a school across town — your kids would have better opportunities there.” And off we went to St. Peter Claver Catholic School. But for that, I don’t know where I would be today. By the time I started middle school, my father had been able to move us to a better neighborhood, and we went back to public school.

Did you play any sports in high school?

I did! I ran track. We were an all-track household and very athletic and very active.

Did you have a job in high school?

I got my first job when I was 12. I worked at the nursing home where my mother worked. They embraced her and took her in. They would help us at Christmastime. My mom would take us to work for events and to visit with the nuns, and, of course, I always had a book in my hand.

One day, my mom’s Supervisor, Sister Catherine, saw me reading one of my books to the nuns in the community room, and they were all listening. She gave me a job to come in three times a week and read. I did that for a couple of years. When I was 15, I moved to the kitchen to help with meal prep and dishwashing.

What lessons did you learn from that job that stay with you today?

It taught me responsibility and how to work hard to contribute to something. My brothers all worked as well. We would have to bring our checks together as a family. We had my dad’s pension, which was generous, but supporting seven children in America, you burn through that quickly. Even at a young age, I understood I was contributing to my family’s needs. We always had that spirit and sense of community.

When we’d go grocery shopping or back-to-school shopping, I knew that some of my money was going to that. And my parents were always careful to show us that. They’d say, “Gloria got this much, and so-and-so made this much, and we’re going to put it all together.” My dad also gave each of us a little allowance. So I learned from an early age the value of money, the value of saving, and not taking things for granted.

What kind of music floated your boat when you were growing up?

We were a very musical family. We all play some instrument. We sang in the choir. I was taught to appreciate everything from gospel greats to R&B to Afrobeat to old-school soul.

My mother taught me the importance of lyrics — again, connecting that to that love of reading. She’d say, “Pay attention to the words — what are the words saying?” I have this automatic reaction, even to a lot of pop music today. Sometimes I hear the first few lines and I think, “That’s not doing anything for my life.”

You were a good student. You could have gone to college anywhere. Where did you end up going and why there?                                                                

I went to Bethel College in St. Paul, Minn., which is now Bethel University. Mom and Dad basically sat down with a map and said, “You can go here, here, here, or here.” And all of those schools were within 30 minutes from home.     

I was already familiar with Bethel. It’s a faith-based institution. I had known about it growing up because family friends would take us to concerts and plays there, and I went to a church camp there one summer.

Was Bethel a good choice for you?

Bethel was a wonderful choice because Bethel is why I’m in higher education. I ended up going back to teach there and ended up being their first faculty of color in the biological sciences.      

I majored in Biology, and one of my professors, Dr. Teresa DeGolier, who later became the Department Chair, took me under her wing as an undergrad.

She helped me make the choice to go to grad school, which later led to a teaching career in K-12. I became certified to teach Science in middle and high school. Some years later, I had to visit Bethel to get my transcript for a new teaching opportunity, I bumped into her in the hallway. She said, “I need an adjunct instructor for the fall semester.”

I thought, “I’m going to give it a chance; I can always go back to K-12 teaching afterward.” … But I never went back. One semester turned into two, which turned into three, and she kept renewing my contract. That experience opened the door for me to teach at other colleges. And that’s how I got started in higher ed.

All of us, when we graduate from college, are still wet behind the ears. We’re still naive in so many ways. Who saw promise in you, saw potential, and opened up doors?

Dr. Teresa DeGolier and my Dean when I was teaching, Deb Harless. And then, moving forward, it was different individuals that I worked with. It’s like a collective where people would see a passion in you and commit to nurturing it. And my extended family: I’m part of a big, supportive community, and they really are my village.

What did that collective see in you? What were you bringing to the table that they thought was special and gave you potential?

Whatever was happening out in culture or in society, especially growing up, if it wasn’t positive, the collective made sure that I was hearing the opposite narrative.

Even in that tough neighborhood that we lived in for several years, they would always say, “Okay, society is saying this thing about this population, but you don’t have to believe that. And here’s how we can support you.”

It wasn’t a denial of tough realities and systemic problems that existed. But half the battle is in your mind and how you perceive yourself. So, every time I would say, “I think I can do that,” and the village affirmed that saying, “Yep, you can. Go right ahead and do it.”

How did you get to Delaware Valley University?

I’ve been at DelVal for about two and a half years now. After teaching, I progressed to various administrative roles at different institutions, including Montgomery County Community College. I was Dean of Health Sciences at the time when Dr. Vicki Bastecki-Perez, then Interim President, offered me a wonderful opportunity to serve as interim Vice President for Academic Affairs. I tell students I’m a reluctant leader — I just wanted to be in the classroom — but people saw things in me and gave me opportunities that led to the next level. Vicki was one of them.

After a few years at Montco, I was looking for a new opportunity. By this time, I had worked at a faith-based institution, a medical school, a military school, and a community college. My parents would take us back to Africa for a visit every few years, and I was exposed to a lot of agricultural aspects. I’ve had the opportunity to make connections, explore, and participate in various initiatives focused on improving the world of agriculture in developing countries, like Nigeria and Rwanda.

When it came, I jumped at the opportunity to work at DelVal, with its focus and distinction on agricultural programs. When I went for my interview, within 20 minutes of talking to our President, Dr. Ben Rusiloski, I knew that this was where I wanted to be, and I knew I wanted to be a part of his leadership team. From the students to the faculty, staff, and the amazing team that I have the privilege of overseeing, it’s the perfect fit.  

Here we are at the beginning of 2025, a quarter in. What are your focuses and priorities?

We pride ourselves on learning by doing — science with practice, it’s our core — and that’s something I want to continue to build on. How we teach and learn is also changing. We just established an AI task force on campus to address the opportunities, concerns, and challenges faculty are expressing around artificial intelligence. Students have discovered AI; now we can’t ignore it, and we’ve got to teach them the right way to use it.

I’m very focused on new program development and initiatives. Higher ed is a crowded and competitive market, and many institutions are struggling. What’s going to help us stand out? It’s our programs in Agricultural and Animal Sciences. I want to keep elevating and enhancing them. I’m also proud that we provide opportunities in Business, Liberal Arts, and Media Communication, in addition to our distinctions. At the graduate level, we’ve branched out into the Health and Clinical Sciences, and that’s critical to meet the workforce needs in those areas.

I’m also focused on identifying ways to make education more affordable. At our open house recently, students were sharing with me their career goals, and parents were sharing their hopes for what we can provide, given their investment. It’s a sobering responsibility, and we have to ensure we deliver value.

What do you do with all that free time that you have? Do you still read?

I wish I had a lot of free time. These days, I’m reading things related to my sector. But family comes first for me. We have a daughter at St. Joe’s in her first year. Nothing was more nerve-wracking than going through the experience of something I’ve known for years. I probably drove all the schools nuts asking them different questions. It took us about an hour and a half to sit down and fill out the FAFSA. After we finished, I was exhausted. But she’s happily settled.

Our son is a senior in high school, so now we’re going through it again, but experience is the best teacher, so we’re feeling much more confident. He’s settled at Eastern University, where my husband is a professor.

In any spare time, it’s about family and community. My parents have found their way out of the Minnesota cold after many, many years, and now they’re in Texas with two of my other siblings. So, I divide my time between life at home in Pennsylvania and life there, as we are now in a new phase of life, caring for them.

I love traveling, and I’m trying to do one bucket list trip a year. I went to Abu Dhabi and Dubai last year.

Three last questions for you, Gloria. What’s something big that you’ve changed your mind about over the last 10 years?  

The biggest change is probably my perceptions of how we teach and learn. I was in the classroom for almost 20 years. In my own education and my training to become an Educator, there are things we always did in a certain way because it’s the academy. As a Scientist and Faculty member, there were times I questioned certain approaches, or I would think: “That change, or accommodation, seems to give an unfair advantage.”

I’m less dogmatic now. Over the years, I have come to fully appreciate the diversity and spectrum of learning styles and approaches. I experienced this with my son, and I had to shift my thinking to support him. It’s been helpful when I’m dealing with faculty or staff who feel the same way I used to feel. I understand it and can work to support them and share how I’ve evolved, and rightly so, because we have so many students coming now with different learning needs.

What keeps you hopeful and optimistic? It’s a crazy world out there.

I still truly believe in humanity, no matter what. Higher ed is a tough environment — some days I’m mediating hot-button issues. I frequently say, “No classroom is a monolith. No campus is a monolith.”

The media presents everything as if we are all in immovable boxes that never interact, but we’re all shaped by our personal experiences. For example, I support school choice, and that may be surprising based on my career. But I know what a difference that opportunity made in my life and that of my siblings. It’s easy to say something shouldn’t be, but not everyone has the privilege to be in an environment where all educational needs are met, and not everyone can afford to wait for environments to get better.

There are all kinds of things society has conditioned us to feel about people who are different from us, but you have to be intentional, push that aside, and take the time to get to know someone not in your circle. You don’t have to agree with a person to respect their humanity. When you set aside all the noise that’s supposed to make us feel we’re so different and divided, I still believe in humanity.

Finally, Gloria, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My father often speaks in proverbs. One of his sayings is, “Don’t use someone else’s clock to tell your own time.” It’s a way of saying, “Don’t compare yourself to others.” It’ll make you feel like you haven’t achieved something, and you’ll put all kinds of pressure on yourself and end up feeling inadequate.

And when those thoughts get in your head, that deters you from getting to where you want to be because you’re sitting over here having this pity party. That stuck with me, and it always encourages me that I am making progress at the pace that works best for me.