Worcester State’s Dr. Janelle C. Ashley Left Lasting Legacy
The 10th president is remembered as a mentor and role model who oversaw university expansion.
The Worcester State community mourns the passing of Dr. Janelle C. Ashley, the university’s 10th president and the first woman to hold that position. She passed away peacefully at home in Nacogdoches, Texas, on October 7, at the age of 81.
Dr. Ashley was known as a mentor and role model who touched the lives of many. “Those that worked with her including faculty, administration, staff, and students will say she was ever present, gracious, hospitable and, most importantly, attentive to the needs of the University and its students,” said President Barry Maloney. “She expanded the brand of Worcester State University by serving on local, regional, and national organizations to which she belonged. She will be greatly missed by all that knew her.”
Dr. Ashley broke ground in higher education years before, as the first woman to receive a doctorate from the school of business at the University of North Texas. After earning her bachelor’s in business administration from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas in 1962, she started her teaching career at Nacogdoches High School in Texas, teaching business communications. She went on to earn a master’s in English, also from Stephen F. Austin, and her doctorate of philosophy in management while making strides in her career. In 1965, Dr. Ashley started teaching business at Stephen F. Austin. She became the university’s dean of business in 1981 and, later, vice president for Academic Affairs.
In 2002, the native Texan made the move to Massachusetts to become the president of Worcester State, where she oversaw a period of expansion until her retirement in 2011. During her tenure, Worcester State College became Worcester State University. Worcester State was named one of the “Best in the Northeast” by The Princeton Review for seven consecutive years, and the university earned the highest federal designation for community service in 2008. Dr. Ashley oversaw a $10 million Opportunity of a Lifetime fundraising campaign, which raised $12.43 million in the midst of the 2008 economic crisis, and she and her husband, Ray, endowed a scholarship in 2011.
Under Dr. Ashley’s leadership, research initiatives expanded, and the university launched a 10-year, $250 million campus renewal project that included the construction of Wasylean Hall and the parking garage and renovations of the Helen G. Shaughnessy Administration Building, Dowden Hall, and the Learning Resource Center, which had the largest solar panel array in Worcester at the time. When Dr. Ashley retired, Worcester State Board of Trustees Chair John P. Brissette ’88 said, “The scope of improvements on our campus while President Ashley has been at the helm are breathtaking. We are so proud of the legacy she is leaving with us.”
In addition to her professional success, Dr. Ashley had a large and loving family. She was a dedicated mother of three and beloved grandmother to nine, and was married to Ray Ashley, her high school sweetheart, for nearly 62 years. A proud mother, she supported and cheered her children on in their endeavors. In the years since her retirement, she was able to spend time with her children and grandchildren and to travel with her husband, sister, and brother-in-law.