Sitting at her desk in Danley Hall, Delma Hall, assistant vice president of academic affairs and director of fine arts at East Central University, smooths her hair briefly, perhaps subconsciously. She sits up straight in her chair, and there are no visible creases on her suit. Her laugh comes easily. Her demeanor is pleasant and charming, and she carries herself with both a gentle calm and a strong confidence. Her humble and inviting attitude are enough to put most anyone at ease. As a sort of adviser to the roughly 4,000 students at East Central, her professional yet agreeable presentation is invaluable.
Although Hall grew up on a farm in rural Oklahoma, and currently wears several hats at ECU in Ada, she has not lived a stationary life. After graduating college with an English degree and almost enough credits for a degree in speech/theater, she moved to Heidelberg, Germany, where she taught at a high school for American students. Around that time she toured Europe with her husband, indulging her passion for travel. She returned to the United States a few years later, and came to Ada to teach at East Central while also finishing a doctorate in theater.
Since beginning her career in teaching and leadership at the university level, she has fulfilled many roles. As a teacher she started part-time and moved up to department chair of communication and associate professor. Her teaching was put on hold after getting her current position in academic affairs. For six months she was dean of the school of business, and picked up the role of director of fine arts after the new Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center was finished in 2009.
Despite her multiple positions at ECU over the years, Hall said that, first and foremost, she is a teacher.
“The classroom is always my favorite,” she said.
Many students would agree that Hall is a natural teacher. She received 13 reviews on RateMyProfessors.com, a Web site on which college students can post public evaluations of their professors. She received nearly perfect scores on clarity, helpfulness and overall quality.
“Everything about her is perfect,” one review stated. “Her look, her voice, her presence, you can't take your eyes off of her and she knows exactly how to impact every individual in the room. She taught me so much.”
As director of fine arts, Hall mentioned that her most desired expectations for the new school are mainly focused on getting students actively involved, pushing creativity to the maximum level.
“I would just like to see it full and overflowing all the time,” she said. “I'd like to see the programs grow, because the facility is so phenomenal. I want there to be activities going on there all the time … That building should be vibrating on its foundation at all times with creativity.”
Hall has had a lifelong love affair with the arts, she said. Despite her focus on theater, she made it clear that all arts are important to her.
“To me, the arts are breath,” she explained with much zeal apparent in her voice. “Creativity, to me, is such a part of who I am. I can't imagine that the world would be a very nice place if we didn't have the arts.” She mentioned that the most challenging part of her career so far is “finding time to do everything.”
“Being involved in theater, time is always the challenge when you're trying to get everything done,” she said.
Hall stated that she is progressively focused, looking forward to the future and evolution of the university, especially the fine arts program. On a personal level she also hopes to continue to explore her love of travel – perhaps when she finally does find time to do everything.
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