Green takes charge at Northwest campus
Jul. 8—Northwest Missouri State University has closed one chapter and opened another that will last for the coming academic year — and no longer — if all goes to plan.
Clarence Green reaffirmed on Thursday that in becoming the interim successor to John Jasinski as university president, he is not interested in serving for more than one year and would remain only to allow enough time for the Board of Regents to steer a national candidate search process.
This is the norm in higher education, with temporary leaders selected in the event of a vacancy to serve as caretakers, not someone who will remake the institution as they would have it. For all of the decisions Green does intend to make, though, clarity of intent and purpose is paramount, he said.
"Folks have asked for more transparency," he said. "But I still believe that feeds into that trust, and I think we have to do that by engaging our campus. It's going to take that selfless servant type of leadership, where we listen, align with what our folks are saying and then act on what they're saying as well."
Green acknowledged that the presidential transition has had public relations challenges. It unfolded from April 1 when then-university President Jasinski announced that his contract had not been renewed by the Board of Regents and that he would be involuntarily stepping down on June 30.
"The initial challenge lies in building back trust," Green said. "We have some Bearcat families right now that we have to really work with in building trust back into our organization. I think that, ultimately, we're going to move forward together."
In a recent statement, Regents Chairman John Moore — who, citing personnel privacy concerns, stood his ground against public pressure to explain the causes of Jasinski's departure — said Green has earned the board's trust and that of the broader community. The Regents alone negotiate a presidential contract.
"If you know Clarence, you know that he won't just mark his time in this position," Moore said. "He will put all of his energy into working with his teammates to advance the university."
On a personal level, Green said he is looking forward to the moment in which he will preside over the graduation ceremonies for the winter and summer classes of 2022-23. His son will graduate college with the December cohort.
"I'm looking forward to that opportunity to be before those graduates, just to share and talk to and celebrate with them," Green said. "That's what it's truly about. They've achieved a monumental task and accomplishment to be a graduate and receive their college degree."
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
