MSU president finalist Biff Williams emphasizes outreach, partnerships, momentum at forum

Richard "Biff" Williams admitted Missouri State has been on his radar for nearly two decades. He has even dreamed about the university.

He said the dreams were about the future of the institution and the way it interacts with the community and serves students.

"You have a fantastic foundation," he told the crowd. "The great thing about Missouri State is you have a storied past. You have great momentum right now and your future is just as big as your past."

One of three finalists to become the university's 12th president, Williams was on the Springfield campus Thursday. The most public part of his interview process was a one-hour open forum in front of a packed audience of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

The forum for each of the three finalists will be identical. They are asked a series of questions by Lynn Parman, chair of the MSU Board of Governors. The second half, they take questions from the audience.

Williams, former president of Utah Tech University, is also a finalist for president of New Mexico State University.

He was previously provost and vice president for academic affairs and was founding dean of the College of Nursing, Health and Human Services at Indiana State University.

It was during his years at University of Northern Iowa — where he was a faculty member and held many leadership roles including dean of the College of Education — that Missouri State first caught his attention. Recently, he took a deeper dive.

"I was studying Missouri State and I started dreaming about it. I'm like 'Well, I better apply' if I am starting to dream about this and the exciting partnerships (and) things that could happen there."

Asked why he applied for the top job, Williams said: "Looking at what you're addressing as a university and my experiences in increasing enrollment, and student success and academic programs, and aligning them with the community and building community partnerships, for me, it felt like a great fit."

The other finalists include Roger Thompson, vice president for student services and enrollment management at the University or Oregon and current MSU provost John Jasinski, who spent 13 years as president of Northwest Missouri State University.

Williams talks about leadership style, outreach

Williams said his leadership style is based on communication, collaboration and consistency. "You can't be a 'me' atmosphere. It has to be a 'we.'"

Asked his greatest achievement, Williams said building a strategic plan with widespread buy-in that sets priorities and drives decision-making.

"My overall philosophy is have great people, empower them, create your plan," he said.

Asked about diversity, equity and the inclusion of marginalized students on a college campus, he said serving them starts by engaging with different groups about what they need and want.

He said it starts with gathering data and asking the right questions. "Who are the marginalized students? Who are the underserved? What are the services that they need? How do we put those services in place? And then how do you communicate that?"

Williams spoke extensively about outreach and "road shows" — taking the message of the university out to the city, to civic leaders, to businesses, to lawmakers — and asking how the resources of the campus, including the expertise of faculty and staff, can serve the community.

"It's important to go out there and say 'This is Missouri State University, this is what we do. How can we help you and how can we serve you?'" he said.

Marcus Aton, co-founder of the Future Ozarks Foundry and an alum of Missouri State, wanted to know more about Williams' plan for outreach.

Williams talked about face-to-face meetings with businesses and setting up internships for students. He referenced a "reverse headhunter" program at Utah Tech that might work in Springfield.

"They were going out to the business and saying 'We'll find the students, what do you need?' and creating that resource where we are addressing our community's issues," he said.

John Chuchiak, director of the Honors College and Missouri State, asked Williams about his experience with honors programs and how he'd enhance the experience for students.

Williams answered that the rigorous interdisciplinary option should be "as big as possible" and serve students on different levels based on their interests. He noted that at Utah Tech, not all students wanted to engage in the full curriculum.

"So, are there different levels of honors experiences? Is there just a weekly speaker series that somebody can be part of ... or is it the full-blown curriculum or is it just a study abroad experience?" he said.

A student asked Williams about improving security on campus and he listed off the resources already available and noted that must be reviewed periodically. "We want everyone to feel safe."

More: 'Dream' come true: Missouri State to build alumni center on Springfield campus

Other questions involved the value of online learning as an option, the potential to improve athletic programs and the value Williams placed on providing mental health resources on campus.

Shannon Wooden, a gender studies expert and professor of English, said academic areas that focus on humanities often feel left out when there is so much discussion about linking programs to economic development. She asked for assurances that Williams sees value in the liberal arts.

He responded "the humanities, the arts, is tied to workforce development and we sometimes forget about that." He provided examples.

A business owner and former Missouri State student asked Williams to identify some "low-hanging fruit" — changes that are relatively easy — that he has observed in studying the university.

Williams listed off the ongoing academic alignment, economic development, strengthening athletics and the arts, expanding graduate and doctoral programs, and enhancing the reach of the IDEA Commons.

He said the university also needs to look at how it can be a leader in harnessing artificial intelligence, or AI.

What Williams said about a potential move from FCS to FBS in athletics

Williams echoed a phrase Smart has used when referring to athletics as one of the front doors to the university. Williams has more experience in the Missouri Valley Conference than the other finalists as he’s spent years at Indiana State and Northern Iowa.

A major storyline within athletics over the past several years has been conference affiliation. Missouri State has seen its name pop up as one that can make a move from the FCS in football affiliation to FBS. Smart hasn’t been shy saying that he envisions the school competing at a larger subdivision than it currently is, whether he was still the president or not.

Williams was asked directly about what he sees as the future for Missouri State athletics and if he sees it as one that can make a jump. When he was the president at Utah Tech, Williams notably moved the school from a Division II program to one that was competing in Division I and at the FCS level.

“I think Missouri State has been put on the map because of athletics,” Williams said. “I think athletics is very important. I would be a profound supporter of athletics and I would be a profound supporter all across the university.”

Williams made note of the ever-changing landscape of college athletics — it doesn’t look the same as it did a few years ago and it likely won’t look the same a few years from now. He referred to how much it would cost for the university to make a move and that it would take a lot of conversations to decide what the school’s athletics vision will be.

“I think the swagger and the feel from the university and the vibe I get from your community is that it wants bigger and better,” Williams said. “What can we do to be the best at what we’re going to do? We’re going to have to figure that out. There’s a very large price tag to that.

“Being deliberate, being strategic and making sure the Board of Governors, that the community knows, that the faculty are behind it, that we have a strategy where I think all boats rise at Missouri State University. I think it can’t be that ‘this money is going to that money.’ We have to have a strategy of how we’re elevating this university, how we’re getting excited about athletics, how we’re getting excited about the academic prominence in the state and the nation. I think athletics is one way to tap the entire university and so is everything else we’re doing.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU president finalist Biff Williams emphasizes outreach, partnerships