Presidential Updates

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 26, 2023

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Here are several things of note I’d like to share this week:

Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame

On Sept. 8, the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame inducted five new honorees. These inductees were selected as citizens with a connection to the state of Missouri who serve as examples of global citizens. This is a group of people who positively impact their community and society at large.

This year’s honorees included John Ashcroft, a dedicated public servant;, Father Moses Berry, an Eastern Orthodox Church priest; Tom Carlson, a community leader and founder of a nonprofit news outlet; Lt. Gen. Karen Dyson, a retired three-star general; and Rachel Mack Robinson, a trailblazing entrepreneur.

The Hall of Fame selection committee will begin its job soon in identifying the next group of Missouri-connected citizens worthy of this honor.  You can help them by nominating an individual whom you think meets the criteria.

Presidential search committee

On Sept. 20, the Board of Governors met for a special session to approve the proposed presidential search committee members. They are:

Board members

  • Lynn Parman, board vice chair 2023/board chair 2024.
  • Jeff Schrag.
  • Chris Waters, board chair 2023/board past chair 2024.

Community/alumni

  • Rob Fulp, 1979 (chair).
  • Amy Counts, 1994 (vice chair).
  • Trevor Crist, 2001.
  • Ryan Sivill, 2006.
  • Greg Spears, 1981.

Faculty/academic leadership

  • Kim Church, director – School of Accountancy (College of Business).
  • Doug Gouzie, professor – Geography, Geology and Planning (College of Natural and Applied Sciences).
  • Shannon Wooden, professor – English (Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities).
  • Barri Tinkler, dean – College of Education.
  • Shurita Thomas-Tate, associate professor – Communication Sciences and Disorders (McQueary College of Health and Human Services).
  • Beth Walker, professor – Animal Science and Faculty Senate chair (Darr College of Agriculture).

Administration

  • Brad Bodenhausen, vice president, Community and Global Partnerships.

Staff

  • A’dja Jones, assistant director of athletics, Inclusive Engagement and Student Services.
  • Laura Derrick, project manager-architect and Staff Senate chair.

Students

  • Bradley Cooper, student governor.
  • Elizabeth Simcoe, student body vice president, Student Government Association.

West Plains

  • Crockett Oaks, associate vice chancellor, Business and Support Services-West Plains campus.

State of the University address

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the State of the University at 12:15 p.m. Oct. 2 in Plaster Student Union Theater.

I’ll spend the first 20 minutes or so highlighting university accomplishments during my tenure and reporting on final census results. The last hour will be devoted to gathering input from you regarding your thoughts on the requirements for the next president.  This discussion will be led by Rob Fulp, the search committee chair, community leader and MSU alum.

If you’re unable to attend in person, join via Zoom.

Finally, don’t forget to complete the presidential search community survey on the search website. The search committee would like to get your input.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 19, 2023

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The 2023 Public Affairs Conference is next week (except for the keynote presentation by legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana, which has been moved to Nov. 2 due to unforeseen circumstances).

The conference theme is Navigating the Now: tradition, innovation and wisdom in a world of change. The conference will reflect on tradition, celebrate innovation and explore a variety of ways to both embrace change and to exercise strength in the face of struggle.

Line-up of sessions

Several of the sessions will be live and others will be virtual. The full schedule is available on the Public Affairs Conference webpage.

Highlights include:

  • A virtual plenary session by audio/visual producer and broadcast journalist Diego Senior: “The Very Real Implications of AI Chatbots and Mental Health” at 12:15 p.m. Sept. 27 via Zoom.
  • A plenary presentation (hosted by Student Activities Council) by educator, organizer and writer Shay-Akil McLean: “Race/ism: A human ecological system” at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 in the PSU Theater.
  • A plenary presentation by NPR’s science desk correspondent Yuki Noguchi at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the PSU Theater.
  • A closing plenary event featuring ILL-Abilities International Dance Crew at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 in the PSU Theater. A meet and greet reception will take place after the performance in the PSU.

Plan to attend

All conference sessions are free and open to the public. No registration or tickets are required to attend.

As in prior years, employees may use up to two hours of their work time, in coordination with their supervisors, to attend the conference. I encourage you to attend, and I encourage supervisors to facilitate attendance by individuals in your offices or divisions.

I’m excited to participate in this year’s conference and I hope you will too!

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 12, 2023

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Last week was a big week for me. Retirement is a big step, especially when you’re leaving a job you love. Luckily for me, it’s not happening tomorrow.

I have several months before it takes effect and I plan to savor and enjoy each and every moment along the way. I plan to finish strong so the next president has a good starting point.

So, what happens now?

Presidential search

First, you can find all the details of the search for my replacement on the presidential search website.

The Board of Governors is required to approve the search committee. That vote will take place on Sept. 20 at a board meeting. The search committee will then convene for the first time during the following week, where they’ll receive their charge from BOG Chair Chris Waters.

Here’s the timeline for the search:

DATE TASK
Sept. 6, 2023 President Smart’s public announcement to retire in 2024; application window open
Sept. 20, 2023 Search committee approved at the Board of Governors meeting
Oct. 2, 2023 Qualifications input forum from 12:15-1:30 p.m. in the PSU Theater/via Zoom
Nov. 1, 2023 First date of consideration
November-December 2023 Search committee meets to select semi-finalists
January 2024 Search committee conducts semi-finalists interviews
February 2024 Finalists will be on campus for interviews
March 2024 Board of Governors selects new president

The search committee will be very interested in your input regarding qualities for the new president.  You’ll have two opportunities to provide this at the beginning:

  • Via a survey found on the presidential search website.
  • At the State of the University address on Oct. 2 (in-person and via Zoom).

Introducing new board members

Speaking of the Board of Governors, I’d like to welcome our two newest members – Melissa (Missy) Gourley replacing Carol Silvey in the Eighth District and Travis Freeman replacing Amelia (Amy) Counts in the Second District.

Thank you to Carol and Amy for their fine work and leadership over the last several years. It’s been a pleasure working with them!

Plan to attend

It’s fall, so there’s a lot going on. Next up is the Public Affairs Conference from Sept. 26-28. I’ll cover that in more detail next week – but go ahead and mark your calendars. You won’t want to miss it.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif

Clif’s Notes for Sept. 5, 2023

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To all our new faculty and staff members, welcome! It’s great to have you in our Bears family. I hope your time at Missouri State University so far has been positive.

To help our new employees get better settled in, I’d like to highlight some valuable information.

Enjoy perks and discounts

Take advantage of perks and discounts available to MSU employees. They include:

Get a new photo

If you’d like a new or updated professional photo of yourself, go to one of the faculty and staff free portrait days. Held once a month, they’re hosted by our photo staff in creative services.

The next one takes place Sept. 14 in the Plaster Student Union, Room 317.

Take time for professional development

Through your My Missouri State, you can access:

Engage in public affairs

Each year, the university hosts several signature events to celebrate our public affairs mission.

One of them is coming up soon – the 20th annual Public Affairs Conference scheduled from Sept. 26-28. It features free, in-person speakers and live virtual panel sessions that will explore our 2023-24 public affairs theme, Navigating the Now: Tradition, Innovation and Wisdom in a World of Change.

I hope you’ll join me in attending some of the sessions. As in prior years, employees may use up to two hours of their work time to attend the conference – just coordinate with your supervisors.

Join the Innovation Accelerator

If you have ideas to share about how MSU can improve student success, save money and make progress in other ways, join the university’s first-ever Innovation Accelerator on Oct. 27.

You’ll get to engage in problem solving and creative thinking with co-workers from across the university.

Cheer on our football team

Come and support our Bears football team at their first home game of the season against Utah Tech. It’s at 2 p.m. Sept 23 during Family Weekend.

Faculty and staff members get half-price tickets.

Once again, welcome new employees to the MSU team. I’m glad you’re here and I’m confident you’ll find the university a great place to work!

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif

Clif’s Notes for Aug. 29, 2023

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Last week on the first day of classes, Missouri State University set two new records.

First, we set a record for the biggest increase in first-time new in college (FTNIC) students. The incoming FTNIC group increased by 17.9% to a total of 2,685.

Second, total graduate student enrollment was up 0.4% to 4,288, setting another new record.

We made some big changes this year to make Missouri State more accessible and affordable for students. Our launch of the MoState Access Award enables undergraduate students with great financial need and Pell eligibility to attend the university and pay no tuition and fees.

Enrollment increases in several strategic areas

Enrollment in several key areas also increased:

  • The number of underrepresented students increased by 4.6% to 2,627 students.
  • Full-time student enrollment increased by 3.3% to 13,675 students.
  • Total credit hours increased by 3,733 (1.8%).

This is all great news!

Missouri State looks more like the demographics of the state.

This is also good news financially. Full-time students take more classes than part-time students – leading to more credit hours. This directly translates to a better financial picture for the university.

More work to do

One area where we didn’t grow this year was continuing students. We’re down 383 (2.9%) in total continuing students.

While it’s important for us to focus on recruitment, we also need to focus on student success and retention.

We’re moving to a centralized advising model for our freshmen and sophomore students, and we hope that will help. We also have several groups working on plans to help students be more successful.

Resources for our students

College students face many challenges. Missouri State is here to help. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with key support resources on our campus:

I’m thankful to all whose efforts helped us achieve new enrollment records this fall. Your role matters. No matter your job title, each of us plays a role in recruiting, retaining and graduating students.

Recruitment isn’t only the responsibility of admissions. Retention isn’t only the responsibility of Student Success. Everyone at the university can, and should, help support recruitment and retention.

Official enrollment report available Sept. 25

Total opening day enrollment is down very slightly – by 0.5%; however, we expect that number to go up by census.

Official enrollment reports will be based on enrollment at the end of the day on Sept. 25. Reports should be available Sept. 27.

A record of a different kind

In addition to the enrollment records set last week, August also marked a record gift to the university.

On Aug. 18, we announced the largest single gift to the university. We thank the C.W. Titus Foundation for their eight-figure gift, which will support construction of a state-of-the-art facility named in honor of Judith Enyeart Reynolds designed to enhance arts, social sciences and humanities education.

The fall semester is off to a great start.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State.

Clif