Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Presidential Updates

  • Office of the President
  • Follow Clif on Twitter
Bearfest Village

Clif’s Notes for March 5, 2019

We must stay mindful of what sets MSU apart from other universities.

March 5, 2019 by Clif Smart

Share this post:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Two weeks ago, Peter Kageyama gave the keynote at the Springfield Business Development Corporation’s annual meeting. Peter is the author of “For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places” and is highly regarded in urban planning, design and development.

I had the opportunity to attend two meetings with Peter, and his insights were inspirational.

One of Peter’s main points was that a “hierarchy of needs” exists in city-making:

  • Interesting
  • Convivial
  • Comfortable
  • Safe
  • Functional

People expect their cities to be functional and safe. Filling the potholes does not separate good cities from great cities. To emerge from the pack, a city must move higher up the hierarchy. People fall in love with convivial, interesting cities, not merely functional and safe ones.

To help in this endeavor, Peter challenges leaders to ask themselves “where’s the fun?” as they make decisions and develop plans.

Maintaining the fun

Peter’s message translates to universities. All good universities are functional. To separate ourselves — for students, faculty, staff and others to fall in love with our university — we must be interesting and fun.

We have done a lot to add interest to our campus in the past several years. Examples include:

  • Banners and bearheads on facilities throughout campus
  • Carillon concerts and outdoor picnic tables
  • Construction projects that focus on architectural beauty
  • Revitalizing Bearfest Village before football games
  • Cutting-edge social media and April Fool’s Day website
  • Annual Chocolate Lovers Luncheon in the PSU

However, I don’t think I’m alone in noting that we have worked less on making our campus friendly and interesting as budgets have tightened and cuts have been made.

As we work through tight budgets year-over-year, we cannot lose sight of the need to ask “where’s the fun?” when making decisions and charting the university’s course.

I have told my leadership team that I want to approach this year’s budget development a bit differently than we have the past two years. When identifying efficiencies and reallocating resources, we will work to ensure that we are not sacrificing the interesting and sociable nature of our campus. What’s more, we will remain open to ideas for additional ways we can make the campus even more “fun” than it already is.

Fun ideas do not usually come from the top of an organization. We will accomplish much more if you put forth interesting ideas and leadership empowers you to put your ideas into action.

If you have “where’s the fun?” ideas, please email them to me at president@missouristate.edu.

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!

  • About
  • Latest Posts

About Clif Smart

Clifton "Clif" M. Smart III has served as the 11th president of Missouri State University since June 27, 2011. Smart is known throughout campus and the state of Missouri for his collaborative leadership and strong relationships with students, faculty and staff. During his tenure, the university has continually set new enrollment records, added degree programs and constructed or extensively renovated more than a dozen major campus facilities.

Before his presidency, Smart served as the Missouri State University’s general counsel.

  • Clif’s Notes for Sept. 26, 2023 - September 26, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Sept. 19, 2023 - September 19, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Sept. 12, 2023 - September 12, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Sept. 5, 2023 - September 5, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Aug. 29, 2023 - August 29, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Aug. 22, 2023 - August 22, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Aug. 15, 2023 - August 15, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Aug. 8, 2023 - August 8, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for Aug. 1, 2023 - August 1, 2023
  • Clif’s Notes for July 25, 2023 - July 25, 2023

Filed Under: Clif's Notes, Smart Tagged With: facilities, students

Share this post:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Archives

Categories

Tags

academic affairs action plan athletics benefits Board of Governors bronze bear budget Cofer commencement compensation Coronavirus diversity Einhellig enrollment Executive Budget Committee facilities funding FY12 FY13 FY14 fy15 goals governor homecoming IDEA Commons legislative priorities long-range plan Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame Missouri State Foundation open enrollment Provost public affairs Public Affairs Conference realignment safety salaries Smart staff awards State of the University Address students tent theatre tuition united way Wall of Fame West Plains
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.