|
The President's
Post
 This
fall Board of Trustee meeting was a pretty amazing event. We celebrated
the successful completion of our five-year TO
PRESERVE THE PRIDE, TO KEEP THE PROMISE Campaign, and we
honored our donors, faculty, and staff for all they did and continue
to do for Ozarks. Most of all, we reminded ourselves once again that
the University of the Ozarks has one primary focus, one unified purpose:
the education of students. All in all, it was a wonder-filled weekend,
one for the history books.
Our Board of Trustee meetings are typically celebrations
of one kind or another. Those of you who have attended the various committee
meetings and the full Board meeting on Saturday know exactly what I
mean. Believe me, Board of Trustee meetings on most other campuses are
not like ours at Ozarks. At many other universities, Board meetings
are cloaked in secrecy with Board members, not wanting to be noticed
and usually getting their wish, drifting on and off campus like shadowy
figures of the night. That certainly isn’t the case at Ozarks.
Faculty, staff, and students not only are invited
to the variety of committee meetings, they are encouraged to participate,
to question, and to interact with Board members. Because of this openness
and honesty, the Board learns what’s good about our campus, what
needs to be fixed, what should be changed, what is working, and what
is not. And they learn those things from all of you. Our participatory
nature is our strength.
Budgets are complex to build and balance; endowments
are complicated to understand, especially restricted endowments and
their fixed spending rates; policies and regulations are difficult to
establish, follow, and enforce; and campus communities, with individual
needs, interests, and priorities, are a challenge to govern. But we
are managing quite well at Ozarks, and I truly believe that is because
of our open, honest style.
My favorite time during each Board of Trustee visit
is the Friday lunch in the Student Center before the meetings officially
begin. Watching Board members sitting among all of you – conversing,
questioning, listening, laughing – is a highpoint for me, and also
another sight not seen on many other campuses. We have so much to learn
from one another, and I continue to learn from all of you. Thanks for
sharing!
Dr. Rick Niece
President
|
