Here's why Biff Williams was unanimous choice for Missouri State University presidency

The first of three finalists to interview for the Missouri State president's job has emerged as the Board of Governors first, and unanimous, choice.

Early Monday, the university announced that Richard "Biff" Williams will succeed the retiring Clif Smart to become the institution's 12th leader.

This isn't his first presidency. He held that title at Utah Tech University, formerly Dixie State University, for 10 years.

Board chair Lynn Parman touted the 25 years that Williams has spent in higher education in explaining why he beat out two finalists, including an internal candidate.

"He has served as a faculty member, as a dean, as a provost, and most recently as a president," Parman said during a Zoom call with reporters.

She highlighted his experience recruiting and keeping students at a time when many institutions have seen numbers shrink and are bracing for bigger drops.

"Under Dr. Williams' leadership, Utah Tech increased enrollment by more than 40% and added over 200 academic programs. He guided the university through a name rebranding and a move to NCAA Division I athletics," Parman said.

"What stood out most for the board is Dr. Williams' focus on the students − that very much came out in many ways during the interview process as well as the conversations we had with people about Dr. Williams − along with his proven success in strategic planning, community engagement, economic development, legislative advocacy, and fundraising."

Williams, who was part of the Zoom call and met separately with the News-Leader, called it a "tremendous honor" to be named to the leadership post. He starts July 1 and will have a base salary of $475,000.

He said he could feel the "excitement and the energy" when he was on the campus in mid-February.

"I've been in the Midwest 16 of my 25 years and I've been able to watch Missouri State University from afar and I just have tremendous respect and pride and inspiration from the rich history of this institution," he said. "And we're excited to be part of that future."

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure issued a statement in support of the hiring.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Williams to Springfield and look forward to working with him as we continue the strong relationship between the City of Springfield and Missouri State,” he said. “As the city and university continue to grow, our solid relationship will be even more important in ensuring a strong future for all.”

Williams had also been a finalist for the president of New Mexico State University. Asked the status of that Monday, he said the interview process there just wrapped up.

"This is somewhere that both my wife and I felt very comfortable. We felt we fit in Springfield, we fit at Missouri State. The hospitality was tremendous," he said. "We knew that we wanted to be part of Missouri State University so we were willing to make this choice before other options presented themselves."

The MSU board met Friday to discuss the finalists. The others were Roger Thompson, vice president for student services and enrollment management at the University or Oregon and MSU provost John Jasinski, former president of Northwest Missouri State University.

Williams was asked how he felt about following Smart, who has been a popular leader and is deeply involved in the community.

"You build on the tremendous momentum and the leadership that he has put into place. I think that if I was focused on being beloved or doing the things that he did, I will fail," he said. "I just need to be myself and I believe that the board has hired me for some of the things that I can bring."

He plans to celebrate "where the university is currently out" but put his energy into figuring out − with a lot of input from the campus and community − about what comes next.

"Collectively, we're going to identify the direction that we need to go right now," Williams said. "We have a great strategic plan in place and we're going to fulfil those initiatives."

At Utah Tech, he said three former presidents still live in the community and he's encouraged that Smart will remain in Springfield. "It's a strength because they are your biggest champions."

In other posts, Williams has worked with the leadership that was in place and not looked to bring in his own team. Asked if he expects to be involved in any major personnel decisions in the coming months, Williams said that will depend on the board. "I'm really going to allow the board and President Smart to include me as they see fit."

Williams said he will communicate, collaborate and show consistency as he works with employees.

"The faculty and staff can expect to see somebody that is very visible, very active, very open to uniting our ideas and they'll see a tremendous advocate," he said.

Prior to Utah Tech, Williams was provost and vice president for academic affairs and founding dean of the College of Nursing, Health and Human Services at Indiana State University. He served as an associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, where he was a faculty member; executive associate director of the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services; and athletic training division chair.

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

He has a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University, a master’s degree in athletic training from Indiana State University and a bachelor’s degree in lifestyle management from Weber State University.

Searching for MSU's next president

The search for a new president started in September when Smart, in the job 13 years, announced plans to retire this summer.

Smart has repeatedly earned rave reviews by the MSU board, which offered retention bonuses in recent years.

He will leave two years before his contract was set to expire in 2026. He has not disclosed any plans for his next chapter. Smart's base salary is now $427,409.

A search committee chaired by banker Rob Fulp was formed. It included students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

"We had a very strong field of candidates," Fulp said.

"Today we are very fortunate with the announcement to hire Biff Williams as our next president. Biff is such a strong community player. He understands the importance of corporate engagements. It really is a great day for Springfield, for Missouri State University and the entire state."

In all, 48 candidates completed applications for the president's job. The applicants were not publicly named.

More: New Missouri State president Richard Williams starts July 1. What to know about contract

The university said the pool was diverse "in terms of race, sex, age, geographic region, institutional size, and professional background."

Eleven candidates were invited to interview in person in early January and four emerged as finalists but one dropped out.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Biff Williams unanimous choice for Missouri State presidency