New Drury president says university has 'great capability'

Want to get to know Drury University's 18th president? Start by taking a spin through Tim Cloyd's first-floor office in Burnham Hall.

The Beatles fan filled the space with a wall-sized painting of John Lennon, quotes from icon James Dean, artifacts from his experiences in Africa and Europe, and well-worn books on political science, philosophy and leadership.

There is a photo of a mountain he climbed and a portrait of eccentric American playwright Tennessee Williams, a relative.

The carefully appointed office also signals that Cloyd, who moved to Springfield this summer after more than two decades in central Arkansas, has settled in at Drury.

"It's a warm, supportive environment but yet the demanding and rigorous academic environment is an interesting combination. When I say warmth, it's the faculty warmth with the students, the students' warmth with each other and the supportiveness," he said. "There is a love here of this institution that is palpable among staff, among students, among alumni."

Cloyd added: "This is a place that has great capability."

The 143-year-old private liberal arts university has been plagued by waning enrollment and budget cuts in recent years.

Expectations could not be higher for Cloyd, the institution's fourth president in a decade. The Drury Board of Trustees unanimously selected Cloyd in the spring, touting his successful track record at the private Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

At Hendrix, Cloyd led an effort to grow the enrollment and endowment by more than 50 percent; added four new sports and a dozen majors; and built more than a dozen campus buildings and athletic facilities.

"There are people who are ready for leadership and they're ready for Drury to catch the wind underneath its wings again," he said. "Drury never lost that."

In a relatively short period of time — about 90 days — Cloyd has made a series of significant changes.

"It's important to listen actively, to not wait around, and to say 'Here are some actions I need to take and here are some things I need to get going,'" he said. "It doesn't mean I have a pre-formulated opinion of what the outcome is going to be. I've just got to empower people to get it going."

Empowerment is one of his themes, along with decisiveness and unity.

Initial steps taken by Cloyd include a shake-up of the administrative leadership team. He has promoted from within, brought in former colleagues from Hendrix and created a new chief of staff position, which will also oversee legal services. Previously, legal was outsourced.

Former provost Steven Combs, who was given a lot of authority under the previous president, stepped down. After a leave of absence, he is expected to join the faculty in the spring.

David Hinson, the new executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief information officer at Drury, worked with Cloyd at Hendrix and said he's not afraid to "dream big."

"You can see a lot of activity. Tim is a doer," he said. "...He's a dynamo. Sometimes it can be tough to keep up."

Hinson said Cloyd was a "transformative" leader at Hendrix and challenges his leadership team to "think strategically."

"He understands what motivates people to work with their strengths," he said. "Tim is a real person. He is not a persona or a front."

Cloyd has helped create a new campaign to raise $1.5 million in annual scholarships and financial aid, expanded recruitment efforts into more large cities, and added the sports of wrestling, bowling and bass fishing. He is currently looking at adding lacrosse and shooting sports.

He said fundraising and alumni outreach will take up 70 percent of his time. He has been traveling around the U.S. to meet with successful alumni, including former TV game show host Bob Barker.

"We've got to get the alumni engaged and excited about Drury," he said. "It's getting those people involved in meaningful ways, not just social receptions."

A national alumni council has been started to connect with the university's more than 26,000 alumni, including at least 200 in every state. In cities with a high concentration, Cloyd will ask alumni to use their connections to help with communication and recruitment efforts.

Cloyd acknowledged recent events have led to worry and a "loss of self-confidence" among students, faculty, staff and alumni.

"You always listen and have the humility to know you must first read the human terrain," he said.

But, he believes there are many positive signs this fall.

The university just celebrated its largest incoming freshman class in five years, an overall increase in the number of traditional undergraduate students and a year-over-year retention rate of 83 percent.

"Once you get the engine started, there is a natural momentum that takes place," he said. "We are in on an upward trajectory right now."

Cloyd has become a student of Drury's history and culture. He befriended the university's archivist and is researching what efforts have led to significant growth in the past.

"What we're ready for is identifying a number of things that are organic to Drury that can be codified and given a name because there are so many wonderful things going on here," he said.

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He said the university must differentiate itself among public, private and faith-based higher education offerings locally, as well as pull in students from many large cities in the Midwest.

"We're distinctive because we are a values-based institution that believes it's important for students to cultivate a sense of their own calling and their own vocation in life," he said. "We don't offer students truth in a pre-digested form. We want them to seek it out and we want them to make it their own. We are an open and welcoming place."

Karen Spence, associate dean of the Hammons School of Architecture appointed to Cloyd's expanded cabinet, said Cloyd's extensive work inside the classroom helps him relate to faculty.

She said he has brought in a lot of energy and ideas.

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"We are all very excited about what changes are on the horizon for Drury," she said. "We can tell very early on he is going to serve the university very well."

Cloyd said part of his job is recapturing a sense of community and encouraging people to be proud of Drury.

At meetings this summer and fall, Cloyd encouraged the campus community to focus on the "great, remarkable, affirming" things going on at Drury. He also handed out tins of Altoids mints.

"I said anytime you might be feeling a little cynical about Drury, take an Altoids out and you'll be refreshed and anytime you say something positive about Drury in the community, take out an Altoids and reward yourself," he said. "We have to get the talk right about what's happening here — the great things happening here."

The son of United Methodist missionaries in the Congo, Cloyd draws on Bible scriptures to illustrate a point. He said the chapel is one of his favorite places on campus.

Cloyd said he and wife Wendy — who have three sons — are looking for ways to plug into the Springfield community and give back. He said they prefer hands-on work to serving on boards.

"My wife and I are very interested in poverty issues and people who are marginalized," he said. "The way in which we live to be involved is being a soldier. We like to work hands-on, whether it's cleaning or talking with people who need help."

Work history highlights

Tim Cloyd has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science at Emory and Henry College and a master's degree and doctorate in political science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He also studied Dutch, politics and philosophy at the University of Louvain in Belgium and completed graduate work in business and management while at Amherst.

• 2013-16 — President emeritus and tenured full professor of politics and international relations, Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where he was teaching and consulting

• 2001-2013 — President, Hendrix College

• 1997-2001 — Vice president for institutional advancement, Hendrix College

• 1994-97— Executive director of development and college relations, member of chancellor's cabinet, The University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas

• 1990-94 — Program coordinator, the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (During the first two years, he was also an assistant professor of political science)

• 1990 — Fellow at the Institute for the Study of World Politics with the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington D.C. He worked in France, England, Germany and various eastern European cities and countries

• 1985-90 — Worked on deep sea lobster boat in the summers during graduate school.