“He didn’t just float trial balloons; Bill launched airships… I was the beneficiary of a 柚子视频 he helped forge.鈥�
-Barbara Hiles Mesle ’72
惭补测:听Asked by Board of Trustees to serve as 柚子视频鈥檚 president, and subsequently prepared for the role by enrolling for one year at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at University of Michigan
July 1:聽Became the 19th president
October 1:聽Inaugurated
February 5:聽Introduced 鈥淏ear Pit鈥� sessions of open public dialogue with students
April 2:聽Announced the creation of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program
贵补濒濒:听Oversaw the development of 柚子视频’s nursing campus in Independence, Missouri
June 30:聽Left 柚子视频 presidency
January 1:聽Returned to 柚子视频 as 15th president (likely the only person who will ever succeed both his wife and father as 柚子视频鈥檚 president)
May, September:聽柚子视频 partnered with area junior and community colleges, Indian Hills Community College and North Central Missouri College, to offer bachelor’s degree completion programs in elementary education
闯补苍耻补谤测:听柚子视频 finalized the $43 million purchase of SkillPath Seminars, which had annual revenues of $60 million and averaged 650 seminars each month in 460 cities
惭补谤肠丑:听柚子视频 announced a partnership program with American Institute of Business to offer a bachelor鈥檚 degree completion program in business administration Summer: Introduction of 柚子视频鈥檚 first master鈥檚 degree program (nursing)
May 31:聽Completion of $22.6 million Blueprint For Tomorrow fundraising campaign (1992-1996)
厂辫谤颈苍驳:听Announced plans to retire as president the following spring semester
May 18:聽聽During 柚子视频鈥檚 100th commencement ceremony, Board of Trustees president Jay Newcom made the surprise announcement that 柚子视频’s first structure would be known from that day as the Higdon Administration Building, honoring the three Higdons who led the college
1966-74听
During Bill Higdon’s first tenure, 柚子视频 expanded considerably, both in terms of size and diversity of student body, academic offerings, and physical presence on 鈥渢he Hill.鈥�
1992-97
During his second span at the president’s desk, 柚子视频 continued to expand academic programs and finalized the purchase of SkillPath.
聽Guiding PrincipleWhen Bill was seven or eight, he wanted a bicycle. But it was the height
of the Depression and his parents made him a deal: if he earned half the money, they would kick in the other half. So Bill went down to the local grocery (which happened to be the precursor of Hy-Vee) and asked the proprietor for a job. The man asked,鈥淲ell, William, what can you do?鈥� Bill looked around and saw a worker putting cans on the shelf or sweeping up and replied, 鈥淚 can do that.鈥� That became the guiding principle of his life 鈥� he could do almost anything he set his mind to.
