Nov. 10 marked university president Jared Tice’s 101st day in office. The first 100 days of any presidency set the tone for the entire term of office.
The first 100 days of President Tice’s presidency can be summed up by a single word: engagement. Students and staff have noticed President Tice’s high level of engagement and his love of feedback.
“The thing that I am most proud of is my level of engagement with the entire campus, both with our faculty and staff,” Tice said. His main goal for his first hundred days was to be highly involved and highly visible.
At smaller universities, visible leadership is incredibly important to student morals, community development, and growth. This goal of visibility has defined his approach to leadership and his presidency.
He has been present at dozens of university events, such as the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Fall Open House, sports games, student organization tabling events and even the annual Phi Kappa Psi & Alpha Sigma Alpha charity volleyball tournament. President Tice has often been present on campus long after the typical workday ends.
“My days are usually very long and busy with back-to-back meetings and opportunities,” Tice said, “but it’s also very rewarding because I get to see students, faculty, and staff in their excellence fully thriving in their spaces. That gives me energy to conquer each day.” Students across campus have taken notice of his hands-on leadership style and his presence at events during all hours of the night.
Gabe Glockner, a first-year student at the university, said, “He’s definitely around campus a lot. I see him somewhere on campus every day. He actually listens to us and makes us feel heard.” He also noted that Tice can often be found in the Main Dining Room eating among the students and faculty. Gabe’s thoughts echo what many first-year students believe.
President Tice said he focused on making all students and staff feel heard. “I’ve been committed to meeting each individual member of our faculty and staff in their own office space for 30-45 minutes, and I have gotten through roughly 100 of our 340 employees thus far,” he said. These personal meetings help establish trust and belonging to the university. Despite this progress, taking the reins of a university comes with inevitable challenges.
Although his first 100 days in office seemed like a seamless transition into the role, President Tice said there were some challenges. “The most challenging part is that at the same time I am the leader of the university, I’m also learning.” Even so, his professional experience prepared him well for this challenge.
His transition appeared seamless to most, due to his nearly 20 years of service in higher education. Noah Hamilton-Foughty, a senior at the university said, “You can really tell that President Tice has held former positions in university administration in his past when you compare him to previous presidents. I really appreciate [that] he is from a small university background, similar to what we have here.”
President Tice has previously worked at other small colleges and universities, such as West Virginia Northern Community College, Barton College and Catawba College.
As President Tice continues to settle into his new position, his goals of engagement and visibility will likely continue to shape the culture in every area of the university. Many students and faculty are excited for what’s to come with the Tice presidency; if his first 100 days are any indication, the university can expect a more transparent and connected community.
