(MARYVILLE, Mo.) After many months of searching, Northwest found the university's next president.
The Board of Regents narrowed down the list of potential candidates to four finalists before selecting Dr. Lance Tatum to be the 11th president of the university.
Students, staff, faculty, and community members were introduced to Tatum during an open meeting on Thursday.
Chair of the Northwest Board of Regents Dr. John Moore says that Tatum was chosen due to his experience, strategic planning, and fundraising skills as well as his authenticity and desire to be involved in the Northwest community.
"He's got experience in everything that is important to being a president on this university. Not only experience, but successful experience in strategic planning, fundraising, being involved in the community," says Moore. "Everything you see in this man is exactly what you will get. He is completely authentic."
Hailing from Troy, Alabama, Tatum says he is is anticipating the move to Maryville and is excited to connect with the Maryville community while taking on this new role.
"It was the sense of family and the feel of family that really kind of solidified for Jill and I that this is the place we wanted to be," said Tatum. "We're really looking forward to getting to know the people here on campus, starting our goal setting project, and figuring out where we're gonna go next."
"The fact that he's open-minded and coming from somewhere nowhere close to here is obviously going to be a big step, so it's going to be interesting to see how he acclimates to the university," said Northwest student Dakota Weaver.
Interim President Dr. Clarence Green expressing his eagerness to work alongside Tatum and begin the transition process.
"I'm looking forward to the energy and the new ideas and the excitement that's just surrounding him," said Green. "I think he's going to bring a lot of fresh perspective, especially in the area of enrollment management to make us think about different programs that we could be offering here at Northwest."
Tatum will now begin the transition period as he moves out of his position as Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Troy University in Troy, Alabama.
He will officially start his role as Northwest's president on June 1.
