2008 Woodie Awards
Meet UMKC's new chancellor
Guy Bailey discusses higher ed funding, University's strengths
Emily Iorg
Issue date: 1/9/06 Section: News
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One week into the job UMKC chancellor Guy Bailey is meeting with faculty and administrators, looking forward to teaching one or more classes, and forging relationships with the community.
Dr. Bailey, 55, assumed his position as chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Jan. 1. He has a 27-year career in higher education and is a linguist.
Bailey was appointed to the role July 25 by University of Missouri (UM) System President Elson Floyd. Bailey was one of three finalists chosen by the Chancellor Search Committee comprising UMKC faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. Dr. Stephen Lehmkuhle, UM senior vice president for academic affairs, served as interim chancellor.
Bailey spent eight and a half years as provost and executive vice president of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). During his term at UTSA, the university increased enrollment, doubled research and funding, and added many new faculty. He said he enjoyed his time there and also taught once a year.
Bailey is optimistic about UMKC.
"We have a great future ahead of us," Bailey said, acknowledging, "it will take a little patience and planning."
Bailey sees himself shaped by life experiences that inform his current position.
He contrasts his insulated childhood in Montgomery, Ala.-he seldom traveled far from the community-and his adulthood.
At 26 Bailey made his first journey outside the South as well as his first plane trip. He went to Hawaii to study at a linguistics institute.
During adulthood Bailey has traveled extensively and taken jobs across the nation.
As a kid he learned about sustained relationships and being part of a community. As an adult, Bailey said, he has learned to value differences.
A strong relationship with the community is certainly vital for UMKC, and Bailey acknowledges this.
At UTSA, he managed major business partnerships and helped established research centers. UMKC alums and members of the Kansas City business community see promise in Bailey's track record of fundraising and community partnerships.
Besides community family is another shaping influence in Bailey's view of higher education. Several times during a Jan. 5 interview with The University News Bailey expressed his perspective as a father. He went through the college experience with his daughter, from orientation on, and relates to higher education as a parent.
His wife, Jan Tillery Bailey, Ph.D., is a linguist as he is. Bailey describes her as a strong student advocate and said the two of them often do research together.
"We are partners in a lot of ways," Bailey said.
Bailey's 21-year-old daughter is a psychology major attending Auburn University. His 18-year-old son plans to commute to college in Montgomery.
He also connects with higher education as an administrator, linguistics scholar and teacher.
Bailey said when someone asks him how he keeps in touch with students he responds, "That's why I teach."
He expressed interest in teaching courses here at UMKC.
When asked how his vision for higher education has changed from job to job, Bailey credited a holistic view of a university.
Bailey said he has seen higher education as a parent, faculty member and administrator. As a faculty member, he said, he focused on excellence in his discipline and as he moved up in position he gained a broader perspective.
Goals for UMKC
Bailey sees a more educated city as key to higher education success.
"One of the things I think Kansas City has to do is enhance the level of education in the city," Bailey said.
He refers to a 2003 U.S. Census Bureau survey ranking cities based on percent of people 25 and older who have completed bachelor's degrees.
Kansas City ranks 37-and Bailey wants to see it in the top 25.
To enhance the education level of the community, Bailey said UMKC must work on the cost of higher education and serve specific populations.
College must be affordable, accessible, and provide to support to those who are at a disadvantage for attending college, Bailey said.
He correlates an increase in black and Hispanic populations in Kansas City with a need for more focus on these populations at the University to adequately serve the KC community.
Bailey saw greater diversity at UTSA, where the Hispanic student population is much greater. He said a challenge universities face is adapting to an increasingly diverse student population. With that comes a responsibility to respond to the different needs of students.
He said UMKC is smaller than UTSA with more professional schools. Bailey said these schools "make [UMKC] a more complex institution in some ways."
Bailey sees benefits too in the typical UMKC student, a nontraditional, older student with a job and maybe his or her own family. The needs of nontraditional students differ from those of an 18-year-old starting college, he said.
"In some respects, they are the best students to work with," Bailey said, noting an increased maturity.
It will be an interesting challenge to work with both groups of students, he said.
Leadership style
Bailey does not know former chancellor Martha Gilliland-who resigned from her post in December 2004 following votes of "no confidence" by faculty bodies-but said he could explain his leadership style and leave comparisons to others.
"You'll find that I'm accessible, open and transparent. You do best if you don't have any secrets," Bailey said. "I want to make decisions in a context of open discussion."
"I am generally pretty laid-back and relaxed," he continued. "You won't ever see me lose my temper."
He recognizes his role as steward of UMKC.
"One of the keys to good leadership is you don't want to leave things worse than they were," Bailey said.
Inclusive discussions are key to success, Bailey asserts.
"Everybody has to have a place at the table. Decisions have to be made with full input from everybody on campus," Bailey said. "People understand very well that you can't always get what you want. But people do need to have a choice and be heard.
"People respect decisions-even unpopular decisions-if they know you are generally interested in their welfare."
Rising higher education costs
Bailey spoke about rising tuition costs. It's important not to paint states as the villains, he said, as they are dealing with health care and other issues, but acknowledges students bear the brunt of decreased higher education funding.
"You can see this across the country; states have increased financial pressures [and] have not been able to put as much money proportionally in higher education," Bailey said. "What this means is frequently, students have to work-or work more than they like. It's quite a burden."
What can UMKC do to alleviate funding concerns?
On Dr. Lehmkuhle's directive, department heads prepared projected budgets for FY2007 with the following parameters: a 3½ percent tuition increase, increased benefits and 2 percent wage pool.
Bailey will review the projected budgets with an objective in mind.
"In hard budget times you have to ask, 'What's the most central focus of the university?' That's what you don't touch," Bailey said. "We want to make sure our students have the best quality education we can give them."
Filling positions:
Arts and Sciences dean, provost
Bailey said searches are ongoing for a permanent provost and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He hopes to fill the positions in the next few months.
Bailey said the dean is an "absolutely crucial position at UMKC."
"[The College of Arts & Sciences] provides most of the core curriculum," Bailey said. "We need an energetic leader who has a broad vision, understanding a wide range of disciplines and the core mission of UMKC."
He added the future dean should be able to galvanize a wide range of faculty.
Projects for the future
Bailey said the Blue Ribbon Task Force report, commissioned by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, in many ways merely highlights what UMKC is already doing.
He said in his letter of application he pointed out the importance of widely recognized programs such as life sciences at UMKC.
"One thing the Blue Ribbon Task Force doesn't realize is the contribution we can make in life sciences. I think we have a lot more to offer than people realize," Bailey said.
He identified visual and performing arts and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as central in fundraising efforts.
Bailey praised the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as crucial in development of new Kansas City businesses and identified the workforce benefits of UMKC's Institute for Urban Education.
Building projects are another facet of the University's future.
Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for Oak Street West Development-which includes demolition of Twin Oaks and construction of student housing-are due Jan. 10.
"I think [Oak Street West] will be a space that will be very attractive for students and the community as well," Bailey said. "That should be a huge asset for the institution."
Bailey will receive a base annual salary of $255,000. The University also provides Bailey an on-campus residence and use of a vehicle, benefits routinely extended to system chancellors.
eiorg@unews.com
