Sheehan Named Executive VP

BY EMILY KESEL

Central Methodist University alumnus and vice president for advancement and alumni relations, Bill Sheehan, was named executive vice president, adding to his list of accomplishments at his alma mater.

In a statement to the campus community, President Roger Drake wrote that Sheehan will have executive decision-making authority in his new role, and his actions will carry the same weight as if they came from the office of the president. Issues related to academics, faculty governance, and the curriculum will remain under the full purview of the provost, Dr. Rita Gulstad.

“I am so happy that three years ago, Bill Sheehan decided to come home,” said Drake. “He was a young leader on this campus as dean of students, and his father was a faculty member of note, so Bill is poised to contribute significantly to the leadership of Central Methodist in the years to come.”

Sheehan is also grateful for the opportunity to continue his contributions to the university that has been a cornerstone of his life.

“I am thrilled to be a part of CMU at such an exciting time, and I am honored to be taking on this new role,” said Sheehan, who graduated from Central in 1984. “The trust placed in me by Dr. Drake and the leadership team is humbling, and I feel blessed to be contributing to the incredible legacy that we are building upon at Central. Working with our students every day as they prepare for their futures is a privilege, and I am grateful to be a part of that process.”

Having led the advancement team as vice president since his return in early 2020, Sheehan’s experience and love for Central has helped cultivate relationships between alumni and the University. Sheehan has spent more than 25 years in the field of higher education development, previously working at Culver Stockton College, Westminster College, the University of Missouri, and Columbia College.

Sheehan and his wife, Wendy, also a Central alumna from 1987, currently reside in Fayette.

BY ANDREA WANER

Down a dirt road in rural Appalachia, dotted with fewer than a half dozen houses, CMU President Roger Drake fell in love.

He didn’t fall in love with the music and performance that came to be a defining characteristic of his personality, nor did he fall in love with his wife, Judy (the pair have lovingly been called “master relationship builders”) – that came later. No, Drake fell in love with one of the most foundational institutions of an American childhood; he fell in love with the bookmobile from his local public library.

“It might have been the greatest day of my childhood,” Drake said of the bookmobile’s appearance near his family home. “For me, it could have been the Beatles.”

He remembers being an average student initially, going through the motions of school life. His parents had no more than an eighth-grade education between the two of them and 10 children to raise. He joked with his parents that a classmate on the bus could spell the word “elephant,” but he doubted he could even recognize one if he saw it. But all of that changed in a moment Drake likened to fortunate hardships, a concept outlined by author Malcom Gladwell.

The idea behind fortunate hardships is one of fortitude, of experiencing strength in adversity, of finding unexpected outcomes in undesirable circumstances. At seven years old, Drake found himself in a fortunate hardship that would shape the rest of his life.

After a ruptured appendix sent 7-year-old Drake to the hospital, he spent several months under the care of his physicians. And with nothing but time on his hands and the textbooks his brothers brought home, Drake read everything he could. When he emerged from recovery, he returned to school not as the middling to average student he once had been, but as a stellar standout amongst his peers.

“I had nothing else to do but learn,” Drake explained. “It was truly a pivotal point for me. Growing up the way we did, you don’t think about how well life can turn out. If you are hungry and can’t afford food, or are sick and can’t afford to go to the doctor, success isn’t really something you think about.”

That mentality, plus a heart for educating the brightest of the poorest, pushed Drake along a path in pursuit of making higher education accessible to all. Prior to being named president of Central Methodist University in 2013, Drake served in many roles in academia, including nine years as vice president of administration and finance at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, and vice president for business affairs at Lees College in Jackson, Kentucky.

Drake considers his first few days, weeks and months at CMU a little like winning the lottery, much of which he credits to his predecessor, Dr. Marianne Inman.

“Dr. Inman left me a strong institution that did not have immediate, pressing needs,” Drake explained. “Most new presidents go to campuses in crisis; that’s usually why presidencies open. But not Central. I will be forever thankful to the board and Dr. Inman for providing the on-ramp for success.”

During Drake’s first 60 days as president of CMU, he focused on meeting people where they were, which included meeting with nearly every trustee – in-person, at their homes and businesses. The CMU board of trustees is made up of nearly 40 professionals and experts in their fields, many Central alumni. Among these many introductory meetings was one with future chairman of the board, Dr. Robert “Tad” Perry, a former member of the South Dakota House of Representatives and retired executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

“Dr. Drake was an exceptional candidate for the presidency at Central Methodist,” Perry said. “He is unique as a leader of higher education institutions with his strong business and financial background, his strong sense of who he is as a person, and with an extraordinary sense of humor.”

Perry, a ’65 Central Methodist graduate, served as chair of the CMU board of trustees for seven years. When asked about the challenges and accomplishments Drake has faced over the last decade while at the helm of the institution, Perry pointed to enrollment, capital improvement projects, institutional finances and the challenges of innovation. During Drake’s tenure, the institution saw record enrollment at a time when other institutions struggled to achieve growth. Several critical buildings on campus saw increased attention and planning, such as the construction of the Thogmorton Center for Allied Health and the renovation of Stedman and Clingenpeel Halls.

He went on to credit Drake’s adept leadership skills for the implementation and subsequent success of Digital U, Central Methodist’s innovative approach to technology and the evolving academic landscape.

“His accomplishments over the last 10 years reflect his strong leadership,” Perry explained. “During my professional life, I worked with 27 institutional executives and their relationships with their governing board. In working with a board, Roger Drake is truly among the very best of institutional executives with whom I have worked.”

When people visit CMU, they often refer to an unnamed, intangible quality about campus – an “it factor” of sorts. Drake sees it, too. While other higher education institutions struggle to keep the doors open and keep students engaged amid the changing educational landscape, Drake assures that CMU never will. He believes the board, faculty and staff that keep CMU running are also the reason why the campus is such a special place.

“This place becomes a part of your DNA. The culture of CMU lives in the collective memory of the people here. I’ve never experienced anything like the institutional identity that exists at Central,” Drake stated.

He went on to explain that the “standards aren’t lower” at CMU, but that the “delivery methods are superior.” Drake credits the healthy reserves, programs of excellence, and sustainable competitive advantages among the ways that ensure CMU rises to the challenge of a complex industry.

“We have faculty here that could teach anywhere they wanted to, and yet they choose to be here,” he explained. “In the business [industry], they take people and make money. In higher education, we take money and make people. A lot of the stuff we do makes no financial sense, but it makes human sense. It makes people sense. At CMU, we position people for a better life.”

When reflecting back on his professional accomplishments and unlikely trajectory, Drake remembers where everything began in rural Appalachia. He sees himself in many of the students who have crossed his path. [Anyone from the low-income student from a small rural community, to Arnold Mukisa, a ’20 CMU graduate, who learned to be a computer programmer at the public library with 30-minute sessions on a dial-up computer in Kampala, Uganda.] He remembers his oldest brother, at a family reunion, asking “Rog” if he “still worked for some college or something.” All of it, a journey full of luck and chance encounters.

Current CMU board of trustees chair Nancy Peacock, ’82, sees Drake’s leadership as foundational to the success of the many students who have called CMU their alma mater.

“I feel very lucky to be able to work in a complementary role with him as chair of the board of trustees,” Dr. Peacock explained. “He works tirelessly to engage with our alumni and donors, connecting them to the noble cause of lifting up other human beings and providing students with a chance to earn a college degree and move into the world and live a life they wouldn’t have dreamed about without this educational experience.”

After a decade with CMU, this is the longest that Drake has remained at a job in his professional career. He continues to see the mission of CMU as the thread that has consistently held the campus together since its inception in 1854. Though he is grateful to receive praise for the success of the institution, Drake places credit on the people who choose to spend their time living, learning and working at CMU.

“Way too much emphasis tends to be on the CEO of an organization,” Drake explained. “I would suggest that there are tons of people who make a greater difference to the students day in and day out than whoever sits in this seat. These folks change more lives in a month than I will in a career, and they do it with a servant’s heart.”