This week’s post is quite personal, but I thought I might take the opportunity to share a few perspectives about my friend and colleague, Dr. Elson S. Floyd. Saturday, I lost more than a close colleague; I lost my most influential mentor, my boss, and one of my closest friends. I suppose that writing this blog post is as much about personal grief therapy, as sharing my perspectives and experiences with the man.
If you have monitored social media since his passing, you have to be impressed and inspired by the outpouring of support and condolences from not only Cougar Nation, but from friends and colleagues of President Floyd across the country. Elson was not only a leader of Cougar Nation, but he was a national leader for higher education, particularly in the areas of access and affordability.
I first met Elson Floyd while serving on the search committee for the 10th president of WSU. I recall looking at his credentials and being impressed with his administrative experience, but being a little skeptical because he had not worked his way up through the faculty ranks. We held the “airport interviews” in Chicago, and it was there, no more than five minutes into the interview, that I was convinced that we had our guy. He was so, well, “presidential.” No one I have ever been around commanded a room like Elson Floyd.
When Elson arrived at WSU, he was focused on re-instilling WSU’s commitment to its land-grant mission. To punctuate this message, he embarked on a 39-county tour of Washington state during the first year of his presidency. As the Dean of CAHNRS at the time, I was invited along, and it was through those days and nights that we developed a special bond that I will cherish forever. Elson had no special affinity for agriculture, but he saw WSU’s agricultural programs as the model for demonstrating how WSU could, and should, serve all regions and every citizen of the state. He was frequently quoted as saying, “Ag is my no. 1 priority.” He demonstrated this not by providing us more funding (in fact, CAHNRS/Extension took some of the largest budget reductions during the budget crisis), but by giving us credibility with our stakeholders. With his support, we raised over $200 million of private gifts in support of agricultural research and education.
What made Elson Floyd such an extraordinary force? Some might argue that it was his communication skills; other might say it was his tremendous knowledge of higher education; or perhaps his political skill. In the end, at least from my perspective, what separated Elson Floyd from every other leader I have met was his sheer will and determination. “No” and “It can’t be done” were not in his vocabulary, and he possessed a spirit to overcome insurmountable odds and achieve what some viewed impossible. When staff was arguing whether our campaign goal should be $600 million or $700 million, he emphatically pegged the goal at $1 billion. When people said there was no possible way to gain authorization for a medical school, he went to each and every state legislator and explained why the medical school was the right thing to do, not for WSU, but for the state’s citizens.
President Floyd had amazing academic and administrative instincts. The School of Global Animal Health, the online MBA, and the Murrow College of Communication were all initiatives that he conceived and set in motion. Just as with agriculture, his concept and his support catapulted these programs into a position from which they grew and flourished. Dr. Floyd led us through the most tumultuous fiscal times in the history of Washington State, and through the implementation of his “We can’t be all things to all people,” philosophy, we came out of the Great Recession poised to continue the transformation of WSU.
As a WSU alumnus, working for WSU has always been a labor of love; but serving under Elson Floyd made it particularly special. For someone with an affinity for WSU, what could be more inspiring than working with a man who was literally transforming the institution before your very eyes? He taught WSU to believe in itself and aspire to things beyond many people’s wildest dreams–AAU membership, an independently accredited medical school, a $1 billion fundraising campaign. He pushed us to operate at a pace that most universities find uncomfortable; what some of us affectionately referred to as “Elson time.” Not everyone agreed with his decisions and not all were comfortable with his pace of change, but he always heard people out, and took the time to engage with people who had dissenting opinions.
Elson is at peace and in a better place. He was taken from this world too early; but it is not our place to question why. Our job now is to continue to move the institution forward and accomplish the many initiatives that Dr. Floyd has set us on course to complete.
Rest in peace my friend.