Elson Floyd

Elson S. Floyd is an American educator who took office as the 10th president of the four-campus Washington State University on May 21, 2007. He succeeded V. Lane Rawlins as the leader of Washington State’s land-grant research university. Floyd has also served as president of the University of Missouri System and president of Western Michigan University.

Early life and education

Elson S. Floyd is a native of Henderson, North Carolina, a city located about 40 minutes north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. He is the oldest of four sons of Mr. and Mrs. Elson Floyd. He attended the Darlington School, a coeducational college preparatory school in Rome, Georgia.

Dr. Floyd holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and speech (1978), a master of education degree in adult education (1982), and a doctor of philosophy degree in higher and adult education (1984), all from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Academic career

Before coming to Washington State University, where he is based on the main campus in Pullman, Washington, Floyd was the 21st president of the four-campus University of Missouri for four years (2003-2007). He was selected to lead Missouri’s land-grant research university on Nov. 11, 2002.

Prior to that, he was the sixth president of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, taking office there August 1, 1998, and serving until January 5, 2003. While at Western Michigan University, he also was a tenured faculty member in the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology and in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Leadership.

Dr. Floyd spent from 1995 to 1998 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he served as chief administrative and operating officer and the senior official responsible for business and finance; human resources; auxiliary enterprises; student affairs; information technology; university advancement and development; and enrollment management.

For two years, 1993-1995, he was executive director of the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board, the agency responsible for statewide planning, policy analysis and student financial aid programs for Washington's post-secondary education system. From 1990 to 1993, Dr. Floyd served as vice president for student services, vice president for administration, and executive vice president at Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington. In the latter role, he was the university's chief operating officer.

WSU’s president started his career in 1978 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he held deanships in the Division of Student Affairs, the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences. From 1988 to 1990, he was assistant vice president for student services for the UNC system office, where he helped develop and articulate student affairs and academic affairs policy for the 16-campus university system.

Professional and public service

Among President Floyd’s numerous appointments to boards and councils are those to the American Council on Education (ACE) Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness (2004 - ), the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (2003 - ), President George W. Bush’s Advisory Board for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2002 - ), The Darling School Board of Trustees (1997-2000) and the Education Commission of the States (1993). He also was a Truman Scholarship Reviewer (1999).

Awards

Among other honors, Dr. Floyd received the 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his former high school, Darlington School, in Georgia. He is the recipient of the 2005 Communicator of the Year Award, given by the Mid-Missouri Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and the 2004 James C. Kirkpatrick Award given by the Northwest Missouri Press Association for public service.

External links

* [http://www.wsu.edu/president/about-floyd/ Profile as Washington State University President]
* [http://www.wsu.edu/president/perspectives/ Perspectives from the Desk of President Floyd]
* [http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/president/former.shtml Listed among University of Missouri Presidents]
* [http://connect.educause.edu/eprofile/33788 Profile at EduCause]
* [http://www.midmoprsa.org/coty2005.html Recipient of the Mid-Missouri PRSA 2005 Communicator of the Year Award]
* [http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct04/uday100504.html Recipient of the 2004 UNC Distinguished Alumnus Award]