Back in October, The Stampede’s editor, Sam Kyker, sat down with Milligan’s new president, Dr. Stephen Waers, for a two-part conversation about where he came from, how he came to East Tennessee and what his vision for Milligan’s future is. The first part, published on Oct. 25, covered Waers’ childhood, schooling and job history, and the people who led him to Milligan and its presidency. This second part of the interview (which has been condensed and edited) covers his first few months as the school’s new face and primary representative, his hopes and dreams for the university and leading like his physician.
What are some areas that you think Milligan is doing right in as an institution?
It is very clear to me that Milligan is academically excellent, and that the core of that excellence is its historic foundation on the humanities program and liberal arts. Students need to understand the broader context, whatever field they are in or are pursuing. Milligan is an academic institution first, period. I also happen to think that we are in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. We’re in a good place that testifies to the beauty of God’s creation, and in a lot of ways I think we are doing that.
And inversely, what are some areas that the school can do better in and change?
One of the things that I see is that we have an aging physical infrastructure. I want to bring our physical campus up to the level of our academic programs, and fit for the beauty of God’s creation around us.
What have your first few months looked like here, and what kind of adjustments have you had to make?
The hardest part of my first few months here was that I was in a walking boot for most of it, which really cramped my style, because I want to be out of my office and able to interact with people. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it definitely made for a more stressful reintroduction. I was up here at Emmanuel 15 years ago, but I’ve come back as a relative outsider. There are so many people that I don’t know. On a base level, that has been something that I’m trying to invest in, and has been somewhat of a challenge.
What is something that you’ve particularly enjoyed about being here?
I’ll give a superficial answer first. The fact that it is relatively cool in the mornings and evenings, that’s something. It was definitely not that way where we came from. On a more real note though, it has been a blessing to get the chance to reconnect with and introduce our children to some of the friends we made when we were last here.
It seems like you’ve really embraced the community here alread I’ve seen you at games and events. Is that something that you’re trying to do as much as possible and do you see importance there?
I think that is incredibly important. I chose my physician up here because I know that she is a person who, when I’m in the room, will spend her time trying to get to know me rather than just trying to check boxes and diagnose me without the context of a relationship. If I intend to lead well, I need to be like my physician, and know the people and the place and be able to discern what’s in the best interest of both.
I’ve been a student here for a few years now, and have heard pretty much every concern under the sun that students have. Where do you see relevance in those, and how do you want to try and solve all of them, if at all?
One thing about being new to a position and place is that you often have people tell you what’s wrong with it and how to fix things. What I’m working on now is the prioritization of those things. Some of those things, unsurprisingly, have very big price tags. I’ve already presented a list of things to the board which need to be our priority over the next few years. Our housing situation needs to be at the top of the list, for starters. We’re almost out of beds, and I would like the quality of our residence halls to match the quality of our academics. The quality needs to go up, and financing that will be a big challenge. Doable, but big.
What are your biggest concerns about Milligan and its future? From what you know so far, what do you think are Milligan’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?
We need to focus on being more fully who we are. We’re a residential, Christian liberal arts university that’s focused on the formation of whole people. Other, bigger public schools have different missions. They have different graduation rates. We are fulfilling a different mission than they are, and we need to be clear and open about that. Students who are looking for the fastest and cheapest options probably aren’t the students who will want to be here, and that’s OK. We need to focus on the people who want to be here, whether that’s in the student body, faculty or more.
How does your immediate plan and things you would like to accomplish quickly and early differ from a more distant plan focused on the future?
One of the things I’m working on now, which will drive any and all future plans, is getting my hands around our core data and creating data fluency and literacy in our management style. I want to know which areas are most productive, where do we have the highest yield, which majors are students most successful in. I need to understand on a deep data level what is happening and what is and isn’t healthy. Collecting that data and visualizing it is my immediate goal.
I taught a class back at Point called “The Drama of Scripture,” which covered the overarching narrative of Scripture. One of the set of questions I wanted my students to ask is that, regardless of their aspiring career or field, it’s always productive to ask where am I, what is broken, and how can I join in the work God is doing to fix it? Right now, I think I’m in the “what is and isn’t broken” category.
Did the trustees give you an agenda, things they want you to pay particular attention to, or issues to address in some way?
Yes and no. The first and main thing that the trustees and I focused on is fidelity to our mission, and the churches and communities that have supported us. And that is why I love our trustees—they are insistent that we be clear on who we are and who we serve, and that’s Christ. Their job is to make sure I will stay on the right path there, and they’ll support me while I do that.
Where do you see Milligan in 10 years?
We are mostly a regional quantity, but I think that what we are doing educationally is good enough to be known as a national Christian liberal arts university. That’s where I would like us to be, which means we have some work to do on our facilities. We need to build our endowment and make sure that we continue to hire faculty who keep our academic integrity strong. We are excellent, and I want that to continue and increase as I age here.
How do you want to be remembered as a president when your time here is over?
I want the college to be in better financial shape than when I started, our academic reputation to be stronger, and us to have not wavered in our faithfulness to Christ. A lot of times when the academic profile of a school increases, they tend to throw off their historic faith roots. I want our commitment to Christ to grow with our academic excellence. I don’t want those two things to have an inverse relationship.
About The Author
Sam Kyker is a senior from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. He is a Graphic Design major, with minors in Professional Writing, Humanities, and Bible, and is a part of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He loves to be outdoors, watching Newcastle United, and being active in the Milligan community, but is most comfortable with an espresso and a good book in hand and a vinyl spinning in the background.
picture by mu ministry