finally...

On Friday, April 8, 2011, I wrote a blog entitled "an end...and a beginning" which detailed how I had NOT received the call to serve as president at Concordia University St. Paul and the lessons I had learned throughout the process.  This past Tuesday, May 13, 2014, it was announced that I had been named the next Chief Executive Officer at Concordia University Texas effective August 1 upon Tom Cedel's retirement (you can read the full story here).  I wrote in the April 8, 2011 blog that

"I am excited about this beginning - it is almost as if this is the first day of the rest of my life." 

Now as I begin thinking about this next chapter in my life, the above sentence seems as true as ever.  The April 8 blog contained a series of questions that would guide my learnings from that time forward, with one of them being, "Having tasted the role of being a college president, what are the next steps in my growth toward having that opportunity in the future?"  There is much I have learned in the past 3 1/2 years - and many people to whom I am thankful for walking with me on this journey...here are just a few:

• Ralph Wagoner - for being a coach, encourager, and friend 
• Carl Trovall - for giving me words that could fit my ideas
• Gayle Grotjan - for introducing me to people and places
• Beth Atherton - for seeing things in me I did not see
• Ron Kessler - for walking with me through both processes
• Joel Trammel - for providing a bigger (and better) picture of what the CEO is and does
• Linda Greenwald - for being there to share my ideas and dreams
• Kristi Kirk - for helping me understand a broader picture of college and university issues
• Rebecca Powers - for words of wisdom and encouragement
• The College of Business faculty - for being so good that I could venture into other areas of growth
• Tom Cedel - for providing an outstanding picture of what the leader of a University is and does
• Deb (my wife) - for being my sounding board and loving and believing in me for over 34 years

If you are reading this and your name is not on the list, please do not be offended - I am sure that you (and many, many others) have had similar influences on me and have made me the person I am today.  I am excited about the next steps, many of which will include transitioning from Dean to CEO.  That journey will prove to be full of lessons along the way, many of which I hope to include right here.  So until August 1, I remain the Dean of the College of Business at Concordia, and will continue to be "thinking about leadership" through that lens.