A year after taking the office as University of Missouri system president, Tim Wolfe says the number one issue on his agenda is strategic planning. Wolfe spoke today with press in Columbia about the past year’s achievements and challenges as well as plans for future. One of his goals is developing an area of specialization for each of the four UM campuses, what Wolfe calls “being best in class”.
“Being best in class in the specific area is important for each of the four campuses because it will define the brand and allow them to continue the progress that they’ve achieved in the recent years.”
A graduate of MU’s Trulaske business school Wolfe spent 20 years at IBM before coming back to Columbia. He says the transition from business to academia has been a smooth one. He says problems are similar, but the way to solve them is different. Wolfe says he has been somewhat surprised by how much politics is involved in leading an academic institution. One of the challenges that highlighted Wolfe’s first year was a reversal of the controversial decision to close the University of Missouri press. Wolfe says in hindsight he would have involved more people in the dialogue leading to that decision.