The President's Pulse
The first time I came to Muskingum University, I was a kid.
I grew up in a small farming community in south-central Ohio, where everybody knew everybody. The community felt small and familiar. The wider world felt enormous. There was so much I wanted to see, but most of it seemed impossibly far away.
When I had the opportunity to attend a summer camp at Muskingum, it felt like an expedition. I don't remember every detail of that visit. Time has a way of sanding down the sharp edges of memory. But I remember how the place felt. I remember walking across the campus and sensing that important things happened here. I remember the feeling that people cared deeply about learning, about craft, and about helping young people discover who they might become.
Then life carried me elsewhere. I left rural Ohio. I earned degrees. I became a professor, a researcher, and eventually an academic leader. I worked at institutions of different sizes and in different parts of the country. Along the way, I met extraordinary students, colleagues, and mentors who shaped my life in ways they probably never realized.
But now, decades after that first visit, I find myself returning to Muskingum as its president. Life has a funny way of bringing you home. When people ask why I chose Muskingum, the answer is surprisingly simple.
It was the people.
During the search process, I met faculty who cared intensely about teaching. Staff members who cared deeply about students. Alumni whose faces lit up when they talked about their years here. Trustees who spoke honestly about both the opportunities and the challenges facing the University. What I found was a community that felt sincere.
In higher education, it is easy to talk about buildings, rankings, programs, and statistics. Those things matter. But nearing three decades in this profession, I have come to believe that the most important thing about any university is whether people feel known in the fullest sense of the word. Whether someone notices them, believes in them, challenges them, and cares about who they are becoming. When people experience that kind of community, they thrive. Students grow in confidence. Faculty do their best work. Communities flourish because people understand they are part of something larger than themselves. That is what I see at Muskingum.
The world around us is changing rapidly. Higher education faces real challenges. Demographics are shifting. Technology is transforming how we learn and work. Families are asking hard questions about value and opportunity. Those realities are not reasons for pessimism. They are reasons for clarity. The institutions that will thrive in the years ahead are the ones that remain true to their mission while adapting to a changing world. That means continuing to serve traditional undergraduate students while also creating new opportunities for adult learners, graduate students, and working professionals who seek the benefits of a Muskingum education at different stages of life. I believe Muskingum is well positioned to do exactly that.
We have a history nearly two centuries long. We have a mission centered on helping students think critically, grow personally, excel professionally, and contribute meaningfully to society. We have faculty and staff who invest themselves in the success of students. We have alumni who carry this place with them long after graduation.
Most importantly, we have a purpose that matters. We help people discover their potential, build meaningful lives, and contribute to something larger than themselves.
As I begin this work, my first commitment is simple: to listen. I want to hear your stories. I want to learn what makes Muskingum special in your eyes. I want to understand where you believe we are strongest and where we can be better. And then I want us to get to work together. Because the future of Muskingum will not be built by a president. It will be built by students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and friends who share a belief that this university matters and that its best days are ahead.
I am grateful for the opportunity to join that work. And I am excited for the next chapter we will write together.
I'd love to hear from you. Write to me at president@muskingum.edu. Tell me what's on your mind. Tell me what matters to you.
Flav