LU presidential candidate outlines priorities

William E. Hudson Jr., right, addresses community members and the Lincoln University Board of Curators on Wednesday morning at The Linc. Hudson is one of two candidates still in the running for the president of the university.
William E. Hudson Jr., right, addresses community members and the Lincoln University Board of Curators on Wednesday morning at The Linc. Hudson is one of two candidates still in the running for the president of the university.

William E. Hudson Jr. said Wednesday he wants to be Lincoln University's next president "because of the opportunity to help students."

Hudson, currently the vice president for Student Affairs at Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, is one of two finalists for the LU presidential vacancy that was created when Kevin Rome moved to Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, on July 1.

The second finalist, Jerald Jones Woolfolk, vice president for Student Affairs at the State University of New York, Oswego, is scheduled to be in Jefferson City today.

Speaking at the first of a day-long series of meetings with the general public and LU's faculty, staff, students, alumni and curators, Hudson added: "I think Lincoln has the potential for growth, that it can be one of the top HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) in the nation."

Previous LU Presidents Rome and Carolyn Mahoney had said Lincoln could grow to be a school twice its current size - and Hudson said the same thing Wednesday morning.

"Approximately 3,000 students are at Lincoln right now," he said. "It has the growth (potential) to be 5,000 or 6,000 students strong."

He's had a variety of education experiences, including running high school programs, working with community colleges and being a teacher and administrator at both the predominately white Florida State University and the historically black Florida A&M.

To survive in today's world, Hudson said, schools "must think in terms of a 21st century transformation to think about new business models at the institution - how are we operating the university as a business? How are we managing funding?"

Dealing with technological changes also is a major challenge for all schools, he said.

Many state-owned colleges also are facing reduced funding from the state government, Hudson said, noting Florida A&M has experienced more than $60 million in state budget reduction in the past few years - resulting in employee layoffs, program changes and class reductions.

No one likes to lay off employees, he said, but, "You have to do what's in the best interests of the university."

Colleges like Lincoln must seek out and use new funding streams, including grants from the federal government and other sources.

Recruiting new students and retaining the ones already enrolled are important challenges that must be met, Hudson said.

"One of the things that I love about the college system is the ability to go out and attract diverse talent to the institution - specifically local," he explained. "You have to be able to recruit in your backyard, before you can go out and recruit other places."

He didn't comment on it during his nearly 80-minute question-and-answer session with the general public stakeholders, but Hudson told the News Tribune he's aware Lincoln has had an enrollment slide in recent years.

In response to one question, Hudson noted athletics played a major role in student population growth at some colleges - but administrators also must look at extra-curricular activities as important recruiting tools, as well as the classes offered.

Hudson said those on the academic side also must make some changes, with "scorecards for every college and school, to see how many students come into that school, how many are retained and how many graduate each year."

He said schools must focus on competency-based learning, so graduates can get jobs after college.

"We want students to have jobs before they even leave (college)," Hudson said, noting that, at Florida A&M, students are required to have internships as part of their college experience.

He believes in a "team approach" he said, working to "build everybody up (and) create a synergy to make sure that the university can move forward."

Hudson also said: "We have to make sure that we provide the services, and also the engagement of students, to make sure that they understand (college) is a four-year process - and provide the academic map for them to tangibly see that (graduation) is attainable."

He said Lincoln officials also must find ways to explain the university's value to the whole state, and to the Mid-Missouri region, both educationally and financially.

"There are some hidden gems here that people may not know about," Hudson said.

He grew up in Jacob City, Florida, a small farming community near the Alabama state line.

"I'm number seven of 13 kids," he said. "I was raised by my grandparents. I'm a country boy at heart, who loves fishing and hunting and all of those things."

After his parents divorced when he was young, Hudson said he didn't perform well in school until high school, and he eventually earned scholarship opportunities.

Hudson received his bachelors degree in psychology and masters degree in guidance and counseling from Florida A&M. He earned his education specialist degree and doctorate in rehabilitation counseling from Florida State.

"I chose a smaller institution (to attend) because I wanted that family feel," he explained, "and in my research and knowing about Lincoln, the family atmosphere is what dwells here."

But when he went to college, he said, he "wasn't that stellar student," but "was given an opportunity" - and he wants to lead a school that provides similar opportunities to other students.

"Being an open-access school, you receive students who others don't think have the opportunity for a higher education," Hudson noted, "and providing that opportunity can have a significant impact on this community."

He added: "There are great things happening here (at Lincoln), and we want to continue that process and make sure that the legacy of Lincoln continues forever."