Leadership Missouri Makes UCM a Stop During Recent Warrensburg Tour

Third from right, David Pearce, executive director for Governmental Relations at the University of Central Missouri, conducts a tour of campus with members of the 31st Leadership Missouri class.

WARRENSBURG, MO – A class of 35 individuals who are involved with the Leadership Missouri program visited the University of Central Missouri on Wednesday, Oct. 12, as part of a seven-month-long professional development and learning opportunity sponsored by the Missouri Chamber Foundation.

The purpose of this program, now in its 31st year, is to bring business, non-profit and government leaders together from around the state to foster strong leadership skills in order to help build stronger communities. It also enables them to “learn about some of Missouri’s hidden gems,” according to Tammy Long, vice president of programs and business services for the Missouri Chamber.

With the theme, “Be the Leader You Want to Follow,” the group’s visit to UCM came as class members were completing the last few weeks of a program which has taken them to seven different locations throughout Missouri. A longtime Warrensburg resident, Long said she was pleased to include the university on the community tour.

“It feels wonderful. Warrensburg has so much to offer as does Johnson County, so it’s great to have people come in and see our community and how great it is,” she said.

The visit to UCM was part of a three-day experience in Warrensburg that included tours, presentations and discussions that offered more insight into the community and its business, education and government assets.

David Pearce, executive director for Government Relations at UCM, hosted the group throughout its visit to the university.  

“We were thrilled to host this distinguished group at UCM,” he said. “Leaders from across the state got to see the positive things happening on campus. The highlight was meeting our students, faculty and staff.”

The first stop in a busy afternoon on Oct. 12 was at UCM’s Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport, where the class learned more about the university’s role in aviation education and in providing a community use airport, in addition to how facility personnel are planning for future improvements. Following a presentation by Airport Manager Dan Dietz, the group moved on to the Military and Veterans Success Center in the Elliott Student Union, where they were welcomed to campus by President Roger Best. He shared information about UCM's history, the university’s mission, and the approach it takes in preparing graduates ready to go to work.

“We’re very firm believers that students have to know theory – you have to know why you are doing things. But you also have to know how to do things. So we have a very applied hands-on approach to education,” he said. “You can’t learn how to fly a plane by reading about it in a book or someone standing there telling you about it. You have to actually get in there and fly a plane. That’s the approach we take with all of our degree programs...You learn how to do things so that when you come out of this university, you are a value add to whatever organization or employer or whatever comes next - you are automatically able to do things without another six months of training.”

Best also spoke about the university’s role in being a partner with organizations. He encouraged members of the Leadership Missouri class to utilize campus resources, including student assistance with projects that may provide real-life experience.

Best’s comments were followed by remarks by Courtney Swoboda, director of Military and Veteran Services, who talked about different ways active duty military and veterans and their families are served by the university. The next stop on this whirlwind tour enabled the group to meet Dr. James Cicon, associate professor of finance in the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies. The visit with Cicon was highlighted by a presentation by his students about the Student Managed Investment Fund and the new carbon free Solar Crypto operation. The group then met with Josh Tomlinson, director of Broadcasting Services and General Manager of KMOS-TV, to tour the broadcast studio and adjacent facilities while also learning how the station meets public broadcasting needs and serves as an educational resource in the state. 

The campus tour concluded with a focus on agriculture. Travis Hume, director of University Farms, led the tour of the Prussing Farm, where the group met the university’s live mule mascots and learned how such UCM farms provide a valuable educational resource for students while also contributing to Missouri agriculture.

After its visit to UCM, Leadership Missouri on Thursday, Oct. 13 continued its trip to Warrensburg by touring enterprises such as the Dollar Tree Distribution Center, in addition to meeting with members of the City Council, fire and police departments.