One of the big questions whenever a president takes office is, “What are they going to do with their time in office?” For Millikin’s Interim President Patrick White, this question holds a new meaning.

With only being here for one year, an interim president has a very difficult task. What do they work for since they will have to leave as soon as it really gets started? President White thinks that to be a great interim president, one has to act like they’re not. Basically, President White is planning for Millikin’s future and starting to pave the pathway for the next president. His goals are to work hard this year so that when the new president comes, he can actually take a breath when he gets here before he gets to work.

“As good as Millikin is we should be even better and more known,” President White said. One item that President White wants to help with is the Transform MU Campaign. This involves creating a theater building, student center and exercise science area. There is also money for scholarships in order for students to receive more financial aid. With this in mind, President White also wants to try to increase alumni and friend donations so Millikin can offer its students more scholarships so they aren’t graduating with as much debt.

“We need to find a way to make Millikin affordable through grants and for all students. We are going to do that not by necessarily keeping the price down, so much as finding support for grants to help students pay for the education we have at Millikin,” President White said. Millikin has undergone many faculty and leadership changes over the last year. We MU have changed the president, the vice presidents and two of the four deans. It’s a lot of change to undergo in just one year, but with this present cabinet, President White feels like he will be able to make great strides this year in pushing Millikin forward.