With the announcement of Dr. Dean Pribbenow as the 17th President of Millikin, students can rest easy knowing that help is on the way.

Pribbenow is extremely qualified and faculty and staff alike have had nothing but encouraging words about his experience, character, and excitement to arrive at our campus.

This news is very encouraging, but one question still has yet to be answered.

What will Millikin’s leadership, specifically the Acting President position, look like until Pribbenow’s first day, July 1st?

Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Acting President Ron Branch has heard these questions, and he hopes that students will be encouraged and express confidence in Millikin’s leadership as Millikin gears up for its new President.

One way that students were able to voice their concerns was in a meeting held with student leaders and the Board of Trustees, which Branch hopes will start to create more opportunities for open discussion and conversation with Millikin’s constituents.

Branch was also willing to sit down for an interview with the Dec to address the concerns that he has heard from students.

“The purpose of today and tomorrow is to hear the campus as it relates to not only the Acting President role but any other concerns and thoughts that the University has regarding this University,” he said.
The selection of the Acting President will be an ongoing process meaning the University may not announce an Acting President for some time. The position could remain with Branch but it cannot be confirmed until the Board of Trustees has considered every option.

Along with this, Branch provided clarity that former President Jim Reynolds requested his leave of absence which the Board of Trustees granted, leading to an Acting President being needed.

“It is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees and the Millikin bylaws to select the President, and since our President had requested and received the approval of the Board of Trustees for the leave of absence, it was the responsibility of the Board to select a more permanent acting President,” he said.

“There is not a specific timetable because the Board of Trustees are more focused that we as a Board select the best potential Acting President to take us through July 1st, the day our 17th President takes office. The Trustees will do its due diligence in selecting a more permanent Acting President.”

Chairman Branch himself is not entirely sure if he will end up holding that position. He simply wants what is best for Millikin at this time.

“The determination by the Board to confirm myself as Acting President is what the Board felt at this time was the right decision,” he said. “I don’t know whether the Board will make that decision whether or not we have another Acting President other than myself or if I will continue in that role to June 30th.

“I am going to do what is best for the University based on what the Board of Trustees collectively decides. Once or if the Board selects the Acting President, the community of Millikin will know immediately after that.”

If Chairman Branch is to continue in the Acting President position, there could be a slight change in leadership that would follow simply because he would be serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Acting President at the same time.

“If I were to continue as Acting President, then the Board will determine what it looks like,” he said. “It is not the long term goal that I would be serving in both capacities at the same time.”

With how many announcements are being made about leadership in the last few weeks, many students have felt overwhelmed and unheard by administration. Branch has heard these concerns, and the meetings held with student leaders are a way for students to express their concerns directly to the Board of Trustees. Although student interaction would not normally fall on the shoulders of the Board of Trustees, Millikin’s lack of a President has left this responsibility unanswered, which is why the meetings were necessary.

“We as a Board of Trustees is not one that is interfacing on a regular basis because we don’t have that responsibility,” Branch said. “However, the reasons that we are having these listening sessions today and tomorrow are because of the lack of communication, or what some see as a lack of transparency, that is occurring.

“I felt it was necessary to come to the University with other Trustees who are either here in person or virtually to hopefully create a more two-way dialogue so that information can flow for what we can provide to the University.”

Although the Board of Trustees is clearly interested in helping students in any way they can, the Trustees are not always on Millikin’s campus, which could leave students feeling isolated and discouraged. Branch encourages students to remember that help is available whenever needed, and that help is on Millikin’s campus.

“We’ve got the Vice President of Student Affairs, which is the direct link to the President,” Branch said. “However, the entire leadership team is responsible to our students. The entire administration, staff, faculty, everyone.

“What today has shown from our communications with the different groups is that the information moving from the top to other areas of the community has to improve. Now, as Acting President, that is one of the initiatives I am working on as of right now. Hopefully, in the future, we get to see communication flow both ways.”

Dr. Wallace Southerland is the Vice President of Student Affairs, and the Office of Student Affairs is located on the third floor of the University Commons in Suite 354.

One of the largest concerns that students had was Millikin’s involvement with The Woods. Although, according to Branch, Millikin’s relationship with The Woods has improved over the last few years, many students still believe that their apartment is not worth the hefty price they pay each semester. Branch encourages these students to voice their concerns, but to voice them to the correct outlet.
“Let your voice be heard to the appropriate parties in a respectful manner,” he said. “Students need to voice their concerns to the appropriate entities that can address their concerns. I’m sure students are talking to each other and I can’t respond to whether they have directed their concerns appropriately.

“Those concerns will go through the Office of Student Affairs. Students must make sure that they are consistent in terms of voicing whatever the issues are.”

Although students’ voices must be heard when expressing concerns about living conditions at their apartments, big changes may not be possible, due to the contract that Millikin currently has with The Woods.

“Contractually, we have some restraints,” Branch said. “Please try to understand that the University is trying to do everything it can to have the best experience for its students. It’s not that students are being ignored, we just have limitations, and so we consistently work on them.

“President Reynolds consistently worked on it. I would hope that, overall, from where The Woods’ relationship was with our students a few years ago, it’s a little better. Is it perfect? Absolutely not.”

Hopefully, with time, the relationship will get better, and perhaps changes can come about at The Woods.

“President Reynolds did a tremendous job in improving the relationship between the Woods and Millikin University,” Branch said. “It’s going to be better. It’s going to take a little more time, but it is always a work in progress.”

Hopefully, these changes can be realized with the Dr. Pribbenow arriving at Millikin this summer. Now more than ever, Millikin’s students are in need of a strong leader, a leader that can bring about true change in areas that have needed it for far too long.