New Chairman – Nancy Walker Peacock, '82

Virginia Claire Alexander, Lizzy Clary, board of trustees chair Dr. Nancy Peacock '82, and Grace Turnbow ride in the homecoming parade.

New Chairman Eager to Navigate Big Change

BY SCOTT QUEEN

Dr. Nancy Walker Peacock, ’82, had no need to ease into her role as Central Methodist University’s new board chair. She said she has learned from the best—observing and consulting closely over the years with former chairmen Glenn Cox, ’51, and Dr. Tad Perry, ’65.

“I find myself in an exciting time,” said Peacock, who has served on the board since 2004. “Central has been well-managed, and there is some extra revenue for us to dream a little. Not just about buildings, but about programming.”

While a significant $6.5 million project on Fayette’s town square is first on her agenda, Peacock is propelling the board of trustees to dream about new academic programming; technology and cybersecurity; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and the future and relevance of higher education, while always considering the impact the university and its graduates are making on planet Earth.

At the same time, “We have looked at planning this first new residential expansion at CMU in 50 years not only as a means to further the care of our students but also to enhance the Fayette community,” she said. “As President Drake said, we could have easily built the new housing on our campus, but we wanted a project that would help drive the economy in Fayette and provide financial and social support.”

She also hopes to guide the institution to improve supply and workforce

issues and support ongoing professional growth and development of faculty and staff. “We are in a volatile, changing time in higher education,” she said. “We depend on enrollment to keep our doors open and our physical plant functioning, and we have to continue to dream about degrees needed in the future to support the jobs and workforce of the future. All of this while helping our students maintain and develop the fundamental skills needed for empathetic problem solving. “We need to talk about how we weave all of the issues of the day into a curriculum and move toward a goal of a relevant and modern university with a heart toward the past,” she said. Peacock, who played a significant role in Central’s pandemic response committee, said the university had to be nimble and respond quickly to the issues the pandemic created, and that A board of trustees selfie. type of change and adaptation will be paramount as Central navigates the future. The board is considering, Peacock said, a new capital campaign to fund Central’s future and provide the physical plant and engaging programming that the institution needs to compete. She said the board was developing a strategy for stewardship, while looking at program development and enhancement of online offerings.