PRESIDENT WILEY IN OFFICE

The president's office at Freed-Hardeman University looks a little different than it did just a few weeks ago. The bookshelves are empty and gifts of good luck abound. A few personal items are scattered across the desk.

“Things are crazy right now,” said Freed-Hardeman's new president Dr. Joe Wiley. “I knew they would be, and they are, but I've been trying to just orient myself with the campus and educate myself on the matters on campus.”

Freed-Hardeman announced Wiley as its new president on January 14, but Wiley's first day on the job was not until Monday, April 14.

“There has been so much time between when I was hired and when I actually started the job,” Wiley said, “that there are things that hit today that have been waiting for the past two and a half months to be handled.”

Among Wiley's first orders of business on campus involve him familiarizing himself with the university's budget and its fiscal plan as he continues to learn more about the university.

“Right now, I'm just trying to listen and learn, basically,” he said.

Wiley has been in public education his entire career, from teaching as a mathematics professor in his early career to his 10-year tenure as president of Rogers State University in Claremont, Okla. He believes he can bring several aspects of his knowledge of public education and introduce some of its benefits into the privately-funded Freed-Hardeman.

Among his goals for Freed-Hardeman, Wiley wants to continue FHU's reputation of having a solid, Christian atmosphere, but he also wants to put a strong emphasis on improving the university's academic excellence. He wants to make sure Freed-Hardeman earns a reputation of being a premier Christian university of choice in the United States for it academics as well as its spirituality.

“Freed-Hardeman has always been knows for its rigor in its Bible program and the spirituality you can feel on this campus, but we want to make sure that we also increase the academic rigor to let people know that when they hire a graduate of Freed-Hardeman, it will be someone that is spiritually grounded, that the love of Christ is seen in them and that they have excellent academic and intellectual ability.”

Wiley believes many of the academic programs on Freed-Hardeman's campus are already high-quality programs, but wants to focus more on “getting the message out of what a premier university this is.”

Former president Dr. Milton Sewell has moved to the university's chancellor. The search for a new president began when Sewell announced he was stepping down in February of 2006.

“The board of trustees has done an excellent job in the selection of our new president,” said Sewell. “I am very pleased with the selection of Dr. Wiley and look forward to our work together.”

As far as his short-term goals are concerned, Wiley wants to focus on branding for the university as well as making sure that the university's budget is as efficient as it can possibly be in order to keep tuition as low as it can be for students.