New UM President Tapped

An SMT Report

After nearly two dozen meetings and an almost year-long national outreach, the University of Missouri Board of Curators today announced the appointment of Timothy M. Wolfe, 53, as the 23rd system president. The MU business school alumnus will assume responsibilities presently held by Interim President Stephen J. Owens, effective Feb. 15, 2012.

Board of Curators Chair Warren K. Erdman said Wolfe “matches the qualities” that university employees and citizens across the state said they wanted from the next president during seven statewide forums and dozens of curator visits conducted earlier this year.

“Tim Wolfe comes back to us as a successful graduate with a 30-year career in business,” Erdman said. “He comes back to us now with national and international experience, but with a heart that has always stayed in Missouri.”

Wolfe, formerly Novell’s president of the Americas and a 20-year IBM executive, went to Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, where he led the football team to a state championship as its quarterback.  He is the son of two university professors—a father who taught communications and a mother who is a law professor.

“During the months of interviews and conversations, we have learned that our next president cares deeply about Missouri and about our university,” Erdman added.  “He is highly motivated to protect its great traditions and reputation and see it to even higher levels….He listens and respects the opinions of others (and) values their knowledge. He respects the unique role of each of our campuses and understands the nature of our strong campus system….He has passion, vision, experience and humility. He can sell to others the vital importance of our university.”

Those familiar with Wolfe’s career in information technology, infrastructure software, consulting and sales acknowledge his ability to recruit, build and lead successful teams through creating innovative strategies and clear execution plans.

“He’s a good communicator,” Erdman added, noting that Wolfe’s career path has required cultivating important relationships with governors and legislators, chief executives and valued employees, customers and other important stakeholders. 

Wolfe said he considers his appointment as system president “an honor and a privilege. Serving this great university and our state is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I commit my full attention and energy to this endeavor,” he added.  “It is obvious to me, and it will be one of my goals to make it obvious to our fellow Missourians, that the University of Missouri System is the greatest asset in this state.”  

Wolfe underscored his belief that if the university is to keep up this momentum, which he believes it will, the university will have to continue to find ways to creatively deliver high-quality education to more people at lower cost while finding new sources of revenue to invest in the university’s vital mission. He suggested that more extensive use of technology for e-learning delivery is essential. 

During his remarks, Wolfe introduced his family, including his wife, Molly, twin son and daughter, Madison and Tyler, and his mother and father, Judith and Joe Wolfe.  Joe Wolfe is a retired, tenured faculty member of MU’s College of Arts and Sciences, and his mother earned four degrees at MU, including her law degree.  She is a law professor at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, MA.