Remembering a president and colleague

When I think of President Floyd, I see him so clearly, leaning back in his chair, eyebrows raised, fingers steepled, smiling wrily and overflowing with vitality, energy, charisma—and relentlessly pushing, pushing, pushing me to serve students better, to remove barriers to their success, to make WSU a better place for them.

It’s rare for a university president to have a student affairs background; President Floyd never forgot his roots as a Dean of Students, and it showed in his dedication to making WSU a place where every student was welcomed, supported, and graduated. He knew our work from the ground up, and he had the highest of expectations—that we would care as much about, and work as hard for, every student as he did.

He overcame barriers that are familiar to many of our students: a first-generation student of color whose family sacrificed greatly for his education, he triumphed over many challenges to achieve stunning success as a leader in higher education.

He was untiringly committed to making WSU a force for transformational change in the state and the nation. And he still found time, in the midst of enterprises as momentous as creating a medical school or shepherding us through one of the most serious financial crises in WSU history, to call down to my office about a student in distress, or to email me late night directions about revisions to the Standards of Conduct, or ask for more information about a crisis. 

President Floyd was a truly transformational leader for WSU, and his legacy will be felt in more ways than we can imagine now, so soon after he has left us. At Commencement this year, just a few weeks ago, I watched him joyfully congratulate students, shaking thousands of hands over a long day. The determination he marshalled to celebrate so authentically and fully with the students he loved to serve is one legacy for all of us who continue here. We will miss him, and we are inspired by his example.