180 In June 2022, Dr. Mike Williams rejoined the Harding community as president of the university. His familiarity with campus came from time spent as a student and the many years he served as faculty. As a part of Williams’ new position of leadership, he decided to travel on a presidential tour to 25 different cities to speak at Christian high schools and meet with alumni, donors and prospective students. “With a transition of leadership there is a lot of curiosity,” Williams said. He hoped to share where the university was going to go and what it was going to look like with the new variety of people the university depended on. “I feel like Harding has so much to offer and there’s so many students that really don’t have a clue of opportunity here,” Williams said. “If we can be out there and aggressive, and if we can put the Harding flag in the ground in multiple places, it just introduces Harding to a broader audience of people.” Cindy Hunter, the executive assistant to the president, worked in the President’s Office at Harding for 33 years. She said the office had been the busiest she had ever experienced since Williams’ arrival, especially due to the inauguration and planning for the centennial celebration. She said Williams focused on connecting with current students as well as prospective students. Every time a group of students visited, whether there was one student or a group of 25, Williams would greet and welcome them to campus. He told them about himself and Harding’s mission. He then sent a personal note to every visitor that had been on campus. “I like watching him and his vision,” Hunter said. “He’s always looking to see what he can do, change and improve to make the experience and life here at Harding better for everybody.” According to Williams, part of his job as president was to keep fanning the flame of opportunity and to encourage people to be bold and aspirational. The purpose of recruitment was not just to recruit students and donors, but recruit the best people to be a part of the Harding community. Williams said he and his wife Lisa Williams agreed that one of their blessings at Harding was with students. They took walks around campus and enjoyed running into students and meeting them. Sometimes students invited the couple to share a meal or cook together. “It’s reassuring and fulfilling and fun to do life next to college students, partnering together to make this place better,” Mike Williams said. Student Association President Megan Sledge helped Williams connect with students by putting together a mystery group of students who all have something in common, unknown to the Williams. Every week Mike and Lisa Williams met with a new group and tried to figure out what they all shared in common over lunch. It gave them a chance to have conversation and for the students to meet each other as well. Sledge met with Mike Williams every week and admired him for his intentionality and wisdom. “He loves gearing student opinions and visiting about what is currently going on around campus,” Sledge said. “He keeps students at the center of everything he does and is on a mission for the betterment of the university. I’m so thankful he is with us.” Williams said he was humbled to take on the role as president, but at the same time terribly excited. “I love that kind of vision that says, ‘Where can Harding go?’” Williams said. “I think there’s so much horsepower here that if we ever caught the full potential of this place it would go crazy.” Written by: Emily Stinnett HOME AGAIN President Mike Williams returns to Harding with a focus on student connection as he enters into his presidency.
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