University president retires after ten-year tenure

After a 10-year tenure, Dr. Keith McFarland is hanging up his coat as president of Texas A&M-University-Commerce, and retiring at the end of this spring. Faculty and students all over campus will miss him, but his accomplishments and contributions will be with the University for a long time to come. “It has been my pleasure to have worked with President McFarland in various capacities for the past 24 years. I will never forget at his inaugural luncheon that he stated, with a great deal of emotion, that this university and community had been good to him and to his family and he would do his very best to work hard to make both the university and community a better place. He kept his word,” Mary Hendrix, interim provost and vice-president for academic and student affairs, said. Planning to retire, take a year off and then teach one class at A&M-Commerce each semester, McFarland still has high hopes for the University. Among many things, he would like to see a continuation in quality graduates, and for the faculty to engage themselves more in the school. Coming to the University in 1969 as an assistant professor of history, he has also held the positions of assistant dean for the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, professor, head of the history department, dean for graduate studies and research and interim president. After being announced as the new president of the University in August of 1998, McFarland was at the forefront of many challenges. There had been no new academic programs in 10 years, and no new buildings had been built in almost 20. “Housing is probably one of my most difficult challenges. I think we’re to a point where we will by the end of the fall be ready to announce that we will be doing some remodeling of the old apartments and the old residence halls,” McFarland said at the beginning of his tenure in 1998. Over the years, there have been many improvements made to buildings and facilities around campus, especially the residence halls. Just last year, West Halls were renovated on the inside to better accommodate students living in the buildings. “Dr. McFarland is a visionary leader whose ideas, support and attention to detail have reinvigorated the landscape of this university. Under his administration new buildings such as Science, Morris Rec Center, Rayburn Student Center and New Pride Apartments have been brought on line,” David McKenna, executive director of facilities and support services, said. Throughout McFarland’s stay as president, 20 new programs have been started at the bachelor’s, masters and doctoral. These programs have brought enrollment to the highest it’s been in 25 years and produced some of the top professionals in education across the state. One of the most prestigious colleges to be involved in on campus, the Honors College, was also initiated in 2007 by Dr. McFarland, providing a residential learning community for students with the correct academic qualifications. With financial spending a common problem in most universities, McFarland helped to reduce administrative costs in the last four years from 11.3 percent to 9.5 percent. This allowed for external gifts and research funding increasing in the past year by 202 percent. “Dr. McFarland is a business officer’s dream. He asks hard questions about money and makes sure it is used wisely. He is a forward thinker whose improvements to the University will serve students for generations,” Bob Brown, vice president, said. A more recent concern for McFarland has been safety on and around the campus. With his help, the Thor Guard Lightning Prediction System and Tornado Warning System have been installed to warn students and visitors of unsafe weather conditions. “Dr. McFarland has always been a very down to earth person with genuine concerns for the welfare of everyone at the university. I recall being very impressed with his dedication when I would see him working late in his office at 2 a.m.; we could not have had a better president. He led by example and inspired others to have his level of dedication. He will be missed,” Jason Bone, lieutenant and crime information officer at the UPD, said. In just ten years, McFarland has accomplished nearly all of what he set out to, as well as inspiring many faculty and students to serve the University with dignity. “Dr. McFarland epitomizes the definition of a servant leader. He has served with distinction and grace and placed us in a position to elevate our level of greatness,” Derryle Peace, alumni director, said.