Dixon was a splendid candidate for president of Truman because she

ithought BarbaraDixon was a splendidcandidate for president ofTruman because sheunderstands theUniversity’s publicliberal arts mission.— CHRISTOPHER DAHL

TheRightStuffWWith experience as a college professor, a concert pianist and a collegeadministrator, Barbara Dixon has the right combination of skills and talentsto build on the momentum created by Truman’s former presidents.On one hand, she has an appreciation for the simpler thingsin life, like having pizza on a Friday night. On the other hand,she’s totally comfortable in a sophisticated setting, like playingBeethoven’s sonatas onstage in a concert hall. Her range of skills -from master pianist to structured thinker - is equally diverse.These unique combinations made Barbara Dixon an ideal candidatewhen it came time to select the president of an institutionwith a mission grounded in the liberal arts and sciences.The University’s Presidential Search Committee was impressedwith Dixon’s success at every level of her career, from faculty memberto college administrator. “We were also very happy to havesomeone with experience at SUNY-Geneseo, a sister institution inthe Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges,” says CommitteeChair Randa Rawlins. “I find Barbara Dixon to be very down-toearthand someone who has a lot of common sense - importantattributes for a president of a Midwestern university.” On July 1,Barbara Dixon officially assumed duties as the 14th president ofTruman State University.The Road to TrumanPrior to coming to Truman, Dixon was serving as provostand vice president for academic affairs at the State University ofNew York at Geneseo, a public liberal arts college similar toTruman. “When people say you came from New York, the misperceptionis that New York means New York City,” says Dixon.“I was in upstate New York, and Geneseo is actually very rural -much like the small towns here in Missouri.”As a matter of fact, Dixon feels quite comfortable inKirksville. “It is very reminiscent of where I spent most of mylife,” says Dixon. “There are parts of Kirksville that look verymuch like Mt. Pleasant, Mich., which is where I spent 18 yearsas a faculty member and my first eight years as an administrator.”Dixon grew up in Pigeon, Mich., a town of around 1,000people. Her mother, a professional musician, had degrees in performanceand attended Juilliard. Her father, a physician, also hada talent for piano playing and had worked his way through collegeplaying in a dance band. “Playing the piano has always beena part of my life,” says Dixon. “My first piano lessons were playtimewith my mother.”This summer, when she moved to Kirksville, a Steinway Bpiano which holds sentimental value for Dixon was the mostvaluable possession she brought with her. “I grew up with a sixfootKnabe piano, and then later on, when my parents beganspending six months in one location, and six months in another,my mother wanted another piano,” says Dixon. “She convincedherself that they could afford to indulge in a second piano as thatwould ensure that I would always have a Steinway.”The Steinway, a seven-foot satin finish ebony grand piano,moved into the University Residence along with Dixon. Heryounger sister, a flutist with the Chicago Symphony, now hasthe Knabe. Dixon also has two brothers; her older brother is aretired physician, the younger one a lawyer/accountant. Theirparents owned a place on Lake Huron, and it still serves as thefamily conclave. “We’re very scattered, with one brother inMichigan, another in California, my sister in Illinois, and me inMissouri, so that’s the place where we all get together when wecan,” says Dixon, who is the family peacemaker. “She’s alwaysthe conciliator who tries to diffuse any tension,” says her sister,Louise Dixon.Education was always an important part of the Dixon household,where all four children were encouraged to study. “It wasn’twhether I would go to college, it was where and what I was goingto study that were the questions,” says Dixon, who did well inschool. A passion for teaching surfaced early on, and she enjoyedhelping high-school friends study. “Frequently, you would find abunch of my friends sitting around a table in my house the nightbefore a test,” says Dixon, who graduated as class valedictorian.Her sister remembers how Dixon was always helping otherseven back in high school. Because of her outstanding skill playingthe piano, Dixon often ended up serving as the accompanist forother students. “She has some remarkable abilities as a musician,”says Louise, who has performed in recitals with her sister. “Shehas always been able to sight read, and she can sit down at apiano and play show tunes by ear.”After high school, Dixon pursued her interests in music andteaching by enrolling in a double program in music educationand performance before earning a B.M. and M.M. in appliedpiano. She went on to earn a D.M.A in piano performance, literatureand pedagogy. Looking back to 1961 when she started col-

lege, Dixon remembers how different things were back then. “Ithink there was still a mindset that it was okay if a womandropped out and didn’t finish college,” says Dixon. “Today, thereis far more equality in terms of the expectations.”She believes college students should extend their expectationsbeyond graduation. “Students need to find something tonot only support themselves, but something that is also a lifelongwork,” says Dixon. “Work isn’t just about making money;it should be something you love, something that you pursuewith a passion and something that allows you to use your basictalents and your skills.”These very expectations caused her to shiftfrom teaching K-12 music after one year toteaching college so she could pursue her twogreatest passions - teaching and performing. “Atthe college level, I was able to continue being apianist in addition to being able to teach,” saysDixon. From 1971 to 1989, she served as a fulltimefaculty member at Central MichiganUniversity in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.Julia Daniels first met Dixon when bothwere serving as members of CMU’s faculty.“She’s such a fine musician and to be at herlevel requires the ability to focus and put everythingelse out of your mind,” says Daniels, whosaw Dixon apply that same type of discipline toall aspects of her life. “If I ever had to go tocourt, I would want her sitting next to mebecause she’s a terrific negotiator,” says Daniels.“She’s clear thinking, can respond in a cool,rational, and reflective way, and if I were introuble, that’s the person I would want.”Daniels and Dixon have remained close friends, and alongwith four others from CMU, formed a traveling group. “Wenicknamed ourselves the Rome 6 because Rome was our first triptogether. The group tries to take trips together a couple of timesa year to Europe or some distant location,” says Daniels.Besides traveling, Dixon enjoys spending time outdoors. “Ilike to just go out and bike, and in the summer, I love watersportslike sailing,” says Dixon. She also enjoys reading everythingfrom mysteries to biographies to books on leadership.“When I first went to college, I fell into habits of reading onlywhat I was assigned to read, but in my sophomore year, I wasvery influenced by a professor who talked about reading, andnow I’m never without a book,” says Dixon. “It’s the last thing Ido at night - even if I just read one page before I fall asleep - andsometimes I have two or three books going at the same time.”Presidential MaterialStephen Padalino, associate provost at Geneseo, believes thatDixon never intentionally set out in her career to become a universityadministrator, no less a university president. However, asdestiny would have it, he thinks she has ended up exactly whereshe should be - in the right place, doing the right thing, with theright skills. “One thing is for sure, she will devote 100 percent ofher time to the University - don’t be surprised to see her in heroffice 12 or 15 hours each day, six days a week.”“I thought that Barbara Dixon was a splendid candidate forpresident of Truman because she understands the University’spublic liberal arts mission and because she cares intensely aboutundergraduates and the quality of undergraduate education,” saysChristopher Dahl, president at Geneseo. He credits her leadershipas provost for moving Geneseo a quantum leap forward intheir assessment program, as well as creating a more open personnelprocess. “Rather than mandating assessment from the topdown, she involved as many faculty as possible,”says Dahl, who admired Dixon’s collegial andconsultative management style.Carole Beere met Dixon 20 years ago whenDixon was a faculty member implementing amusic program for children. “I was a psychologistand the mother of a young child, and I wasinterested in her approach to working with children,”says Beere. “I was impressed with herunderstanding of children, and I correctly concludedthat she really knew what she wasdoing.” Years later, when both Beere and Dixonwere administrative colleagues, Beere once againobserved Dixon’s ability to engender respect inothers. “She is extremely skilled in working withpeople, and she cares deeply about the variousconstituencies that the University serves,” saysBeere. “She will build on the shoulders of thosewho came before her, and the University willbenefit greatly from her leadership.”As Dixon assumes the reins as president of Truman, she plansto use her skills to help the University stay on track. “I feel I reallyunderstand the heart and soul of an academic institution,” saysDixon. “I’ve spent 18 years with the students, I know what it’slike to be a college student - although that was a long time ago -and I understand what it’s like to work your way up through theranks of a faculty member.”“The most important role of the president is to make surethat we stay on target with the mission, so our plans, our hiring,our curriculum, what we do with all of that fulfills the mission ofthe institution,” says Dixon. She also feels that it is important tocultivate an insatiable curiosity for knowledge along with ethicalbehavior, a caring for those who are less fortunate, and the desireto be responsible citizens. “A democracy depends on an educatedcitizenry, and so one of the things we hope to instill in people isthat desire to continually educate themselves beyond the halls ofan educational institution.”Dixon’s predecessor, former University President JackMagruder, feels confident that he left the University in goodhands when he retired in June. “I believe that President Dixonhas the background, experience, attitude and desire to be a greatpresident at Truman. She loves the mission and the people. She isthe right person at the right time to lead this great University,and I am pleased to support her totally,” says Magruder. “She willlead us well.”