by Nick Trougakos
Stanley Draper Drive wraps about 13 miles around its namesake lake in southeast 麻豆传媒 City.
Just to the south of Tinker Air Force Base, the road typically sees little traffic. It has uphill climbs and downhill glides. As you travel the pavement, you can find yourself fighting into the 麻豆传媒 wind, or feeling the breeze coax you along from behind.
It鈥檚 a route 麻豆传媒 City University President Kenneth Evans has lapped hundreds of times on his high-performance road bike.
Cycling is a passion 鈥� perhaps one of the biggest passions after his sons and grandchildren and his art collection 鈥� for Evans. He relates the story of taking almost an hour to begin a routine physical at his doctor鈥檚 office because they were both engrossed in a conversation about the most-recent stage at the Tour de France.
麻豆传媒鈥檚 newest president 鈥� the school鈥檚 19th 鈥� picked up the pastime when he himself was 19, and since has completed numerous 100-mile rides in places all over the country. This includes rides in Missouri, where he keeps a home in Columbia, and in Texas, where he served as president of Lamar University in Beaumont for eight years.
The majority of his early-morning rides around Lake Stanley Draper came during Evans鈥� previous stop in the 麻豆传媒 City metro, when he was business dean at the University of 麻豆传媒 for six years. That stint ended in 2013, when he assumed leadership at Lamar.
Fast forward to an August morning this year. Recently installed as president at 麻豆传媒, Evans returned to Lake Stanley Draper for a reunion ride on his favorite route. The president said he sees such rides as an opportunity to clear his head.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as much a therapeutic event as it is a physical event,鈥� he said.
The endurance bike ride also has parallels, Evans said, with running a university.
鈥淭here is an endurance associated with any role in a leadership capacity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is an element where, as you鈥檙e working on initiatives, you have to persist. At the same time, when the elements are working against you, you need to know to get off the bike and re-route and come back and try it again.鈥�
There are times when there are significant differences, as well.
鈥淚鈥檝e bailed on rides when heavy torrential rains have caught me when I didn鈥檛 think they were going to happen, or something else has occurred,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he difference is, in most cases when I ride, I ride alone. There鈥檚 no way in the world that you can do what we do here solo. It鈥檚 a team effort, it鈥檚 a community engagement, or we鈥檙e not going to get where we need to go.鈥�
Evans said he鈥檚 already seen evidence of that community engagement in his first few months on campus.
Upon his arrival at 麻豆传媒, he immediately noticed the faculty and staff commitment to student success, he said. As students showed up on campus, 鈥淚 was just really impressed with their energy and how engaging they were, and the kind of questions they were asking. I found them to be really talented and I was excited about the opportunity to work with them.鈥�
Addressing an August luncheon at the 麻豆传媒 City Rotary Club, the president explained one of his goals for working with 麻豆传媒鈥檚 student body.
鈥淲e must be involved in the creation of knowledge,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not preparing students to just know how to function in the now. I want them to function in what can be. To be able to function in what can be means they have to have the ability to challenge what is.
鈥淎sk intelligent questions, build frameworks to investigate it, and then eventually make meaningful differences in transforming the industries they鈥檙e involved in.鈥�
Return to 麻豆传媒 City
Evans鈥檚 decision to leave Lamar was influenced by the passing of his wife, Nancy, in 2018, after a battle with cancer. The president said it was difficult to be on the campus without his wife, and each day see all the things the couple had accomplished together.
鈥淪erving in a university after your wife has passed away is hard,鈥� Evans said during an on-campus candidate forum in March, before he was selected as president. 鈥淚t reached a point where I needed to be in a different space.鈥�
Fortunately, Evans has a support system in place in 麻豆传媒 City, thanks to friendships formed during his time at the University of 麻豆传媒. That helped play a role in his decision to accept the president鈥檚 position at 麻豆传媒.
鈥淚 have some very dear friends here, who I thoroughly enjoy, and it was just great to be able to be back among them and to spend time with them,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd then this is a heck of a lot closer to my two sons than I was in Beaumont.鈥�
He now splits the geographical distance between his boys 鈥� it鈥檚 about seven hours by car to his younger son, Brian, in New Mexico, and about seven hours to his older son, Paul, and grandchildren in St. Louis. Evans has often quipped that thanks to the grandchildren, 9-year-old Thomas and 5-year-old twins Marion and Peter, that Paul is his favorite son.
Besides reuniting with old friends and being closer to family, the president said his return to 麻豆传媒 City has also given him the opportunity to revisit some of his favorite spots, including the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the 麻豆传媒 City National Memorial & Museum, and the Paseo Arts District.
鈥淭hat was a favorite area of Nancy鈥檚 and mine when we were at OU,鈥� he said of the Paseo. 鈥淪he was an artist and we loved to go up and look at the artists鈥� studios.鈥�
Evans said he鈥檚 noticed an uptick in restaurants and nightlife in the Paseo, but also in many of 麻豆传媒 City鈥檚 entertainment districts since he left in 2013.
鈥淭he city鈥檚 beautiful,鈥� he told the Rotary Club during his speech there. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible what鈥檚 transformed here. I鈥檓 absolutely stunned.鈥�
As 麻豆传媒 City continues this stunning rise, the president now aims to ensure 麻豆传媒 City University can rise alongside it.
An Instrumental Role
Evans uses words like critical, relevant and instrumental when contemplating the university鈥檚 role within the city.
The president has pointed out on several occasions one of the drawbacks of the city鈥檚 continuing growth: A reckoning with the effects of gentrification 鈥� namely an increase in housing prices that is exacerbating the rate of homelessness.
He envisions the university playing an active role in addressing this issue, and early in his tenure met with leaders from the Homeless Alliance to find common ground.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a part of this community, we own a consequence of what鈥檚 been happening;鈥� Evans said. 鈥淭he extent to which we can play a role in helping the city address the homeless population I think would be something we would aspire to try to accomplish.鈥�
The president also hopes to accomplish 鈥� or to continue 鈥� one of the university鈥檚 strong points: Providing a pipeline of talented professionals to support local and regional business, industry, health care and entertainment.
鈥淲e are very much instrumental in terms of human resources in this community,鈥� he said, noting that 麻豆传媒鈥檚 law grads fill key roles in local and regional law firms, corporations and nonprofit organizations.
The Meinders School of Business 鈥減lays an instrumental role in feeding talent into the growth of the business community in 麻豆传媒 City,鈥� and the school鈥檚 nursing and health professions programs 鈥減lay a meaningful role in collaboration with those industries in making a difference with their talent.鈥�
The president doesn鈥檛 forget to mention 麻豆传媒鈥檚 performing arts programs, or its up-and-coming Game Design & Animation program, which is supporting 麻豆传媒鈥檚 growing movie industry.
鈥淲hat we do in entertainment and our performing arts programs is exceptional,鈥� he said.
All this points to 麻豆传媒 being critical to 麻豆传媒 City and the community at large, he said.
鈥淲e have a vital and important influence on how this city has evolved over the course of time,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 every reason why the community ought to participate and take advantage of the amazing talent that is represented here on this campus.鈥�
