Charting the Course for Walton College's Future with Brent Williams
This week on the Be Epic podcast, Brent sits down with a familiar face, Dean Emeritus Matt Waller as Matt turns the mic around for a conversation with Brent to discuss his vision and plans as the new Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. During the episode Brent highlights his focus on innovating curricula to meet evolving industry needs, particularly in analytics and emerging technologies, and empowering faculty and staff to drive transformation. He also details more about his priorities focused on elevating the student experience through engagement opportunities as well as cultivating thought leadership and fueling the state's economy. Brent also discusses graduate program growth and the importance of industry-sponsored research in advancing knowledge, citing innovative partnerships with companies like Walmart.
Transcript
Stopping and thinking about the purpose,
Brent Williams:every single day, you know how it is right, you come into work.
Brent Williams:And you can just quickly get involved in the to do list or
Brent Williams:the list of meetings. But just take a second and look around
Brent Williams:you. Welcome to the be epic podcast brought to you by the
Brent Williams:Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of
Brent Williams:Arkansas.
Matt Waller:I have with me today, Brent Williams, Dean of
Matt Waller:the Sam M. Walton College of Business and today we're talking
Matt Waller:about the Walton College, his plans for the future. And I'm
Matt Waller:already familiar with them, and really, really impressed with
Matt Waller:what Brent is doing. And I think the future is better than the
Matt Waller:past or the present, given what he's planning. So Brent, thanks
Matt Waller:for joining me today.
Brent Williams:Well, Matt, thanks for stepping back into
Brent Williams:the chair. I appreciate that. And well, I don't know if, if I
Brent Williams:can say that yet that the future is exactly better than the past.
Brent Williams:We're going to try really, really hard to make that true,
Matt Waller:I think you're gonna do terrific. So, Brent,
Matt Waller:we're going to be talking today about the Walton College and
Matt Waller:where you're taking it. And I'm really excited about this, I
Matt Waller:think, I hope a lot of students listen to this, I hope parents,
Matt Waller:I hope, your board and alumni listen to this, because this is
Matt Waller:a new era. It's the era of Brent Williams as Dean. And you have
Matt Waller:some unique idiosyncrasies and thoughts and capabilities that
Matt Waller:are going to leave a really positive impact so if you're
Matt Waller:listening. Go ahead and listen to the whole thing. This is
Matt Waller:going to be a great discussion. So Brent, I want to start with
Matt Waller:the beginning. Let's start with the vision, what put the vision
Matt Waller:in your words and the mission and what you think's important.
Brent Williams:Yeah. Well, first, I'm extremely excited
Brent Williams:about the future, as are you, I am grateful to have the
Brent Williams:opportunity. And as we talked about, when we did an episode
Brent Williams:like this, as I transitioned into interim, I think I'm
Brent Williams:really, really fortunate to have had so much experience at the
Brent Williams:Walton College and in the state of Arkansas. So really, really
Brent Williams:excited to move forward. Now, when I think about the vision, I
Brent Williams:love it, I absolutely love it, it resonates with me. At times,
Brent Williams:I'll tell people, you know, it can kind of get me up in the
Brent Williams:morning and get me excited. And when I think about it, I just
Brent Williams:Matt tend to boil it down in some ways into like these two
Brent Williams:elements that stand out to me. And we say, in that vision that
Brent Williams:we want to be a thought leader and we want to be a catalyst for
Brent Williams:transforming lives. And as a thought leader in business, what
Brent Williams:an important role to play in the state in the US really globally,
Brent Williams:where we want to be knowledge creators that push both business
Brent Williams:forward, that helps those around us learn from our research, and,
Brent Williams:in turn, what we're learning throughout practice. And that's
Brent Williams:a really, really important role that we play that I think's
Brent Williams:unique. Now, the other part of the vision statement that
Brent Williams:particularly excites me is we say we're going to be a catalyst
Brent Williams:for transforming lives. And I like to break that down just a
Brent Williams:little bit. You know, the transforming lives is largely
Brent Williams:about our students, not exclusively, but largely about
Brent Williams:our students. And you think about if we think about an
Brent Williams:undergraduate student that joins us, let's say when they're 18
Brent Williams:years old, and going to spend four years with us, that is a
Brent Williams:very important period in one's life. And so while our students
Brent Williams:are here, they truly are transforming and becoming, you
Brent Williams:know, what, the professional that they're going to be the
Brent Williams:adult that they're going to be. And I think it's really, really
Brent Williams:important that our experience promotes that transformation.
Brent Williams:And, you know, a word that really stuck with me. I think we
Brent Williams:might have talked or touched on this in the last podcast that we
Brent Williams:did together. We say we're a catalyst meaning we're kind of
Brent Williams:the place where all the ingredients come together,
Brent Williams:right? You know, you think about it like a chemical reaction.
Brent Williams:It's really the magic happens when you put all the right
Brent Williams:ingredients in the same place and they react to one another.
Brent Williams:And the reason why I think that's so important, is that
Brent Williams:there's a lot of stakeholders involved in making that happen.
Brent Williams:It's not just us as the faculty and staff we are a really
Brent Williams:important part of it. But the students have a part to play in
Brent Williams:it, parents, families have a part to play in it. Our industry
Brent Williams:partners certainly have a part to play in it. So, that's what I
Brent Williams:love about our vision statement is that it's simple. It's
Brent Williams:inspiring. And it includes everyone, that's a stakeholder
Brent Williams:in the Walton College.
Matt Waller:You know, as long as I've known you, I think
Matt Waller:you've been very vision, mission driven and it's so important,
Matt Waller:you know, especially for our college, the Walton College, we
Matt Waller:are having an impact on so many future business leaders and
Matt Waller:managers. That vision you just articulated from your, your,
Matt Waller:your memory, and from your heart is so important because as that
Matt Waller:becomes a reality, it's going to affect the future economy of the
Matt Waller:state and the region, the heartland.
Brent Williams:Absolutely, you know, I often wish that, that
Brent Williams:those like our alumni and the companies that support us, and
Brent Williams:we've got wonderful boards that advise and support. Often, I
Brent Williams:wish they could spend more time here, you know, if, if you walk
Brent Williams:out into our courtyard, between a class change, and you've done
Brent Williams:this hundreds of times, I'm sure. You know, every once
Brent Williams:awhile just stand in the center, and you see all of these people
Brent Williams:walking by you. And if you really kind of stop and take it
Brent Williams:in for just a moment, you know, the future of company X, or Y,
Brent Williams:or Z or the next, you know, scalable business in Arkansas
Brent Williams:that leader just walked by you, you know, and and that may be 20
Brent Williams:years from now, maybe 30, maybe 10. I don't know how long it's
Brent Williams:going to be. But when you stand in the courtyard, particularly
Brent Williams:when everyone's changing and walking by it's like the nexus
Brent Williams:of the future, in some way, in our state, in my opinion.
Matt Waller:Well, you're really good about interacting with
Matt Waller:students, interacting with alumni. Interacting with
Matt Waller:faculty, staff, you, you are a master of that. And I think that
Matt Waller:that's, I've done a lot of AACSB reaccreditation reviews, about
Matt Waller:two a year over my eight year time. And I noticed so many
Matt Waller:dean's I had met really didn't do enough of that. They it
Matt Waller:didn't even seem like they wanted to, to a degree. But I've
Matt Waller:always seen in you, you're always wanting to talk to people
Matt Waller:get to know them get feedback. And it just seems so important
Matt Waller:and kind of leads to my next question. I know one thing you
Matt Waller:really want to do. And you've been planning for this even
Matt Waller:before you were Dean, you want to elevate the student
Matt Waller:experience. Could you talk a little bit about that?
Brent Williams:Yeah, I can. And maybe back to that earlier
Brent Williams:comment just real briefly. This is something you taught me is,
Brent Williams:you know, as as dean, you've got a lot of important facets of the
Brent Williams:role. And it's hard to say right, which is more important,
Brent Williams:they're all important, and probably in any given day one's
Brent Williams:more important than the other. But one extremely important part
Brent Williams:is that you serve as the ambassador of the Walton
Brent Williams:College. And, you know, one thing I have learned in the as I
Brent Williams:was Interim Dean, I knew this, but you know how it is you
Brent Williams:experience it yourself and takes on a different meaning. The
Brent Williams:number of people that reached out to me that congratulated me
Brent Williams:that supported me, and I realize this isn't about me,
Brent Williams:necessarily. This is about our college and our institution,
Brent Williams:people in our state and our alumni, they care, they care
Brent Williams:about this place, that as a very, very powerful thing. And,
Brent Williams:and we want, we want to continue to take our brand and our
Brent Williams:stories, to more and more people so that they continue to care,
Brent Williams:so that they continue to support and that we grow that support
Brent Williams:because it's very, very important to have that support.
Brent Williams:If we're really going to be thought leaders and catalysts
Brent Williams:for transforming lives. It takes all of those people, you know,
Brent Williams:but you you asked about elevating the student experience
Brent Williams:and I love that word student experience, you know, because I
Brent Williams:do think if we, if we're going back to that we're going to
Brent Williams:transform lives. There's a lot of aspects to an experience that
Brent Williams:are important. And to one person, one part may be more
Brent Williams:important than the other. You know, but so you've got to have
Brent Williams:a well rounded experience to make that happen. And I always
Brent Williams:think, you know, that starts in the classroom, very, very
Brent Williams:critical part of the experience, of course, as it seems obvious
Brent Williams:to say, but but ensuring that, that our curriculum and our
Brent Williams:classrooms are places where students are really starting to
Brent Williams:learn and set up for their future. So that's, that's really
Brent Williams:clear. I do think that curricula have to always be evolving. And
Brent Williams:I think we've done a pretty good job of that at the Walton
Brent Williams:College. But as you and I have talked about, the pace of change
Brent Williams:in business is accelerating, as it always has been, it's going
Brent Williams:to continue to accelerate even faster, which means we have to
Brent Williams:adapt. And we have to part of that as adapting our curricula
Brent Williams:to fit the needs of our students and industry. And, and, and even
Brent Williams:try to get ahead, you know, of where that's going. And so one
Brent Williams:piece of the curricula that that I've been really excited about
Brent Williams:is analytics, which actually does align to one of the
Brent Williams:strategic focus areas in our mission statement. Now, I start
Brent Williams:to think about, actually think about those three areas of
Brent Williams:distinctiveness. And I think they have broadened for us over
Brent Williams:time. Yeah. So maybe if you look on our website, and you look at
Brent Williams:what the word actually says, it's a little more narrow than
Brent Williams:the way we practice it. So I think we'll probably make some
Brent Williams:adjustments to that. But you know, I think I think you when
Brent Williams:you think about analytics, I think you think about analytics
Brent Williams:and emerging technology as something that is going to
Brent Williams:continue to be a strategic focus area for us. Because we know
Brent Williams:that our students need to understand how to how to not
Brent Williams:just use technology, but how technology applies in business,
Brent Williams:how it interacts with people and process. And that's never
Brent Williams:changing, right? So technology is always going to be emerging.
Brent Williams:So you know, when I think about that focus area, I was thinking
Brent Williams:about a little broader. But that's now seeping into
Brent Williams:curricular changes that we're making. I'm very interested in
Brent Williams:how we broaden the, I guess the number of our students that have
Brent Williams:business analytics, in some way, shape, or form actually,
Brent Williams:multiple times. I think that we may even end up to where it's in
Brent Williams:our core to our hope we end up so that every student gets it.
Brent Williams:But it's more than just the core right? It's then how does that
Brent Williams:connect to earlier parts of the curriculum that set that up. And
Brent Williams:then as someone as a student gets into their major, now
Brent Williams:they're starting to see analytics focused courses. And
Brent Williams:all of those majors, I think, almost every one of them has an
Brent Williams:analytics focused course, plus analytics is throughout other
Brent Williams:courses. So at every step along the way, for a student, you
Brent Williams:know, I want them to be exposed to analytics and growing in
Brent Williams:their analytical capabilities and the application of their
Brent Williams:analytical capabilities. That's really important to me. And then
Brent Williams:I would also say that experiential learning is very,
Brent Williams:very important. I think we, we hit the wall, and colleges do a
Brent Williams:good job of this, but it's an area that we can push ourselves
Brent Williams:even further. And, you know, there's a lot of ways to go
Brent Williams:about that programmatically. I think, you know, I think we
Brent Williams:should pursue many of them. But one of the most important ways
Brent Williams:to learn experientially is to be involved in the marketplace, is
Brent Williams:to have an internship have multiple internships are
Brent Williams:actually you know, one thing I've been thinking a lot about,
Brent Williams:I don't know if that's the right word to use, but it's almost
Brent Williams:like apprenticeships or co ops, where particularly as our
Brent Williams:students get into their senior year, maybe even their junior
Brent Williams:year, where they are working in a meaningful role inside a
Brent Williams:company that they may want to go to work for. And, and I think
Brent Williams:that as they've, as they've had at least two years, maybe a
Brent Williams:third year of college under their belt, you know, they're
Brent Williams:pretty deep into their major at that point, they can contribute
Brent Williams:to the companies, the company can contribute to their
Brent Williams:development. And, and they can they can make money while
Brent Williams:they're doing it, offsetting the cost of attending college. And
Brent Williams:then I think that we can do some things that enable that and some
Brent Williams:of that is creating flexibility as you know, right? You know,
Brent Williams:you've got to have flexibility in your course structures in the
Brent Williams:times in online options available to those students so
Brent Williams:that they can do both if we're going to encourage them to do
Brent Williams:that. I would also like to see us and I think we've got some
Brent Williams:early thoughts on this is, while students are doing that, how do
Brent Williams:we give them the professional development and mentorship that
Brent Williams:they need? And, you know, the reason why I'm talking about all
Brent Williams:of that is, by the time you're at that stage, as an
Brent Williams:undergraduate student, I'm talking primarily about our
Brent Williams:undergraduate students here. I think you've started to get
Brent Williams:enough context and starting to get enough experience where you
Brent Williams:know, that professional and that development and that mentorship
Brent Williams:really matters, and it sticks. And then, you know, they're
Brent Williams:taking what they've learned, and they're applying it. And then,
Brent Williams:you know, and then the next time they're in class, they are
Brent Williams:thinking about how they applied it, and how does that now
Brent Williams:influence the stickiness of what's happening in the
Brent Williams:classroom? So I just see those things. I see learn and apply or
Brent Williams:learn and do I don't know the right combinations of words, but
Brent Williams:I think they become very synergistic.
Matt Waller:Well, Brent, I know you're passionate about
Matt Waller:undergraduates, but you're also passionate about our graduate
Matt Waller:students. You've been very involved in master's programs
Matt Waller:and a doctoral program in many different ways, as a faculty
Matt Waller:member, and as a administrator. Talk a little bit about this
Matt Waller:with respect to the master's programs. And you might even
Matt Waller:want to talk a little bit about the master's programs
Matt Waller:themselves.
Brent Williams:Yeah, maybe just giving someone the landscape,
Brent Williams:we've got many different paths for a student to get a graduate
Brent Williams:degree in our college. And to the extent to some extent, they
Brent Williams:can even create, you know, some of their own paths. In some of
Brent Williams:our programs. Well, we've got full time programs, we've got
Brent Williams:programs that are designed for working professionals. And then
Brent Williams:as you've met, as you mentioned, we've got a PhD program that's
Brent Williams:really designed to help a student really learn to be a
Brent Williams:researcher, and teacher. And most of those students, not all
Brent Williams:but most are entering academia. So the full suite of programs,
Brent Williams:but I'll maybe I'll maybe talk here about our master's degrees,
Brent Williams:a place where you as Dean put a lot of focus into growing
Brent Williams:different types of specialized programs. But but I'll maybe
Brent Williams:start with our Executive MBA, you know,
Matt Waller:what a great program
Brent Williams:Oh, my, you know, we, when you, when we talk
Brent Williams:about experiential learning, or an a student experience, that's
Brent Williams:a program we've been doing it really well for a really long
Brent Williams:time. And, and I think we're only getting better. And, you
Brent Williams:know, we have always thought about that as a holistic
Brent Williams:experience, we designed it for the working professional,
Brent Williams:someone that that has experience, we know they have a
Brent Williams:busy life. So you know, much of its online, but there's still
Brent Williams:that in person component to it that we think is actually now
Brent Williams:interestingly a differentiator to it. You know, where you're
Brent Williams:spending time in the classroom, you're interacting with the
Brent Williams:professor, you are interacting with each other, which may be
Brent Williams:the most important part, you're having lunch with each other,
Brent Williams:you know, you might be watching a football game on the Saturday
Brent Williams:night after the class. And then, you know, if, you know, and then
Brent Williams:you're, you're building relationships that that are
Brent Williams:lasting for probably the next 20, 30 years of your career in
Brent Williams:that program. It's just such a valuable, valuable program. And
Brent Williams:you know, and then we've taken what we've learned in that
Brent Williams:executive MBA program where we're applying that in many of
Brent Williams:the specialized programs, where they're offered in the same
Brent Williams:formats, or they're offered fully online, or they're offered
Brent Williams:in a purely full time way so there's just a lot of options
Brent Williams:there. And, and I think in we're always thinking about how we
Brent Williams:evolve that experience, and particularly in our graduate
Brent Williams:programs are always looking for, you know, are these hitting the
Brent Williams:mark for what the learner needs. And that's always moving and
Brent Williams:changing. And just as an example, the launch of the
Brent Williams:Master of Science in Product Innovation, a brand new program,
Brent Williams:healthcare analytics, a brand new program, and these are just
Brent Williams:areas where people need to build their skills, and they need them
Brent Williams:in a highly specialized way. They need them usually in a
Brent Williams:pretty flexible format. And, and so we're designing those
Brent Williams:experiences for those students and with those students in mind.
Brent Williams:And it has it, I think as you know, and as you've been a part
Brent Williams:of, it's been a real joy to see our whole college get behind
Brent Williams:that effort, and really focus and build some cutting edge
Brent Williams:programs and wonderful experiences, no doubt in my
Brent Williams:mind. And then we've got our PhD program that's really, really
Brent Williams:important not only for the student, you know, so it is,
Brent Williams:it's an important experience for the student who is deciding to
Brent Williams:spend four or five years of their life in this program. It's
Brent Williams:rigorous, it's hard, it's intensive. But it's really
Brent Williams:important to our research mission. Those programs are very
Brent Williams:important to faculty who are research who are research
Brent Williams:focused. And that, you know, I've talked about, I talked
Brent Williams:about an apprentice kind of program in the undergraduate
Brent Williams:experience, that really is what a PhD program really is,
Brent Williams:particularly in those last couple of years. You mean,
Brent Williams:you're working directly with a few faculty, and we don't call
Brent Williams:it an apprenticeship. But it is effectively that.
Matt Waller:You're equally passionate about empowering
Matt Waller:faculty and staff to help fulfill the vision of the Walton
Matt Waller:College. Would you speak to that a little bit?
Brent Williams:Yeah, you know, I think about like, we're in the
Brent Williams:business of developing human capital, right. And our primary
Brent Williams:input is human capital. You know, it's an interesting
Brent Williams:business to be in, if you want to think about it that way. But
Brent Williams:we want to develop students, and the way you do that is putting
Brent Williams:That is so exciting. I know, you also have always been really
Brent Williams:great people around them. And, well, part of our role as
Brent Williams:college leaders is to ensure that we are empowering those
Brent Williams:faculty and staff to not only do their job, but but to innovate
Brent Williams:in their roles. And, and that means innovation in curriculum.
Brent Williams:And we want we want departments pushing themselves to think
Brent Williams:about, like, what's the next step for for our students? What,
Brent Williams:what do we miss, like what's industry telling us, and you
Brent Williams:have to feel empowered to be able to do that, right, you have
Brent Williams:to feel like that you can get the resources to do it. And, and
Brent Williams:you also, you know, have to feel like if sometimes if we started
Brent Williams:something, and maybe it doesn't work, that's actually okay. And
Brent Williams:that's a culture, I feel like you were an important part of
Brent Williams:building here. And we want to continue that. And we want this
Brent Williams:to be a great place to work for our faculty and staff, we want
Brent Williams:them to enjoy it, and, and feel the purpose in it, you know, and
Brent Williams:I think that's one thing we've started talking a good bit
Brent Williams:about, just really, in the last couple of months is, you know,
Brent Williams:stopping and thinking about the purpose, every single day, you
Brent Williams:know how it is right, you come into work. And you can just
Brent Williams:quickly get involved in the do list or the list of meetings.
Brent Williams:But just take a second and look around you, you know and think
Brent Williams:one, I get to work on a university campus, which is just
Brent Williams:beautiful and a great place to be. But going back to what I
Brent Williams:said just a moment ago, the future is walking around you.
Brent Williams:Oftentimes, I'll pause every now and again at my desk, stand up
Brent Williams:and look out the big window. And you know, see students walking
Brent Williams:back and forth. And you remember when you do that, like, okay,
Brent Williams:you know, that's our purpose here. That's our purpose every
Brent Williams:day is develop these people, into better professionals into
Brent Williams:into better people. And so to do that with 9000 students, it
Brent Williams:means you've got to have an empowered faculty and staff.
Brent Williams:It's so important.
Brent Williams:engaged in growing relationships with business and alumni. You've
Brent Williams:been doing that for a long time here even as a student. But but
Brent Williams:you know, as as a I mean you were you had the role of
Brent Williams:Associate Dean for executive education. That was one of your
Brent Williams:roles. And one of your you had several different roles as an
Brent Williams:Associate Dean, but that was one that you came into early and
Brent Williams:really made a big difference. And but would you mind speaking
Brent Williams:a little bit about that? What what do you plan on doing in the
Brent Williams:future? What's important, those kinds of things?
Brent Williams:Yeah. Well, I'll go back to that piece of the vision that
Brent Williams:catalyst for transforming lives. And thought leader actually, as
Brent Williams:I think about it. I think companies and industry and
Brent Williams:alumni are so critical to, to achieving the vision in both of
Brent Williams:those areas. And so let's talk about catalysts for transforming
Brent Williams:lives. It, it takes more than just the classroom. It takes the
Brent Williams:internships it takes the co ops, it takes the apprenticeships, it
Brent Williams:takes the coming in and speaking, it takes the mentoring
Brent Williams:that's happening, it takes the hundreds of companies that are
Brent Williams:coming in and and partnering with us on career fairs. I could
Brent Williams:keep going. But I see a lot of my role as how do I continue to
Brent Williams:grow, to deepen our relationships with industry and
Brent Williams:broaden those relationships? All for the purpose of like, how do
Brent Williams:I get more companies and people into the mix, because
Brent Williams:ultimately, that's what's going to increase our student
Brent Williams:experience. And, and that's what's going to continue to mean
Brent Williams:that we're creating more and more values for students and
Brent Williams:their families in the long term. So I think it couldn't be more
Brent Williams:important, not just for me as the dean for so many of us in
Brent Williams:the college to just be engaged. And and I think that that's
Brent Williams:really what it means right to be in the business community. And
Brent Williams:that can be as simple as attending an event or working
Brent Williams:directly with a company, it just depends on, you know, the amount
Brent Williams:of of time and bandwidth that you have to put into it. But
Brent Williams:also think that that this engagement is also really
Brent Williams:important to the thought leader piece of our vision. You know,
Brent Williams:because as you're trying to develop knowledge, you cannot do
Brent Williams:that in a vacuum. And by being able to interact and test those
Brent Williams:ideas, or even source those ideas, so like, what are the
Brent Williams:problems? What are the big problems to solve out there? And
Brent Williams:how can we, as faculty contribute to that, through
Brent Williams:research through projects that we might do, either maybe with
Brent Williams:our students in classrooms, so I see industry, touching,
Brent Williams:absolutely every part of what we do. But I think it's incumbent
Brent Williams:on us to make this an environment where they know that
Brent Williams:they are contributor, where they can get value out of
Brent Williams:contributing, and to help inspire them that this is
Brent Williams:something you can do that really is going to impact the future
Brent Williams:for a long time.
Matt Waller:So Brent, earlier, you were talking about the three
Matt Waller:components of the mission. And you were talking about how
Matt Waller:they've, you're expanding them from where they have been, one
Matt Waller:example you gave was analytics and technology. And I think
Matt Waller:that's so important. I'm glad you're doing that. What are the
Brent Williams:Yeah, the other two in our mission statement are
Brent Williams:Brent to wind this up, I want to ask you a little bit about the
Brent Williams:other two?
Brent Williams:entrepreneurship and retail. And so each of those I, again, I
Brent Williams:actually think what's interesting is I took a step
Brent Williams:back as I'm taking this role. I looked at our vision statement,
Brent Williams:you know, and I felt like like those two elements that we've
Brent Williams:talked about a good bit so far, they're still right. And then as
Brent Williams:state. Now I knew, I know that you grew up in Newport,
Brent Williams:I looked at our mission statement, I looked specifically
Brent Williams:at those strategic areas of focus or areas of
Brent Williams:distinctiveness, I feel like they're still right, they just
Brent Williams:are probably broader and need to be broadened. Thus, analytics
Brent Williams:and emerging technology is at least the way I say it.
Brent Williams:Arkansas, which is in the Delta. And you've spent a lot of your
Brent Williams:Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship is a strategic
Brent Williams:focus area for the Walton College. And the progress that
Brent Williams:we have seen in the last several years is truly unbelievable, in
Brent Williams:my mind, in terms of, you know, we've we've had new venture
Brent Williams:development as a core part of that program in our graduate
Brent Williams:life here, although after you got your PhD, you, you went to
Brent Williams:program for a long time. Now we have a unique department that
Brent Williams:has a focus on it. We have new venture development in the
Brent Williams:undergraduate program now so correct from a curricular
Brent Williams:standpoint, we really expanded our Office of Innovation of
Brent Williams:entrepreneurship and innovation is now touching students in a
Brent Williams:Auburn and TCU. And you came back. But you were born and
Brent Williams:non curricular way and a curricular way, but primarily in
Brent Williams:a non curricular way, all across this campus and then touching
Brent Williams:all kinds of entrepreneurs and throughout the state, you know,
Brent Williams:but so I think it remains absolutely core to our focus but
Brent Williams:I do think about it more broadly as just entrepreneurship and
Brent Williams:raised in the Delta. I think you may be the first dean of our
Brent Williams:innovation, because I think those, that mindset that we're
Brent Williams:trying to instill and develop in our, in our students and the
Brent Williams:people connected to us is the same, you know, whether you are
Brent Williams:building your own company or whether or not you're innovating
Brent Williams:inside a large enterprise, the mindset, and many time,
Brent Williams:college to have experienced that. But I know you have a
Brent Williams:actually, the processes for doing so, is exactly the same.
Brent Williams:So we will continue to put a strong focus on entrepreneurship
Brent Williams:and innovation. And then you we also say, retail. Well, you and
Brent Williams:I both do this kind of naturally, where we broaden
Brent Williams:that. And and I don't know exactly what the right term is
Brent Williams:passion for the state. And I remember, even when I was dean
Brent Williams:for it, you know, but you and I will both tend to say, the same
Brent Williams:thing, which will be well, you know, retail, supply chain,
Brent Williams:consumer products, maybe we're really talking about a retail
Brent Williams:value chain. That is core to who this area in the state is and,
Brent Williams:and thus, it's core to who we are. And it's when we focus in
Brent Williams:early on, you were encouraging me to get more involved in
Brent Williams:those areas, that there's real synergy with what's happening
Brent Williams:out in the community around us like entrepreneurship, like
Brent Williams:retail, and supply chains, and consumer product and innovation.
Brent Williams:We tend to succeed. And I think it's because there's synergy in
Brent Williams:Little Rock, which I did. And I remember we were driving the car
Brent Williams:it. So those are three areas of distinctiveness. You know, and
Brent Williams:maybe, you know, thinking maybe taking even a step back from
Brent Williams:that earlier you asked me about, you know, our student experience
Brent Williams:and empowering our faculty and staff. And one thing that I am
Brent Williams:really passionate about is that we keep health and well being at
Brent Williams:somewhere and you you somehow you encourage me to really try
Brent Williams:in the conversation and at the center of how you do that.
Brent Williams:Because for people to be at their best to learn, you know,
Brent Williams:at their maximum capacity to perform as a researcher, as a
Brent Williams:teacher, as someone, providing support to students. health and
Brent Williams:well being is really, really important to that. And now, we
Brent Williams:to dive in deep and Little Rock. I don't remember the details.
Brent Williams:are fortunate to live in Northwest Arkansas, where you
Brent Williams:know, the infrastructure is rapidly expanding, it's actually
Brent Williams:expanding throughout the state, which is one thing I'm really
Brent Williams:excited about in the state of Arkansas, is the quality of life
Brent Williams:here is really, really good. And I think it's only going to get
Brent Williams:But I did it. And I'm glad I did. It was really important. I
Brent Williams:better. And all of those pieces of the quality of life, promote
Brent Williams:holistic health and well being.
Brent Williams:think our college had not done as much of that. But I know you
Brent Williams:want to even take that further. Could you speak to that a little
Brent Williams:bit?
Brent Williams:Well, when you when you think about our university, maybe just
Brent Williams:start the University of Arkansas is both a flagship and land
Brent Williams:grant University. Which means we've got a lot of a lot of
Brent Williams:different responsibilities to, again, serve as that land that
Brent Williams:that flagship institution but also served the state through
Brent Williams:our land grant mission. And those are both really important
Brent Williams:to us. And, you know, one of the reasons why this job is so
Brent Williams:exciting to me, is because I get to think about and help our
Brent Williams:faculty and staff think about and strategize on how we're
Brent Williams:going to contribute to this state. And one way we do that,
Brent Williams:of course, is educating Arkansans in business and we're
Brent Williams:educating more Arkansans in business than we ever have
Brent Williams:before and that's exciting to me. And as someone that as you
Brent Williams:said, grew up here. You know, I'm sure there's some places in
Brent Williams:Arkansas I haven't been, but probably not many, you know. And
Brent Williams:so I can relate, you know, to those students in some way,
Brent Williams:shape or form
Matt Waller:and alumni
Brent Williams:and alumni. And, you know, it seems like half the
Brent Williams:time I meet one of these students I even know, their
Brent Williams:parents or, you know, I know someone who knows their parents.
Brent Williams:And, you know, which speaks to the state one another reason why
Brent Williams:I really love it is the connectedness of the state. You
Brent Williams:know, it doesn't take long sitting in a room with somebody
Brent Williams:to have a connection. And, and people want to help each other
Brent Williams:here. And, and then there's this, in a relatively small
Brent Williams:state, there's this high degree of concentration of business,
Brent Williams:like this state, you know, swings above its weight, right,
Brent Williams:if you want to use that phrase, in business, I mean, think of
Brent Williams:the companies that have been built in this state. And that's
Brent Williams:all across the state. I mean, you know, we know about what's
Brent Williams:happening in Northwest Arkansas, but, you know, great things
Brent Williams:happening in Central Arkansas, we've got great partners there,
Brent Williams:like, like, Stephens Inc, has been a wonderful partner to us.
Brent Williams:And there's so many, I can't, I can't now, Yeah, Dillards, and
Matt Waller:Murphy Oil, Murphy, USA,
Brent Williams:So many, you know, and then get into the
Brent Williams:delta. And there's agricultural businesses that are that are
Brent Williams:booming there so business is, we can be integrated throughout
Brent Williams:this entire state. And I think it just kind of gives us a
Brent Williams:unique opportunity being both the flagship and the land grant.
Brent Williams:And I just think the Walton College has a special place in
Brent Williams:the state, I think it's a special institution, we have so
Brent Williams:many alumni throughout the state and beyond. But they they still
Brent Williams:care about this place. And so one of the things I'm looking
Brent Williams:forward to maybe most about this job is to be able to get out
Brent Williams:into all of those places. And spend more time with our alumni
Brent Williams:and spend time with the companies that hire our
Brent Williams:students. Tell them the story of what's happening here, if they
Brent Williams:don't get to be here regularly. Every time I'm out, they asked
Brent Williams:me how they can help, you know, and what a blessing that is, you
Brent Williams:know, when you have that many people wanting to help you
Brent Williams:achieve your mission. So what a wonderful place we live in. I'm
Brent Williams:glad. I'm thrilled to be at the University of Arkansas, the
Brent Williams:Walton College and in the state of Arkansas.
Matt Waller:Well, thank you so much for letting me interview
Matt Waller:you for this topic. It's really clear, you know, great leaders
Matt Waller:vision, they can they can create a vision and articulate it. And
Matt Waller:you demonstrated that over and over, but particularly in this
Matt Waller:podcast. And also sense making you know, sense making so
Matt Waller:important to leadership, I hear you do that all the time. You
Matt Waller:did it multiple times on this recording. And now that I'm back
Matt Waller:on the faculty and no longer than administrator, I, you know,
Matt Waller:three of my kids have graduated from University of Arkansas, two
Matt Waller:from the Walton College and one is still my fourth one is in the
Matt Waller:Walton College. And I'm glad she's here, under your
Matt Waller:leadership. Seriously, I I mean, the leader leaders make a
Matt Waller:difference.
Brent Williams:Yeah,
Matt Waller:I've seen so many business schools because I've
Matt Waller:done all these reviews, for the AACSB. And one thing that I
Matt Waller:really believe leadership makes a difference. Vision makes a
Matt Waller:difference. And sensemaking be able to look around and say,
Matt Waller:here's what's going on. This was what it means for us. And you
Matt Waller:really do that well. So I'm confident that our best days are
Matt Waller:ahead as a college.
Brent Williams:Well Matt, two things, one there, there's no
Brent Williams:greater compliment than then a parent saying they're going to
Brent Williams:send their child to the institution that you're leading.
Brent Williams:So thank you for that. And thank you to all the many families
Brent Williams:that are trusting us, you know, with this experience, and and
Brent Williams:then thanks for coming back and sitting in the in the podcast
Brent Williams:chair with me and given me a chance to share this and the way
Brent Williams:you've impacted me over the years and mentored me. I'm
Brent Williams:excited about the future. I think that we're going to
Brent Williams:continue to do great things at the Walton College. On behalf of
Brent Williams:the Walton College. Thank you for joining us for this
Brent Williams:captivating conversation. To stay connected and never miss an
Brent Williams:episode. Simply search for be epic on your preferred podcast service.
