Elson S. Floyd (February 29, 1956 – June 20, 2015) was an American educator who served as the 10th president of the four-campus
Washington State University
Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...
from May 21, 2007 to June 20, 2015. Floyd was also the first African American to be named president of Washington State University. Floyd also served as president of the
University of Missouri System
The University of Missouri System is an American state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, and ten research and technology parks. Over 61,500 students (Fall 202 ...
and president of
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...
. Floyd was the Chairman of the
Pac-12
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...
CEO Group.
Floyd's tenure at WSU was widely acclaimed within the state of Washington for leading WSU in a $1 billion capital campaign and securing bi-partisan approval of a new WSU
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
in Spokane.
Early life and education
Floyd was born in 1956 in
Henderson, North Carolina, a city located about 40 minutes north of
Raleigh
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, the state capital.
Career
Floyd started his career in 1978 at the
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
, where he held deanships in the Division of Student Affairs, the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences. From 1988-90, he was assistant vice president for student services for the
UNC system office, where he helped develop and articulate student affairs and academic affairs policy for the 16-campus university system.
For two years, 1993–1995, he was executive director of the
Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board, the agency responsible for statewide planning, policy analysis and student financial aid programs for Washington's post-secondary education system. From 1990 to 1993, Floyd served as vice president for student services, vice president for administration, and executive vice president at
Eastern Washington University (
Cheney, Washington). In the latter role, he was the university's chief operating officer.
Floyd spent 1995-98 at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he served as chief administrative and operating officer and the senior official responsible for business and finance; human resources; auxiliary enterprises; student affairs; information technology; university advancement and development; and enrollment management.
Floyd was the sixth president of
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...
in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...
, from August 1, 1998 until January 5, 2003. While at Western Michigan he also served as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology and in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Leadership.
Floyd was the 21st president of the four-campus
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
for four years (2003–07). He was selected to lead Missouri's land-grant research university on November 11, 2002. It was at Missouri that Floyd picked up the nickname 'E-Flo' by students, who created buttons bearing the phrase, 'I heart E-Flo' for his approachable relationship with the student body.
Floyd became president of
Washington State University
Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...
(WSU) on May 21, 2007, his third university presidency. Floyd's tenure was highlighted by:
*Tripling the amount of research grants WSU received annually (from $200 million to $600 million)
*Starting and completing a $1 billion Capital Campaign for WSU
*Creating bipartisan support for a bill that allows WSU to open a Medical School
*Increasing WSU's enrollment by 17%
*Growing WSU's student of color profile from 14% to 26.5%
*Opening WSU North Puget Sound (
Everett, Washington
Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...
)
E-Flo
Floyd was often referred to as "E-Flo" for his approachable style with students. The nickname was given to him originally by the University of Missouri student newspaper, The Maneater. At WSU, Floyd was known for sitting with students in the student sections of basketball and football games. He gave out his personal cell phone number to any student who asked for it – once famously to an entire group of student reporters at the WSU student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, during a meeting with them.
Buttons were created by University of Missouri students bearing the phrase "I
eartE-Flo" in 2005, and a similar version of the "I
eartE-Flo" buttons were created by students at Washington State University on social media to support Floyd in his fight with cancer. The WSU newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, ran a series of articles with the "I
eartE-Flo" buttons accompanying each article.
Voluntary pay cut
On November 21, 2008, Floyd asked the WSU Board of Regents to cut his pay by $100,000 in light of the difficult budget the university was facing. His salary had been increased from $600,000 to $725,000 in August, making his salary $625,000 after the reduction. It is the largest known salary-reduction of a university president. Floyd said he wanted to "lead by example." Two other university presidents gave self-imposed cuts that week as well. On June 16, 2009, Floyd announced an additional 5% cut to his salary along with other executive board members.
Board memberships
Floyd was on the board of the
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,600 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educati ...
(ACE) Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness (2004–present), the
Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (2003–present), President George W. Bush's Advisory Board for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2002–present), The
Darlington School
Darlington School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory day and boarding school in Rome, Georgia. It was founded in 1905.
It serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, and is divided into a Pre-K to 8 division and an Upper Sc ...
Board of Trustees (1997–2000) and the
Education Commission of the States (1993). He was a
Truman Scholarship
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence ...
Reviewer (1999). On November 15, 2012, Floyd was named an advisor on Governor-elect
Jay Inslee's transitions team.
Personal life
Floyd was married to Carmento Floyd. They have two children, now both adults. There was a scandal in 2003 when Carmento, who is black, was recorded telling a black student jailed on domestic violence charges, Ricky Clemons, that he should not date white women and referred to white women as "pink toes."
On June 5, 2015, Floyd took a leave of absence due to cancer. On June 20, 2015, Washington State University announced that Floyd had died of cancer in
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the most populous city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 32,901 at the 2020 census, and estimated to be 32,508 in 2022. Originally founded as ...
.
Awards and honors
Among other honors, Floyd received the 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his former high school, Darlington School, in Georgia. He was the recipient of the 2005 Communicator of the Year Award, given by the Mid-Missouri Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and the 2004 James C. Kirkpatrick Award given by the Northwest Missouri Press Association for public service.
In 2015, Floyd received one of the highest awards in education, the CASE Leadership Award, for his efforts in "Advancement and Support of Education."
Following his death in 2015, the Western Michigan University's board of trustees voted unanimously to dedicate the previously unnamed home of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences as Elson S. Floyd Hall. The building and new campus around it was conceptualized and built during his tenure at WMU. Floyd Hall is the largest facility operated by the university.
References
External links
President Floyd's BlogProfile as Washington State University PresidentPerspectives from the Desk of President FloydListed among University of Missouri PresidentsProfile at EduCause*
ttp://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct04/uday100504.html Recipient of the 2004 UNC Distinguished Alumnus Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Elson
1956 births
2015 deaths
21st-century African-American academics
21st-century American academics
Deaths from colorectal cancer in Washington (state)
People from Henderson, North Carolina
Presidents of the University of Missouri System
Presidents of Washington State University
Presidents of Western Michigan University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education alumni
Darlington School alumni
20th-century African-American people