By Carter James, Editor in Chief 

On June 26, Dr. Terry Roberson was appointed by the University of Montevallo’s Board of Trustees as Interim President. This comes after previous university President, Dr. John W. Stewart III, announced he was stepping down as president on May 5.  

This is not the first time Dr. Roberson has served as interim president, as he was previously Interim President before Dr. Stewart was hired in 2009. While Dr. Roberson says his previous appointment as Interim President was a “different situation.”  He cites that there were financial challenges at the university then, as there is now.  

Before both of his appointments as Interim President, Dr. Roberson had a storied history at Montevallo. He started off at the university as an assistant professor in the Education department, all the way back in 1984. He says was “moved through the ranks” to associate and full time professor and also served as the director of teacher ed services.  

In 1993, Dr. Roberson became the dean of the College of Education. In 2002, he became the dean of the graduate school. In 2007, he became the Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, which turned into a permanent position. In 2011, he went back to being a faculty member, before retiring in 2013. He even earned a master’s degree during his time here.  

Despite being retired for 12 years, Dr. Roberson has stayed connected with Montevallo, even teaching throughout his retirement.  

As Interim President, Dr. Roberson says that the financial challenges the university faces and the process that goes into addressing it is something that he is accustomed to. The situation in 2009 was a proration issue with the state of Alabama. “This time, it’s not a state funding issue.” Says Dr. Roberson. “It’s more of an internal budget management issue.”  

The first four to six weeks for Dr. Roberson was all about studying “the lay of the land.” He spoke about how he dived into data that related to the financial situation, the student body and programs. This period also saw Dr. Roberson having meetings with the board of trustees to determine “where they were on issues and what they were looking for in leadership.” 

“I think what I brought to this situation is as an interim is number one, a love for, and commitment to the place,” says Dr. Roberson. “And number two, my familiarity with the place and how it works, what it’s mission is.”   

He goes onto say that there’s “a certain measure of comfort” in knowing there’s still “many good people here.” He refers to Dr. DeAnna Smith, the current Chief Financial Officer of the university, as one example.  Dr. Roberson says he’s worked with Dr. Smith in the past, especially during his first appointment as Interim President.  

“I am only going to be here for a short time, and I think that makes a difference in that my mission is clear,” says Dr. Roberson. “I’m trying to, you know, get the ship stable for a new president. Now we won’t resolve all the issues by the time we leave, but it’ll be in better condition for a new leader.” 

Since being reappointed, the major administrative changes made by Dr. Roberson have been in some edits to the chain of reporting for some offices on campus. A significant move was moving Admissions from student affairs to academic affairs.  

“For this moment in Montevallo history, we need a clearer connection to academic majors,” says Dr. Roberson, “because it appears that in the world of recruitment now, people are shopping for majors earlier.”  He sees change as something that is critical “if you’re trying to grow some programs… or look at potential new programs.” 

Financial aid was moved from student affairs into business affairs. HR was moved back into business affairs. Contract review was moved back into business affairs as well. And the physical plant was moved to Dr. Roberson’s office.  

“We have a balanced budget for this year,” says Dr. Roberson, “but what we’re looking at now is the next fiscal year, and there will be a lot of decisions to be made there to make sure that we’re stable.” 

A critical area for Dr. Roberson to address next is scholarship management. “We don’t really have a central place who’s managing scholarships across the board, including merit scholarships, foundation scholarships, athletic scholarships.,” points out Dr. Roberson. This is important because he says, “we’re over budget in that area.” Dr. Roberson clears up this information by saying “I don’t think that’s because of, you know, we miss awarded scholarships or anything. I think it has to do with how you configure scholarships and how you, you avoid stacking where stacking is not needed.”  

Another thing that Dr. Roberson is looking into is the viability of all of the university’s academic programs. Dr. Roberson points out that “You never want to look at a program just from a financial concern, but you want to look at other things like, you know: What’s the market demand for the major, or is the major aligned well with career paths?” He doesn’t this as a matter of headcounts or financial gains and losses, but from the perspective of what programs are attractive to students.  

“Everything will be looked at,” states Dr. Roberson. Beyond financial stressors and academic programs, this extends out to areas such as efficiency in staffing and even the efficiency of the technology on campus. This process can be likened to a full audit of the university. 

With an over 40-year history at Montevallo and 12 years into his retirement, Dr. Roberson returned because of his love for the university. “I came here back in 1984 from Auburn, and my idea was that I’m going to keep my vita in shape and go somewhere larger, and I fell in love with the place.,” says Dr. Roberson.  

With certainty, Dr. Roberson states, “I have never questioned whether I was in the right place doing what I was supposed to do.”  He has seen the effect the university has had on himself, students, faculty and staff alike. “There are opportunities here for growth and development for students that you don’t get in a larger place. So, you know, I’m sold on that and I’ll always be interested in what’s happening here,” says Dr. Roberson.  

“The thought of this place not being here is very disturbing,” says Dr. Roberson when thinking about the future of Montevallo. “And I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t think that’s possible.”