Month: February 2024

February 29, 2024

Shaping Leadership Narratives: A Conversation between President Dr. Henry Cotton and President Dr. Degrafeuse of Terwilliger College

Willard Community,

If you missed last week’s amazing conversation between Dr. President Cotton and his Terwilliger College counterpart, and sometime rival, Dr. Degrafeuse, keep reading because we have excerpted some of the evening highlights!

Dr. Degrafeuse: Talk to us about your Leadership Principles?

Dr. Cotton: What an interesting question! Leadership requires confidence. Leadership means knowing when to not ask questions. Curiosity and questions are signs of weakness. If you are at the front, you can’t worry about everyone behind you. You move forward. You don’t look backwards.

Dr. Degrafeuse: What a wonderful answer to my interesting question! How do you know when your leadership is working?

Dr. Cotton: When I’m leading, my leadership is working. When I’m not leading, my leadership is failing.

Dr. Degrafeuse: Some people look at your life style, the houses in Vail and Florida, the expensive cars, and they wonder how a college president can be so well compensated. What do you say the critics?

Dr. Cotton: I’m reminded of a wonderful question: what is a crown to the clouds? Meaning, you have everything in this world to be successful. You don’t needs watches, or jewelry, or fancy clothes. You don’t need frivolous affirmations. Everything beneath the sun is yours to use. Again, what is a crown to the clouds?

Dr. Degrafeuse: What a great question. What is a crown to a cloud? Much has been made about the decline of the Humanities in American colleges. Your thoughts?

Dr. Cotton: We are all humans. And we all have Humanity. I don’t see less Humanity at Willard College. What about Terwilliger College?

Dr. Degrafeuse: Gosh, people seem great on our campus. It bothers me that the folks in History or English seem to claim all the Humanities. That seems, well, wrong. Henry, how do you set priorities?

Dr. Cotton: I start by setting boundaries. Boundaries first. Then Priorities. And my first priority for Willard College is to lead authentically. My authenticity is where it all starts. And if someone questions by authenticity, we have a problem. A crisis. If you can’t trust me, trust me blindly, what are we even doing? That is what I tell my team. Every. Day.

February 8, 2024

Harry “Jellyroll” Jenkins is No Long Employed by Willard College and We Wish Him Well in Whatever Future Endeavors He Undertakes

Willard College announces that Harry “Jellyroll” Jenkins has separated from employment after 19 years of loyal, selfless, and often legally perilous service. “Jellyroll” served in many key roles at the college, including adjunct professor of poetry, a public safety officer, defensive assistant coach to the football team, towel boy for the wrestling team, and most recently, as President Cotton’s personal security director. It was in that last position that “Jellyroll” performed a number of tasks that were mission critical to keeping our president, his family, and entourage, safe from a number of physical and financial threats. “Jellyroll” resolved a number issues, including several threats of extortion and lawsuits, for which President Cotton is grateful!

Good luck “Jellyroll.” We remain in your hearts as you head out, silently, into your next role.

Provost Lying