Loftin Names Ward Vice Chancellor for Operations and Chief Operating Officer at MU

Gary Ward has been serving as interim vice chancellor since Jan. 1

August 26th, 2014

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— University of Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin announced today that Gary Ward has been named vice chancellor for operations and chief operating officer at MU. Ward had been serving in the position on an interim basis since Jan. 1, following the retirement of Jacquelyn Jones. The appointment is effective Sept. 1, 2014.

“Gary has done an exceptional job over the past several months and has helped us move forward in several areas,” Loftin said. “His track record of utilizing existing campus resources and developing new, efficient and effective means to help us maintain a safe and vibrant campus – such as the Mizzou Stewardship Model he created to renovate several buildings and improve the teaching and laboratory space for our faculty and students at significant cost savings – made my decision easy.”

Ward, who first came to MU on Aug. 1, 2005, will direct university planning and facilities operations in this position. University departments for which Ward provides administrative oversight of financial and service operations include: Campus Facilities, MU Police, Parking & Transportation Services, Printing Services,  Gustin Golf Course, MU Sustainability Office, KBIA/MU Concert Series, KOMU-TV, Show-Me State Games, University Club and Catering, Missouri Theatre/Jesse Auditorium, and Environmental Health & Safety.

“I would like to thank Chancellor Loftin for having the confidence in me to serve as the vice chancellor of operations,” Ward said. “I look forward to working closely with faculty and students as we structure our services and products to help meet Mizzou’s academic goals. My staff and I take our responsibilities of maintaining the safety, functionality and beauty of the state’s flagship university very seriously and will continue to ensure that we are spending our public dollars wisely and in a way that will benefit all our faculty, staff and students.”

Previously, Ward served as associate vice chancellor-facilities and oversaw the completion of more than $500 million in construction projects at MU, the addition of 2.2 million gross square feet to campus, and the establishment of the MU Sustainability Office in 2009.

Ward began his career as an architectural job captain at Cavin Design Group in Oklahoma and later worked as a project manager at Bogard Guthrie & Partners and EDI Architects, both in Dallas, Texas. He became director of the Physical Plant at the University of Oklahoma in 1998, and in 2002 was named director of Physical Plant Operations at The Pennsylvania State University.

Ward graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and a master’s in business administration from the University of Oklahoma.