Briar Cliff University welcomed its 13th president with an official inauguration

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - In an official inauguration, Briar Cliff University welcomed its 13th president on Wednesday afternoon.

President Matthew Draud began his presidential responsibilities last July.

Most recently he was the Vice President for Academic Affairs at McMurry University, before moving to the Siouxland area.

The celebration included special performances from the choir, and remarks from leaders on the board of trustees, and community leaders like Mayor Bob Scott and Bishop Walker Nickless.

President Draud said he is ready to help be a co-author for the stories made at Briar Cliff University.

”Leadership is best described as a servant, servant leadership. To me, everybody that is in this community, all stakeholders, has a part in authoring our future. and it’s really my job to make sure their voices are heard, their good ideas find the light of day and I really think that is what it means to be a great leader,” President Draud tells KTIV.

President Draud joins a list of 12 other presidents for the university. Four of which have led the university over the last 10 years.

One professor shared she is excited for his leadership and the ideas he is bringing forward.

”We hope that he will spend many years with us and we will have the consistency to get the changes made and really see them come to fruition I guess you would say,” said Wendy Brame, Associate Professor of Sociology.

President Draud says he is looking at adding new programs like speech and language pathology for the Master’s Program, there is an engineering program starting soon, and online programs and cyber security are some of the possibilities.

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