Jon Wefald

Jon Michael Wefald (November 24, 1937 – April 16, 2022) was an American educator and served as the twelfth president of Kansas State University, from 1986 to 2009.

True leaders must have the courage to act. They take risks and make tough decisions. Without risk there is no progress. Leaders must be willing to make bold moves and embrace the seemingly impossible.

Quotes

• 1) Have a Vision and Develop a Game Plan. A leader must be able to provide a clear vision of a transformed future. Vision encompasses strategy and goal-setting, but is more than simply having a plan. Vision is a passionate commitment to creatively closing the gap between the present reality and the desired future.
  2) Communicate Your Vision. A vision is useless unless it can be shared with others. A leader must possess a wide range of communication skills- articulating issues, listening to what others have to say, and understanding diverse perspectives.
  3) Hire Excellent People and Delegate Authority and Responsibility. Leaders develop the networks, relationships, and culture that form a community. In healthy communities, everyone can find meaning and motivation. A "team" attitude exists and individuals are eager to cooperate for the common good. Collaboration makes a community greater than the sum of its parts and enables a vision to be realized. In short, this is the crucial idea of empowerment at all levels.
  4) Make Decisions and Take Risks. True leaders must have the courage to act. They take risks and make tough decisions. Without risk there is no progress. Leaders must be willing to make bold moves and embrace the seemingly impossible.
  5) Admit Mistakes and Apologize When Necessary. A leader who encourages risk-taking must understand that mistakes will be made. A leader should quickly recoginze mistakes, apologize, and remedy the situation. Accountable leaders learn from their mistakes and make changes. Being accountable means being in charge of your choices.
  6) Be Trustworthy and Care about Others. Visions are based on values. For good leaders, the means are just as important as the end. They make improvements with integrity, taking the right actions for the right reasons. They know that trust and credibility are central to the leadership process.
  7) Never Give Up. Never give up. Work hard. Those simple statements are at the heart of successful leadership. The best leaders love what they're doing and put everything they have into their efforts. Leaders make commitments and have the determination to see them through.
  8) Have a Sense of Humor. Good leaders aren't afraid to laugh with others and at themselves. They maintain a healthy sense of balance and perspective and know that humor can sometimes defuse a tense situation.
  • Wefald's "Characteristics of Excellent Leadership," drawn from his 1999 speech "The Characteristics of Excellent Leadership Using Various American Presidents as Examples." As quoted by Robert J. Shoop, A University Renaissance: Jon Wefald's Presidency at Kansas State (2001), Manhattan: Ag Press Publishing, hardcover, p. xvi-xvii

Quotes about Wefald

K-State has a long and grand history, written by good and respected presidents: Denison, Anderson, Fairchild, Will, Nichols, Waters, Jardine, Eisenhower, McCain, and Acker. Now, we add the Wefald years and the contributions of a man who, during difficult times, literally grabbed a university by the scruff of its academic and athletic neck and gave it a good shake. They are years of progress and striving for excellence in all areas of the university. They are the renaissance years. ~ Pat Roberts

• When I graduated in 1958, K-State was a good university. By most measures, Kansas State was a good university through the 1960s's, the 1970's, and into the 1980's. Then came Jon Wefald, or, as I have said at numerous K-State pep rallies, "And now, the man who has led us from the valley of despair and defeat to unprecedented pride and victory... Jon 'Moses' Wefald."
  This book is about the Wefald years at K-State, when a very good university aimed high and became an excellent university. During the Wefald years, Kansans have pointed with pride to the greatest turnaround in the history of Division I football, and K-State becoming a football power among the nation's elite. They know that between 1986 and 2000, student enrollment also reversed a serious decline and increased from 14,000 to 22,000. Alumni and visitors to campus see a new library and a new art museum. And there is much more attributable to Jon Wefald's term as president.
  • Pat Roberts, KSU Class of 1958, as quoted by Robert J. Shoop, A University Renaissance: Jon Wefald's Presidency at Kansas State (2001), Manhattan: Ag Press Publishing, hardcover, p. xi

• In assessing the "Wefald Years," one is reluctant to single out accomplishments because in truth, there were many, large and small. (Don't ever tell Jon Wefald something can't be done!) In sum, they illustrate what can be accomplished by creativity, team planning, and- most of all- leadership at the top.
  K-State has a long and grand history, written by good and respected presidents: Denison, Anderson, Fairchild, Will, Nichols, Waters, Jardine, Eisenhower, McCain, and Acker. Now, we add the Wefald years and the contributions of a man who, during difficult times, literally grabbed a university by the scruff of its academic and athletic neck and gave it a good shake. They are years of progress and striving for excellence in all areas of the university. They are the renaissance years.
  • Pat Roberts, KSU Class of 1958, as quoted by Robert J. Shoop, A University Renaissance: Jon Wefald's Presidency at Kansas State (2001), Manhattan: Ag Press Publishing, hardcover, p. xii