Missouri State University executive vice president and West Plains native Zora Mulligan will be the new leader of the university's West Plains campus.
She will assume duties as West Plains chancellor on July 1. That's according to an announcement by university President Biff Williams issued early Friday morning.
“Zora has an impressive record of advancing higher education initiatives throughout Missouri,” Williams said in a written statement.
From 2016 until 2022, Mulligan served as Missouri commissioner of higher education. She also served as chief of staff for the University of Missouri System and executive director for the Missouri Community College Association.
Mulligan earned a bachelor's degree from Drury University in political science and psychology, a master's of science degree in education from the University of Kansas, and a law degree from the University of Kansas.
Mulligan replaces Dr. Dennis Lancaster, who recently announced his retirement, effective July 1.
“Throughout my career, my motto has been, ‘education changes lives,’" Mulligan said in a written statement. "That belief began in Howell County, where I witnessed firsthand MSU-West Plains’ transformational impact. I’m delighted to come home to serve this exceptional campus and continue its tradition of providing quality education for rural Missouri.”
