Davis emphasizes student success, enrollment growth in SFCC presidential forum

Published 4:53 am Thursday, October 29, 2026

State Fair Community College presidential candidate Cliff Davis drew on his experience as a first-generation college student Wednesday, Oct. 28, as he outlined his priorities for the college, including student success, enrollment growth and navigating anticipated state and federal funding cuts.

Davis, president of the Ridgewood Valley campus and vice chancellor at Ozarks Technical Community College, was the third finalist to visit SFCC during a series of public forums designed to introduce candidates to students, faculty, staff and community members.

In his opening remarks, Davis shared how a former co-worker encouraged him to attend college in 1982, when he was working at a Lake of the Ozarks resort shortly after graduating from high school.

Davis had spent part of his junior and senior years in an auto mechanics program and had little knowledge of higher education. No one in his family had attended college, and he was unsure whether he belonged in an academic setting.

The co-worker, Jim Dyke, recognized potential Davis had not yet seen in himself.

“He approached me, and he said, ‘You know, when he and I had gotten to know each other over the summer a little bit, and I was a first summer employee. He was in his fourth summer. He was a student at Southwest Missouri State, and he ran over, he said, he looked at me, he said, Cliff, he said, I see something in you,’” Davis recalled.

Dyke encouraged him to enroll in college before he became settled into a different career.

Davis applied to Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield and began classes two weeks later. Although his first semesters were difficult, he said faculty and staff helped him find his footing.

“I share the story because it’s not just my story. It’s the story of thousands of college students today who are trying to find their way,” Davis said. “Today, students aren’t lacking talent, ambition, or getting. Sometimes they just need someone to believe in them.”

Davis said he has spent more than 20 years in community college leadership, including two campus presidencies and responsibilities involving academic affairs, student affairs, fundraising, government relations and strategic planning.

“Successful colleges are built on relationships,” Davis said. “I’ve learned the faculty and staff are the heart of our institution, and I’ve learned that our greatest responsibility is to create opportunities for the students and communities we serve.”

If selected to lead SFCC, Davis said he would approach the presidency with an understanding of the challenges facing students who may not have family members to help them navigate college.

“I won’t view leadership from an ivory tower,” he said. “I’ll view it through the eyes of a kid who grew up in rural Richland, Missouri, just a small town on the other side of Lake of the Ozarks.”

Davis said he wants to provide students with the same encouragement he received more than four decades ago.

Asked whether SFCC should continue balancing transfer and technical education or emphasize one over the other, Davis said the college should remain comprehensive.

“Absolutely, we need to be a comprehensive community college,” Davis said.

Davis described general education, technical education and health sciences as the three legs of a stool, with workforce development and noncredit training also playing important roles.

He acknowledged that technical and health sciences programs can be expensive to operate and that tuition revenue from general education helps support those programs.

He said the college should consider student interests and community needs rather than attempt to maintain an exact 50-50 split between transfer and technical programs.

Davis also discussed how he would get to know SFCC students and employees if selected as president.

He said he enjoys spending time with grounds and maintenance crews because they are willing to speak candidly with him. He also emphasized the importance of informal conversations while walking across campus or moving between meetings.

At his current institution, Davis participates in a free breakfast program for students. The program was designed to help students who might arrive at class hungry without singling them out.

Full-time employees staff the breakfast service, giving Davis opportunities to greet students and learn about their interests.

He said building relationships and ensuring people recognize one another would be his first priority, with learning everyone’s names following over time.

Financial stability and enrollment growth were central themes in Davis’ responses to questions about potential state and federal funding reductions.

Davis said budget reductions were not merely a possibility but an anticipated reality for higher education. He described projections shared with his current institution that could lead to substantial cuts in state funding over the next several years.

He said community colleges must work with state lawmakers to ensure funding formulas account for declining revenues as well as increases.

SFCC receives state funding through a formula that considers enrollment and other factors, Davis said. He also raised concerns about how dual-credit students are counted in the formula, arguing that SFCC should advocate for those students to receive appropriate consideration.

Davis pointed to his experience working with state lawmakers and relationships with legislative leaders as potential assets in advocating for the college.

“We are gonna see a major cut,” Davis said. “We need to grow ourselves out of this as well.”

He said SFCC should pursue enrollment growth while protecting its ability to provide programs students and employers need.

Davis noted that the college serves a 14-county area with a population of about 400,000 but enrolls approximately 5,400 students. He identified opportunities to expand recruitment in areas such as the Lake of the Ozarks region and Jefferson City.

He also said SFCC should build on its existing online offerings and more aggressively market the opportunity to complete an associate degree online.

Davis said online education could appeal to adults who need flexibility while balancing school, work and family responsibilities. He also said enrollment growth outside the college’s traditional taxing district could provide additional revenue.

“These would have to be a high priority, day one, if chosen to be the president,” Davis said of addressing funding challenges and growing enrollment.

Davis also addressed institutional initiative fatigue, saying colleges can maintain support for advancement and fundraising by telling their stories rather than repeatedly asking the same donors for money.

He described how news about programs and accomplishments at his current institution had helped attract contributions, and said donors can also help by connecting colleges with new supporters.

“The way you avoid fatigue in advancement, and fundraising, marketing, whatever, is that you rely less on the ask, and more on telling your story,” Davis said.

Davis said his goal would be to place SFCC on stronger financial footing while maintaining the comprehensive educational opportunities that serve students and the surrounding communities.

Chris Howell can be reached at 660-530-0146.