Thinking back to when she was first offered the interim vice chancellor for student affairs position at MU, Angela King Taylor said her decision didn’t take long after meeting the students she would be serving.

“Our students are brilliant,” she said. “They are thoughtful. They ask really good questions […] and that is really, truly, what attracts me to Mizzou.” 

King Taylor replaces Bill Stackman, who served as both dean of students and vice chancellor for student affairs at MU before transferring to Harvard University this summer..

Before taking over the interim vice chancellor position in June, King Taylor served as the associate dean of students at MU since September 2021.

 She has also worked as a faculty affairs specialist at Syracuse University, and has strong ties to Greek Life as the director of fraternity and sorority life at Middle Tennessee State University. 

King Taylor served as assistant director for fraternity and sorority life at the University of Kansas and was a graduate assistant for Greek Life and leadership at Old Dominion University, where she received her master’s degree in higher education administration. 

King Taylor also has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hampton University and earned her doctorate in education at Vanderbilt University. 

Overseeing Greek Life organizations — which often requires members having some degree of extroversion — for most of her career has given King Taylor a unique perspective on campus life. As interim vice chancellor for student affairs, she hopes to amplify voices of students who “aren’t inherently joiners.” On campus, she said, cultivating a sense of belonging and authentic connection for students of all backgrounds is of vital importance. 

“[Students] might not be interested in going to Midnight BBQ, but they might be interested in going to a different kind of workshop or connecting with a faculty member or staff member,” King Taylor said. “Those connections are going to be important, and they’re going to be a focus for us moving forward.” 

With the roles and responsibilities of dean of students and vice chancellor for student affairs now split among two individuals, King Taylor hopes to move the The Division of Student Affairs forward by centering student input in decision making. 

She said creating opportunities for students to connect with other students is essential. Refining MU’s leadership programming is a major focus for King Taylor. She believes that one of the main reasons students are hesitant about becoming “joiners” is that they are unsure if they have the ability to lead. 

MU has several leadership-centered courses available to students through the Novak Leadership Institute, including the Chancellor’s Leadership Class for freshmen and Entrepreneurial Leadership & Innovation for upper-level students. 

King Taylor hopes to emphasize educational opportunities like these to students, instilling in them “what it means to be a leader” and implementing their learning experiences into the professional world. 

“Mizzou is a place where we can create transformational experiences for students that will extend well beyond their time here,” King Taylor added. “Our students are always thinking about how they can be good citizens, how they can move the needle, how they can help others […] when you’re thinking about a place to work, that’s what you want.” 

Edited by Annie Goldman | agoldman@themaneater.com