UCM President Best Contract Extended
By Quentin Weed
UCM student & TSM Intern
On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, The University of Central Missouri Board of Governors voted to extend current University president Dr. Roger Best’s contract. The vote was passed unanimously, with full support for the way Dr. Best has handled the university during the past few turbulent years in the education world.
His tenure has seen him have to handle situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, during which the university had to navigate mask mandates and expanded online class availability; a transfer of online learning management system from Blackboard to Brightspace at the beginning of 2025, which saw all classes’ online resources and work submission points changed to a completely different service; and the full renovation of the Humphreys Building, which houses the School of Public Services and the School of Geoscience, Physics, and Safety.
Dr. Best, who is a first-generation college student, earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgia College and his doctorate in finance from Florida State University. He has been working at UCM for 30 years, from 1995 when he first started out as an assistant professor in finance to his current position now as the president, having been instated as the 16th president of the university in 2018. In that time, he has held a variety of roles, from the teaching side to the administrative side.
Commenting on the vote, President of the UCM Board of Governors John Collier said, “Roger has skillfully guided the university through a challenging period for higher education… The university has maintained strong enrollments while other institutions struggled, and he has charted a strong course for the future with his grasp of business realities and unwavering focus on student success and redefining what’s possible.”
From the student perspective, Dr. Best has been a strong and beloved presence on campus. Often willing to personally introduce and attend events hosted by the university, he can also regularly be seen across the university grounds. He is easily approachable and always happy to chat with students, treating all others as equals despite his status as president.
