Missouri State taps sociologist, community volunteer to lead department

Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, an educator and community leader, has been named head of Missouri State University’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology.

The associate professor of sociology has been teaching at MSU since August 2017.

Sherman-Wilkins, 36, has been heavily involved in the campus and Springfield community, and has served in his new role – on an interim basis – since July 2025.

“It’s been a lot of learning, but I’m really glad I had the interim year,” he said.

He has remained in the classroom part-time, even while serving as an interim administrator.

“I see myself, first and foremost, as an educator, so I elect to teach one class per semester,” he said. “It just keeps me grounded.”

Shawn Wahl, founding dean of MSU’s Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, said Sherman-Wilkins has “numerous layers of leadership experience” focused on academics, advocacy, research and student success.

“That led to him being appointed to the full-time role, and we’re really excited about that,” Wahl said. “It’s great to have Kyler on board.”

Wahl said Sherman-Wilkins listens to faculty, and his leadership style is based on collaboration and consensus.

“One of the things that is really important for any academic leader in a multi-disciplinary process is to check in with people, to trust expertise of various areas, and I know that is something that Kyler values,” he said. “That is one of the reasons I believe he is right for this role.”

MSU recently launched its new strategic plan, which outlines a series of goals including increasing enrollment to 30,000 students in the next five years.

“We need good leaders during a time of change at the university,” Wahl said.

Sherman-Wilkins said the 14 faculty members in the close-knit department also serve as students’ mentors and advisors. He said the salary, pending approval by the MSU Board of Governors, is expected to be $128,000.

“That is probably our biggest strength, our love and focus for the student experience and making sure they’re getting a good bang for their buck,” he said. “Another strength is, in many ways, sociology, anthropology and gerontology really do embody the public affairs mission of the university.”

He said one of the challenges of the position is to dispel misconceptions and show career options available to individuals with a degree or certificate in sociology, anthropology, and gerontology.

“The reality is that you can do anything,” he said.

Sherman-Wilkins noted many work in nonprofits, pursue graduate degrees to become teachers or researchers, go to law school, or work in a wide variety of other fields.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in sociology and demography from Penn State University. He also trained at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

In addition to teaching and research, Sherman-Wilkins has been a board member for the Missouri Foundation for Health, Mosaic Arts Collective, Springfield NAACP, and the statewide advocacy group PROMO. He was recently elected director for the state with the Midwest Sociological Society.

Sherman-Wilkins said the leadership role will take precedence but he plans to remain engaged with Springfield and statewide groups. He previously campaigned for a seat on Springfield Public Schools’ Board of Education but was not elected.

“My No. 1 priority is to make sure that we have a strong department that continues to deliver for our students and advances that public affairs mission,” he said.

Currently, the number of students seeking a degree or certificate in the department is 303 and there is room to grow, Sherman-Wilkins said.

“A goal I have for the department is to navigate a very tough political and uncertain future regarding higher education but also the social sciences in general,” he said. “We want to be able to weather the storm of folks thinking there is no value in a liberal arts education and the way we do that, in my view, is to show that people in our programs are giving back to their community.”