MSU exec Zora Mulligan tapped to lead university's West Plains campus

Last edited 11:08 a.m., March 28, 2025 [Editor's note: Additional information has been included.]

Missouri State University executive Zora Mulligan, once considered a potential successor to former President Clif Smart, has been selected to lead the school's West Plains campus.

Mulligan is scheduled to become chancellor of MSU-West Plains on July 1, according to a news release.

“Zora has an impressive record of advancing higher education initiatives throughout Missouri,” MSU President Biff Williams said in the release. “As our current executive vice president, she brings exceptional leadership skills to this important position. Zora’s experience in enrollment management and strategic planning, along with her West Plains roots, makes her uniquely qualified to guide MSU-West Plains into the future.”

Mulligan, a West Plains native and a Drury University graduate, joined MSU in summer 2022 after previously serving for six years as commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development. The executive vice president role created for Mulligan was considered the No. 2 administrative role to Smart, according to past reporting, and Smart told SBJ in September that year that the role was viewed to "potentially be my successor or be a candidate for that when I retired."

However, Mulligan did not apply for the MSU president role after Smart's retirement announcement. Williams started as MSU president last year.

At MSU-West Plains, Mulligan is set to succeed Dennis Lancaster, who recently announced plans to retire July 1, according to the release.

“Throughout my career, my motto has been, ‘Education changes lives.’ That belief began in Howell County, where I witnessed firsthand MSU-West Plains’ transformational impact,” Mulligan said in the release. “I’m delighted to come home to serve this exceptional campus and continue its tradition of providing quality education for rural Missouri.”

As chancellor of MSU-West Plains, Mulligan will earn a salary of $259,560, the same that she has in her current role, said MSU spokesperson Andrea Mostyn. Williams plans to hire a chief of staff who also would be assistant to the president for legislative affairs as Mulligan exits the EVP role, said Suzanne Shaw, MSU's vice president of marketing and communications.