Reflection

People are given opportunities every day to make a difference, whether it is in their own lives or the lives of those around them. The right person has the ability to make a positive impact and make a noticeable change in the community where they reside. Dr. William L. Fox, St. Lawrence ’75, has been making a difference since his undergraduate years and was recently appointed as the 18th president of St. Lawrence University, where he hopes, once again, to make a difference.

Fox has always possessed a sense of humility that has kept him grounded everyday. He says that being balanced and fair-minded are some of the greatest benchmarks a leader can aspire to live by. He strongly grasps that leadership is more than just a position; it is taking action to rival results and achieve success. "An ability to communicate, not just speak, effectively is critical. Also, except for shaving, stay away from mirrors. They’re more dangerous than the adulation of crowds," Fox stated. He offers that humility will best serve young people in all of their future endeavors.

Fox’s path to the presidency of his alma mater began indirectly with Beta Theta Pi. Not through membership in the Fraternity, but through his church, where former General Fraternity President Seth R. Brooks, St. Lawrence ’22, was his minister. Brooks was the Fox family minister in Washington, DC, which is where the two kindled a beautiful friendship that ultimately led Fox to his college chioce and placement at the University. Although there was a large difference in their ages, the wisdom of the elder Brooks influenced the values of the young Fox. It was at his church where Fox learned to discover the good in every encounter, especially with "the least of these."

Through his church, and with the encouragement of Brooks, Fox pursued a career in the ministry. "There was no better preparation for my life’s work than spending the early years of my career in the ministry," Fox said. The ministry, which was the first of three vocations he occupied, was the most formative. And yet, he also traces his success there to his college years in Beta Theta Pi.

As a result of being active in the Chapter, Fox learned to live in a diverse, intelligent and fast-paced environment, which created an opportunity for lifelong friendships. He says that a week never passes without hearing from a St. Lawrence Beta. Fox took on leadership positions in the Chapter, giving him invaluable hands-on experience toward becoming an effective listener and persuader. "It also taught me the importance of following through as a leader, which is the only coin that buys respect, and also to learn the importance of standing up and speaking up when your shaky knees preferred a less than brave response," Fox offered. Beta Theta Pi instilled and reinforced lasting principles in Fox that allowed him to make a difference not only in his chapter, but the community as well.

Restoration

Before being appointed president at St. Lawrence, Fox was president at Culver-Stockton College, where he demonstrated leadership in successfully bringing his campus out of a major crisis. Within the first days of his presidency, a destructive tornado struck the campus, and turned the College community upside down. However, Fox made a difference in the community by showing people how their own strength and courage was enough to repair the damage and to restore the community’s sense of hope. He achieved these impressive feats by focusing on the values of respect and mutual assistance. Fox does an impeccable job of not only understanding the values of the Fraternity, but implementing them into his daily life. He lives the ritual daily and takes great pride in doing so.

When asked what initial goals Fox would set for himself, he responds that developing friendships and establishing chemistry with people is how he will begin. "The goal of getting to know people in the community, what they do at the University and what their lives are like, is the peg upon which all the institutional weights and measures will hang," Fox said. This is Fox’s platform for success and making a difference. He will just to do his best to understand the faculty and students he works with everyday. "I’ll be a student myself, learning all over again who the St. Lawrence students and professors are in this new century," Fox added.

On July 1, Bill Fox will become the president of St. Lawrence University. He will begin his work with the simplest of assumptions and just be himself. He will be starting with many challenges, but with one advantage. He knows himself. Not only as a minister, professor or college president, but as a calm and humble Bill Fox . . . a life-long student always trying to make a difference. — Alex Hammel, Florida '08