Education - Folks

Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D.

– Photo courtesy of Whitworth University.

Hometown: Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Place of Residence: Spokane
Occupation: President of Whitworth University

Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D., president of Whitworth University, a 3,000-student private university in North Spokane, is a newcomer to the Inland Northwest.

He has lived in various places around the U.S., from Texas to Indiana and from Boston to Birmingham, Ala., where he was a dean and economics instructor at Samford University.

One of the first things Taylor and his wife, Julie, noticed when moving to Spokane was the difference in weather. "We really enjoy the four seasons, and we really enjoy winter sports like skiing and snowshoeing," he says. "One of the things that struck Julie and me was how helpful people were. We are from a part of the world where people pride themselves in being nice. … We found that genuine niceness here."

Activities here the Taylors enjoy with their three children include attending the Spokane Symphony, dining at various independently owned restaurants, spending time outdoors, and picking fruit at Greenbluff.

President Taylor's favorite spot, however, is the Whitworth campus.

In the fall of 2010, Taylor succeeded William P. Robinson, who had served as the college's president for 17 years.

"I inherited a wonderful organization that is in good shape and has experienced a lot of growth and improvement in the last 15 to 20 years," Taylor says. "My responsibility is to continue to build upon that strength and to make sure the students have as good or better experience than in the past."

Whitworth has an annual budget of $64 million and employs nearly 500 people. With 2,000 students living on the school's wooded grounds, managing the campus is like managing a small city.

The college recently launched a strategic plan called Whitworth 2021 that seeks to raise money to fund six new construction projects, and continue to increase enrollment. Whitworth also plans to expand its offerings for nontraditional students, possibly at satellite branches. Toward that aim, the university expanded its presence in the University District near downtown Spokane in 2010.

Says Taylor, "My role is to continue the upward trajectory in terms of quality and influence and reputation of the university."