A process. A decision. Mixed emotions.
Friday, March 21, 2025
Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,
Happy Friday!
This week was difficult! We were faced with a destructive tornado-bearing storm and multiple controversial decisions. Two decisions in particular were whether or not to host the NCAA basketball championship tournament on campus while at the same time holding our 117-year-old traditional St. Pat’s parade. Everything became more complicated when a destructive storm swept through town, requiring us to deeply engage every step of the decision-making process.
At its core, decision making entails weighing all evidence and choosing among alternatives. It becomes particularly controversial when, regardless of the choice, different constituents will be either delighted or disgusted with the decision. Nonetheless, the hard decision must be made, deliberately, and then we must make it work.
Going back to the first deceptively simple decisions to make, we engaged all our relevant constituents multiple times. We discussed the pros and cons of each alternative, including the extremes of hosting the tournament in Rolla or not, and holding the parade or not, and all options in between. In the case of the St. Pat’s parade, for example, we worked with city officials, safety and security organizations, and our St. Pat’s Board and decided to hold a smaller version of the parade rather than cancelling it altogether. You see, the challenge in making that decision, as was discussed multiple times among our constituencies, was the consideration of those who had been affected by the storm, and the thousands who had already arrived from far and near. The big security concern? Many would parade in the streets regardless, and city safety and security officials thought that could create a chaotic and unsafe situation. After much discussion and consideration, collectively the decision was made to hold the parade and the board would donate proceeds from this year’s merchandise and concert to the ongoing relief effort. The decision was reviewed again the next day, two hours before the actual event, with the ultimate, unanimous decision to go forward.
At the same time, the university and the city were working in close collaboration to address emergency needs. The massive outpouring of university support for the community ranged from hundreds of students, faculty and staff volunteering to the mobilization of the entire might of our physical plant equipment and personnel, to offering our facilities to families in need, just to mention a few. Within an hour, Dr. Grace Yan, a professor of structural engineering at S&T and director of the university’s Center for Hazard Mitigation and Community Resilience, mobilized to support the community. Dr. Yan and her students began assessing and documenting damages by capturing and archiving drone videos and photos.
In addition to volunteering, students on the St. Pat’s Board raised and donated over $10,000 to the local American Red Cross for disaster relief in the Phelps County area.
In the end, the steps of the decision-making process – framing the problem, bringing the team together, considering timing, establishing approach, facilitating discussions, considering alternatives, ensuring balance and alignment, and ensuring safe and secure implementation – were the primary drivers.
Both our events highlight that making difficult decisions — the calls that affect others — is never easy and will always result in controversy. Harder still is owning the outcome and living with the consequences. Interestingly, exactly five years ago, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we called off the same St. Pat’s parade that we collectively decided to hold this year. And we heard the voices of admiration and discontent on both occasions!
To our students in a learning moment I say, with humility and sincerity, we must make the difficult decisions collaboratively, with transparency and full disclosure. And then we must own the outcome, regardless of all the unfair criticism. After all, that is the job of the leader in every one of us.
Finally, I, for one, am grateful to each and every one of our people who gave of themselves selflessly to support those in need in this difficult moment for our community.
Warmly,
-Mo.
Note to academics: Candidate recommendations for the Missouri S&T Provost are welcome.
Read previous Friday morning messages.
Check out the latest news from S&T:
- S&T offers recovery support for community
- Missouri S&T PetroBowl team places highest in the U.S., advances to world championship
- March is National Red Cross Month
Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116
206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu
Replies
Many Students follow the actions of their teachers and administrators. Your actions can have a profound positive effect on students. Thank you for the guidelines you and others have provided to lead students in a positive helpful way.
Chancellor Deghani - nice to see you at the command center mid-day today; thank you for referring me to your email and for the clarification of who runs the St Pat's parade. I agree that the university has been very supportive of the community; I was working in the command center at Big Lots last Sunday and spoke with the S&T football coach and women's soccer coach, both of whom brought their respective teams (as many as were willing and able) to help with cleanup. I saw other students, some that I know and many others I didn't but who were wearing their St Pat's shirts as a kind of uniform. I've seen Fred Stone and Doug Roberts at the morning briefings, so I know the university is keeping tabs on recovery progress (as well as allowing some university facilities to be used). It is great to see the community come together and respond to this disaster. Hopefully we'll learn some good lessons and be even better prepared for the next one!
All these decisions and actions taken during St. Patrick’s celebration really makes one proud to be a graduate of MSM!
Seriously--"...whether or not to host the NCAA basketball championship tournament on campus ..."??? Am I misreading your note?
*Note to the readers: there was a confusion with this response since the tournament was NCAA, Division II, GLVC finals and not the national tournament!
Would this have been for a different division/women's than the 64+ men's teams that's playing out on about 25 TV stations currently with all the "big" names (including Mizzou getting beat by Drake the other day!)? How on earth would the NCAA consider a relatively small venue like Rolla to use, I'd presume would be what in the 70's we called "The Acoustically Imperfect Gale Bullman Multi-Useless Building". (but I would assume in 46+ years, things have been improved).
No disrespect to Rolla intended---I just have a hard time thinking NCAA basketball would sidestep a boatload of bigger venues for our little nerdy--but loveable---town that's 100 miles in three directions from other communities better able to support the media and fan influx that would have come.
Thank goodness there was no loss of life or major injuries in Rolla from this one---that I'd heard of anyway. Still--a HUGE tragedy no matter. Seems like they had a 'nader go thru not that far from out north of Fraternity Drive a few years back--but it was not in as much of a built up area as this one appeared to be.
I just wanted to give a big shout out to Lyndsey Elliot and her team for organizing drop-in care for elementary-aged kids this week at the Missouri S&T Child Development Center, and all the faculty, staff, and students who helped contribute activities for the kids. It helped so many families, including my own, get through this week, and the kids had a blast. It was one (of many) shining lights in the aftermath of the storm. And, thanks again for your support of the ADVANCE program and our efforts to make S&T a destination of choice for all.
Congratulations on being able to keep up the St. Pat's tradition and helping so many people at the same time. I was wondering if you were able to host the tournament as well. Given the circumstances, that would be a remarkable achievement.
Hope this note makes you happy as usual! I just wanted to say a few words to thank you for being the ultimate MVP to lead our team through this crazy time. The call to tweak St. Pat's Carnival, rather than cancel it, is another point of view entirely - a mad respect for finding the right balance between safe wit and heartwarming hustle.
- As a freshman mechanical engineering student, I feel so fresh for every activity and look forward to it!
- Your low-key pep talk gave me all the feelings. That's how you constantly prove your leadership skills, but elevate the whole team through courage and teamwork.
Keep it at 100! Excited to continue to represent the miner nation and push to make our family stronger. Let's keep the momentum going!
You are doing an amazing job on all accounts. Thank you for your leadership.
I thought about writing a long-winded thought but being in a leadership position myself, sometimes we just need some simple words:
You did well!
Thank you for your emails.
Great, great note Mo!
As you so eloquently point out, a well thought out, fact based, and collaborative process usually leads to a good decision. I am concerned that we, as a society and in higher ed, do not engage in such a disciplined process before making decisions. Instead, we often decide things based on personalities and politics, “the path of least resistance” or “kicking the can down the road.” Good processes and merit based-decisions by well-intended and strong leaders leads to institutional success. We are lucky to have you.
Hope you are well my friend. Love your Friday notes.
Could I be the only alum who didn't know we had a:
Center for Hazard Mitigation and Community Resilience?
An un/fortunate real-life opportunity
You did the best you could and no one can ask for anything more. Pay no attention to criticism and keep leaning forward!
You made the right decision. I support my university and the St Pats board, I look forward to attending the parade next year.
I have not always agreed with your decisions, for example, not to host the tournament, but I have always appreciated the reality that you were, as Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “the man in the arena.” You had to make the tough calls. Whenever you have time, watch this short video recounting Roosevelt’s words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A311CnTjfos
Also, I hope that the campus can reward coach Bill Walker for bringing excellence back to Miner basketball. For several years before he arrived on the scene, Miner basketball was an embarrassment with virtually no attendance other than parents of the players. He has not only brought fine players to S&T, they are also excellent students, and will have rewarding careers. Moreover, his team has engaged the student body and the community in a way that nicely connects both. It has been almost three decades since that last happened.
Thank you for this write-up. I went back and forth on this in my mind as to whether or not the right decision was made to hold the parade. After reading this, I believe that it was.
It also inspired me to give another donation to the Red Cross.
So thank you and keep inspiring the students to make every day count!
Thank you for all the hard decisions you and your team have to make! I was not here during the storms thankfully, but I am so happy about all the money that was raised for the community and all the physical support students on campus offered in the day or two immediately after the storm. One of my mentors here on campus suggested getting a group together to help with cleanup in the areas nearby. It's so amazing to see how quickly work can get done when an entire team of people gets together to help! I was very happy to be a part of something that benefits the community in a way that I can't even imagine. Have a blessed break (if you get much of a break) and I look forward to seeing you when classes resume!
Mo, thanks for sharing the details of what led to the ultimate decisions and actions. Well handled!
I had meant to respond to your original “DEI” email that you sent out on Feb 28, but time got away from me. So, after reading this past Friday’s email and perusing through the responses, it made it ever clearer my desire to respond.
Let me just say how grateful I am to have you at the helm of S&T.
Your leadership, spiritual insights, open mindedness, empathy, and eloquence are a true gift not only to S&T but to the whole Rolla community and beyond.
I recently made an Elder Rites of Passage last September in the high country of Washington State for a five-day retreat. Many, many lessons, and challenges to continue my inner-work. But the major takeaway was that as elders our primary role is to “bless” others, in word but more importantly in deed. (As Francis of Assisi would say “preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words”)
You bless others! You continue to bless me in your weekly emails, but moreover in our friendship.
Now to the DEI email, you nailed it! Or to use others’ words you threaded the needle. And you did it with grace and clarity.
You modeled for me the 1st of The Four Agreements (by Don Ruiz) “Be impeccable with your word.”
And then, after receiving a menagerie of email replies; disgruntled folks on both sides of the political spectrum. In the midst of all that angst, you found that space that Viktor Frankl speaks of…“ Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
And you responded with grace…
You modeled for me the 2nd of The Four Agreements “Don’t take anything personal”
No knee-jerk reaction
AND you quoted Simone Weil, one of my favorite mystics!
Keep up the great work Mo!
“Keep dropping keys all night long, for the beautiful rowdy prisoners”
Hafez
A beautiful letter.
I am sure that through this you have illustrated to the students that decisions are not easy and it requires good analysis to come to the best which rarely is perfect. And even with that, there will be many who disagree.
Thanks for sharing this, and thanks to the university for all their community support.
I look forward to your e-mails arriving each Friday. This was among your most inspirational.
There could be an entire course taught on this quote, " To our students in a learning moment I say, with humility and sincerity, we must make the difficult decisions collaboratively, with transparency and full disclosure. And then we must own the outcome, regardless of all the unfair criticism. After all, that is the job of the leader in every one of us." This is a message I have learned often the hard way in my career (and find myself revisiting the lesson often! Ha!) and also find myself imparting this wisdom on my new hires repeatedly.
Well said, sir.
I hope your family is safe and the recovery is swift for the city and campus.
I say, “Bravo”! Well done.
I'm sorry you had a tough week. I know it is your job to be professional and keep a brave face on for the university, but as a native Rolla resident, I saw many mixed emotions from my fellow residents about your decisions, character, and intentions toward the city of Rolla.
I, for one, supported the parade. The tornado was truly devastating, I will admit, as both my parents' house, where I grew up, and my close relatives' homes, where I have joyful memories of playing with my cousins, were damaged. However, I find myself troubled. As an S&T student, I enjoy the crazy activities that occur on campus during St. Pat's week, as it is a small, sunny oasis in the sea of stress, schoolwork, hunger, and exhaustion. It is why I don't particularly enjoy students coming from other schools and causing a ruckus. St. Pat's is OUR time to indulge in the things that during the normal school week, our grades could not afford for us to indulge in. I would have been quite disappointed if the parade had been cancelled, as it is something I look forward to every year.
I know you are a very important person and have to stay composed, but I just had to ask how negative comments from the city of Rolla affect you. Mental health is a strong and well-taken-care-of issue at Missouri S&T, but who thinks about that of our Chancellor? Some citizens of Rolla think you to be ill-hearted after the course of last weekend, but how would you respond to those who can't realize you made the best decision you could?
Decision, revision, dilemma, revision, conclusion, elation
I can't tell you how much I appreciated this email. I was aware of the impact of the tornado on Rolla from calls and emails from …. I was also kept informed by a friend who is the mother of the pastor of 1st Baptist Church of Rolla. They worked with the Red Cross to provide relief to include a trailer for showers for victims
It makes me proud to hear the response of the St. Pat's Board and S&T.
I don't know if you were aware of it but … and my home county, Wayne, was decimated. A small town north of our home town was leveled with 6 fatalities. These are rural folks who did not have much to begin with.
Your topic of decision making was timely. I had just read another article related to decision making.
“Five Ways to Have a Nervous Breakdown”
The fruit of the Spirit is…peace (Galatians 5:22).
Here is a slightly different way to look at peace. Perhaps you can relate. Jon Johnson quotes from a humorous article titled “Five Ways to Have a Nervous Breakdown” in Walls on Bridges:
Try to figure out the answer before the problem arises. “Most of the bridges we cross are never built, because they are unnecessary.” We carry tomorrow’s load along with today’s. Matthew 6:34 says: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
Try to relive the past. As we trust him (God) for the future, we must trust him with the past. And he can use the most checkered past imaginable for his good. (See Romans 8:28.)
Try to avoid making decisions. Doing this is like deciding whether to allow weeds to grow in our gardens. While we’re deciding, they’re growing. Decisions will be made in our delay. Choice “is a man’s most godlike characteristic.”
Demand more of yourself than you can produce. Unrealistic demands result in “beating our heads against stone walls. We don’t change the walls. We just damage ourselves.” Romans 12:3 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.”
Believe everything Satan tells you. Jesus described Satan as the “father of lies” (John 8:44). He’s a master of disguise, masquerading as an angel of light. But our Lord declared that his sheep follow him because they “know his voice” (John 10:4). They have listened to it in his Word.
Wright, H. Norman. Strong to the Core: Dynamic Devotions for Men of God . Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Thanks for all that you do. I agree with the person who told you that you are a sign that God loves S&T.
Congratulations on surviving your most recent challenge. As the saying goes, “that’s why they pay you the big bucks.”
Wouldn’t it have been nice to be a dictator and make the decision yourself and just tell all those who disagree to … …? But that’s not how we do things in the U.S.A. At least not yet.
Stay strong.
Bravo Chancellor!! Well said and well done.
This one makes my heart proud that we have a campus like S&T in my home state and that I am a graduate.
Describes making the tough decisions almost easy! Been there enough times to know better and to know how wrenching it can be. BUT the decision best for all concerned is easier to defend and usually accepted by those who count.
Especially proud of "S&T offers recovery support...". It will never be known how many people were touched with those acts of kindness. And think of the learning experiences and examples set for our students. I'd bet there will be more than one career choice affected or changed by the experience.
Sounds like there should be a big community party once everything gets back to normal!
Good Job.
Thanks for this update. I had wondered.
It’s interesting that you find the criticism “unfair”.
I was born and raised in Rolla, MO. I’m a graduate of Rolla High School as well as Missouri S&T. My spouse is also a graduate, though his diploma reads University of Missouri - Rolla. He was on the St. Pat’s Board during his time at the university and we rarely miss an opportunity to come home and celebrate. Even our young children have been included in the celebration. As you can surmise, it has been an important part of our lives.
But so too, has the community of Rolla. And we cannot express how disappointed we were to hear that your committee decided to continue on with the parade. The money could have easily been raised without holding a “celebration” and ignoring the tone deafness of hosting a raucous event mere hours after so many faced such destruction.
I can certainly understand why the twenty-something’s in the room would want to continue an event they poured their hearts into, but what I will never understand is why the experienced and educated adults in the room choose to blow by the sensitivity of the situation.
St. Pat’s is a celebration. Under no circumstances is celebrating appropriate after something as devastating as that storm was for many of the community around you. Money could have been raised and feelings could have been considered more appropriately.
Mo, obviously I wasn’t involved, but my consulting firm was ultimately in the business of managing other people's crises. As you know, we managed some pretty big ones….and each one has its own personality…all the way down to the complainers, the gripers and the suit happy people…. That bottom feeder group is the tail that wags the dog…every time. Getting through a mess is always a learning AND humbling AND character building experience.
I would hope those involved took away some very important life lessons…… Happens and when … Happens, SOME … is going hit the fan and SOME … is going to get flushed == key learning—stay away from the fan (pull the power cord if you can) and keep your hand on the flush handle at all times.
Good job not getting flushed!
See you in a few weeks. Take care my friend!!
TY Mo! It's too bad that our politicians and so called world leaders can't come together and make intelligent compromised decisions.
As a federal contractor, I am trained and experienced in disaster response. I was in Petal Mississippi after the tornado there. I will reach out to Dr. Yan and see if I can offer assistance.
I was there for the SEMI seminar and walked the town. Newberg got it bad from what I understand. I grew up in trades, perhaps we can get some volunteers in replacement housing.
Just because I am disgruntled with a few people that work there, this is my university.
Awesome!
Mo,
Great process! Great message! I will call soon to talk about your next visit with...
Dear Mo,
Good morning and I hope you are doing well!
I'm really sorry—I’ve been following the news, and my thoughts are with the people of Rolla during this difficult time. I can only imagine how challenging it must have been to manage these critical decisions while also dealing with the impact of the storm.
I truly admire the resilience and dedication of the Missouri S&T community in navigating these circumstances. Despite the challenges, it’s inspiring to see the commitment to upholding traditions while prioritizing safety and well-being.
I remain excited about the possibility of joining Missouri S&T and being part of such a thoughtful and engaged community. Wishing you and everyone in Rolla strength and recovery in the days ahead.