The First Woman to Lead the West Plains Campus of Missouri State University

Shirley Lawler was appointed chancellor of the West Plains campus of Missouri State University. When she takes office on June 1, she will be the first women to lead the institution.

The West Plains campus is located in the middle of the state just north of the border with Arkansas. It enrolls nearly 2,000 students, all undergraduates. Women make up 63 percent of the student body.

Dr. Lawler was an adjunct faculty member at Missouri State University from 1984 to 2002. She joined the staff at Ozarks Technical Community College in 1997 and rose to the rank of provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. She retired in 2012. Since that time, she has served in interim roles at Ozarks Technical Community College and Summit Preparatory School in Springfield, Missouri.

Dr. Lawler holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Missouri State University and a doctorate from the University of Missouri.