Warrior Magazine June 2020

Retiring President Stewart says ‘I Never Want This to Be About Me’

D r. Billy Stewart knew from an early age he wanted to be an educator. He’s experienced much success in his chosen profession in the more than three decades he’s served. And now he will retire as President Emeritus at East Cen tral Community College at the end of June after successfully leading the institution for eight years. He was also honored during the May ECCC Board of Trustees meeting with the naming of Billy W. Stewart Hall, the newest women’s resi dence hall on campus, in his honor. After nearly a decade at the college what kind of legacy does Dr. Stewart hope to leave? “I never started this job with a desire to be remembered. I don’t want it to ever be about me. So, as I conclude my time at East Central, I want to remember, not be remembered. I suppose the best way to explain it is this way. For the last eight years, my life objective has been displayed on the back of a beam in my office. It reads, ‘To glorify God through humble service and continual prayer making His name, not mine, great among the nations so that one day I may hear Him say ‘well done good and faithful servant.’ I’d rather

Room 309 of Elam Arms Dormitory in August of 1986 when I met Christ in a real and personal way and was saved. So, a career in education then made all the sense in the world to me. I’m able to make a difference in the lives of others by telling them about Him and I’m very grateful for that.” Although, being a community college president was not his original goal, after obtaining his doctorate degree, he said his career path took a turn. He said his goal was to simply go where he was supposed to go and he relied on a higher power to reveal that to him. “Christ has led me and my family every step of the way. Although not my original goal when I entered the field of ed ucation, I am so grateful for the time I’ve been able to serve as a community college president. It has been an incredible honor, a great privilege, and a tremendous responsibility,” Stewart said. Stewart also believes in the saying, “Anything worth do ing is rarely easy.” He said being president of East Central has been the toughest professional position he’s had in his career, but it has also been a wonderful experience. “This job is not easy, but God put me in positions along my journey where I’ve learned knowledge and skills that I’ve been able to apply as president of East Central. For example, as a teacher and coach, I learned about motivating people

and wining with teamwork. As an assistant principal for discipline, I learned to deal with difficult situations in a thoughtful manner. As dean of community services, I learned to interact with and listen to members of the community. I’ve also had leadership roles in workforce development, administration, and finance in the state’s community college system. I’ve been able to apply all of my professional experiences in education and the lessons learned from them to this position. And, it’s not always

be remembered for making much of the name of Christ and making His name great,” Stewart said. Stewart said he has always desired to make the name of Christ great, to be a Godly father and husband, and a good leader of his home. He said when thinking about his career or life, he is reminded of the Casting Crowns song “I Don’t Want to Leave A Legacy.” “The chorus says, ‘I don’t want to leave a legacy, I don’t care if they remember me, only Jesus.’ And that’s really

been easy, but it has certainly been fun.” Stewart has accomplished a lot during his long career in education. But he says he hopes it will be the relationships he’s formed with people along the way that others will re member as his greatest impact. “As an educator, I hope I had as big an impact on oth ers as they have had on me. It’s not buildings and policies, or accolades or applause, it’s people, and I hope that I will be defined by the impact I have had on other people. That would be my greatest accomplishment.” An integral part of Stewart’s leadership at ECCC has been the establishment and implementation of 2020 Vision , the college’s strategic plan for the past eight years. 2020 Vision is based on the core values of Wisdom, Excellence, Account

what I got into this business for, and ever since the first day of my freshman year as a student at the University of South ern Mississippi, that’s what I’ve hoped to be remembered for—making much of the name of Christ, not my own.” Stewart said he knew in high school that he wanted a ca reer in education. He thought he would work his way up the ranks from K-12 teacher to superintendent and then retire. “I wasn’t really sure why I chose education, but I knew that was my career path at an early age,” he said. “I suppose I experienced the tremendous impact that so many teachers and coaches had on my life and I wanted to do the same in others’ lives. However, when I was a freshman at USM, my life - my life objective - changed. It changed because of the experience I had on the first day of my freshman year in

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