MSU announced it hired university finance controller Chris Stovall as its Vice President for Administration and Finance. Stovall officially took over the position on Dec. 1.
“We are ecstatic to have Chris in this new leadership position. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our campus, and it’s always wonderful when you see your alums excelling,” President Stacia Haynie said.
Stovall has worked for the university since 2006, when he started as an accountant. He is also an MSU alum, having earned three degrees from the institution.
“I think it makes me completely invested compared to an outsider, and nothing against an external person coming in with varied experience and perspectives. But, I think every decision that I’ve ever made as an employee of MSU has been for the best for MSU going forward,” Stovall said. “I have a selfish interest, or invested interest in the university’s success whether I’m here or long gone.”
Stovall said his experience at the university allowed him to move into his new position with relative ease. He is helping find his replacement for the controller position.
Stovall said he and Haynie have already begun working together to improve the university. One of their primary goals is opening the military education center in Bridwell Activity Center, a collaboration between the campus, the city of Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base.
Stovall said the university received support for the first time from the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation for the military education center. As of Dec. 2024, the university expects to complete the project by Jan. 2026.
“So we’ll have, kind of, a dedicated space for military-affiliated students… they have full-time commitments on base and their families, and so they don’t have time to be going to multiple offices,” Stovall said.
Stovall was a first-generation college student and said he recognized some difficulties in attending school. To address these hardships, he said one of his office’s goals is to create a “one-stop-shop” where students can streamline the process of applying, registering and attending MSU.
“I have kind of a good perspective in what students face and some of the challenges navigating the complexities of higher ed,” Stovall said. “Especially for the first time, because you don’t know what office to go to to get assistance for various things.”
Stovall said the one-stop-shop idea has been floated around since he arrived at MSU, and “… this will give us the ability to actually see that come to fruition, and so that’s really exciting.”
Stovall’s office will play a key part in Haynie’s goals for her administration, which is to strengthen the ties between MSU, Sheppard AFB and Wichita Falls.
“Providing her the resources, the data that she needs… whatever we can do to help support her, and being strategic in how we deploy resources,” Stovall said.
Stovall said that finding ways to increase state funding is one way to support Haynie’s administration.
The university recently balanced its $9.8 million deficit in September, a pit Haynie and Stovall are trying to avoid falling back into.
“That didn’t happen overnight, honestly. So I think being data-informed and supplying that data and communicating that data to leadership frequently and often- You know, President Haynie wants to know and wants to talk about the budget almost at every meeting,” Stovall said. “it’s at the top of mind for the entire cabinet and all the leaders.”
Stovall thinks communication is key to university finances, and he plans to build a stronger relationship with several organizations across campus.
“I think getting in front of Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association… Staff Senate, making sure that we’re sharing out information with the campus and not making decisions, you know, in a vacuum so that they know what decisions are being made,” Stovall said. “Why, you know, we weren’t able to do raises since 2022, and it’s hard for employees to understand. All they see is that there haven’t been raises.”
Stovall says he is proud of his MSU background and that his time at the university has shaped his life.
“I’m a product of MSU, so I can speak to it ’til I’m blue in the face about the value of higher ed and what it’s done for me and how transformational it is for our students,” Stovall said.
