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SIUC graduate continues to further education

From serving as a university president to working for U.S. presidents, William Butts hasn't forgotten his humble beginnings in the barracks of SIUC.

With a little more than 10,000 students and a campus without Brush Towers, he painted a different picture of the University than people are accustomed to now. It was 1962, SIU President Delyte Morris was at the helm and the main objective at the University was to expand its research opportunities and bolster student enrollment.

In the South, there were deep sentiments toward the equality of black Americans and the Civil Rights Movement was determined to change the segregationist mind frame. It marked a tumultuous time in the history of the United States.

Butts was a graduate student at the time, working intently on a master's degree in political science. The campus was an exciting place, but there were sentiments of unequal treatment of the black student population, he said.

Butts stayed at the old army barracks known as Dow Dell Nine.

The number corresponded with the amount of barracks that existed. The army barracks were the most basic of accommodations, with sheet metal sidings, beds that resembled cots, a communal bathroom and small workstations. But that did not hinder Butts' determination for an education.

"It was a roof over our heads," he said. "It was nothing exciting - just a place to study, a place were I was getting an education and getting on with my life."

While working on his master's and a doctoral degrees in political science, his wife was back at home in Mississippi teaching. Butts wanted to get the most of his educational experience and be reunited with his family.

After receiving his political science doctorate in 1968, Butts left to join his wife in Mississippi, the origin of his family. It was there that William started his career and became dean of arts and sciences at Mississippi Valley State and later took office as president of Kentucky State University in 1975.

Kentucky State University is an institution known for its contribution to the black American education experience. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons, it was formed to allow black Americans with the opportunity to pursue higher education.

Butts served a seven-year term as president at Kentucky State University. He would implement many programs at the university and was introduced to the hardships of presidency at a state institution.

"Any presidency is a challenge," he said.

In 1982 that would all change when Butts was courted by the Reagan administration to become the secretary of education for the state of Georgia.

Butts realized the hand-in-hand marriage that a political office holds with the public. It was also his first time implementing his schooling in political science and actually applying it to real-world situations.

" As a political appointee, it's one thing when they lose, but you lose as well," he said.

Butts worked for both the Reagan and Bush administrations from 1982 to 1992. As secretary of education, he worked with public schools, state universities s and city councils.

After the change in administration to the Clinton presidency, Butts was forced to deal with downfalls of political office.

"After the loss, you just pull up your stakes and go home," he said.

Butts traveled back to deal with ill family members. He became actively involved with Delta State University in Mississippi, consulting faculty and administration while tending to ailing family members.

His experience and leadership lead him to become the president of the Alumni Association at SIUC, where he worked to help both graduates and students in improving their educational experience and future careers.

In 2000, Butts would be called again to serve the educational community -- this time under the leadership of future President George W. Bush. He would become the co-chairman of the educational committee, serving as a special assistant to the secretary of education in Georgia and eight other educational regions.

His job now entails listening to orders form the secretary of education and addressing problems in the educational institution of those various regions.

Butts embraces one thing that he learned through the variety of jobs and positions: "No child should be left behind."

Reporter Moustafa Ayad can be reached at mayad@dailyegyptian.com