The walls of Mike Westerfield's office at William Woods University are dotted with framed photographs of Westerfield with his family and more than a few famous faces.
In the course of his career in the halls of academia, the Westerfields have rubbed elbows with astronaut John Glenn, gymnast Mary Lou Retton, British Prime Minister John Major and former First Lady Barbara Bush.
He paused by another portrait - his family with ABC journalist Sam Donaldson. He once bumped into him in a hallway at a college event.
"He asked me, 'Do I have shaving creme behind my ear?'" Westerfield said, laughing.
Donaldson went on to explain his wife often scolded him for not completely wiping down his neck after shaving, Westerfield added.
"They're just people like us," he said of the famous flock.
Those pictures were taken at annual Partnership Dinners at Rochester College in Michigan, an institution he once led. Westerfield was himself in the spotlight just last week when he was given the Leadership Award by Callaway Chamber of Commerce. The honor was announced by Chamber President Marty Martin-Forman, whom Westerfield had just installed a few minutes before at the annual dinner.
"Serving this Chamber and this county has been a highlight of my career," Westerfield told the assemblage last week. "We had a dream to do great things for this county. I believe with all my heart Fulton can become a home for entrepreneurs."
That dream blended the Chamber into the organization one sees today, including economic development, the Show Me Innovation Center, a spirit encouraging entrepreneurship and the promotion of the Callaway County region. Westerfield served on the Chamber board before becoming its president, and he said he may return.
"I may come back on the board; Marty called and said she had an opening," he said. "She's just a delight. We've had some good people on that board, and it's a fun board."
Westerfield serves as executive vice president for Academic Affairs at WWU. He has led more than 50 accreditation teams for the Higher Learning Commission, the accreditation body for all public and private colleges and universities in a 19-state region from Arizona to West Virginia.
"Dr. Westerfield is one of the foremost experts in this," said Tiffany Smith, William Woods' director of Content and Publicity.
He's a pretty good consultant in his field, too, she said.
"Probably a lot of universities and colleges are in existence now because of this man," she added.
Westerfield's career has been one with two parts: First teaching, then administration.
"I taught a lot of students; I was a full-time teacher for about 16 years," Westerfield said. "Even when I was president of Rochester College, I taught at least one course. Then I went into administration and developed a keen interest in higher education issues."
Westerfield wasn't born an educator. He was born the son of a military man in Bossier City, Louisiana. The family bounced around from Bossier City to Puerto Rico, then Mississippi and back to Bossier City. The next step was to the Omaha, Nebraska area. That posting remained stable enough for Westerfield to attend school from fifth grade to graduation in one place.
"At that point, my father was in charge of personnel so we were able to stay," he said.
Westerfield went off to college - and he's basically never left.
"When I first went to college, my dad really wanted me to go into business," Westerfield said. "Accounting did nothing for me. So I just started with general education. I knew I wanted to work with younger people."
He spent two years at York College in Nebraska and then Harding University in Arkansas. He was trying to decide upon a career.
His English professor suggested he consider the subject as career. When Westerfield realized his love of the language combined with his "flair for talking," he said he found a career path.
That path always remained at the college level, he added.
"I really loved it," Westerfield said. "I taught exclusively for six years."
The other opportunities crept in, and he gained more and more experience. He got a masters degree at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, and a doctorate in English from University of Nebraska.
"I've never taught anything other than college," Westerfield said. "I had five sections (per session), including four composition. That's a lot of essays."
Westerfield worked at Rochester College from 1995 to 2009, ending up as president. That's when Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett, WWU president, reached out to him with a job opportunity.
"The opening was for VP of the graduate program and I could develop new programs," he said, adding the doctorate program was created and running in 2011.
Most of the students doing post-graduate work at WWU are in the field of education, ranging in age from early to mid-30s to age 60.
"A lot of them are first-generation (college grads)," he said. "It means a lot when I go to the graduate program's commencement and see their faces."
The benefits William Woods University and Westminster College bring to Fulton and the Callaway County area are tangible and easy to appreciate, Westerfield said.
"I've worked on trying to promote this idea about how blessed we are as a community to have these colleges," he said. "I think we need to do a good job of promoting them."
Westerfield said he and his wife, Sharon, enjoy traveling. They have a son, a daughter and five grandchildren. They rent a house in the summer at the Lake of the Ozarks to entice the family to gather. Sharon has already retired as a pharmacy technician from Red Cross Pharmacy. When Westerfield finally retires, he said they will probably remain in Fulton.
"We've established connections here and we like Fulton," he said. "My greatest hope is I can remain productive after my work life is over and I can still connect with people and make a difference. My greatest fear is having to face something in my life that makes that not possible."
He laughed.
"I don't have a lot of fears, though," he added. "I just want to be healthy and useful, and travel with my wife."
For Westerfield, people are most important.
"The one value that always rises to the top, I have always believed firmly that people are the No. 1 asset in everything you do," he said. "I care about people. I want to be fair and act with integrity."
While people may occasionally let each other down, Westerfield said the rewards are worth the risk. If he had one piece of advice for aspiring educators, it's to go with the flow.
"They'd better practice being flexible," he said. "Higher education is changing at a dramatic rate."
One more thing.
"And have a good sense of humor," Westerfield said.