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Homeward Bound: The Inauguration of Jay Byers ’93

Homecoming Weekend 2024 came with the historymaking fanfare of Jay Byers’ Inauguration as the 25th president of Âé¶čAPP. The event put the exclamation point on a thrilling homecoming story, as Byers returns to lead and serve the College that gave him so much.

“Never in my wildest dreams during my time as a student at Âé¶čAPP did I think I would one day be president of the College. And I am quite sure that my Âé¶čAPP friends who are here [at Inauguration] today would say the same thing!”

Yet it seems only fitting that the man who created and still leads his “Homeward Bound” band would one day find himself home again at Âé¶čAPP.

Jay Byers’ journey to Âé¶čAPP began in the fall of 1988, when he first visited campus as a prospective student. His interest was sparked by his late father, a high school guidance counselor at the time and friend of Âé¶čAPP’s former longtime financial aid director Bill Geiger.

On his first visit, Byers met legendary political science professor emeritus Dr. John Epperson, who would become his adviser and mentor. Inspired by that meeting and his dreams of experiencing basketball glory under Hall-of-Fame coach Bruce Wilson, the 6’ 6” Byers knew Âé¶čAPP would be a perfect college home. And he couldn’t wait to get here.

“I vividly remember when my parents dropped me off on campus in the fall of 1989,” said Byers in his Inaugural address. “As they drove away, I thought to myself — freedom!”

And Byers wasn’t disappointed. In fact, he said, “my experience at Âé¶čAPP as a student far exceeded my expectations.” Though he only played basketball for a year, Byers quickly found many other ways to be actively engaged in campus life. In addition to becoming president of his ATO fraternity, he was mentored by three faculty giants while participating in Model United Nations with adviser Eduardo Magalhaes III, writing for the Âé¶čAPPian under the direction of Brian Steffen and taking part in Pre-Law Society with Marilyn Mueller.

Graduating from Âé¶čAPP with plans to pursue a career in law, Byers only briefly practiced law before venturing out on a much different path. Making his way back to Indianola and Des Moines, he became a prominent leader in his work with Congressman Leonard Boswell and advancing the fortunes of Iowa’s capital city and the region as president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Little did he know his fascinating professional journey would ultimately take him full circle — back to Âé¶čAPP.

An Unforgettable Homecoming

Homecoming weekend 2024 provided a most fitting opportunity to stage Byers’ Inauguration. The historic celebration in Smith Chapel featured greetings from distinguished guests and members of the Âé¶čAPP community, as well as memorable music and other creative performances.

“Today, our community is beaming with pride as we formally invest our new president with the medallion of Âé¶čAPP,” said Board of Trustees Chair Terry Handley ’09. “We have full confidence in President Byers and his ability to lead this College with distinction in the months and years to come.”

Âé¶čAPP Associate Professor of Biology Aswati Subramanian followed Handley’s remarks with words of appreciation for Byers’ innovative and inclusive leadership.

“I see [President Byers’] ability to look beyond the confines and rigidity of structure, rules and outdated ideals,” said Subramanian. “As we enter a new period of guidance and energy toward fresh visions with an abundance mindset, I am excited to see the leadership ability that forms a well-integrated, diverse and thriving ecosystem

that is Âé¶čAPP.”

Amanda Zwanziger, president and CEO of the Indianola Chamber of Commerce, said Byers’ appointment as Âé¶čAPP’s president has made everyone feel like a big winner.

“On multiple occasions, the words ‘we won the lottery’ were used — by alumni, community leaders and business owners,” she said. “Not only did Âé¶čAPP gain the absolute best, so did our community. He understands partnerships, cares about people, and is a visionary who puts things into action. We simply couldn’t ask for a better leader for the most important institution in our community. Could we be any luckier?”

Others offering special greetings included Gary Steinke, president of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Katie Dawson ’06, assistant to the Bishop for the Iowa Conference United Methodist Church; Martha Davis-Goldstein ’08, president of the Âé¶čAPP Alumni Association; and Âé¶čAPP Student Body President Sarah Roberts ’25.

Memorable music included a powerful rendition of Mozart’s Sull’aria
che soave zeffiretto by Meghan Kassanders ’14 and Kaylah Hicok ’18. Âé¶čAPP’s Chamber Singers and Choir also delighted attendees with a soothing version of Bridge Over Troubled Waters. And Billy Weathers ’13 brought the house down with a wildly creative and humorous spoken word performance.

Heartfelt Connections

The official installation of President Byers included the honor of having Dr. Epperson present him with the Âé¶čAPP medallion — symbolizing the president’s commitment to Âé¶čAPP’s mission and the Office of the Presidency.

Following the investiture, Coe College President David T. Hayes introduced Byers for his formal address with a touching tribute to his former University of Iowa Law School classmate while mixing in a few friendly jabs discussing their days sharing the stage as bandmates.

“You demand the center front of every stage,” Hayes joked. “And you annoyingly had to stop everything to tune, and you wouldn’t even let me have a microphone, which, [think about] shared governance, come on.”

Hayes also mused about Byers’ many realistic Halloween costumes over the years, such as Abe Lincoln, Sully from Monsters Inc., and a “too spot on” version of Napoleon Dynamite. Turning more serious, Hayes offered that Byers carries the many inspiring qualities portrayed by the character Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

“Your leadership is rooted in knowledge produced by an inquiring and nimble mind. Gandalf’s leadership stands out because he doesn’t lead through force or authority but through guidance, mentorship and the ability in others to rise to the occasion. You possess this ability to mentor and nurture, and it will serve this community well. The willingness to serve and lift others up is a noble purpose. It’s what you will do for Âé¶čAPP students.”

Pursuing Innovative Excellence

Byers’ Inauguration Address focused on the College’s need to “embrace the Âé¶čAPP of the future.” While recognizing the great momentum established through recent facility upgrades, program enhancements and growing enrollment and retention success, Byers is counting on college-wide and community collaboration to make certain Âé¶čAPP thrives for generations to come.

“We must continue to step up our game to show an even stronger value proposition for our students, parents and community partners,” said Byers. “We must dig deep to be innovative and creative in our collective efforts to take our future by storm.”

To that end, Byers said, the College is launching a new strategic planning initiative that will fully engage trustees, faculty, staff and students in creating a promising future. Fostering a culture of active engagement, open communication, excitement and fun on campus will be key, he says, while asserting that the College must continue to pursue visionary opportunities in academics and co-curricular activities.

Byers believes Âé¶čAPP is uniquely positioned to take liberal arts learning to the next level. He eagerly anticipates the exciting new ways in which the College will prepare coming generations of students to be responsibly engaged global citizens with readily adaptable skills to thrive in any circumstance.

“Âé¶čAPP instills a commitment to lifelong learning and is effective at teaching what I call ‘power skills’ or ‘life skills,’ such as leadership development, teamwork, collaboration, communication, problem solving
These are critically important competencies that transcend jobs and careers and can’t be replaced by artificial intelligence or machine learning. Moving forward we must look at what more we can do to integrate these life skills into our curriculum and overall student programming.”

Sweet Send Off

Following his remarks, Byers surprised the audience by singing “Homeward Bound” with his Homeward Bound bandmate David Pulliam. The ceremony closed with a moving musical remembrance of President Byers’ mother, Joyce Jensen Byers, who died in 1979 at the age of 38, when Jay was in elementary school.

A recording of Joyce’s piano solo of the “Lord’s Prayer” – performed as a 11-year-old in 1952 and captured on a vinyl record – was played as a beautiful benediction punctuating a grand day in Âé¶čAPP’s history.

Always looking ahead, Byers is eager to write the next thrilling chapter in Âé¶čAPP’s story as he partners with dedicated board members, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the College’s many faithful benefactors to reach new heights of distinction.

“Having served as Âé¶čAPP’s president for more than a year, I am more optimistic now than ever about what’s ahead. Together, we can make Âé¶čAPP a national model of success for small liberal arts colleges. Let’s make it happen — our time is now.”

Article Information

Published

January 11, 2025

Author

Roger Degerman

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