Officials at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) have hired a new associate vice chancellor for marketing and communications.
He is Chad Corley, who brings more than 20 years of marketing experience to his new role, including the last seven in higher education. His first day on the job will be Monday, Nov. 3.
As associate vice chancellor of marketing and communications, Corley will be responsible for providing public relations counsel to the chancellor and other campus officials and for developing and supporting the university’s marketing efforts.
“We are excited to welcome Chad to our team,” said Chancellor Zora Mulligan. “His depth of experience in both marketing and higher education will strengthen how we share the story of MSU-West Plains and engage with our community.”
Additionally, he will coordinate activities that expand and enhance the image of the campus, including community relations, internal communications, marketing, news services, web content, electronic media, social media and publications.
“I am very eager to accept this new challenge and dig right in to the work,” Corley said. “Being fortunate enough to help tell the story of MSU-West Plains and be a part of this community is, for me, one of the most exciting opportunities I could have imagined.”
Previous experience in higher education and marketing
Corley comes to MSU-WP after spending seven years working in higher education in Indiana.
Since 2022, he has served as content strategist for the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, where he was responsible for content coordination for the university. He managed all university web and search analytics, provided training and content creation guidance for university marketing specialists and devised marketing campaign strategies for a wide range of university stakeholders.
Before joining Southern Indiana, Corley worked for four years as web specialist at DePauw University, a private institution in Greencastle, Indiana. There, he provided support and training for web content creators, consulted on content strategy and branding, created graphic design and video content and maintained all university digital signage.
“At one time or another in my marketing career, I’ve performed most, if not all, of the tasks involved in modern marketing and communications, including management of people, projects and budgets,” Corley said. “That said, I’m certain that every day will be a chance to learn something new.”
Before his time in higher education, Corley’s career included a variety of marketing roles in the United States and abroad.
He began his career in May 1997 as a consultant for PeckTech Web Design in Nashville, Tennessee, before moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to take a position as a marketing specialist for Sweetwater, a musical instrument retailer.
In 2003, Corley moved to Australia, where he continued working in the musical instrument retail industry as website manager for Venue Music in Sydney. He also spent two years at the Australasian copyright administration nonprofit Viscopy as membership and distribution manager. In that role, he managed artist payments, marketing, and membership outreach to Aboriginal communities, universities and arts groups in Australia and New Zealand, and served on the board of directors for the New Zealand Copyright Council.
After four years in Australia, Corley returned to the United States, where he ran the digital agency Creative Consult in Nashville for 11 years before finding his calling in higher education in 2018.
Passion for higher education
Corley, a strong advocate for higher education, said, “Higher ed is a barometer for the health of a society, and it should be accessible to as many people as possible. We want everyone in our area to look at MSU-West Plains as a resource that’s here for them — a place that brings so much more to this region alongside the many options for quality education.”
He earned a Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Middle Tennessee State University, where he was active in student government and the Student Environmental Action Coalition. As a scholar, he was inducted into the Gamma Beta Phi academic society.
He’s also no stranger to southern Missouri.
“With significant parts of my family tree having roots here, southern Missouri has been a welcome constant in my life — a place of solace where I’ve made memories with relatives, discovered new friends and found paths to personal growth,” Corley said. “I am delighted that this path has led me to West Plains and could not feel more energetic about taking on what comes next.”