As you walk the halls of most major universities, you see plaques and photos of former student leaders who have left their mark on campus. This is clearly the case at Florida State University.

These Walls are Very Significant.

We recognize the importance of student leaders and the impact they have had, not only on other students, faculty, and staff but also on the success of their college or university. At Florida State University Panama City, our students have built a different type of wall of honor.  It is not hard to understand the impact of a leader when current students dedicate an entire wall on campus to honor one — their own Student Government Council President, Billy Bradley.

Introducing

“The Wall of Billy” — prominently displayed in the Digital Design Studio (DDS) in the Robbins Center at FSU PC.

Over the past six months, students entering the DDS could find a stack of outlines of Billy and a box of crayons. Our students have used those crayons to show their leader Billy as Mario, Batman, Bart Simpson, etc. Last time I checked, there were more than 75 images of Billy Bradley on the wall.

I Must Admit

I did not pay a lot of attention to the Wall of Billy, until one Saturday when my daughter, Grace Ellen, and my wife, Jerri, joined me on a trip to campus. The three of us dropped by the DDS where my daughter immediately noticed the wall and started asking questions. Jerri and Grace Ellen spent a significant amount of time in the center chatting about Billy’s wall, marveling at it, and listening intently as students gushed about Billy’s many attributes.

A couple of weeks later, a corporate executive who’s company was considering expanding in the area, was visiting campus to talk about workforce needs. After we walked through the DDS and visited with students, he said he would love to meet anyone who has their own wall dedicated to them on campus.

Billy Bradley

I told him the story of Billy Bradley. Billy came to FSU from Dean Bozeman, a K-12 school in northern Bay County. He grew up in a rural area in Northwest Florida. This May, he will be the first member of his direct family to graduate from college.

Billy and I Came to FSU PC at the Same Time

I was the new leader of the campus and Billy was a new college student. Billy participated in our student convocation where we began the new FSU PC tradition— robing our new first-time college students to signify their part in this academic community.

Billy Has Not Slowed Down Since

Not only is he the current president of the Student Government Council, but he was also an active member of our new student housing project team. He tutors’ students in math and was president of the Sewing Club (even though he can’t sew).

In addition to everything else, Billy also participates in my Dean’s Senior Leadership Team meetings. A few weeks ago, I was presenting on the cycles of businesses and organizations, using the bell curve to show the life cycle of most organizations.

Billy Was a Little Late to the Meeting Because of Class.

He walked in as I had finished drawing the curve, showing how many businesses or organizations reach a peak and then begin to fall. Without warning, I asked Billy to finish my presentation and show how successful organizations behave. Without missing a beat, Billy inserted the need for a new upward curve at various times.

He hit a home run and told the group that although we had made great strides, it is when we are doing well that we must look for other challenges. He stressed that if we don’t look for those challenges, we run the risk of falling because of a variety of factors that include competitors, student choices, and economic conditions. He was clearly paying attention in his business administration class.

Double Major

Billy is receiving a double major in Business Administration and Social Sciences, and he hopes to attend law school after graduation. I have a good feeling that he will be successful in whatever he does.

If you ever see a student-created wall honoring their leader in unique ways, please know that most likely that person on the wall is a true leader.

It is my honor to work with Student Government Council President Billy Bradley.