the nationally ranked case competition team that
he coaches.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
– Robert Frost
According to Michael Meacham ’74/98, those enduring words from the beloved poet aptly summarize his career journey.
“I have done a lot of things,” he says. “Every one of these experiences prepares you for the next.”
Meacham, who holds degrees in political science and public health from WSU, has worked as a Kansas representative, an attorney, the executive director of the WSU Alumni Association, a health care administrator, and a university faculty member.
Currently an associate professor in health care leadership and management at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, Meacham became involved in health care while practicing law.
“I was hired by the Sedgwick County Medical Society, Via Christi, HCA Wesley and Riverside Hospital to represent them in a joint venture called Community Care of Kansas,” he says. “This project lasted for several years, and I enjoyed it so much I went back to school to get an MPH.”
Even though he has lived and worked in the eastern part of the country for the better part of two decades, Meacham is unabashedly a Shocker.
“I’m proud to wear the yellow and black,” he says. He fondly recalls participating in the Model United Nations and Student Government Association; he was elected SGA president in 1973.
“SGA brought me into contact with (dean emeritus of student affairs) Jim Rhatigan, who became a significant mentor for me,” he says. “He helped me grow in a lot of ways as a person. To this day when I counsel students, I use what he taught me.”
At MUSC, Meacham feels right at home as a teacher. “I enjoy the students a great deal,” he says. “The other aspect of my work that is incredibly interesting is the relative autonomy and opportunity to be creative.”
One example of that, he says, is writing From Backpack to Briefcase (2014), a how-to guide for students. “The opportunity to pursue various avenues of interest, so long as they relate to my primary function, is a benefit of working here,” he says.
Meacham adds that he’s happy with his latest fork-in-the-road career choice. “I feel good about what my contributions have been to health care,” he says, “both administratively and as a teacher.”
