MURRAY – The Murray State University Board of Regents unanimously voted Monday to appoint Dr. Ron K. Patterson to take the helm as the university’s 15th president.
Current MSU President Dr. Bob Jackson will retire at the end of the semester, with his last official day being June 30. A Presidential Search Committee formed by the Board of Regents hired Academic Search in October to assist in the process, and the committee narrowed down the list of candidates to 11 semi-finalists. After interviewing each of those 11 candidates through two days of videoconferences, the committee narrowed the list to four finalists, who all visited campus and held town hall meetings the past three weeks.
Patterson is currently president of Chadron State College, a job for which he was appointed by the Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees on April 7, 2023. According to the college’s website, Patterson is the Chadron State’s 12th president. A fall 2024 student enrollment chart on the site reported a total headcount of 2,098, with 1,517 full-time students and 581 part-time students.
In his motion on Monday, Board of Regents Chair Leon Owens recommended that the board grant him authority to negotiate a four-year contract for Patterson with an annual salary not to exceed $400,000.
“The board extends its gratitude to members of the campus community for their interest and involvement in the search process, with special appreciation to the Presidential Search Committee and search firm Academic Search,” Owens said.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be selected as President of Murray State University,” Patterson said in a statement released by MSU. “I would like to thank the Presidential Search Committee, Board of Regents, campus community and alumni for entrusting me to lead this historic university.
“My family and I are honored and privileged to join the excellent students, faculty, staff and city of Murray to continue the great momentum of Dr. Bob Jackson and the leadership team, capital improvement projects, and rich tradition of Murray State University in its second century.”
In a formal statement issued by MSU, Owens said, “We are excited to welcome Dr. Ron K. Patterson as the 15th President of Murray State University,” Murray State Board of Regents Chair Leon Owens said. “Dr. Patterson brings considerable experience in numerous areas of higher education, all of which are necessary, to continue the upward trajectory of our institution. Dr. Patterson is a servant leader and a proven collaborator who has a commitment toward excellence. We welcome Dr. Patterson, along with his wife Jenny and children Olivia and Braylon to our campus and broader community.
“I am grateful to our Board of Regents Presidential Search Committee as well as Academic Search for their hard work and assistance during the search process.
“I would like to also thank Dr. Jackson for his continued wonderful leadership, excellence and many years of service to Murray State as his retirement approaches on June 30, 2025.”
In another statement released by MSU, Jackson praised the appointment.
“I am excited to welcome Dr. Ron K. Patterson, his wife Jenny and children Olivia and Braylon, to Murray State University, and am confident that the future of Murray State is in excellent hands with Dr. Patterson,” Jackson said. “As I’ve said many times, Murray State University is truly a special place. Dr. Patterson’s experience, vision and passion for higher education will continue to advance this special place that is shared by our many students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters.”
According to his Chadron State College bio, Patterson previously worked for six years in various administrative roles for the University of North Alabama, including associate vice president for enrollment management, chief enrollment officer and special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion. He served for 14 years as an administrator at Marietta College in Ohio, University of Central Arkansas and University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Christian Brothers University in Memphis before coming to the University of North Alabama. He spent four years as an assistant men’s basketball coach and head men’s golf coach at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee, and Marietta College.
“An interdisciplinary leader by training, his research focuses on continuous improvement in higher education,” Patterson’s bio said. “Patterson’s commitment as a servant leader takes many forms. He has traveled extensively to foster positive relationships between institutions. He has collaborated with governmental agencies in such countries as The People’s Republic of China and Democratic Republic of the Congo to enroll students. At the local and regional level, he often volunteers at community-related functions and speaks frequently to civic groups, professional associations, and community agencies and organizations.
Patterson earned a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration and Leadership at Creighton University, an Education Specialist degree with a concentration in Community College Administration at Arkansas State University, a Master of Arts at Marietta College, a Bachelor of Science at the University of Tennessee – Southern, and Associate of Arts at Northeast Mississippi Community College.
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