FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2016

Board of Regents Announce Interim President at Kansas State University

Today the Board of Regents appointed 20 individuals to assist and advise the Board in the selection of the next President of Kansas State University. The search committee includes representation from K-State students, faculty, staff, athletics, alumni, and the wider Manhattan community.

“I am so pleased with the quality of the Search Committee that the Board has selected,” stated Regent Dennis Mullin, chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “With this talented and dedicated group of individuals, I believe we are well on our way to finding excellent candidates for the Board’s review. I have total confidence that we will find the right person for Kansas State University, the community of Manhattan, and the State of Kansas.”

Over the next several months, the search committee will work closely with an executive search firm to identify and recruit candidates for the position of President. In addition to approving the committee’s membership, the Board also approved a formal charge which instructs the search committee to identify “three to five candidates who are the most qualified for Board selection as the next President of Kansas State University.”

Click here to review the full charge.

Search committee members representing K-State alumni/foundation include: Carl Ice, President and CEO for BNSF Railway; Travis Lenkner, Chair of the K-State Alumni Association Board of Directors; Sylvia White Robinson, Ph.D., independent consultant with an emphasis on leadership development and executive coaching, and former Regent; and Mary Vanier, President of Grand Mere Development.

Search committee members representing K-State faculty/administration and staff include: Ethan Erickson, Assistant Vice President for Budget Planning at Kansas State University; John Floros, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Director of K-State Research and Extension; Dr. David Griffin, Assistant Dean/Director of the Center for Student and Professional Services in the Kansas State University College of Education; Fred Guzek, K-State Faculty Senate President and professor at Kansas State Polytechnic; Mike Tokach, professor of animal sciences and industry and researcher for K-State Research and Extension; Dr. Mary Hale Tolar, Director of the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University; Kerry Jennings, Master Electrician and past president of the K-State University Support Staff Senate; and John Currie, Director of Athletics.

Search committee members representing K-State students include: Olivia Baalman, sophomore at Kansas State University from Wichita, KS, studying Computer Science; Jessica Van Ranken, incoming Student Body President of Kansas State University; and Nicholas G. Wiggins, graduate student in the College of Education and program coordinator for Call Me Mister, an African-American teacher education program housed in the College of Education at Kansas State University.

Search committee members representing the wider Manhattan community include: Kent Glasscock, president of K-State’s Institute for Commercialization (KSU-IC), and James Gordon, Chairman-Elect of the Greater Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

The Board of Regents is represented by: Regent Dennis A. Mullin, Chairman and CEO of Steel and Pipe Supply; Jarold W. Boettcher, former Regent and President of Boettcher Enterprises, Inc., Boettcher Supply, Inc., and Boettcher Aerial, Inc., who will serve as vice-chair of the Presidential Search Committee; and Blake Flanders, President and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents.

Click here to download the committee membership with complete bios.

For more information, contact Breeze Richardson at (773) 255-7847 (cell) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.

ICON document-PDF Board of Regents Appoint K-State Presidential Search Committee (PDF download)