Preparing for your first Murray State Homecoming is hard enough. Still, Murray State President Ron Patterson said he’s excited about all the events scheduled and about seeing all of the returning alumni on campus.
“Really, I’m just looking forward to experiencing them all and trying to be at as many as I possibly can,” Patterson said. “And meet(ing) as many as I can and welcome them back to campus, but also encourage them to tour campus and the facilities that are being erected as well.”
Anyone who follows Patterson’s social media platforms may have seen him sharing videos of students around campus showcasing their talents, welcoming recruits to football games or congratulating the newest student-athlete commitments. Patterson said making and sharing those types of posts helps recruit new students, but also shows the University from the president’s perspective.
“It helps tell our story, right, and I think that’s what’s most important,” Patterson said. “I think that prospective students, their families, their guardians, their parents, they want to know what makes this place special.”
Patterson said he feels he has a responsibility in recruiting students and likes to think of himself as an extension of the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.
Filling his cabinet
The University posted three positions on Oct. 3 to fill key positions in the upper administration. Those positions are provost/vice president of academic affairs, vice president of finance and assistant vice president of public affairs. Tim Todd, current provost, will step down from his role on Oct. 30 as will Jackie Dudley, vice president of finance. Jordan Smith, who served as assistant vice president of public affairs, left Murray State to take a similar role at Eastern Kentucky University.
Patterson said the University has entered a partnership with Greenwood Asher and Associates, a full-service search firm.Patterson said GA&A will be on campus the week of Nov. 3, meeting with University constituents to see what each group is looking for out of the people who could fill these positions.
“We know we have a job description, we know we have duties and responsibilities,” Patterson said. “But what characteristics (and) intangibles are people looking for (from) these candidates that we’re trying to bring on campus.”
Patterson also said they’re hoping to bring three or four candidates for each position to campus “to introduce to the community (and) have input.”
Patterson saidWendy Cain is currently serving as the interim vice president of finance, and no interim provost has been named. He said he is working closely with Robert Pervine, Renee Fister and Ashley Ireland, who are in the provost’s office, to fill the position.
Government shutdown effects
It has been roughly a month since the government shut down, and Murray State has been affected in more ways than one. Patterson mentioned the TRiO and Upward Bound programs as things that have been impacted. He also said the University has “had to make some business decisions” in relation to looking out for students. He mentioned that TRiO’s discontinuation is being associated with DEI.
“The federal funds nationally have not been discontinued, so the program has not been shut down,” Patterson said. “They’re questioning the purpose of those programs and the dollars being spent.”
Patterson also said the shutdown will immediately impact research grant dollars, if they haven’t already. He said they’re working closely with Dr. Laura Bennett (Sponsored Programs) as the situation develops.
“I don’t see the landscape changing in the next 20 or 30 days,” Patterson said. “I could be wrong, but I think we just have to be patient as a campus and continue to lean on each other and ask questions and see where we can support and lift each other up.”
MSU budget and legislative priorities
Murray State University is in a budget year, and Patterson was honest about what the University’s top four priorities are for upcoming legislative sessions. Patterson said there was no preference for these, but they’d like to get all four.
“Number one is our asset pool preservation request,” Patterson said. “We’re asking for significant dollars there.”
He continued by mentioning an “emergency vet teaching clinic,” saying they were looking for almost $48 million and that it will be a part of the west campus with the already appropriated construction.
The next thing he mentioned was a pool of funds to continue addressing deferred maintenance across campus. Lastly, he said the University is seeking approval for a College of Medical Sciences facility. For this project, Murray State will need $60 million, and the facility would partner with the University of Louisville.
On Oct. 20, a six-question survey about “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity in the classroom or on campus” was sent to all students. The email said responses would be anonymous and used only in a “report summary or aggregated form.” Patterson shed some more light on it.
“It’s directed through to us from the General Assembly,” Patterson said. “It’s directly tied to H(ouse) B(ill) 4. We are required to survey our student population, faculty and staff. We then pose those six questions, and we are to take the aggregate data back to the Commonwealth and the Attorney General’s office to see if we are in compliance.”
Vet school update
Patterson also provided an update on where the College of Veterinary Medical Sciences is at Murray State.
“We are anticipating that we’ll go before the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education in November,” Patterson said.
Patterson hopes for a favorable response to the degree approval so they can begin the “request for proposal” process and start working toward construction of the building. He also said that if approval doesn’t happen in November, hopefully it’ll happen in January.
Closing remarks
Patterson also bragged on the coaches of the school’s sports teams. He noted rifle competing at a high level to start their season, soccer’s fourth straight win to clinch a Missouri Valley Conference tournament bid, the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball seasons and football continuing to get better with each passing week.
Patterson said he’s excited with how things on the academic side of campus have been going, making sure to mention that even though he can’t attend everything, he knows what’s going on.
“(I’m) trying to stay clued in with everything that’s going on, while trying to put our students in the best possible situations for them to thrive and be successful,” Patterson said.
