Dr. Allison Garrett, executive vice president of Abilene Christian University in Texas, has been named as the 17th president of Emporia State.
“This area feels like home,” Garrett said in a press conference Thursday following the announcement.
In order to make the announcement, the Kansas Board of Regents held a meeting in the KSTC Ballroom in the Memorial Union on campus this morning. KBOR moved to approve Garrett as the 17th president in a unanimous vote in the Ballroom immediately before the announcement.
“Naming a president of an institution is one of the most important things that we do as a board and we take that obligation very seriously, and it’s quite an honor to be here today,” said Shane Bangerter, chair of KBOR, during the meeting.
Bangerter recognized the work that the Presidential Search Committee put into the interview process.
“It’s been a great adventure for me, as a former graduate of Emporia State,” said Andy Tylicki, chair of the search committee. “It was wonderful because I was able to work with a committee that had such great passion for this school and such great passion for what has occurred over the past five to seven years, as we see (a) sudden, great momentum for our university as we move toward.”
The motion to approve Garrett as the 17th president was made by Zoe Newton, vice chair of KBOR. In her motion, she also moved that the Board direct the chair, vice chair, and president of KBOR to negotiate the compensation package and sign the letter of agreement. The vote was unanimous.
“I am so excited today to say I’m a Hornet,” Garrett said in her opening remarks after she was introduced.
During a press conference immediately following the announcement, Garrett called ESU a “great match.”
“One of the things that Emporia has going for it…is that this is a town that has really embraced the university,” Garrett said.
She said that the students, faculty and staff were friendly and that community members have been “incredible.”
“I do intend to hit the ground running,” Garrett said. “But, I think my first objective as a new president will be to do a lot of listening. I really need to get to know the campus and meet and get to know the people who are here. I am really impressed by the quality of people here and I’m looking forward to doing some great things.”
The most important duty of a university president is planning for succession and working to develop a staff who may work for that individual, according to Garrett.
“That really is what assures the future of an organization, or in this case, a state system,” Garrett said.
The biggest challenge is transitioning from a private university to a public university will be dealing with state funding instead of private funding, she said.
“I recognize that when you’re receiving state funding, of course, there obligations that go along with that,” Garrett said. “I’ll be doing a little learning about that process over the next several months.”
Garrett, her husband and their 17-year-old son will be making the move from Abilene, Texas, to Emporia. She will begin her duties as president on or around Jan. 1, 2016.
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Dr. Allison Garrett, executive vice president of Abilene Christian University in Texas, has been named as the 17th president of Emporia State.
“This area feels like home,” Garrett said in a press conference today following the announcement.
In order to make the announcement, the Kansas Board of Regents held a meeting in the KSTC Ballroom in the Memorial Union on campus this morning. KBOR moved to approve Garrett as the 17th president in a unanimous vote in the Ballroom immediately before the announcement.
Garrett will begin her duties as president on or around Jan. 1, 2016.
