Emporia State President Ken Hush will retire at the end of the fall semester, marking the end of what will be a 4 year tenure as the university’s top executive. Hush, who announced his plans to retire in a July 24 announcement, is the university’s 18th president and will continue to serve until Dec. 17.
Hush became interim president of ESU in November 2021 following the departure of former ESU President Allison Garrett. In a 2021 release from Kansas Board of Regents, Hush said he was looking forward to making the university “better, stronger and a place where excellence is a constant goal.” He said he was “honored and humbled” to serve the “community in which (he) grew up” in that capacity.
In June 2022, Hush was named ESU’s 18th president.
A 1982 ESU graduate, Hush holds a dual degree in business administration and marketing. He played tennis for the university, leading his team to three seasons of national rankings, and in 1995, was inducted into the ESU Athletics Hall of Honor. As an alumnus, he served as the chairman of the ESU Foundation Board of Trustees.
He was a leading donor for the Kossover Family Tennis Complex, according to a June 2022 article by the Emporia Gazette.
Before his presidency, Hush served as CEO of the Emporia-based company BLI Rentals, and held executive roles, including president, at Koch Minerals and Carbon. He also worked as general manager and director of Senior Commodity Company.
Hush is the second ESU alumnus to serve the university as interim president and the first to hold a permanent position as president. He was a “somewhat unconventional choice” considering his background in business, the Gazette said in the June article. However, Cheryl Harrison-Lee, former KBOR chair, cited it as a strength.
“He is a proven leader with a track record of leading large successful teams, leveraging data and making informed decisions to improve organizations,” Harrison-Lee said of Hush’s background.
In an article published by the Kansas Reflector after Hush was named ESU’s permanent president, Harrison-Lee also considered Hush’s history with ESU as another reason why he was fit for the position.
“We looked at his passion and commitment. He was a standout student when he was here. He has given back to the University. He’s been involved in the University, and he served at the University, and he lives in the community. That’s passion,” she said.
When Hush first took the reins as interim, the university faced declining enrollment, “out of whack” supply and demand and a slew of other challenges that were impacting higher education at the national level. These challenges, Hush said in his retirement announcement, contributed to an inefficient, organizationally outdated and financially insecure institution.
“We knew that for Emporia State to have a thriving future we had to be proactive. Thus, we responded to the reality, trends and challenges that higher education, ESU included, has been facing for well over a decade,” he said.
During that time, Hush was scrutinized over the controversial Workforce Management Framework implemented during his leadership in the fall of 2022. The framework led to the elimination of several academic programs and the firing of 33 faculty members, including tenured faculty.
Hush went on to say that while the ESU leadership team “(faced) a few detractors and concerns that our mission was unattainable early on,” they achieved the goals he was hired to tackle in 2022.
The university has curved a $19 million deficit with a $30 million “financial correction” and has become the only state institution to eliminate student fees and increase student jobs and minimum wage without raising tuition, Hush said in the announcement. He noted a 16 percent increase in new student enrollment, more scholarship dollars and said he believes that the accomplishments will “help assure that ESU will not be a burden to the state of Kansas and its taxpayers.”
“Emporia State will never look back,” said Hush. “We will continue to always be proactive and continue to move boldly forward.”
As he prepares to step down from his presidency, KBOR will form a committee to search for ESU’s next president.
The board announced on Aug. 8 that Jim Kessler will chair the search committee. A 1984 ESU graduate with a degree in business administration, Kessler was described as a “business leader and a public servant” by current KBOR chair Blake Benson. Voting for the remaining committee members will occur soon, according to KBOR.
“I look forward to helping the Board find a leader who will continue the great work being done by the institution,” said Kessler.
Although he will no longer serve the university as an administrator, Hush said he is “not going away” and will continue to be an active part of the ESU community.
“I plan to stay involved as an active alumnus, fundraiser and however I can help continue this momentum we’ve created at Emporia State. I immensely respect higher education and love our wonderful state and will also continue to work tirelessly to advance the ongoing evolution of higher education for Kansas. It is important to ensure students and their families have better economical choices that make sense,” he said.
At the time of publication, Hush did not respond to The Bulletin’s request for comment through Gwen Larson, director of media relations and internal communication, about his retirement.
