As Murray State University leaders work on preparing a budget for the next fiscal year, the school’s board of regents on Friday signed off on the hirings of two people who will oversee finances and procurement procedures on an interim basis.
These hirings will fill the gaps created by the departures of vice president for finance and administrative services Laura Foltz and procurement director Darcie Liddle, who were placed on leave in August. Liddle has since filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Murray State alleging she was pushed out of her role after voicing concerns about school leaders potentially violating state procurement law. Both Liddle’s and Foltz’s employment contracts run through the end of June.
Kelly Scruggs will start in her role as the interim vice president for finance on Nov. 16 at an annual salary of $310,000. A certified public accountant, Scruggs is currently a partner with the Paducah accounting firm Williams, Williams & Lentz, where she has worked for over 25 years. University president Ron Patterson confirmed that Scruggs is also a candidate to fill the Murray State leadership role on a full-time basis. She’ll also serve as the board of regents’ treasurer.
Murray State regents also approved the hiring of Joel Sims to serve as the interim director of procurement services for an annual salary of $80,000 effective Nov. 9. Sims has held the same title at Tennessee State University for the last 15 years.
These hirings come after Patterson presented a preview of administrators’ priorities for the fiscal year 2028 budget at a town hall meeting on Thursday. That spending plan needs to be approved by the end of June. Typically, Murray State’s vice president for finance and administrative services is intimately involved in the creation of the school’s fiscal year budgets.
At Thursday’s town hall meeting, assistant vice president for finance Wendy Cain said the main priorities for Murray State’s FY 2028 budget are increasing compensation for faculty and staff and reducing tuition discounts.
Patterson said Murray State currently discounts nearly 60% of its tuition and fees.
“That is an unsustainable model for an institution our size, and it is not best practices for an institution our size,” Patterson told Thursday’s town hall attendees. “We have to look intentionally and strategically [at] how do we look at reducing that discount, but also [at] fundraising so that we have scholarships, so that you see minimal to low impact in terms of how you are able to continue to enroll here and persist and graduate as a student.”
Patterson did not elaborate on how the university is looking to reduce the amount of tuition waivers it awards.
At the board of regents meeting on Friday, regents heard the first reading of a policy change that would remove the six-month continuous service requirement staff and faculty currently have to meet in order to be eligible to transfer tuition waivers full time employees receive as part of their benefits package to their dependents. Cain said the goal of this policy change is to aid in the recruitment and retention of employees.
In other news:
- Regents were given an overview of Murray State’s audit review. For fiscal year 2026, Lance Mann with the firm Dean Dorton said the university had a “clean” audit.
- Regents gave the university permission to purchase property at 1500 Chestnut St. in Murray, which is adjacent to Murray State’s Elizabeth Hall and is close to several dorm buildings. Board of regents chair David Meinschein said the 1.23 acre property is intended to be used as additional green spaces for students living on campus.
Both Thursday’s budget town hall and Friday’s board of regents meetings are available to watch on YouTube.
