Murray State University hosted the third of four town hall meetings Thursday for campus and community members to meet Ron K. Patterson, one of the finalists in the running to be the campus's next president.
Patterson currently serves as the president of Chadron State College in Nebraska and has over 25 years of experience in higher education.
At Thursday’s meeting, Patterson highlighted the importance of interacting with students on campus. He said it’s important for university leaders to make themselves known and available to the student body.
“When I was a college student, I never saw my president until graduation,” Patterson said. “And so I make it a point to walk campus. I make it a point to introduce myself to my students.”
Patterson said he is a first-generation student-athlete who began his undergraduate career at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He transferred to the University of Tennessee Southern a short time later, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in human services. He then went on to receive his master’s degree in education from Marietta College in 2002, followed by a Doctor of Education from Creighton University in 2022.
After holding several admissions positions with four different colleges between 2002 and 2016, Patterson began his tenure with the University of North Alabama. During his nearly seven-year administrative career at UNA, he served as the associate vice president for enrollment management, chief enrollment officer, and special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion before becoming the college’s founding vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion in 2020.
During Thursday’s town hall, Patterson also placed heavy emphasis on shared governance in higher education, arguing that decision making should be a collaborative process involving administrators, faculty, and students.
“Through shared governance, you're managing me as your president too,” Patterson said. “I have to be open and honest, and be able to receive that constructive feedback willingly so that we can move positively in a direction that's comfortable and consensus-building for everybody on campus.”
The final town hall meeting will be held Monday with finalist Christian E. Hardigree. Murray State’s board of regents is expected to make a hiring decision before the start of the next academic year.
