Kimberly Paddock-O’Reilly said she wants to be Murray State’s next provost because the University has a strong commitment to student learning.
“… excellence in teaching, and then this whole idea of blending research with a teaching institution I love, because I really think that it’s important that we are contributing back to our disciplines,” Paddock-O’Reilly said Monday afternoon during a Town Hall forum for provost candidates.
She is the first of four candidates who will interview for provost.
Paddock-O’Reilly, Chadron State College provost, said she visited Murray State several years ago while touring colleges with her daughter and evaluated it with a higher learning perspective.
While her daughter ultimately didn’t choose Murray State, Paddock-O’Reilly said she wanted to take something back to Chadron.
“What can I learn?” she said. “What can I steal and take back to my institution? … The visit really stuck with me. The president at the time was just super engaging with the students, more so than any of the other visits we went on, and trust me, we went on a lot.”
Paddock-Reily said her prospects for Murray State involved seeing how well the University was doing.
“You have new buildings, new renovations … vet school,” she said. “You’re investing in nursing, your enrollment is up, your retention is up and while that goes against the current trends and that may change over time … man, what an exciting time to be a part of Murray, and so being a part of that is really attractive to me.”
Paddock O’Reilly’s CV is available online.
Other candidates are Laurie Couch, provost at Salisbury University; Rose Marie Wood, special consultant to the Marshall University provost and a psychology professor; and Alaric Williams, academic affairs vice president at Minot University in North Dakota.
The successor will replace Tim Todd, who was removed from his role effective Nov. 1. Todd filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court against Murray State Nov. 25, alleging a breach of contract.
This article was originally published by The Murray State News.
