In a special-called meeting Friday, Murray State University’s board of regents approved the hiring of a new financial leader for the western Kentucky school.
Laura Foltz will serve as Murray State’s vice president for finance and administrative services starting on Jan. 26. She will also serve as the board of regents’ treasurer. Foltz is filling the role previously held by Jackie Dudley, who retired last year after working at Murray State for 40 years. She has since accepted an offer to serve as the interim chief financial officer and vice president for finance at Eastern Kentucky University.
Before coming to Murray State, Foltz served as the special assistant to the University of Tennessee at Martin’s vice chancellor for finance and administration for strategic initiatives, a role she assumed in 2013. Over a 30-year span, Foltz has worked in fiscal management, operational improvement and strategic projects in higher education spaces.
Murray State President Ron Patterson also gave an update regarding the search for the university’s next provost. Last month, Murray State regents signed off on an offer to Rose Marie Ward for the office that oversees academic affairs. However, the university president sent an email to the campus community in early January stating that the provost search “did not conclude as anticipated.” Patterson told WKMS on Friday that it was Ward’s decision to move on from Murray State’s job offer. Ward, who currently serves as a special assistant to the provost and a professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, was named a finalist earlier this month for the provost position at Northwest Missouri State University.
Patterson told regents that Murray State’s national search for provost candidates was reopened on Jan. 9. The search committee will then review applications in February with a goal of inviting finalists to campus for town hall meetings in early March, Patterson said.
In other business:
- The board approved a contract with consulting firm Bryanna Carroll Strategies to support Murray State’s lobbying efforts this year in the state legislature and Congress. These services would be in addition to Murray State’s existing relationship with Ronny Pryor at the firm Capitol Solutions.
- Regents also approved changes to the Student Government Association’s constitution – including clearing up who is allowed to vote in SGA elections. The approved changes mean high schoolers, faculty and staff that are taking Murray State classes cannot cast votes in SGA elections. SGA voter eligibility became a flashpoint in last year’s elections – which led to SGA’s presidential election in March 2025 being vacated. A new runoff presidential election was held the following month.
