The Kansas Board of Regents selected Mississippi State University vice president for research and economic development Kirk Schulz as one of three finalists in its open search for a new Kansas State University president.
In an interview Tuesday, Schulz said he and his wife, electrical and computer engineering professor Noel Schulz, would be traveling to the university in Manhattan, Kan., this week.
“We [will] meet with a large number of different constituent groups, so I will give a presentation to the university community on my plans if I were selected as president,” he said. “We meet with the deans, the student government, the Faculty Senate Executive Community, athletic director, the provost and other vice presidents, and then the foundation there and then their alumni office as well.”
Schulz said he received a call from the person leading the search telling him he had been recommended as someone the board should consider.
“After talking it over with my wife and several people I know here at the university, I submitted an application,” Schulz said. “They interviewed 12 of us in Kansas City in December, and then they cut it down to three of us to bring on to campus.”
Chairman of the KSU presidential search committee Nelson Galle said it used an executive recruiting firm that specializes in hiring presidents for universities to find Schulz.
“They forwarded his letter of application and resume and we reviewed it,” he said. “We were so impressed with him after interviewing him in Kansas City that we have invited him and his wife Noel for a two day campus visit.”
Schulz said the second candidate will be interviewed next week and the final candidate will be interviewed the following week. He said the board will make a decision by mid-February.
A recent press release from the Kansas Board of Regents noted the retirement of current KSU President Jon Wefald at the end of this academic year. In the press release, Christine Downey-Schmidt, chair of the Kansas Board of Regents, said Kansas is a better place because of Wefald.
“On behalf of the Kansas Board of Regents, I offer my sincerest gratitude to Jon Wefald for his 22 years of unparalleled leadership as the president of Kansas State University,” Downey-Schmidt said. “Jon, through his tremendous vision and unrivaled determination, transformed K-State into the world-class educational institution that it is today.”
Schulz said depending on what Kansas State is looking for in its president, he could be the right man for the job.
“If they’re looking for a person that’s going to be a long-term president, because of my age – I’m in my mid 40s – I can certainly give 15 years of being a president somewhere,” he said. “I think if they’re looking for somebody who brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm and pride to the job, that’s another one of my really positive attributes.”
Galle said the board thinks Schulz is energetic, experienced and would be a great leader for Kansas State University.
“He also understands land grant university and its mission to serve students and the people of the state,” he said. “He was a student at a land grant university at Virginia Tech, [and] he’s worked at Mississippi State, and that’s why we invited him to campus. We think he’s a good fit for us.”
In his resume, Schulz said he developed and implemented a process responsible for generating nearly $43 million in earmarks annually, making MSU the top-ranked university in the United States for federally directed funds.
“Basically what occurs is our faculty come up with really exceptional projects that meet the same goals and objectives that our congressional delegation has,” he said. “I’m really the person that delivers the projects to Washington, and I work with our lobbyist to present them with things that help make Mississippi a better state and help build our infrastructure here.”
Melissa Mixon, interim vice president for the division of agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine, said Schulz does a great job representing MSU at the state and federal level.
“He has a very broad view of the needs of our state and of our region and the nation in which we serve,” she said. “We’re trying to do research that’s going to impact clientele not only locally but nationally and internationally.”
She said though she wishes the best for Schulz and his wife, their departure would be a loss to MSU.
“He has [had] a very prestigious career with us over the years, coming to us as department head and now vice president for research and economic development,” Mixon said. “You can see from his accomplishments in all those positions that he has done a spectacular job in achieving his goals, not only for himself but for the institution.”
Schulz said he and his wife love working at MSU.
“My son is going to be a freshman here [at state] in the fall regardless of what we do,” he said. “So if this doesn’t work out, we’re going to be thrilled to also stay here and keep helping MSU be a better institution.”