Retired U.S. Air Force General Richard B. Myers has been officially sworn in as the 14th President of Kansas State University.
Myers’ inauguration ceremony was held on the main Manhattan campus of the University on Friday, April 28th almost a year after taking over as interim President for the University.
“Almost a year ago to this day, I accepted the opportunity to serve as interim President at Kansas State, and I really did not intend to pursue the permanent position,” said Myers. “What changed my mind – the people; we often talk about the K-State family and believe me when I say it is truly special.”
In his inaugural address to the University, Myers noted that the faculty, staff, students and community were motivating and defining factors in his decision to once again call Kansas State University home.
“We are fortunate to have such dedicated and accomplished faculty and staff who work hard everyday to provide critical knowledge, guidance and support to ensure the best possible learning environment and educational experience for our students,” said Myers. “Our K-State students are some of the best in the nation, right now we have some of the brightest students enrolled here with record ACT scores for our incoming freshman; we also have the highest retention and graduation rates in school history, and our university remains the number one choice for Kansas high school seniors.”
Kansas State University was also named one of the Best College Towns in the nation, a mark that Myers takes great pride in. “K-Staters are just as friendly and passionate as ever.”
In addition to the K-State family and community, Myers said the the mission of the land-grant institution was a selling factor in his decision to lead the university as its President.
“You may have heard recently that Kansas State University was the Silicon Valley of Bio and Agro-Defense, that of course is given our expertise in animal health, biosciences and food safety research; and with the National Bio and Agro-Defense facility expected to be operational in Manhattan within the next five to six years, I think we are well equipped to live up to that title and continue to lead in protecting our national food supply in the interest of national security.”
With all the good news for Kansas State University, there will be challenges in the future and President Myers didn’t avoid addressing them.
“An educated workforce is one of the keys to our State’s future prosperity;we must be a leader in providing what Kansas needs and frankly, we need to do more,” said Myers. “The continued decline in state funding for higher education is a real challenge, as it leads to increased to increased tuition and financial burden for our students; we can’t fully achieve our land grant mission, including accessibility and affordability goals without adequate support from the state of Kansas.”
Myers graduated from K-Sate in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering; he went on to join the Air Force through the ROTC program at the university – later becoming a Four Star General and serving as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Myers and his wife Mary Jo met while in college at Kansas State and currently serve as Co-Chairs of the Kansas State University Innovation and Inspiration Campaign to raise $1 billion.
