Ken Hush, new Emporia State University president, vows, 'If there's a way to make it better, find it'

EMPORIA — Ken Hush has a simple philosophy, and it's one that dates back to Thomas Edison more than a century ago.

"If there's a way to make it better, find it," Hush said.

The Kansas Board of Regents at a special meeting Wednesday voted to confirm Hush as Emporia State University's 18th president. He had been serving as interim for the past seven months.

Regents Chair Cheryl Harrison-Lee said the board was excited to appoint Hush after a national search for a permanent university president.

"One of the strengths that we think that he brings to the table is the ability to take that business background — the innovation, the entrepreneurship, the flexibility, the ability to be nimble — and apply that to higher education," Harrison-Lee said.

In remarks in front of a standing-room only crowd in the university's Memorial Union, Hush said he was committed to making Emporia State "a university of excellence."

He harkened back to the university's origins as the Kansas Normal School for teacher preparation, and a fire that destroyed that school's original building. Community members and leaders rallied to rebuild, leading to the Emporia State of today.

"Our challenges are different today, but the solution is the same — all of us working together and finding better ways," Hush said. "The ESU way"

Ken Hush is a longtime Emporia Stater

Hush is already pretty familiar with Emporia State's campus, since he is a 1982 alum and former tennis player for the Hornets.

He led the men's tennis team to four Central States Intercollegiate Conference titles, one NAIA District 10 title, and three NAIA National Tournament appearances, and Hush was named an NAIA All-American his senior year.

In 1995, Hush was inducted into the ESU Athletics Hall of Honor, and he has previously served as chairman of the Emporia State University Foundation Board of Trustees, as well as a member of the Wichita State University Board of Trustees.

Hush also was one of two major donors for the $3.2 million indoor-outdoor Kossover Family Tennis Complex. Greg Kossover, the other major donor for whose family the complex is named, also chaired the presidential search committee.

Hush said there's an added significance for him in getting to be the chief executive at his alma mater.

"I have a vested interest not only in this university, but in the community," Hush said. "I know a lot of them, and that means a lot to carry those responsibilities on my shoulders."

Ken Hush hopes to bring business background to higher education

Although he has long held ties with Emporia State, Hush has not previously worked in higher education.

Before serving as interim, Hush was most recently CEO of BLI Rentals in Emporia, and he previously held several leadership positions at Koch Minerals and Carbon in Wichita. He also served as a general manager and director at Senior Commodity Co.

Hush said he hopes that business background helps him in leading Emporia State University through several of its most pressing challenges, including declining enrollment and program review and reorganization.

Across the board, universities have to start looking at and recruiting students differently, as their needs today are much different than they were even just a few years ago, Hush said.

At any rate, he said he will rely on the existing expertise and leadership across the campus to help develop and make decisions.

"There's a big learning curve, and frankly, I'm still walking up that learning curve," Hush told reporters. "The nice thing is, we have put together a strong leadership team that looks different these days and has various capabilities. With having various capabilities, they can handle a lot of the various other groups around campus so all of us can concentrate on other things."

Hush succeeds Alison Garrett, who left in fall 2021 to become chancellor for the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. She had served as Emporia State's president since 2015. Hush had served as interim president since November.

While Hush was formally named to the position on Wednesday, his compensation package is still being finalized in negotiations with the Regents.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Emporia State University's next president is Ken Hush