One EOU presidential contender also finalist for top job at West Liberty University

Dick Mason, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

Apr. 28—LA GRANDE — Kelly Ryan, one of Eastern Oregon University's three presidential finalists, is also a finalist for the top leadership post at another university.

Ryan is one of four finalists for the president's position at West Liberty University in West Liberty, West Virginia, according to Director of Media Relations Maureen Zambito. Ryan was interviewed as a presidential finalist earlier this month at West Liberty University, the oldest university in West Virginia.

Ryan visited the campus April 16-17, meeting campus officials, students and faculty, according to the Steubenville Herald-Star. The paper reported that she was impressed with what she saw at West Liberty.

"Everyone I've met today is really hustling to create opportunity on this campus and to transform a university that is already incredibly solid," she told the Herald-Star. "So I'm pretty excited about what I'm hearing."

West Liberty University has an enrollment of about 1,400 undergraduate students.

Ryan was one of 59 applicants and was interviewed via Zoom before being named a finalist. The final finalist was interviewed on campus this week.

Tim Seydel, EOU's vice president for university advancement, said he does not know if the EOU Board of Trustees knew that Ryan is also a finalist for West Liberty University's presidency.

Seydel said, though, that the board anticipates its finalists will be applying for other positions.

"Our candidates are sought-after individuals," he said.

Seydel said that this is an indication of the quality of candidates EOU is attracting.

Ryan is interim chancellor of University of Indiana Southeast, a position she was appoint to in July 2022. During her career at Indiana University Southeast, Ryan has served in several roles, including executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, dean of the school of social sciences, coordinator for the department of history and professor of history.

Ryan visited La Grande April 24-25, the second of three candidates for the vacant EOU president position. Thom Chesney, who served as the president of Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, from 2019 to 2022 and the president of Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas, from 2011 to 2019, was on campus April 20-21, and Rodney Scott Hanley, president of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, toured campus April 27-28.

EOU is searching for a successor to Tom Insko, who stepped down in 2022 after serving as EOU's president since 2015.