Ron K. Patterson has been named the fifteenth president of Murray State University in Kentucky. He will assume his presidency on July 1.
According to the most recent federal data, Murray State University enrolls nearly 7,900 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students. About 6 percent of the undergraduate population is Black.
With 25 years of higher education experience, Dr. Patterson has been a senior administrator at several institutions throughout the country. Currently, he serves as the twelfth president of Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Prior to his present position, Dr. Patterson held several key roles with the University of Northern Alabama, including associate vice president for enrollment management, chief enrollment officer, and special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion. Earlier, he held leadership positions in admissions and enrollment at Marietta College in Ohio, the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
A native of Corinth, Mississippi, Dr. Patterson earned his associate’s degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee-Southern, a master’s degree from Marietta College, and doctorate in higher education administration and leadership from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
