University leader gets extension until 2027
By Marcus Clem
The Missouri Western State University Board of Governors unanimously voted to give Elizabeth Kennedy a three-year contract extension as chief executive of St. Joseph’s hometown higher education campus.
Kennedy assumed office as university president in February 2021, having become interim president in summer 2020. Her current contract expires on June 30 of this year, so she will continue service on a new deal that commences July 1 and ends June 30, 2027.
“I am honored and humbled by the Board’s confidence in me, and eager to continue the good work that we have begun,” Kennedy said in a news release. “This decision also reflects the Board’s confidence in all of our faculty, staff and students, whose hard work and dedication make Missouri Western the great place that it is.”
Kennedy is the sixth permanent president of the institution, and the fourth to serve since it was named a university in 2005, succeeding the late James Scanlon, Robert Vartabedian and Matthew Wilson.
According to the university, Kennedy remains compensated at a base salary of $300,000 per year. There is consideration for future annual increases, to be specified later. Additional monies are set aside for retirement and insurance.
