While cats may eat birds, Plymouth State University (PSU) Panthers and Keene State College (KSC) Owls have a unique friendship. Now the two institutions will be closer than ever, with the Plymouth State president, Donald Birx, becoming Keene State’s interim president as Melinda Treadwell makes her departure.
In an email sent to KSC students, the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Chancellor Catherine Provencher stated, “The Board of Trustees (BOT) voted to support the leadership of PSU President Donald Birx, Ph.D., as the interim president of both institutions through June 30, 2026. Birx has designated Provost Kirsti Sandy and Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration Nathalie Houder responsible for day-to-day operations at KSC.”
The Equinox believes this is only a temporary solution, buying KSC administration more time to find a longer-term solution. However, Birx’s experience with the USNH system gives him a leg up, as he has a better understanding of the three institutions compared to hiring a potential candidate unfamiliar with the system and the mechanics of the New Hampshire state legislature.
Despite the BOT and KSC President Treadwell’s confidence in Birx, as mentioned in the email announcement, we believe Birx will have to earn the trust of KSC students. With Treadwell being very active on campus, Birx won’t have the same amount of time, as he will be splitting it between two institutions. He may have to work harder to gain support from students who are uncertain about his new position. However, with Birx being responsible for two institutions, we feel as though he will only act as a figurehead, as he will not be on campus every day or week.
In a post on the Keene State website, Birx gave a hopeful message and nodded to President Treadwell, “KSC and PSU have been collaborating at all levels for quite a while, and this transition gives us a chance to see how we can be even more successful by working closely together.”
“I can never replace President Treadwell, who is a dear friend, an inspiring leader, and someone I admire greatly. At Keene State, she is everywhere and beloved by all. What I can do is help continue the great work already underway, building on the leadership team’s efforts, the dedication of faculty and staff, and the strong foundation that she helped create,” stated Birx in the press release.
Preserving Keene State’s individuality is crucial. We hope to see the interim president make physical progress, as actions speak louder than words. PSU and KSC are strikingly different in many aspects– we would hate to see Birx copy and paste his actions from Plymouth onto Keene. Students deserve reassurance from him, especially regarding previous cuts to the humanities at PSU.
We also hope that Birx will embody Treadwell’s long-time commitment to transparency with his incoming interim role. A meaningful start to this transparency would be to understand when he will be physically on campus and how much deference he will give to KSC cabinet officers on decision-making.
Every new leader should, of course, be given a chance, and so we sincerely hope that Birx’s time as interim president will be reflected on positively some day following the conclusion of his tenure. There is a lot to understand about KSC’s position in N.H. higher education today and we hope Birx will take the steps necessary to quell the fears and uncertainty many are feeling nowadays.
