The search for a new president of Keene State College has begun. The role, previously held by Melinda Treadwell for 8 years, was left vacant last fall after Treadwell’s departure in September. Following this, Plymouth State University (PSU) President Donald Birx was voted in by the University System of New Hampshire [USNH] Board of Trustees as interim president for both campuses.
Prior to her role as president, Treadwell was a student-athlete, alumna, faculty member and academic administrator. She left her position at Keene to pursue the same role at The State University of New York at Geneseo, a public liberal arts institution in New York.
In a previous Equinox article, Treadwell said that she would miss the students most of all. She said, “To know and witness and celebrate your successes [is] an amazing privilege that I’m going to miss, especially at my alma mater.” Many students hope that the new president will remain as student-focused and visible as Treadwell was during her time at KSC.
Senior Libby LaBianca said, “I think it’s important to have a president that knows people, even if they don’t know them directly. Someone approachable and down to earth.”
“During my sophomore year, she came to the end-of-year film showcase, which she was not obligated to be at. It wasn’t within her technical role as a president, but she came because she cares about everyone. I hope they find someone who cares that much,” said Senior Cameron Rockwell.
He added that Melinda was concerned about the well-being of every person on campus, regardless of their role or importance. “I’m a little worried they’ll choose someone who only cares about the money, because they’ve been cutting a lot of programs. I’d like to see someone who cares about our departments, not just the financial side of things.”
Rockwell also said he would like the next president to be someone who could “fully be a part of campus.”
Birx, who moderates both PSU and KSC campuses, had designated Kirsti Sandy as Provost and Vice President of academic affairs, and Nathalie Houder as Executive Vice President of finance and administration. As a result of this, Sandy and Houder are responsible for the campus’ day-to-day operations.
Last year, Birx’s contract as interim president was extended to June 2027. In response to this, in another previous Equinox article, he said, “The decision was made to plow on through and keep [KSC] sustainable. We’ve got some good approaches going forward.”
One of these approaches was the “three school model” that Birx’s cabinet proposed in January 2026.This would be a new interpretation of Keene State that would categorize its majors and disciplines into the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Applied Sciences and Technology and the School of Education and Professional Programs. This would enable the college to be presented in a way that would show how their respective elements “integrate and support each other.”
When asked what he wanted KSC’s next president to do, Senior Cooper Niles said, “More attention to what students want, what campus wants, not just what will make us the most money. Let’s fix housing. They renovated Carle Hall a bit, and tore down Owl’s Nest, and who did that benefit? Nobody.”
He continued, “Air conditioning in the Commons? Fantastic. Let’s get that for Carle. Let’s get that for Butler, and every other dorm [on campus]. Maybe get rid of all the mold in the buildings and vents, and fix the mildew problem.”
Senior Sarah Stagg said that she felt “community engagement” was important for the next president. She said, “Everyone knew Melinda. We knew what she looked like, we knew her name, and she had a big presence here [at Keene State College].”
Stagg, a member of Phi Sigma Sigma, said that having a president on campus was a good way to encourage students to get involved in Greek life, along with other organizations and clubs. She said that having a president whose only concern was financials could “cut away opportunities and motivation to get out there and try new things,” because community morale would be low.
As a way to expand the search, Keene State launched an official committee led by Gregg Tewksbury, a member of the USNH Board of Trustees. In addition to Tewksbury, there are 12 other committee members. The committee is made up of KSC faculty, staff and students, as well as business owners from the surrounding area. As for direct campus representation, Jen Ferrell will serve as a staff representative, Matthew Ash as a student Trustee, and Loren Launen as a faculty representative, alongside other members of the community. The city of Keene’s mayor, Jay Kahn, will also take part in the search.
On Sept. 10, the committee held two open listening sessions. One, directed towards faculty and staff, took place from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. The other, open for student opinions and discussion, took place from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm. The sessions gave the community an opportunity to express any concerns, opinions, thoughts or feedback regarding the presidential search. For those unable to attend, Ferrell sent out a confidential survey that could be accessed via QR code or link.
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
smenard@kscequinox.com
