The decision to resign as president of Keene State College was bittersweet and not made lightly, according to Melinda Treadwell, who proudly displayed her personal copy of The Equinox’s 2017 reporting of her entry to the role on a coffee table in her Hale Building office.
“What I’m going to miss the most is Keene State. All of you. The reason I get excited to come here everyday is you guys, the students, and to know and witness and celebrate your successes [is] an amazing privilege that I’m going to miss, especially at my alma mater,” said Treadwell.
As previously reported by The Equinox and announced to the college community via an email from Treadwell on Tuesday, Sept. 16, the president and alum, ‘90 resigned after receiving an offer to accept the presidency at State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo.
Treadwell will continue to serve as president until Friday, Oct. 24. The transition will involve a lengthy process of appointing an interim president. The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Board of Trustees is expected to initiate that process and select an appointee prior to Treadwell’s departure, according to USNH Chancellor Cathy Provencher, who also said she is hopeful the transition will not be disruptive to students.
“Our top priority is always to ensure that the student experience and student success is top of mind, and I am hopeful that the student experience will not change,” said Provencher.
“Understanding that it’s been less than a week since the announcement, board leadership and all of the presidents are thinking about options and ensuring that there will continue to be stability and leadership at Keene State. We are assessing various options, and looking at interim leadership and what that will look like for the college and [USNH],” added Provencher.
According to Provencher, the long-term process of finding a new permanent president can be hard to anticipate a time frame for, but students should be assured that USNH leadership is preparing to initiate a careful and quality-focused search.
Treadwell rose to the presidency at KSC following the resignation of former President Anne Huot and was determined to make a positive difference for the school. In early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the world of higher education into a new frontier of uncertainty, Treadwell found herself tasked with navigating the school through a once-in-a-generation litmus test of institutional resilience.
“When I came back to Keene State, I came back to make a difference during a really challenging time. Who knew that a few years later we’d have a pandemic, but I remember talking to the campus about how we needed to adapt, stabilize and think about our vitality as a place that attracts and retains students and meets their dreams,” said Treadwell.
“Thinking about last year’s budget, we had to close a huge structural gap and respond to a pandemic. We don’t have numbers yet to close for last year, but the fiscal year that ended June 30 of 2025, we said we’d be within $325,000 of that. All indication says that we are either going to land that or do slightly better,” added Treadwell.
Treadwell said she initially declined SUNY Geneseo’s offer to apply for their vacant presidency, hesitant to step away from a community she had built everlasting roots in. In June of 2025 she began to reflect upon the state of the college, determining that KSC is in a healthy and resilient place to thrive if she were to pass the torch to a new era of leadership.
“When SUNY reached out to me one last time over the summer, I started researching the state and the college. Not only is [SUNY Geneseo] a public liberal arts college, it’s an honors college, committed to demonstrating to the nation how to do excellence, access and equity and have an equity-centered education. Nobody else in the country is doing that with the sense of conviction they are, and I decided to submit a file and try to know what this feels like,” said Treadwell.
According to SUNY Geneseo Officer in Charge and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Mary Toale, welcoming Treadwell to the presidency at SUNY Geneseo is an exciting honor.
“We know what President Treadwell has done for Keene State College, and we know that she will be leaving a tremendous impact and legacy. She has been extremely focused on student success and how, within a higher education setting, we can help our students succeed. We are extremely excited and fortunate that she has decided to join our community and be our next president,” said Toale.
“We know her deep understanding of what we do is embedded in the core of her being, and she’s been doing that already as the president of Keene State,” added Toale.
Senior Zachary Schultz said he was surprised by the announcement of Treadwell’s resignation and wants to know more about the financial health of the school.
“My genuine first reaction was that I wanted to know what’s going on behind the scenes of the executive boards. I know the recent changes in education funding cut the school’s funding by a large amount, and part of that change was upper faculty getting pay cut reductions to reduce the student impact on our tuition. That’s where my mind went when I first heard the news, but I don’t know for certain,” said Schultz.
Senior Colin Crump said he was surprised but hopeful that the college will continue to thrive.
“I really wasn’t expecting that at all. Hopefully it won’t negatively affect anything, and I’m assuming the school for the most part will remain the same. I hope whoever our next president is will continue to do great things like [Treadwell] has done,” said Crump.
Treadwell, who said she could not be more faithful in the continued success of KSC, thanked the community for blossoming a special place in her heart.
“I am so grateful for the privilege of working with our students over my tenure here. I have felt loved, and I hope you have all felt loved by me. Go Owls,” said Treadwell.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
