Celebration was the rule of the day at White Auditorium on Saturday as Emporia State University held its undergraduate commencement activities.
Celebration was appropriate, according to President Ken Hush.
This has been a semester of change — and, according to Hush, one of transformation — for the university. ESU continues its reinvestment process, driven by non-strategic budget cuts and declining enrollment. Hush tells KVOE News early returns look promising for the future.
Regent Wint Winter says the future is bright at ESU because of the reinvestment process.
Winter says Emporia State is a “critical cog” in the Regents system. Referencing Emporia State’s reputation as the state’s leading institution for teachers education, Winter says “we need everything we can get from Emporia State right now.” The reinvestment process led to over 30 faculty and staff cuts, including tenured staff, but Winter says concerns about tenure erosion at ESU are unfounded, given the university’s financial situation going into the fall semester.
Between the undergraduate activities Saturday and the graduate activities Friday, Emporia State conferred degrees on around 700 students.
