TOPEKA (KSNT) – Emporia State University (ESU) President Matthew Baker stopped by the 27 News studio to talk about the future of the university ahead of his inauguration.
Baker is the 19th President of ESU and is set to be inaugurated Thursday, Oct. 22. He took over the position in March after former president Ken Hush retired. Baker said he’s been feeding off the energy of the students and faculty.
“What’s gotten me ready is meeting our students and our faculty,” Baker said. “We have highly engaged faculty. We have very dedicated students and I’m feeding off their energy and building off the future that they want.”
Baker brings more than three decades of experience in higher education. Before arriving at ESU, he was the Vice President for Student Affairs at Northwest Missouri University.
“When this job came open and I applied for it and recognized my experience in regional public universities really were designed for a hands-on experience,” Baker said. “It’s an incredible place and I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world to be there.”
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The inauguration begins at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 at Albert Taylor Hall inside ESU’s Plumb Hall. To find more information about it, click here or to view the full interview check out our KSNT+ app on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Firestick.
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