First ISU president finalist visits campus

Mar. 18—The first of three finalists seeking to be Indiana State University's next president, Matt Cecil, is on campus early this week meeting with campus and community stakeholders.

He currently serves as special advisor to the president at Northern Kentucky University.

Previously, he was the provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs there from July 2021 through January 2024.

"As I look at the landscape of higher education right now, I think ISU is poised for success. It's been a difficult time. I know it's been rough on people — the enrollment decline and some of the budget changes that had to be made," Cecil said in a brief interview. ISU "has a great chance to thrive in the next several years. Not every place is like that."

He is from the Midwest "and [Indiana State] feels like home to me. It feels like places where I've been and I've worked and where I've thrived in the past."

He previously has been an administrator at South Dakota State University, Wichita State and Minnesota State. He was on the faculty at Purdue and the University of Oklahoma.

Before starting a career in higher education, he worked as a journalist and media relations professional in South Dakota and North Dakota.

He answered several questions during a Monday afternoon forum with ISU faculty and deans. He also spent time on campus Sunday and will meet with staff on Tuesday.

Cecil was asked about his approach to developing relationships with the community.

He said he met with community leaders Monday morning and they indicated there is room for improvement in university/community relationships.

The next ISU president "has a significant external role ... The president needs to be part of the community and meeting with people," and not just in Terre Haute, but the region, he said.

The president needs to be someone "people are accustomed to seeing and talking to about all the different issues that are involved," he said.

Community leaders made it clear "they want someone to be there," he said.

He added, "Relationship building is part of the job that really gives me energy and excites me."

In terms of improving relationships between the community and ISU, "I think there is tremendous opportunity. I've been at places where there is this incredible synergy from the community and the university," he said.

He also talked about his leadership style, in the context of some difficult budget reductions that had to be made at Northern Kentucky.

"I want to convene people. I want to talk about things even if they are hard to talk about — especially if they are hard to talk about. Let's talk through them and figure out solutions together," he said.

He was asked what type of focused conversations he would want to have on campus in his first 25 days, based on what he knows about ISU.

Cecil responded, "Your student success metrics are good, but not great." Freshman to sophomore retention is 69%, which he said is "good, but not great — not where you should be."

He would want to have conversations throughout campus about what could be done "right now" to improve retention and graduation rates and by fall 2025 roll out those student success supports.

Another person asked why he wants to come to ISU and pointed to the many other institutions he's worked at. "How do we know this is not a pit stop for something better?" she asked.

He said he's moved around a lot because he obtained positions with increasing responsibilities. He also pointed out he'll be 60 in October. "I don't anticipate another stop," he said.

He said ISU "is so familiar to me. ... It reminds me so much of places where I felt like I really made a difference."

At ISU, he said he sees what the challenges are and believes he can help the campus convene and find solutions. "That's what excites me about the job ... I'm ready to build some things. I want to work with people," he said.

Cecil also addressed one of ISU's biggest challenges, enrollment decline. "You are not alone," he said. Most regional public universities face enrollment challenges.

Whether at ISU or other regional universities, "It's not our fault. It's not your fault," he said.

It's due to many factors, including demographics and the declining number of traditional-aged college students. The college-going rate in Indiana has dropped significantly, he said.

Many students are choosing work over school and there are negative perceptions related to return on investment in attending college.

Also, flagships are "taking our students," he said.

Cecil's view is, "We are not powerless."

Ways to increase enrollment include improving retention and offering multiple programs online.

He wrote in a cover letter, "Given ISU's nationally known brand, 70 fully- or nearly fully online programs, and good state funding, I am comfortable that the university can turn its fortunes around."

ISU also needs to make sure prospective students understand the advantages of attending Indiana State, he said.

Successful initiatives at Northern Kentucky have included an effort to revamp advising services on campus, adding 15 advisors to a First-Year Student Success Hub.

Another initiative there involved establishing an Adult and Transfer Center to support students wanting to go to Northern Kentucky, some of whom did not have a successful start at flagships.

Other finalists for the presidency are Mike Godard, who has served as provost of Southeast Missouri State University since July 2019; he will visit campus Thursday and Friday.

Clarenda M. Phillips, provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of sociology at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, will visit next Monday and Tuesday.

To view the finalists visit schedules, cover letters and curricula vitae (academic resumes), visit www.indstate.edu/presidentsearch/finalists.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com. Follow Sue on X at @TribStarSue.