Southeast selects its new provost

Karl Kunkel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, has been named provost at Southeast Missouri State University, officials announced Wednesday.

Through a nationwide search, 110 candidates were reviewed, and Kunkel was one of five finalists who visited Southeast for campus interviews in late October.

Kunkel will begin his new duties Feb. 15, at a salary of $190,000, according to the university. He will succeed Southeast interim provost Gerald McDougall, who will return to his position as associate provost of Extended and Online Learning, dean of the Harrison College of Business and executive director of the Missouri Innovation Corporation.

"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Kunkel will be joining the Southeast community," Carlos Vargas, president of Southeast Missouri State University, said in a news release. "He brings to us a significant breadth of knowledge and extensive leadership experience in higher education. We believe he will be a tremendous asset in building on the success of our academic programs."

The provost is Southeast's chief academic officer and is responsible for nine colleges and schools at the university.

"I am humbled, honored and very excited about the confidence expressed by president Vargas, the search committee and the Southeast Missouri State community through their invitation for me to serve as the next provost," Kunkel said in the release. "I look forward to working with Dr. Vargas, Southeast faculty, staff, students, administrators and other stakeholders as we honor past accomplishments of the institution and work toward the university's next chapter continuing to pursue excellence in student success and making Southeast the first choice of students and faculty in our region."

During Kunkel's visit last month to Southeast, he told an audience during a public forum it was apparent the university is focused on students and student success, and that attracted him to the position.

"The idea of being provost at Southeast Missouri State University is very exciting to me," Kunkel said. "I'm very comfortable in Missouri. I understand the funding mechanisms, the challenges that are faced. Those are all reasons I find this job very attractive. It's not that I'm looking for any job; I'm looking at this job."

Kunkel has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of sociology and justice studies at Pittsburg State since 2011. The university is about 30 miles northwest of Joplin, Missouri.

He previously served for 17 years at Missouri State University in Springfield, where he was head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology and a professor of sociology and criminology, leading faculty in the creation of an undergraduate major and graduate degree in criminology, including an accelerated master's degree and online options.

During his career at Pittsburg State, Kunkel has been involved in developing several new academic programs and initiatives, the release said.

He's led an initiative to create and implement an academic and applied research program in Polymer Chemistry. The partnership, with the Kansas Polymer Research Center, was supported and funded by the Kansas State Legislature.

He also played a central role collaborating with faculty and administrators at Pittsburg State to create and implement the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the university's first doctoral-level program, and served as the Pittsburg State faculty athletics representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including committees for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Kunkel holds a doctoral, master's and bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also participated in the American Academic Leadership Institute's Becoming a Provost Academy, administered through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

He and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of two children.

klamb@semissourian.com

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