At the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, Murray State University will be under new leadership.
Through a letter to students Monday, President Dr. Bob Jackson announced his retirement from the position — effective June 30, 2025.
Following more than four decades of service and association with his Alma mater, he will shift his employment to “president emeritus,” and assist with the future transition as a special advisor to the MSU’s Board of Regents.
Most recently, Jackson served a pivotal role in the school’s transition from the Ohio Valley Conference to the Missouri Valley, and alongside Dean Dr. Brian Parr has pushed tirelessly for the institution to provide a major veterinary program through the Hutson School of Agriculture.
Following in the footsteps of Dr. Bob Davies, Jackson has served as MSU’s leader since August 7, 2018, while holding other administrative roles like president of the MSU Foundation, Inc.
Murray State’s growth under Jackson is well-documented, most notably as officials prepare to break ground on a new School of Nursing and Health Professions building across from Alexander Hall. A Learning Commons, Veterinary Sciences and Residential Hall are all funded and in design, alongside a recent acquisition of Station 74.
Complete renovations of the Curris Center, Wrather Hall, Lovett Auditorium and the CFSB Center have either been announced, or completed, during his tenure, while Woods Park and bronzes of Racer One and Dr. John W. Carr have been erected in this stretch.
While the School of Veterinary Medicine continues to be planned, a Medical School campus in partnership with the University of Louisville remains in the works, and the university was recently named the #1 Best Value School in the South by U.S. News and World Report.
In the letter, Jackson said serving as president of his Alma mater has been “a lifetime honor, and the capstone” of his professional career.
A former state senator for west Kentucky, Jackson also co-authored MSU’s centennial history, “The Finest Place We Know,” and has overseen the launch of a centennial capital campaign that to date has raised $90 million of a $100 million goal.
A search for his successor begins now, through MSU’s Board of Regents.
