Ron K. Patterson
Ron K. Patterson is an American university administrator who has been the president of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky since July 1, 2025. Before that, he led Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska from July 2023 to June 2025. He was born in Corinth, Mississippi, grew up with two younger sisters, and was a first‑generation college student. He is married to Jenny Patterson and they have two children.
Education and career:
He earned a Bachelor of Science in human services from the University of Tennessee Southern, an Education Specialist degree in community college administration from Arkansas State University, a Master of Arts in Education from Marietta College, and a Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University.
His career spans coaching and administration. He began as a basketball and golf coach at Tusculum College and Marietta College, then moved into administration as an admissions counselor at Christian Brothers University, vice president for enrollment management at Marietta College, and director of admissions and enrollment services at the University of Central Arkansas and at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis. He later served as associate vice president and, for two years, the first vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of North Alabama. In 2023 he became president of Chadron State College and led a new five‑year plan. In 2025 he became president of Murray State University, where one of his first initiatives was the Racer Spirit Listening and Learning Tour, with about 40 sessions across multiple states.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:37 (CET).