Keene State to keep its own president as national search begins

The school is still operating under interim President Don Birx, who is also president of Plymouth State University.

Keene State College will continue to have a separate president, with officials now starting a nationwide search that is expected to take about a year. College leaders said the process reflects the University System of New Hampshire Board’s support for dedicated presidential leadership at Keene State.

The school is still operating under interim President Don Birx, who is also president of Plymouth State University. Keene State officials said he will stay in the role throughout the search and through his current contract, which runs through June, 2027.

Sarah Kossayda, a Keene State spokesperson, said the college will release more details about the search committee once they are available. She said the institution will remain independent, with its own mission, identity, accreditation and president.

The University System of New Hampshire board of trustees backed the search at its late-June meeting. A June 29 news release on the college’s website said the effort is intended to reinforce permanent presidential leadership at Keene State.

The announcement comes during a period of financial strain across the state university system and as leaders consider changes to the system’s top administrative structure. Last summer, the N.H. Legislature cut the university system’s two-year budget by $18 million, a reduction that translated to a 3 percent drop in Keene State’s operating budget.

Keene State is also dealing with a budget gap measured in the millions, prompting staffing reductions and changes to its academic structure. In March, Birx said the original plan was for him to serve only until June 30, but trustees later extended the interim arrangement through June 30, 2027.

The system includes Keene State, Plymouth State University and the University of New Hampshire in Durham. At the June meeting, trustees also supported changes to state law that would merge the USNH chancellor role with the University of New Hampshire president position in an effort to save money. If the Legislature approves that proposal, it would take effect July 1, 2027.

Keene State’s last permanent president, Melinda Treadwell, left the college in October after eight years to become president of SUNY Geneseo in New York. At the time, she described Birx’s shared leadership role as a trial for a system trying to reduce the number of senior administrators under growing financial pressure.