CSU board names McConnell to president position

FORT COLLINS — The board of governors of the Colorado State University System has completed the final step of the process of appointing a new president of CSU and has confirmed the appointment of Joyce E. McConnell to the post.

McConnell will become the 15th president of CSU, the state’s land-grant university. Currently serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia University, McConnell, who will assume her new role on July 1, said she is honored to be selected to help lead what is an exceptional institution of higher education.

“CSU is a national leader in higher education, and the achievements of its students, faculty, and staff collectively have built a powerful momentum and an upward trajectory of success for generations of Rams to come. I look forward to being a part of that journey with you,” McConnell said. “My decision to leave West Virginia and West Virginia University after more than 20 years of service to both the university and the state was not an easy one, but Colorado State University’s mission, values, and character presented an irresistible opportunity to lead one of the nation’s great land-grant universities into the future.”

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Rico Munn, chair of the CSU System board of governors, described McConnell as an experienced leader who has a deep passion for the work of higher education and the ability to bring together diverse groups in a common drive for excellence.

McConnell had been named the lone finalist for the position on March 15 but the board could not take the final step until today.

McConnell succeeds CSU’s current president, Tony Frank, who begins serving exclusively as chancellor of the CSU System on July 1. Frank is in his 11th year as CSU president and will have served five years in the dual role of both president and chancellor.

The board and McConnell have agreed to a five-year employment agreement, effective July 1, under which McConnell will earn a base annual salary of $550,000.