MoWest President announces retirement, school in search of interim
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Missouri Western State University announced President Elizabeth Kennedy will retire from her role at the University, effective June 30.
Kennedy became the Interim President of MoWest in August 2020 and was officially named the University's sixth President on Feb. 25, 2021, according to MoWest.
Under her tenure at MoWest, the University's Nursing program has risen to be the best in Missouri.
MoWest has also claimed the number one spot in Social Mobility among Missouri public universities, recognized by U.S. News and World Report's 2026 Best Colleges:
"We help more people attain the American Dream than any other institution in the State, and I am most proud of that accomplishment," Kennedy said.
Kennedy brought together government, business, industry and education leaders to partner through the future of workforce development through the building of the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology. The center attracted $20 million in funding from both the public and private sectors.
According to a news release from Board of Governors chair, Bill Grimwood, Kennedy not only guided the university through a financial emergency, she stayed true to her priority of student success and methodically worked to align the University with its mission focus on applied learning.
Kennedy launched new programs like: Respiratory Therapy, Allied Health Management, Cybersecurity, Public Planning and Administration, Master of Social Work and Master of Education.
She also spearheaded a Direct Admit program making it easier for high school students to apply at MoWest.
The University also launched a Corporate Education Program, which provides its partners with a discount on tuition for employees, their spouses and dependents.
Kennedy secured $2.5 million in funding to modernize the MoWest Library in the Hearnes Center and leveraged $1.2 million in donor funding to attract a nearly 1:1 match from the State's MoExcel's program for nearly $2.4 million in total renovations to Potter Hall.
Kennedy was appointed to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Commissioner’s Advisory Group in 2022 and was elected as the vice-chair of the Council on Public Higher Education in Missouri in 2022 and chair in 2024.
She also serves on several boards of directors, including the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, the St. Joseph Community Alliance, Innovation Stockyard, the Hillyard Technical Center Advisory Council Executive Board, Mosaic Life Care and Mosaic Life Care Foundation, as well as the Imagine St. Joseph 2040 Implementation Review Team, the MIAA CEO Council and was co-chair of the MIAA Constitution Task Force.
Kennedy reigns in nearly 30 years in high education where she began her career as an assistant professor, rising through the ranks to professor, and then transitioning into upper administrative roles before arriving at MoWest as a Vice Provost in January 2020.
President Kennedy will end service to the University on June 30, 2026. Grimwood said the Board will immediately begin the search for an interim president, which it hopes to have soon.
