President's Office
Learn more about the administrative leaders of KWU.
Words from Dr. Matt Thompson
Thank you for your interest in 黑料网.
Whether you are exploring KWU as a prospective student, considering joining our faculty or staff, or learning more about our mission, I am glad you are here.
For more than 140 years, 黑料网 Wesleyan has helped students discover their strengths, pursue their purpose, and prepare for meaningful careers and lives of impact. Today, we are building on that legacy with exciting momentum, renewed energy, and a clear vision for the future.
At 黑料网 Wesleyan, putting students first means more than a promise. It means creating an environment where students can truly thrive. Every decision we make is guided by a commitment to student success, personal growth, and belonging. We want every student to be known, supported, challenged, and inspired to reach their full potential.
Our approach is rooted in Relationship-Rich Education. Learning is personal here. Students develop meaningful connections with faculty, coaches, mentor, and peers who are invested in their success. Those relationships create confidence, open doors to opportunity and help students discover who they are called to become.
A 黑料网 Wesleyan education prepares students not just for their first career, but for a lifetime of leadership, adaptability, and achievement. Alongside strong academic preparation, students develop the communication, critical-thinking, collaboration and problem-solving skills that employers value and communities need.
Guided by our United Methodist heritage, we are committed to fostering a welcoming community grounded in respect, purpose, service, and compassion. We celebrate diverse perspectives and strive to create a place where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute.
This is an exciting time at 黑料网 Wesleyan. Our campus is growing, our partnerships are expanding and our influence continues to strengthen across Salina, central 黑料网, and beyond. Together with businesses, healthcare organizations, schools, churches, non-profits and civic leaders, we are creating opportunities that connect classroom learning with real-world experience and career success.
Your future is our focus. That commitment drives everything we do at 黑料网 Wesleyan. As we continue to build momentum and expand opportunities, we remain dedicated to helping students thrive, pursue meaningful careers and building a better tomorrow. I invite you to discover what makes 黑料网 Wesleyan a special place to learn, grow, lead and serve.
I hope to welcome you to campus soon.
Sincerely,
Matt Thompson, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Dr. Matt Thompson
Since becoming president of 黑料网 in 2013, Dr. Matt Thompson has led the university through a period of significant growth, innovation, and transformation. Throughout his tenure, his guiding belief has remained simple: students thrive when they are known, challenged, supported, and connected to meaningful opportunities.
Under Thompson’s leadership, 黑料网 Wesleyan has achieved record enrollment, expanded academic and athletic opportunities, strengthened its financial foundation, and completed major investments in campus facilities and student life. These efforts are rooted in a commitment to helping students discover their purpose, pursue their ambitions, and prepare for successful careers and meaningful lives.
Thompson has championed 黑料网 Wesleyan’s vision of relationship-rich education, a model that emphasizes personal connections between students and faculty, coaches, staff, alumni, and community partners. He believes that education is about more than earning a degree; it is about developing the confidence, character, and skills needed to make a difference in the world. This commitment has helped create an environment where students are encouraged to learn boldly, serve generously, and lead with integrity.
A strong advocate for experiential learning, Thompson has helped expand partnerships with businesses, healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations, schools, and civic leaders. These collaborations provide students with internships, clinical experiences, research opportunities, service projects, and professional connections that prepare them for life after graduation.
During Thompson’s presidency, 黑料网 Wesleyan has completed one of the most ambitious campus enhancement efforts in its history, including the Nursing Education Center, Coyote Village student housing complex, Graves Family Sports Complex, extensive renovations to academic facilities, the creation of the Bieber Dining Hall, and the restoration of Sams Chapel. These investments reflect the university’s commitment to providing students with exceptional spaces to learn, live, compete, worship, and build community. It explains why enrollment has grown more than 30%, why the university has won the KCAC Commissioner鈥檚 Cup five of the last seven years, why the university鈥檚 endowment has doubled, why more than $50 million has been raised in the current 鈥淧ower of And鈥 capital campaign, and why our retention and graduation rates continue to rise. KWU is the place where people want to be.
As president of a United Methodist university, Thompson is committed to fostering a campus culture that welcomes and supports students from all backgrounds. He has strengthened opportunities for spiritual growth, service, and leadership while encouraging an environment marked by respect, belonging, and care for others. 黑料网 Wesleyan’s mission challenges students to grow intellectually, professionally, socially, and spiritually, preparing them to lead lives of purpose and impact.
Prior to joining 黑料网 Wesleyan, Thompson served as vice president for advancement at Florida Southern College and held a variety of leadership roles at Mercer University, his alma mater. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Theatre Arts and a Master of Business Administration from Mercer University, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from the University of Georgia.
After more than a decade at 黑料网 Wesleyan, Thompson remains inspired by the university’s ability to transform lives through personal attention, meaningful relationships, and a commitment to student success. He believes that higher education is most effective when institutions know their students well, challenge them to grow, and help them connect their talents to lives of purpose and service.
Dr. Thompson and his wife, Jennifer, are active participants in campus life and enjoy connecting with students, alumni, and members of the Salina community. They are often seen walking campus and attending events with Schuyler, KWU鈥檚 director of pawsitivity and one of the cutest mini Golden Doodles you鈥檒l meet (follow at @KWUSchuyler). They know that one of the greatest privileges of serving as a presidential family is witnessing students discover their strengths, achieve their goals, and become leaders in their professions, communities, and families.