FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2021
Regents name Richard Muma as 15th President of Wichita State University
(Wichita, Kan.) – Today the Kansas Board of Regents voted to name Dr. Richard (Rick) Muma as the 15th President of Wichita State University. Muma has been serving as Interim President of Wichita State since last year.
“It is an incredible honor to be named the 15th president of Wichita State University,” said President Muma. “My passion and love for this university spans more than 25 years, and I look forward to working with the university community to make WSU a premier urban public research university.
“I am thrilled to announce that Rick Muma will serve as the next president of Wichita State University,” said Regent Bill Feuerborn, KBOR Chair. “Rick has demonstrated outstanding leadership as interim president of Wichita State. The Regents are excited to watch the university advance under his presidency and vision and continue to provide an outstanding education, cutting edge research and economic growth in Wichita and our state.”
President Muma has more than 30 years of experience as a professor, administrator and physician assistant (PA) in internal medicine and infectious diseases. Before assuming the Provost position in 2018, he served as the Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management. While at WSU he has also served as Chair and Professor in the Departments of Public Health Sciences and Physician Assistant. Dr. Muma has also served as Chair for Saint Louis University's Department of PA Education and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, Department of PA Studies.
President Muma remains involved in research on healthcare issues. He has published his research in notable journals and has edited four books, two on HIV infection and two others on patient education.
Dr. Muma earned a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, an MPH in Community Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, and a PhD in higher education administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
President Muma was selected by the Board as president after a committee of students, faculty, staff and business and community leaders led a search and forwarded finalists to the Regents.
For more information, please contact Matt Keith at (785) 430-4237 or
###
About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.
Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.