*This story was updated Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. to include new information.
MURRAY – Amid an ongoing wave of administrative turnover, Murray State University is losing decades of leadership experience since President Ron Patterson assumed office in July, with several high-level administrators announcing their departures.
At a special called Board of Regents meeting last month, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Jackie Dudley announced her retirement after 40 years at MSU, prompting a national search for a new chief financial officer.
“Jackie’s service to Murray State University has been exemplary, and the impact of her 40 years of service is immeasurable in numerous facets,” Patterson said in a press release. “She has served her role with both humility and consistency. On behalf of Murray State University, I would like to congratulate Jackie on her well-deserved retirement and steadfast commitment to our institution.”
Last week, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs Jordan Smith tendered his resignation. This morning, he told The Sentinel that he has taken a job at another university. Smith, an MSU alumnus, returned to the university in 2014, joining the Office of Governmental Affairs, according to LinkedIn, and has taught political science as an adjunct instructor since 2016.
“I would like to thank Jordan for his years of service to Murray State University, helping advance many key institutional priorities and representing Murray State in his relationships with elected officials,” Patterson said in a press release. “We wish him and his family the very best in the next step in his professional career.”
But Dudley and Smith are not the only administrators leaving their positions. According to several anonymous sources, Tim Todd, who has served as the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs since March 2020, will no longer be serving in that position, though it is unclear whether he will remain at the university in another role. If the sources are correct, MSU will have lost a collective 80 years of institutional knowledge and leadership experience between the three.
Todd, a Dawson Springs native, began as a faculty member in 1995 and has held multiple leadership roles over three decades, including assistant provost, associate provost, and dean of the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business from 2007 to 2019. Before being appointed provost, he twice filled the role on an interim basis – during the 2015-16 and 2019-20 academic years. He stepped down as dean when he was tapped for the second interim appointment.
If Todd’s departure is confirmed, it would extend the ongoing streak of high-level resignations at MSU since Patterson took office, which began with Dudley and continued with Smith.
While Executive Director of Marketing and Communication Shawn Touney confirmed Smith’s departure Monday, he did not comment on Todd’s standing. Todd did not respond to The Sentinel’s request for comment prior to press time.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE (8/26/25):
In a press release sent this morning, MSU confirmed that Todd is stepping down from his position as provost and vice president of academic affairs, effective Nov. 1, and will return to his position as a tenured faculty member in the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business.
“We thank Dr. Todd for his years of service as Provost and the leadership he provided during that time,” Patterson said in the release.
The university said it would begin a national search for Todd’s replacement as soon as possible.
