MCCH Board of Trustees Strategic Planning Meeting
The Murray-Calloway County Hospital will hold a strategic planning meeting immediately following its regular monthly meeting, which starts at noon, at the CFSB Sycamore Banking Center. There is no virtual option for attending the strategic planning meeting. No agenda was provided.
Murray Board of Education SPECIAL CALLED Meeting
The Murray Board of Education will hold a special called meeting at 5 p.m. at the Carter Administration Building.
MSU provost steps down, returning to tenured faculty position (Press Release)
MURRAY – Murray State University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Tim Todd will be returning to his position as a tenured faculty member in the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, effective Nov. 1, 2025.
Todd was named provost in March 2020 after having previously served as interim provost. Prior to assuming the interim provost position, Todd served as dean and full professor in the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business from 2007-19. He also served as interim dean of the college in 2006-07, and as the University’s associate provost (2003-06) and assistant provost (1998-2003).
“We thank Dr. Todd for his years of service as Provost and the leadership he provided during that time,” Murray State University President Dr. Ron Patterson said.
The University will begin a national search for his replacement as soon as possible.
Administrative shake-up continues at MSU with new resignations
*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.
MCCH Board of Trustees Regular Meeting *NOTE LOCATION CHANGE
The Murray-Calloway County Hospital Board of Trustees will meet at noon at the CFSB Sycamore Banking Center and via Microsoft Teams (call 270-762-1102 for connections details).
MCCH Board of Trustees Regular Meeting
The Murray-Calloway County Hospital Board of Trustees will meet at noon in the hospital’s Garrison Board Room and via Microsoft Teams (call 270-762-1102 for connections details).
Stella home left uninhabitable following weekend fire
STELLA – At approximately 9 p.m. Saturday, Calloway County Fire-Rescue (CCFR) was dispatched to the Stella community following reports of a structure fire in the 4800 block of KY 121 North. Although the homeowner was able to escape the flames, he sustained severe burns that required medical treatment, and the blaze left his residence uninhabitable.
Initial reports from 911 callers described the structure as “a shop,” but after units arrived on scene, they learned the property owner lived in the building, CCFR said in a Facebook post this morning. Crews quickly initiated an attack to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other nearby structures before moving inside to begin fully extinguishing the fire.
The homeowner sustained first-degree burns, CCFR reported. Murray-Calloway County EMS transported him to Murray-Calloway County Hospital, but due to the severity of his injuries, he was later transferred by AirEvac to a facility with a specialized burn unit.
CCFR further advised that the structure was declared uninhabitable. The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the homeowner once he is released from the hospital.
KY 121 was closed between Kirksey and Butterworth roads for approximately three hours while crews battled the flames. By 12:30 a.m., all fire personnel had cleared the scene, and the road was reopened to traffic. In total, 29 firefighters responded with two pumpers, six tanker trucks, three support vehicles and one command vehicle.
“We want to give a big shoutout to our members for the quick [and] professional work they did to extinguish the fire [and] protect the surrounding houses,” CCFR said. “Our department also thanks the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office deputies for assisting with traffic control, ensuring firefighters could safely operate on scene.”
MCCH Board of Trustees Finance Committee Regular Meeting
The Murray-Calloway County Hospital Board of Trustees Finance Committee will meet at noon in the hospital’s Garrison Board Room and via Zoom (call 270-762-1102 for Zoom connection details).
