Kay Schallenkamp

Kay Schallenkamp, PhD (born December 9, 1949) is an American education administrator, most recently serving as the ninth president of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. Besides being president of Black Hills State, Schallenkamp also served as the fourteenth president at Emporia State University, provost and vice-chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, provost at Chadron State College, and multiple positions at Northern State University.^[1]

Biography

Education

Schallenkamp received three degrees: a bachelor's of science, a master's of science and a doctorate.^[2] Schallenkamp received her bachelor's of science at Northern State University, located in South Dakota, her master's of science at the University of South Dakota, and her doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1982.^[2]

Early career

Schallenkamp's career in higher education began in 1973 when she was hired as a professor of communication disorders at Northern State University.^[2] She then served as department chair from 1982 to 1984, following as the dean of graduate studies and research in 1984. In 1988, Schallenkamp was named provost of Chadron State College,^[3] and four years later in 1992, she was named provost of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.^[4]

Emporia State University

On August 1, 1997, Schallenkamp began as the 14th president of Emporia State University, making her the first woman to head a Kansas Board of Regents school.^[5][6] During Schallenkamp's tenure at ESU, she stabilized enrollment. Several years of decline preceded Schallenkamp's tenure and an accomplishment was a reversal of the trend.^[7] She created a graphic identity standard for the University, including the "Power E", which is the current athletics logo for ESU, and replaced multiple logos and improved recognition of ESU. Schallenkamp also increased the endowment pool in the ESU Foundation initiated the Presidential Scholars program, allowing the automatic offer of a scholarship to those with high ACT scores. This initiative improved recruiting.^[8] In 2006, she left to take the presidency of Black Hills State University.

Black Hills State University

In July 2006, Schallenkamp began her second presidency as Black Hills State University's (BHSU) ninth president, and the university's first woman president.^[9] During Schallenkamp tenure at BHSU, the university steadily increased enrollment and graduation rates, added new undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and increased grant funding and scholarship donations. Schallenkamp also built and strengthened partnerships with business, industry, and government agencies to meet regional workforce needs. Schallenkamp received an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Public Service, in June 2014 for her work at BHSU.^[10] Schallenkamp retired on June 30, 2014, after more than 40 years in higher education.^[11]

Personal life

Schallenkamp is married to Ken Schallenkamp and they have two daughters. Heather, married to Shad Newbury, is a high school English teacher in Kansas and Jenni, married to Danny Simon, is a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The Schallenkamps have four grandchildren – Alyssa and Tyler who belongs to Heather and Shad, and Keenan and Reece who belong to Jenni and Danny.^[12]

References