WSU president Don Beggs to retire at the end of June

Don Beggs, who tirelessly helped recruit both dollars and students to Wichita State University, announced Monday he was stepping down as the university's president.

Beggs, who turned 70 on Sept. 16, said he wanted to give the Kansas Board of Regents plenty of time to do a national search for his successor and be available to help the person transition into their new job.

He plans to retire June 30.

"There is nothing magic about this day except the board needs nine to 12 months to conduct their search," Beggs said. "This decision has been in the works for several years.

"In my job, I am always looking three to five years into the future. And, as I look at what the expectations are for those years — to do the job the way Shirley and I think the job ought to be done — I'm not sure we will have the energy."

Beggs is the 12th person to head WSU in its 125-year history. The university was originally founded in 1886 as Fairmount College.

He was selected president of the university in 1999 after retiring as chancellor of Southern Illinois University a year earlier.

Two years ago, his wife, Shirley, was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she successfully beat.

Beggs said Monday the reason for his announcement had nothing to do with health concerns for either one of them.

"When Shirley battled cancer, that was a good reason why we stayed in Wichita," he said. "We found we had a magnificent medical support group here. If anything, that caused us to stay longer.

"Now we will have the opportunity to take more than a two-week vacation. We've never done that."

The couple own a home in Bloomington, Ill., and plan on returning there, where they will be closer to family, including two children and four grandchildren.

"He has been and will continue to be a great advocate for students as well as the university," said Eric Sexton, WSU's athletic director.

The Wichita spirit

When he thinks about who will succeed him, Beggs said he wants to be available to help them — but not overly so.

"I've watched people leave these jobs and one of the things that happens is that if the university is going to move ahead, it has to change," he said. "When you have worked on something for 13 years, there may be some difficulty with that change. My job is to work with the new president and give them the needed background information."

The new president, Beggs said, will be challenged by technology and how to keep up with it, as he was. There also will be the challenge of how best to use the money available to fulfill the university's mission.

Whoever the new president will be, Beggs said, that person has to realize he or she is part of a team.

"The only reason Wichita State University exists is because of Wichita," he said. "The new person has to, as quickly as possible, become part of the attitude of not only Wichita State, but Wichita, Sedgwick County and central Kansas. It is a 'can-do' spirit in that you are not afraid to address the important issues in an important way."

Accomplishments

While at WSU, Beggs has been instrumental in helping the WSU Foundation upgrade facilities on campus.

New buildings include the Marcus Welcome Center, the Advanced Education General Dentistry Building, the Engineering Research Building and the significant improvements made to Koch Arena.

He also helped increase funding for grants and research.

WSU is second among the nation's universities in aeronautical research and development expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. WSU was fourth in 2008 and third in 2007.

The numbers reflect the efforts of the National Institute for Aviation Research's mission to support the local aviation industry by providing research, development, testing and certification.

"Dr. Beggs has done a great job of leading this university," said John Tomblin, executive director of NIAR. "His leadership, his respect to NIAR, his always looking forward to what the university can do to help the aviation industry and be a part of economic development has truly been one of his unique attributes.

"Will he be missed? Absolutely. But hopefully we can continue to go down the path he has steered."

Beggs said all of those accomplishments are the result of teamwork. The accomplishments, he said, were achieved by students, facility and administrators who worked with city officials and Sedgwick County leaders.

When he first arrived on campus in 1999, he was nicknamed the "Energizer Bunny" because of the schedule he kept and his ability to talk with students. When freshman students moved into dormitories, he would often greet them on move-in day.

"That was the privilege of the job," Beggs said.

"I could say I did it for them but no, I was enjoying it as much as they were.

"I was meeting parents. I was meeting students. I was seeing our students help other students. What's more rewarding? I will miss that."

This story was originally published September 27, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "WSU president Don Beggs to retire at the end of June."