Over the past decade Emporia State University has been embroiled in one controversy to the next, from being convicted of Title VII retaliation and discrimination against Dr. Melvin and Angelica Hale in response to reporting a break in and hate crime to the appointment of multiple presidents that are former Koch Industries employees or corporate shills as a means to silence freedom of speech on the campus abs ultimately destroy the university from the inside out. 

Because of this it’s not a wonder why the Koch owned and operated KBOR recently held a presidential search in secrecy appointing the most unqualified President ESU or any state university has ever had.

Since Koch puppet Ken Hush’s appointment he has stated he intends on ending Butcher Childcare Center and doubled down on a failed policy KBOR attempted to impose on university’s last year, called the ‘Workforce Management’ policy as a means to strip all professors of their tenure and have the ability to fire them with a 30 day notice, beyond these issues, Hush is considering shutting down the entire English Major department.

All of these unilateral decisions shrouded in corruption and secret do not come as a surprise but regardless it is our responsibility as a university and community to stop the Koch corrupted KBOR and puppets from dismantling our university it’s programs and it’s role in our community. 

We the community, faculty, students, and staff DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OR FIRING OF THE UNQUALIFIED ESU PRESIDENT KEN HUSH and A STOP TO THE ‘Workforce Management’ policy.

If our community’s voices and demands are not heard, respected or met we want KBOR to know that our community will mobilize like never before to illustrate our community’s power!

WE DO NOT WANT ANY KOCH PUPPETS OR POLICIES TO BE IMPOSED ON OUR UNIVERSITY AND WILL NOT TOLERATE ANYTHING GOING FORWARD!

William Allen White would literally be turning in his grave if he saw what KBOR is doing to our community.

We stand for ESU faculty, staff, and students and will continue to do so until our university until change and justice come!

Refusing to be silent,

Emporians

“Ken Hush. An ESU alum and former college tennis star, Hush had served as interim president since November 2021. Hush is a former CEO of Koch Carbon and, according to the Federal Election Commission database, a contributor of tens of thousands of dollars to KochPAC, which predominately funds conservative candidates for Congress.

Hush’s appointment as president came as a surprise to campus because many assumed a presidential search would select someone from the outside with an advanced degree. Hush holds a dual major bachelor’s, in business and marketing, making him the least academically credentialed of the leaders of the six universities in Kansas.

The presidential search process, unlike all previous searches at ESU, was a closed one, veiled in secrecy. There was no announcement of finalists or opportunities for faculty, students and staff to evaluate them, whoever they were. The chairman of the search committee was another former ESU tennis athlete, Greg Kossover — and a major donor to the new tennis complex on campus.”