Campus
Community
Arts
“The Regents are thankful that Doug is willing to step up and serve as interim president while the Board completes the search for the next permanent president of the university,” said Benson. “Doug has a wealth of experience at Pitt State and a deep connection to the university that will serve him and the leadership team well during the transitionary period.”
During their May 2025 business meeting, the Regents voted to give the incoming chair authority to name an interim president to lead the university after Shipp’s departure.
Ball has served in his current role with Pitt State since 2017. He has a bachelor’s in business administration from Pitt State and an MBA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Shipp announced in February that he would resign his post as president at the end of May to become the next president of Maryville University in St. Louis. The Regents are conducting a search for Shipp’s replacement.
“The search for the next president at Pittsburg State continues on a positive trajectory,” said KBOR Chair Carl Ice. “The search committee is working diligently to identify the best possible candidates for the Board’s consideration.”
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.
