Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto was named Southeast’s 18th president on Wednesday, and is set to replace current president Ken Dobbins in July.
The chair of the Presidential Search and Screening Advisory Committee and member of the Board of Regent Doyle Privett made the announcement, saying the board unanimously voted for Vargas.
“Members of the board believe that Dr. Vargas has distinguished himself as an academic leader and fiscal manager since joining Kutztown University in 2006 as its provost and most recently as acting president. For the past eight months, he has begun to implement his strategic vision for Kutztown and his experience and his commitment to academic excellence makes him an ideal choice to lead Southeast Missouri State University into the future.”
Vargas earned his undergraduate degree in physics at the national university in Mexico, before obtaining two masters and a P-h-D in physics and aerospace science at the University of Michigan.
Vargas worked at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. Before that, Vargas worked at Kent State University as their associate dean for research and director of electron beam technology.
A transition team will soon be formed to help Vargas officially take on the role on July 1, and Board of Regents President Jay Knudtson says that Dobbins will be instrumental to the transition
“For our new president, we will have the advantage to spend time with Dr. Dobbins on campus, in [Jefferson] City and throughout the state, which will really provide that transition that our new president will need,”
Dobbins announced his retirement during his State of the University Address on September 8th, and the university soon teamed up with Parker Executive Search to find and interview potential candidates. 46 people applied for the position, and the final four candidates visited campus over the past month.
Vargas says that he is excited to take on the role of president and to get to work at Southeast.
“I have an internal feeling that I cannot express in words. Just please believe me when I tell you that this is something that I had never dreamed of. You have in front of you somebody who is the typical low-income, first generation student. I never thought that I would be here. I never thought that I would be able to be at an institution contributing to promoting it, continuing to help the institution educate students. And so for me, this is quite amazing.”
Vargas says the university would not find anyone more passionate than him to take the institution to another level.
“I think we need to honor our tradition and, at the same time, make sure that we adapt to the changing environment that we’re living in.”
Dobbins says that the Board of Regents choose an excellent candidate, and that he is excited to see what Vargas can do at Southeast.
“He has a great desire to build relationships, and that’s what Southeast Missouri State University is noted for, building relationships so there’s a win-win-win situation. You can tell he’s very intelligent, analytical because of his degrees that he has in aerospace technology, a PhD. So I think that you’ll find that he’s going to be one that will listen and act when needed.
Vargas says that he wants to make sure to continue Dobbins’ strong relationship with the community, including local businesses, organizations, community colleges and state legislation.
Vargas also mentioned the importance to know what students are concerned about on campus.
“I’m very excited about connecting with students. And I think students like connecting with me. The students enjoy interacting with me and that keeps me grounded. It’s the kind of thing that allows me to talk to faculty and say ‘I understand what you’re talking about. I talk to the students. The students talk to me.’”
He is married to Pam Vargas, who currently works as the executive director of Kutztown University Research Center, and they have two children.