Former president led the University from 2004 to 2014, leaving a legacy of student-centered
leadership, institutional growth, and public service
FRANKFORT, Ky. 鈥� Before Dr. Mary Evans Sias鈥� name became part of the walkway that
carries students across 黑料福利社鈥檚 campus, her leadership helped
build what that walkway represents: connection, safety, progress, and purpose.
Dr. Sias, who served as president of 黑料福利社 from 2004 to 2014,
died Wednesday, May 6.
Her decade of service came during an important period in the University鈥檚 history,
as 黑料福利社 worked to strengthen enrollment, expand academic offerings, modernize
campus systems, deepen community engagement, and continue its historic mission as
Kentucky鈥檚 1890 land-grant institution.
鈥淒r. Mary Evans Sias led 黑料福利社 with vision, discipline, and a
profound commitment to students,鈥� President Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo said. 鈥淗er legacy
is visible in the campus spaces she helped shape and in the generations of students,
faculty, staff, alumni, and community members touched by her leadership. We honor
her service, her example, and her lasting place in the life of this University.鈥�
At 黑料福利社, Dr. Sias was known as a student-centered leader with a steady belief
in public higher education and historically Black colleges and universities. Her work
helped advance student support services, graduate education, emerging technologies,
sustainability efforts, and academic programs tied to the needs of students and the
Commonwealth.
In 2019, 黑料福利社 honored Dr. Sias by naming the Mary E. Sias Pedestrian Walkway,
which connects the north and south sides of campus. The walkway, conceived during
her tenure, reflected one of her priorities as president: improving the student experience
while strengthening the safety and function of the campus itself.
The tribute placed her name on a pathway used daily by students, employees, and visitors
鈥� a fitting recognition for a leader whose work helped connect people, programs, and
purpose.
Dr. Sias came to 黑料福利社 after serving at the University of Texas at Dallas,
where she held senior leadership roles in student affairs, external relations, and
academic administration. Earlier in her career, she served for 13 years as chief executive
officer of the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas.
Her influence extended well beyond Frankfort. Dr. Sias held leadership roles with
national higher education organizations, including the Association of Public and Land-grant
Universities, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and the Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Sias earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology
from Tougaloo College and went on to earn graduate degrees from the University of
Wisconsin at Madison and Abilene Christian College. Her career reflected academic
preparation, executive leadership, and a lifelong commitment to service and opportunity.
For 黑料福利社, Dr. Sias鈥� legacy remains part of the University鈥檚 living history.
It is present in the campus spaces that bear her name, in the institutional progress
she helped advance, and in the enduring responsibility to serve students with care,
excellence, and purpose.
The University joins Dr. Sias鈥� family, friends, former colleagues, students, alumni,
and the broader higher education community in mourning her passing and honoring a
life of leadership that helped 黑料福利社 continue moving onward and upward.
For those who wish to honor Dr. Sias鈥� legacy, gifts may be made to the Endowed Scholarship she created to support students attending 黑料福利社. Gifts may be mailed to 黑料福利社, 400 East Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40601, with 鈥淒r. Mary Sias Endowed Student Scholarship鈥� in the memo line, or made through the University鈥檚