Kentucky State University Presidents, 1886-present

Below is a list of the permanent presidents of what is today known as Kentucky State University (K-State), located in Frankfort, KY.  The information comes from an unpublished document, "Kentucky State University Presidents, 1886-Present," created by the Center of Excellence for the Study of Kentucky African Americans (CESKAA), no date; a copy of the document was sent from the Kentucky State University Library, Special Collections. For a list of the interim presidents, contact the Kentucky State University Library, Special Collections.

• John Henry Jackson - served 1886-1898
• James Edward Givens - served 1898-1900
• James Shelton Hathaway - served 1900-1907
• John Henry Jackson - served a second term 1907-1910
• Albert Ernest Meyzeek - served one month, July 1, 1910-August 1, 1910
• James Shelton Hathaway - served a second term 1910-1912
• Walter S. Buchanan - no service
• Green Pinckney Russell - served 1912-1923 ; G. P. Russell was appointed president after Walter S. Buchanan, from Alabama A & M College, had accepted the position but never showed up at K-State.
• Francis Marion Wood - served 1923-1924
• Green Pinckney Russell - served a second term 1924-1929
• Rufus Ballard Atwood - served 1929-1962 ; Longest serving president at K-State.
• Carl McClellan Hill - served 1962-1975
• William A. Butts - served 1975-1982
• Raymond Malcolm Burse - served 1982-1989 ; He returned as interim president in 2014.
• John T. Wolfe, Jr. - served 1990-1991
• Mary L. Smith - served 1991-1998 ; She served as interim president April 1989-July 1990, then replaced President John T. Wolfe, Jr. to become the first woman to serve as president of K-State.
• George Willis Reid - served 1998-2002
• Mary Evans Sias - served 2004-2014