The board of regents of Washburn University in Topeka, Kanas has chosen JuliAnn Mazachek as the university’s fifthteenth president. She is the first woman to serve as president since the university’s founding in 1865.
The state-operated university enrolls just over 4,800 undergraduate students and slightly more than 800 graduate students, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 63 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Mazachek is returning to Topeka after serving as president of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, since last May. Prior to her time at Midwestern State, Dr. Mazachek spent 30 years at Washburn University in various leadership roles, most recently as vice president for academic affairs, chief academic officer, and associate professor.
“Washburn University is such an important part of my family,” Dr. Mazachek said. “I am incredibly honored to lead this institution as we build on a foundation of academic excellence and on our unwavering commitment to students and their success. Innovation, growth and collaboration with community partners are among my key priorities as, together, we continue to move Washburn forward toward an even brighter future.”
Dr. Mazachek is a graduate of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she majored in engineering management. She holds an MBA and a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Kansas.