Kansas State University has appointed Dr. Cynthia Warrick as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, effective August 24.
A seasoned higher education executive known for leading institutions through periods of transition, Warrick will oversee the university’s largest academic college while Kansas State prepares for a national search for a permanent dean.
Most recently, Warrick served as an executive research fellow with the Tougaloo College Research and Development Foundation, where she helped lead efforts to secure an $8 million National Institutes of Health grant for a new Biomedical Research and Training Center.
Warrick previously served as the first female president of Stillman College from 2017 to 2023, where she led institutional turnaround efforts focused on fiscal stability, fundraising, strategic planning, enrollment management, and community engagement.
Her leadership portfolio also includes interim appointments as president of Grambling State University and South Carolina State University, as well as interim dean of the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston.
A Howard University pharmacy graduate, Warrick later earned a master’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a doctorate from George Mason University. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous federal advisory committees and has reviewed research and grant proposals for organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Warrick succeeds Provost Jesse Perez Mendez, who has served as acting dean since July 1.