NSU says farewell to Cherry, Huckeby

One is retiring and another is moving on. Both will be difficult to replace.

Kim Cherry, vice-president for Administration, and Dr. Ed Huckeby, associate vice-president for Academic Affairs at Northeastern State University-Broken Arrow, are leaving at the end of the Fall 2009 semester.

Cherry began her career at NSU in 1989. She served as assistant vice-president for Administration and budgeting director before she was promoted to vice-president in January 2004. She served on the Executive and Investment Committees and chaired the Audit Committee for the NSU Foundation Board.

She also served as NSU's interim president during the convalescence and subsequent retirement of former NSU president Dr. Larry Williams.

She is calling it quits. For now.

"I have promised myself that I will not commit to a new job for at least a year," she said. "There are many things I want to do that involve some personal goals riding my horse and community service activities."

Huckeby, who has manned the helm at NSU-BA since it opened in 2001, assumes the presidency of Southwestern Christian University in Bethany in January 2010.

Its been an exciting adventure here, and we have tremendous friends here and will continue to maintain those relationships," he said.

As vice-president of Administration, Cherry's primary duty was to secure the resources needed for faculty and staff to instruct and assist students. It was her favorite part of the job.

"I loved the opportunity to see the difference we make in our students lives," she said. "There is nothing more gratifying than watching their success after they graduate and leave NSU and go on to shape the future of our state and their businesses."

In Cherry's first decade at NSU, the buildings of the Tahlequah campus were demonstrating their age. As an administrator she used the 2005 Higher Education Capital Bond Issue and other opportunities to initiate renovations on most of the classroom buildings and expand the Broken Arrow campus. She considers the enhancements her top achievement at the university, but another is a close second.

"Whether you call it an accomplishment or a privilege is yet to be written, but serving as the Interim President for NSU will always be one of the most gratifying times of my professional career," she said."They were challenging times, but the support and confidence I received from the NSU family will forever be important to me."

Under Huckeby's guidance, NSU-BA opened with just over 1,000 students. Attendance has soared annually. This fall, enrollment is up 6.6 percent from last year to 3,269.

This campus has never seen a decrease in enrollment; the good thing is that the home campus in Tahlequah has seen a resurgence with an increase in this years enrollment, Huckeby said.

Dr. Christee Jenlink, who replaces Huckeby in January, had warm words for him.

We have known each other for 33 years working together for some of those years so it is difficult to put into words what the professional relationship has meant to me," she said. "Of one thing I am certain, both standards and expectations were always set high by him and for him. I have never known him to give anything but his personal best.

In retirement, Cherry intends to set aside some quiet time at a home on 17 acres near Greeneville, Tenn. She and her husband Myron bought the property in October 2007.

"Since then, my barn has been built and a riding arena is under way," she said. "It has beautiful hills and is within sight of the Cherokee National Forest."

It may be hard for some to imagine NSU-BA without Huckeby.

This campus came up from zero and I was here, he said. Id like to think that I, at some point in time, could say that was my campus.

TNE Senior Staff Writer Eric Covey contributed to this story

11/19/2009

Published: 2009-11-19 00:00:00