Former president led the University from 2004 to 2014, leaving a legacy of student-centered leadership, institutional growth, and public service

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Before Dr. Mary Evans Sias’ name became part of the walkway that carries students across Kentucky State University’s campus, her leadership helped build what that walkway represents: connection, safety, progress, and purpose.

Dr. Sias, who served as president of Kentucky State University from 2004 to 2014, died Wednesday, May 6.

Her decade of service came during an important period in the University’s history, as Kentucky State worked to strengthen enrollment, expand academic offerings, modernize campus systems, deepen community engagement, and continue its historic mission as Kentucky’s 1890 land-grant institution.

“Dr. Mary Evans Sias led Kentucky State University with vision, discipline, and a profound commitment to students,” President Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo said. “Her 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.”

At Kentucky State, 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, Kentucky State 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 — a fitting recognition for a leader whose work helped connect people, programs, and purpose.

Dr. Sias came to Kentucky State 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’s 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 Kentucky State, Dr. Sias’ legacy remains part of the University’s 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’ family, friends, former colleagues, students, alumni, and the broader higher education community in mourning her passing and honoring a life of leadership that helped Kentucky State continue moving onward and upward.

For those who wish to honor Dr. Sias’ legacy, gifts may be made to the Endowed Scholarship she created to support students attending Kentucky State University. Gifts may be mailed to Kentucky State University, 400 East Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40601, with “Dr. Mary Sias Endowed Student Scholarship” in the memo line, or made through the University’s online giving form.