7 March 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT)- Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek, the 15th president of Washburn University, sat down with KSNT 27 News Anchor Katie Garceran to talk details of her first month on the job.
Prior to accepting the job at Washburn, Mazachek worked for more than 30 years in different leadership roles at the university. She explained that the experiences she had prior to the president position, whether it be as a professor or as a parent, has prepared her for the new role.
“I tell people often that I have seen Washburn from all the different places that you can enjoy the school…and I understand how important the work we do is,” Mazachek said. “Not only to our students, but to the community.”
In addition to speaking about her history with the school, she also spoke about exciting changes that could be coming in the future. One of these being the latest President’s Mansion that is still in construction now.
“We are just beginning the conceptual phase of what that is going to look like,” Mazachek said. “I’m hoping that in June, we’ll actually be able to take a design to the board of what that might look like.”
Ultimately, they expect the construction of the house to take a full year.
Closing the interview out, Mazachek spoke about how at Washburn they take student debt, as well as graduation rates, very seriously. For this reason, they’ve worked to develop new scholarships and programs to continue to focus on supporting their students to ensure their success.
For more details on Mazachek and what she spoke about, you can watch the full interview above.