When Daniel S. Papp announced his retirement in May, Kennesaw State University had to face the fact that it would be getting a new president for the first time in 10 years.
To help smooth the transition process, Dr. Houston Davis, the new interim president, spoke to The Sentinel about his background, his education and his hobbies to help students at KSU get a chance to know him better.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Before accepting the job as KSU’s interim president, Davis previously served the University System of Georgia as the chief academic officer for about four years. Prior to that, he worked in Oklahoma in a similar position for about five and a half years.
It all started, however, in Tennessee. Davis worked as faculty and staff at the University of Memphis and at Austin Peay State University.
“I will say, my commute to Kennesaw has been a lot better than my commute downtown Atlanta to the Board offices,” he said.
EDUCATION
Davis attend the University of Memphis as a political science and public administration major. He later obtained his master’s degree at Tennessee State University and his doctorate from Vanderbilt in Nashville.
“I’m a native of Clarksville, Tennessee. I grew up there, that’s where my parents still live. If someone asked where home is, that would be my answer,” Davis said.
FAMILY
Davis met his wife Jenny in college and the two married soon after graduation. They have three children together. Their daughter Polly is a junior at Georgia Tech, Whitney is a senior at Roswell High School and Joshua is a freshman at Roswell High.
“This is a great opportunity for us to get to know the campus in a very intimate manner,” Davis said. “So, that’s my family. That’s the crew.”
HOBBIES
He plays golf with his son Joshua and watches most spectator sports with his kids. The Davis family, he says, bonds most over travel and music. They attend concerts and festivals regularly, including Music Midtown and Shaky Knees.
“Historically we have spent way too much money on music than we should,” Davis said. “We probably have single-handedly kept iTunes as a top performer.”
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
Because Davis is still so new to campus, he hasn’t quite found his favorite spots just yet. He does, however, have a guess at what his answer might be in the future.
“I love libraries,” he said. “I’ll predict that my favorite spot on campus will be when I find my nook or cranny where I can go and get some writing done.”
ADVICE
The Sentinel asked Davis what advice he would give to KSU students, especially as someone who attended college and obtained several degrees.
1) “Savor this opportunity to explore who you are and to do that in an environment where other peers are doing that as well.”
2) “We know that the odds of someone finishing a degree go down considerably if they don’t stay on track. I think staying continuously enrolled and really making a commitment to your education.”
3) “A good healthy dose of grit and determination, those are skills and tools that can be development, and I think that’s something you get from college. Again, it’s one of those things that can set you up to be an active citizen in your community.”
