Former Kentucky State University president Burse to return as interim president

Former Kentucky State University President Raymond M. Burse will serve as the university's interim president beginning July 1, the university said in a Thursday release. His appointment will run through June 2015 or until a permanent president is selected.

Mary Evans Sias, who is KSU's current president, announced her retirement on May 9.

"Raymond is uniquely qualified to serve the institution at this juncture," said Karen Bearden, chair of the KSU Board of Regents. "His knowledge of KSU, his commitment to higher education and his executive leadership experience will be assets during the 2014-2015 academic year."

A native of Hopkinsville, Burse was president of KSU from 1982 to 1989. He later became an executive at General Electric Co., where he retired in 2012 after 17 years. He initially served as GE's senior counsel and then became vice president and general counsel. Before joining GE, he was a partner in the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs in Louisville.

He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics from Centre College in 1973. While at Centre, he earned a Rhodes Scholarship and attended the University of Oxford, where he majored in organic chemistry. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1978.

This story was originally published June 5, 2014 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Former Kentucky State University president Burse to return as interim president."