Baylor Henry
Editor-in-Chief
Kimberly Krull, president of Butler CC, has announced her decision to retire after 11 years of serving the students and faculty of the college.
“It’s been the privilege of my career to serve as Butler’s president,” Krull said in an email to faculty. “I owe a huge thank you to Trustees Ron Engelbrecht, Dr. Greg Joyce, Jim Howell, Candace Kunkel, Tom McKibban, Sara Hurd and Jim Wilson for trusting in me in 2013.”
Krull stated that this decision has been in the works for over a year, but that she has loved her time at Butler CC and appreciates the trustees, faculty and staff she was able to work with.
“There’s just so many people that come from outside of Butler’s working population; our donors are former alums and they love this place, and so they’ve been really, really supportive of the work, not just that of me individually,” Krull said. “It really takes an entire group of people. I’m a pretty firm believer that everybody’s job at Butler, wherever you are, is impactful for students.”
During her time as president, Krull was known for her belief in the college mission and encouraging faculty and staff to remember that they make a difference in the lives of students every day.
“There’s just something really unique about the folks at Butler, that’s different from any other institutions that I’ve been at,” Krull said. “People come into work every single day that really value the work that they do and understand the value of the work that they do with a focus on students.”
“I want Butler to always have that belief and understanding and purpose, that every single day, we come to work, and we know we’re surrounded by students that have hopes and dreams,” Krull said. “And it’s our responsibility as an institution to help make that happen.”
In her time at Butler CC, Krull oversaw and supported initiatives for scholarships, renovations and new programs to grow and improve the college for years to come. She was also able to navigate the trials of the pandemic, and did so in a way that allowed the college to continue to thrive and even increased student retention rate.
“The focus of my career the entire time is just to try and approach things from a really caring and kind and thoughtful perspective,” Krull said. “And hopefully, I make a decent impact on people.”
With this announcement, the Board Of Trustees will begin the search for a new president with the support of Krull through the transition process.
“I hope the person coming in behind me sees the tremendous opportunity to get to know people, and know the students and know the culture and the history of Butler and believe in it and love it,” she said.
The search for a new president will begin shortly and continue with Krull’s support through the school year.
“Part of my responsibility is to get plans into place and help people get plans into place, so that the new president coming on has that onboarding and that transition,” Krull said.
Krull’s decision to retire was based on prioritizing time with her family, she said, and she expressed excitement over where her next steps would take her.
I’m gonna stay here, for a while anyway,” Krull said, “and I want to be active in the community like I am, and stay engaged and stay involved, but I’m excited for the freedom to travel, and to spend time with my kids. Butler will be forever the best, and be part of my heart and soul.”