Constantine W. Curris
| President Constantine W. Curris | |
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| President of Murray State University |
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In office 1973–1983 |
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| Preceded by | Harry Sparks |
| Succeeded by | Kala Stroup |
| President of the University of Northern Iowa |
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In office 1983–1995 |
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| Preceded by | John Joseph Kamerick |
| Succeeded by | Robert D. Koob |
| President of Clemson University |
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In office 1995–1999 |
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| Preceded by | Phillip Hunter Prince |
| Succeeded by | James Frazier Barker |
| President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities | |
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In office 1999–2008 |
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| Preceded by | James B. Appleberry |
| Succeeded by | Muriel A. Howard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 13, 1940 Lexington, Kentucky, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Jo Hern Curris |
| Children | Robert Alexander and Elena Diane |
| Residence | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | University of Kentucky, University of Illinois |
| Profession | Higher Education Administrator |
| Website | http://agbsearch.com/consultants/constantine-curris |
Constantine W. "Deno" Curris is an American educator who, at 32, became the youngest university president in Kentucky history. He held that office at three universities for a total of 26 years, after which he became president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities an organization of more than 400 colleges and universities. The New York Times said that Curris “is a strong advocate for higher education and its students and a proponent of the qualitative strengthening of public higher education institutions in order to meet public needs and expectations in the 21st century.”
Constantine William Curris was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on November 13, 1940 and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1962 with a B.A. in Political Science. He obtained an M.A. in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Illinois in 1965 and an Ed.D. in Higher Education from the University of Kentucky in 1967. He received the Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Arts and Science at the University of Illinois. He is a member of the University of Kentucky Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, the University of Kentucky College of Education Hall of Fame, and he was inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Distinguished Alumni on May 19, 2000.
Curris began his work in higher education in 1965 as vice president and dean of the faculty at Midway College in Kentucky. In 1968 he became director of academic programs for the West Virginia Board of Education. From 1969 through 1971 he was dean of student personnel programs at Marshall University in West Virginia, and for the following two years was the vice president and dean of the faculty at the West Virginia Institute of Technology.
In 1973, the 32-year-old Curris was selected as the president of Murray State University, a position he held until 1983. During this decade, Murray State moved from being a former teachers college that had acquired the status of a University in 1966 toward being a larger regional university with faculty hired through national search committees, a full range of student and faculty services, and the beginnings of a national reputation. Curris’s tenure there was controversial. “After Curris's contract was not continued at Murray State in 1983, he was hired as president of UNI (University of Northern Iowa). That same year, the Murray State University Board of Regents named the school's new student center for Curris.” Curris was president and professor of public policy at the University of Northern Iowa, 1983-1995. During these years, Curris began his active involvement with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). One of the buildings constructed at UNI during Curris’s tenure was subsequently named the Curris Business Building by the Iowa State Board of Regents. From 1995 to 1999, he served as president and professor of public policy of Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.
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