SWOSU Interim President
Dr. Joel Kendall.
Joel Kendall was named Interim President of Southwestern Oklahoma State University on January
12, 2026, following his selection by the Regional University System of Oklahoma.
A native of Mooreland, Oklahoma, Kendall has deep personal and professional ties to
SWOSU. He began his career at the university in 1998 as an instructor in communications
and was eventually promoted to full professor. Over the course of his tenure, he has
held several key leadership roles, including Chair of the Department of Art, Communications,
and Theatre, and Associate Provost, where he oversaw the university’s strategic planning
and accreditation efforts. From 2021 to 2025, he served as Provost and Vice President
for Academic Affairs.
As Provost, Kendall led strategic initiatives to expand aerospace-related academic
programs, including engineering technology, engineering physics, and computer science.
He also worked to strengthen programs aligned with critical workforce needs in nursing,
allied health, and education. In collaboration with regional and state partners, he
helped advance the development of the Jerry and Margaret Hodge Center for Pharmacy
and Rural Health.
Prior to returning to SWOSU as Interim President, Kendall served as Vice Chancellor
for Academic and Student Affairs at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
In that role, he led statewide efforts focused on increasing student enrollment and
advancing academic and student success initiatives across Oklahoma’s public colleges
and universities.
Kendall holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Oklahoma State University, a Master
of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration
from the University of Oklahoma.
He and his wife, Allison, have two adult sons, Lane and Ethan. His father and late
mother, Mick and Lily Kendall, are both 1967 graduates of Southwestern Oklahoma State
University. His father continues to operate a ranching business in Leedey, Oklahoma,
and Kendall and his wife also oversee a farming and ranching operation in Harper County.