Henderson resident and native Steve Bridges has been named the University of Southern Indiana’s fifth president, becoming the first alumni to hold the position.
“Being selected as the fifth President of the University of Southern Indiana is the greatest honor of my career,” said Bridges in a prepared statement from USI. “To have worked and served alongside each of our past presidents over my nearly 36-years at USI is humbling. As President, I will be a history-driven and forward-thinking leader. The extraordinary education I received at USI has prepared me well and will continue to take center stage for our students. As a Screaming Eagle and one of 54,000 plus alumni, I am determined to continue to share the care and concern I received as a student and am proof of the transformative nature of higher education. USI is a big piece of my heart, and I am so proud to continue to serve the institution as President.”
Bridges presidency starts immediately. He has served as interim president since last summer, stepping into that position to take over for Ron Rochon who left USI then to take the president’s job at California State University, Fullerton.
Bridges grew up in Henderson, graduated from Henderson County High School and then graduated from Henderson Community College before he transferred to USI, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1989 and later a master’s degree in business administration in 1995.
A 1984 HCHS graduate, Bridges worked on average 32 hours each week at Sureway to pay his way through college. He took his first job out of college at USI, and he’s been there since.
In a November speech given to the Henderson Lions Club, in which his son Cory is a member, Bridges said USI today has an enrollment of about 9,500 students, including about 70 from Kentucky, according to reporter Chuck Stinnett.
“USI is a family,” he told the Lions, that is “history-driven, forward-looking.”
He also told the Lions that he’s proud that USI is a teaching-based university, which he said ensures that its faculty is devoted to teaching. He also lauded USI having smaller class sizes than many other universities.
Bridges finished his undergraduate course work in December 1988, but didn’t officially graduate until the next spring because the school then didn’t hold winter graduation. Starting off in April 1989, he started at the school as a staff accountant.
According to last summer’s Hendersonian article about his being named interim president, Bridges’ titles at the school include bursar, chief accountant, controller and assistant business office director, assistant and associate vice president and an interim appointment for operations and assistant treasurer, and eventually vice president for finance and administration.
According to a news release from USI, the school’s Presidential Search Committee and Board of Trustees carried out a nationwide search for the role, attracting a diverse pool of highly qualified candidates that included current university presidents, provosts, deans and student affairs executives, as well as executives from industries beyond higher education.
“The USI Presidential Search Committee pored through nearly 100 well-qualified resumes from national candidates,” said Christina Ryan, Chair of the USI Presidential Search and First Vice Chair of the USI Board. “After a rigorous process, the Committee put forward an accomplished slate of candidates for full Board of Trustees consideration. I am delighted that Steve Bridges, an outstanding USI alumnus and person of character, rose to the top of the list.”
Bridges has three adult children. All work in Henderson. Cory works at Field and Main Bank; daughter Abby Polivick works at German American Bank; and daughter Emma is the principal at Holy Name School. Additionally, Bridges’ wife Rosemary works the front desk at HNS.
