After 18 years of working at MSU, Randy Kirkpatrick will cross the corner of Comanche and Council and enter Memorial Building on Friday to serve his last day as Chief Information Officer. He sat behind his dark wood desk and pushed his wire-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, discussing the reasons for his retirement.

“I have to take care of my elderly parents and I’m raising three grandchildren. My dad requires a lot of care and my mother is getting ready to have surgery, so a lot of those things contributed to my retirement,” Kirkpatrick said. “You also get worn out handling the stress of the job for so many years. When it’s time to retire, you just know.”

Jim Hall, networking services manager, will be taking over as interim CIO until August 31. After that date, a mutual decision will be made regarding whether or not he stays in that position.

“I suggested Jim because he’s really smart and gets things done. He’s good at managing people and has good technical ability and know-how,” Kirkpatrick said. “I think he’ll be great.”

Kirkpatrick leaned back in his chair and placed his hand under his chin, describing what he will miss about MSU during his retirement.

“Working with all of the people is definitely going to be what I miss most. It’s a lot of work and a lot of stress, but it’s worth it when you see your accomplishments,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone and it’s been a good 18 years.”

A retirement reception will be held in Kirkpatrick’s honor on Wednesday, January 27 from 3-4:30 p.m. in Kiowa. After reflecting on his time here, he looked around his office with a wide smile.

“It’s a mixed feeling; you’re ready to go, yet at the same time you know there’s still so much work to be done. But, we all have to go sometime. I feel confident that they can handle the workload without me,” Kirkpatrick said. “I wish all the best for the future here. There are a lot of changes going on and I am excited to see where they take MSU.”