President Vargas' hunger for knowledge persistent throughout his life

Southeast Missouri State University President Carlos Vargas originally planned to go to Germany, not the United States.

As an undergraduate student studying physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, he also had an interest in language, enrolling in German and English courses.

But there was something especially intriguing about visiting Germany, and Vargas said, eventually, he decided he wanted to travel there for graduate school.

Everything changed, though, when a friend made plans to go to the U.S. After reconnecting with a pen pal who lived in Michigan, Vargas' friend was set on continuing school in Ann Arbor.

"I said, 'But I want to go to Germany,' and he said, 'No, no, no, you come with me,'" Vargas said. "So as simple as that I ended up going to Michigan."

Vargas was born in Mexico City, but he said his family moved around quite a bit for his father's work as the accountant of a power plant-building company.

He had humble beginnings, his childhood wasn't filled with many material things, and yet Vargas found just one word to describe it -- "happy."

"It was an environment that was more rich because of its social value," Vargas said. "The relationships, the family, that's what we normally grew up being excited about."

As neither of his parents had gone to college, Vargas highlighted education was distinctly emphasized around his household. His father had entered the workforce by age 10.

"He repeated all the time that his main goal was to try to make sure that we had a college education, so we were very proud of that," Vargas said.

His mother was a secretary, as well as a columnist for a community newspaper, and instilled in him a passion for reading.

"She was extremely intelligent without necessarily having a lot of knowledge," Vargas said. "She didn't go to college, but she was very smart in helping us, me and my sisters, develop a love for learning and for improving ourselves."

Vargas is the oldest of two siblings, and his wife, Pam, said their brother-sister relationship is much like what one would expect. She recalled a time his sisters came to visit, how during a game of Monopoly he had trick dice with only the numbers seven and 11. When they caught on, it was "typical Carlos."

"He gets this silly little laugh; once he starts doing that then we all are laughing," Pam Vargas said.

Vargas said he knew he wanted to study physics since the first time he took a class in junior high school. He completed his bachelor's degree in the subject and went on to study both physics and aerospace science for his master's and Ph.D.

He briefly returned to Mexico to teach at the university level after receiving his Ph.D. However, later facing difficulty there, it became the best option to look for work in the U.S.

He ran into the department chair the first time he stepped onto Kent State University's campus in Ohio.

"He said, 'Do we have an appointment?' and I said, 'No. All I need is 10 minutes,' and he said, 'Well, I'll give you five,'" Vargas said.

The next day he had a job and, in total, he spent 18 years at Kent. He went on to serve as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. In 2006, he began at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, and succeeded through the positions of chief academic officer, provost and vice president for academic affairs until his appointment as acting president July 1, 2014.

Pam Vargas said her husband's excitement about higher education has always been evident. She laughed and noted he even likes to visit universities on family vacations. Then again, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"He's a firm believer in the value of education and the joy of learning," Pam Vargas said. "So I think because of that he has this affinity for students and for the faculty. He understands that's what it's all about and that's what we're all here to support."