LITTLE ROCK – Anthony Graham has been appointed the next chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees on Friday voted unanimously for the tenured professor of education and provost/vice chancellor for academic affairs at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. The appointment allows UA System President Jay Silveria to go into negotiations with Graham, 49, who is expected to begin his duties on or before July 1.
“I am deeply grateful to this Board of Trustees and President Silveria for entrusting me with this amazing opportunity,” Graham said via Zoom during the board meeting. “It is truly an honor to serve, and I am humbled and excited to begin this work. I look forward to partnering with each of you as we work to advance the vision and mission of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.”
Graham also acknowledged the search committee led by UAPB alumnus and businessman Perry Stuckey, as well as interim Chancellor Andrea Stewart.
“I appreciate their dedication and tireless efforts throughout this process,” Graham said of the committee. “Having chaired more than 20 search committees in my time in higher education, I know how time-consuming that work is, and they did it flawlessly and seamlessly, so thank you to that search committee.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Graham was one of three finalists for the position who interviewed on campus and met the public in February. The two others were Robert C. Mock, executive vice president for strategic initiatives and chief of staff at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Carla Martin, vice chancellor for finance and administration at UAPB.
A fourth finalist, Fisk University provost Robert Z. Carr Jr., dropped out of consideration shortly before he was to meet the UAPB public.
“There are different types of leaders that are most effective for different times and places, and Dr. Graham is the right fit for UAPB at this moment in time,” Silveria said in a news release. “The pool of finalists was very competitive and equally strong, due in large part to the hard work and dedication of the advisory search committee. UAPB is one of the UA System’s most storied and unique institutions. Dr. Graham has demonstrated his understanding of its important role and brings the experience necessary to lead this proud institution into a new era of prominence.”
Silveria became system president in January as the UA System was midway through the search process for replacing Laurence B. Alexander, who stepped down last June to become chancellor at the University of Michigan Flint. Silveria and the system board had the ultimate responsibility of hiring Graham, while a search committee led by Stuckey, a UAPB alumnus and retired businessman, recommended a choice following the candidates’ on-campus visits. System Board trustees Nate Todd of Pine Bluff and Kevin Crass of Little Rock worked closely with the search committee during the process.
“The university system put the prospectus together that drove those skill sets we, being the Board of Trustees and Chair Eichler, thought would drive success to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,” Todd said. “His skill sets, which are aligned to the prospectus, are good, so we have to acknowledge that. We have a set of criteria that search committee followed. All four of the last finalists were very good. He differentiated himself in his ability to identify analytical tools and the interhuman reaction to go to the next level at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.”
Said Crass during the board meeting: “As someone who saw the process in action, I’m very grateful for the job they did and I think it has brought us a great chancellor for the UAPB campus.”
Graham, who began his career as a high school English teacher, has previously been a chancellor, although on an interim basis, having led Winston-Salem State from 2023-24. He was previously dean of the College of Education at North Carolina A&T State University.
In his cover letter for application, Graham wrote his previous experience, along with his own philosophy on education, resonates with “UAPB’s vision to become a pre-eminent land-grant institution that is known for excellence in teaching, research and outreach.” His stated personal philosophy is that “institutions of higher education should produce transformative servant leaders, or individuals who leverage their knowledge, skills, gifts and talents to improve their communities and our society.”
A visionary and person-focused servant leader is a must for UAPB’s next chancellor, Graham said during his presentation at the school Feb. 21.
Graham said in the news release he is eager to collaborate with “exceptional faculty, dedicated staff, devoted alumni, and valued partners to foster a culture of excellence that drives student success, growth, and development.”
Making UAPB a catalyst for social and economic mobility is a priority Graham identified. The mission of the university, he said, is to give students a strong return on investment through expanding “experiential learning opportunities” for meaningful careers and lifelong success.
“Leading UAPB is more than a role — it is a calling — as the university has a proud legacy of producing transformative servant leaders,” Graham added. “I look forward to elevating the UAPB brand, which is synonymous with excellence.”
Graham takes over a university in the midst of constructing a $36 million Student Engagement Center but one that is also operating with significantly smaller assets than the UA System’s flagship campus in Fayetteville, a point he made at UAPB. Asked to address the role of a land-grant university founded under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, Graham challenged the public to see the obstacles UAPB faces as opportunities to “benefit and maximize” the campus.
Graham highlighted an intentional focus on access, affordability and student success, as well as an intense focus on research, extension and entrepreneurship. Graham also pointed out recruitment and retention, relevant degree programs and curricula, investments in teaching, coordinated integration of high-impact practices and return on investment analysis by degree programs as stages of his ecosystem of academic excellence.
He listed a number of fundraising accomplishments in his resume including a $30 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, $4 million from the Adobe Foundation and internship and experience packages from Nationwide, NASCAR and Red Ventures.
Anthony Graham file
Age 49
Family: Sons Aaron, 24, and Noah, 20
Education: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Ph.D., 2003; UNC Greensboro, master of education, 1999; UNC Chapel Hill, bachelor of arts in English, 1997
Career: Winston-Salem State University, interim chancellor 2023-24, and provost/vice chancellor for academic affairs 2018-2023 and 2024-present; North Carolina A&T State University, dean of College of Education 2015-18, interim dean 2015, chairman of Department of Curriculum and Instruction 2011-2014, tenured full professor 2013-2018, turned associate professor 2008-13, tenure-track assistant professor 2006-08, Praxis I coordinator 2003-06 and academic counselor and reading lecturer at The Center for Student Success, 2000-03