Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Dr. Laurence B. Alexander for his exceptional and transformative leadership as his tenure as the ninth chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff comes to a close.
Dr. Alexander set ambitious goals for UAPB when he arrived on campus, and as a result of his steadfast and unwavering pursuit of excellence, the school has met or exceeded many of those aspirations.
Over the past 11 years with Dr. Alexander at the helm, UAPB experienced its largest increase in graduation rates in over a decade. From 2016 to today, UAPB’s 6-year graduation rate has increased from 23% to 40%, an increase of almost 75%.
UAPB also experienced its highest retention rates in the school’s history at 77%. Under his leadership, UAPB achieved recognition as a Top-25 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S. News and World Report and rose to the 15th ranked institution in the Washington Monthly ranking of Bachelor’s Colleges.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Dr. Alexander’s hand in that success has been very clear to the surrounding community. He was recognized in 2017 by the Arkansas Business Journal Influencer in Education, featured as one of the Arkansas Business 200 Most Influential Leaders by Arkansas Business Publishing Group in 2018, and recognized nationally as one of the HBCU Campaign Fund’s 10 Most Dominant HBCU Leaders in 2019.
His strategic vision has brought millions in additional grant funding and research dollars to the university and attracted world-class scientists and researchers, paving the way for UAPB to be recognized as a national leader in nanotechnology, biomedicine, agriculture, aquaculture, biotechnology, nutrition, water and farm management.
As an 1890 Land-Grant Institution, UAPB has continued to fulfill its mission to promote education in agriculture, Arkansas’ largest industry. With the average age of today’s farmer being over 57 years old, it is schools like UAPB, with leaders like Dr. Alexander, that are helping develop the next generation of agriculturalists who will make critical advancements to meet the needs of today’s producers.
Along with advancing UAPB’s high-quality teaching and nursing programs and promoting the stellar Reserve Officers Training Corps program, Dr. Alexander has been instrumental in establishing new agricultural engineering, hospitality management, and master of business administration programs. UAPB is empowering students with real skills they can use to serve their communities and address some of Arkansas’ greatest needs.
Dr. Alexander’s impact reaches well beyond the city of Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, and even Arkansas State lines. He became the first leader of an 1890 Land-Grant Institution to be appointed to serve as chair of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, which advises the U.S. Agency for International Development on how to leverage the expertise and assets of American universities to support food security and development efforts abroad.
I congratulate Dr. Alexander on his exceptional and impactful tenure at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and thank him for all he has done. While Dr. Alexander’s time in the Natural State has come to close, he has certainly left it better than he found it. Thanks to his efforts, UAPB has plenty to look forward to on the horizon. For that, all Arkansans are grateful. I wish him the very best as he moves on to his next endeavor and hope he knows he will always have a home in Arkansas.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas made these comments on the Senate floor on July 11 and they are now part of the Congressional Record.