The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will host its 172nd commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The processional starts at 9:45 a.m., according to a news release.
Charlie Nelms, Ed.D., an educator, author and philanthropist, will serve as the commencement speaker. The event will also be livestreamed on UAPB TV YouTube Channel.
In October, Nelms was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 as a “Towering Higher Education Leader, Author and Philanthropist.” The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding accomplishments of African Americans with Arkansas ties and invests in Black and underserved communities across Arkansas to improve the education, health, and social well-being of marginalized populations, according to its website.
A nationally recognized leader in higher education, storyteller, and activist, Nelms is the first African American to be appointed chancellor of an Indiana University (IU) campus and to serve as vice president of the university. Nelms’ career also includes serving as chancellor at the University of Michigan-Flint and North Carolina Central University (NCCU). During his tenure as chancellor of NCCU, U.S. News & World Report ranked it among the best public HBCUs in the nation for three consecutive years, according to his biography.
Nelms was the second recipient of the Dr. Lawrence A. Davis, Jr. Trailblazer of Higher Education Award, Demetrius Johnson Jr., founder, president, and CEO of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Campaign Fund, recently announced.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Nelms will be honored as part of the ninth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2026, which is the award’s highest distinction, Johnson said.
Nelms is a founding member of the Millennium Leadership Initiative and professor emeritus at IU. He is currently a senior scholar at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, providing leadership in assisting minority-serving institutions. Additionally, he serves as president in-residence with the United Negro College Fund. In addition, he is the author of “From Cotton Fields to University Leadership: All Eyes on Charlie (Indiana University Press, 2019).”
He graduated from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal (AM&N) College (now UAPB) in 1969. While in college, he milked cows on the college farm, worked as a clerk in the campus bookstore and served as president of the Student Government Association, according to his biography.
He went on to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees from IU. In 2019, IU awarded him an honorary doctorate. He is also the recipient of its highest honors: The President’s Medal for Excellence, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award and the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion for Distinguished Achievement.
Nelms is vice president and professor emeritus at IU. Nelms has received numerous national accolades for his higher education leadership. In 2012, former President Barack Obama honored him with the MLK Drum Major for Service Award for helping to address the most pressing needs in the nation.
In October 2024, Nelms celebrated 55 years of marriage to his wife, Jeanetta Sherrod, in addition to his 55th class reunion. He also served as the grand marshal for the 2024 UAPB Homecoming Parade.
The couple, along with their son, Rashad, are philanthropists who have established scholarship endowments at UAPB, Indiana University, University of Michigan-Flint and North Carolina Central University. Each year, 30 to 40 students are awarded Nelms Scholarships. The Charlie and Jeanetta Nelms Alumni Scholarship Endowment is the largest at UAPB, according to Nelms’ biography.
“I am immensely grateful to the faculty and staff of Arkansas AM&N College for nurturing my dreams. The culture of caring they provided allowed me to excel and to become a three-time university chancellor. They emphasized that I was more than my GPA or my test scores. During my 50-year career in the academy, I never lost sight of what it means to be an agent of change. Every day, I seek to repay AM&N/UAPB for investing in me by investing in others,” he stated.
COMMENCEMENT INFORMATION
For guests requiring mobility accommodations at the fall commencement, an ADA-compliant seating section is reserved for accessible seating and one additional guest. ADA parking and seating are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is encouraged. Guests who need to be seated in a wheelchair during the ceremony should bring a wheelchair. Contact Public Safety at (870) 575-8102 if you have questions.
The convention center doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and guests should allow extra time for entry. Doors will close at 9:45 a.m., when the processional begins, and will not reopen until the graduates are seated in the arena. Any unlawful items are subject to confiscation, and the person in possession of such items is subject to arrest.
The convention center’s clear bag policy will also be enforced. Backpacks, fanny packs and handbags are prohibited. The following items are allowed:
Clear plastic bags (one per person) no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches;
One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags (one per person); and
Non-transparent clutch purses or wallets no larger than 1 inch by 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches (one per person).
Details: uapbcommencement.com.