The search for the next chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has drawn 59 applicants, according to a list the University of Arkansas System provided.
The names and positions of the applicants were obtained through an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request from The Pine Bluff Commercial. Perry Stuckey, a Pine Bluff native and retired senior vice president at Eastman Chemical Co., is the chairman of the search committee and said the group looks to select at least four top candidates and invite them to the campus later this month for another round of interviews, although he did not specify a day. The deadline to apply for full consideration was Dec. 3.
Many of the candidates have connections to UAPB including former provost Robert Z. Carr Jr., now at Tennessee’s Fisk University; Marcus Chanay, a graduate and president of Mississippi’s College of Health Services and Careers and the B1 Foundation; Carla Martin, UAPB vice chancellor for finance and administration; and Braque Talley, a former UAPB vice chancellor now serving as vice president of student affairs at Alabama A&M University.
Some applicants are either full-time or interim presidents or chancellors, including Philander Smith University’s Maurice Gipson, Talladega College’s Walter Kimbrough, Arkansas State University-Newport’s Johnny Moore and Stillman College’s Yolanda Page. Talladega and Stillman are located in Alabama.
“We feel really good where we are in this process,” Stuckey said. “When you get nearly 60 applicants, it’s really important you have the right conversations with those individuals and, obviously, we couldn’t talk to all 60 people, but it’s been great. Those conversations and dialogues have been going very well.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The new chancellor will succeed Laurence B. Alexander, who took the same position at the University of Michigan-Flint. Andrea Stewart, the interim chancellor since last July 1, has said she plans to serve in the role for a year and then return to her old position of provost and vice chancellor before retiring.
According to a prospectus for the position, the next chancellor is expected to have at least five to seven years of experience in senior leadership within higher education or other field with “a demonstrated track record of innovation and excellence and a broad understanding of the modern university enterprise.” Other listed qualifications and characteristics include an ability to work with diverse stakeholders, an understanding of a land-grant historically Black university, an inclusive approach to management and leadership and ensuring and enhancing UAPB’s financial well-being.
“You want someone, first and foremost, that can take the university to the next level,” Stuckey said. “The university has been world-class in a number of things. You also want a chancellor who understands the students are extremely important.”
Enhancing the student retention and graduation rates are also high on the committee’s list of qualities.
“We want someone who’s well rounded and got great experience to make that happen,” Stuckey said.
Jay B. Silveria, who officially became UA system president Jan. 15, and board members will lead the on-campus interviews and select the top candidate for hire. The public will be invited to a forum where they can interact with each candidate, Stuckey said.
“I appreciate the diligent, mindful groundwork that is being laid by the search committee and everything that’s been done during the search process before my arrival,” Silveria said. “I am looking forward to being a part of this process moving forward, especially having the opportunity to meet the finalists and getting feedback from the campus and community about what they would like to see from the next leader of this proud institution so that any recommendation that is made to the Board of Trustees is a reflection of an open, inclusive process.”
The list of applicants for chancellor’s position, as issued by UAPB, includes the following:
Ro’Shaun A. Bailey, assistant vice president for student affairs and campus life, Mississippi Valley State University;
Vernell A. Bennett, owner and executive consultant, Navigate Higher Education LLC;
Darrell L. Cain, former interim president, Everett Community College, Washington;
Robert Z. Carr Jr., provost and VP for academic affairs, Fisk University, Tennessee;
Marcus A. Chanay, president, College of Health Services and Careers/B1 Foundation, Mississippi;
Robert N. Corley III, dean and director of land-grant programs, College of Agriculture, Virginia State University;
W. Franklin Evans, acting provost and VPAA, Claflin University, South Carolina;
Andre L. Fortune, VP for student affairs, University of West Georgia;
DoVeanna S. Fulton, provost and VP for academic affairs, Norfolk State University, Virginia;
Maurice D. Gipson, interim president and CEO, Philander Smith University;
Anthony Graham, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina;
Kendall T. Harris, interim dean, College of Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas Permian Basin;
Nelson A. Henry, chief innovation officer, Center for Strategic Leadership & Organizational Coherence;
Ernie T. Hughes, vice president for university advancement, Truman State University, Missouri;
Claude P. Hutto Sr., dean of Division of Professional and Continuing Studies and assistant vice provost, Morehouse College, Georgia;
David H. Jackson Jr., professor of history and former provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, North Carolina Central University;
Alton B. Johnson, director of the Rice Research and Extension Center, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture;
Keith V. Johnson, VP for equity and inclusion, East Tennessee State University;
Walter M. Kimbrough, interim president, Talladega College, Alabama;
Stevie L. Lawrence II, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Lincoln University of Missouri;
Albert Lewis Jr., chief of staff and executive vice president, Northwest State Community College, Ohio;
Pui-Man Paul Low, president and chief investment officer, Deo Gracias Consulting Group;
Pamela G. Luckett, chief digital engagement and transformation officer, Dallas College;
Carla M. Martin, vice chancellor for finance and administration, UAPB;
Graham P. Matthews, program director of Early Childhood Education, Tennessee State University;
John W. McAllister, associate professor of orientation and mobility/program coordinator, University of Arkansas at Little Rock;
Nolan B. McMurray Jr., dean of College of Life and Physical Sciences, Tennessee State University;
Lewatis D. McNeal, vice provost for regional higher education and partnerships, Ohio University;
Robert C. Mock Jr., executive VP for strategic initiatives and chief of staff, University of Maryland Eastern Shore;
Hector M. Molina, VC for innovation, technology and operations, Fayetteville State University, North Caolina;
Johnny M. Moore, chancellor, Arkansas State University-Newport;
Anthony C. Nelson, dean of School of Business, North Carolina Centra University;
Gwynth R. Nelson, executive director and CEO, South Carolina Institutes of innovation & Information, South Carolina Commission on Higher Education;
Teresa Merriweather Orok, executive director of Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Alabama A&M University;
Yolanda W. Page, president, Stillman College, Alabama;
Antonius Pegues, VP of finance and administration, Albany State University;
Atif Quarni, former associate director of The Hope Center, Temple University, Pennsylvania;
Terrell Emon Robinson, vice chancellor for academic affairs at Lake County Comapus, Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana;
Robert Scott, president of research and development, Kraft Heinz;
Darryl Scriven, interim executive director of Cyber Policy Institute, Florida A&M University;
Michael Self Sr., deputy provost, director of Title III and assistant professor of mathematics, Wilberforce University, Ohio;
Sherrille T. Shabazz, VP of student development and campus life (systemwide), Berkeley College, New Jersey;
Lorenzo M. Smith, special assistant to the president for academic strategies, former provost and executive VP of academic affairs, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas;
Rick W. Smith Sr., senior VP of institutional advancement and administrative projects, Simmons College of Kentucky;
Steven Smith, VP of regional campuses, University of North Georgia;
Jamal Allen Sowell, VP of government relations, Florida A&M University;
Nicole Yvette Strange-Martin, dean of College of Education, Alabama State University;
Braque M. Talley Sr., vice president of student affairs, Alabama A&M University;
Jack Thomas, professor of English and former president, Central State University, Ohio;
Willie L. Todd Jr., president and CEO, Denmark Technical College, South Carolina;
Archie Tucker II, president, Push Pull Solutions;
Michael J. Villanella, assistant VP for online admissions, online advising and Adult Learners Prior Learning Assessment, and corporate partnerships, Kean University, New Jersey;
Brandon Vinson, VP for enrollment management, Presbyterian College, South Carolina;
Allen P. Vital, chief of staff for office of the president, Southern University System, Louisiana;
Xavier L. Whitaker, VP of student affairs, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia;
Dannelle F.W. Whiteside, VP for legal affairs and organizational strategy, Austin Peay State University, Tennessee;
Katara A. Williams, vice chancellor for institutional advancement and external relations, Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Louisiana;
Freddie E. Wills Jr., VP for STEM initiatives and research partnerships, Harris-Stowe State University, Missouri.