The recommendation of his new five-year chancellorship is pending approval by the University of Michigan Board of Regents at its regularly scheduled meeting on May 16.

“Dr. Alexander’s tenure at UAPB has seen transformative change on campus and in the community, and his steadfast leadership is appreciated and will be missed,” said ����Ƶ System President Donald R. Bobbitt. “While we wish Dr. Alexander and the UM-Flint campus much success moving forward, I am confident that an institution as unique and respected as UAPB will draw the interest of many highly qualified individuals on a national scale and future leadership will be well-equipped to keep UAPB on its upward trajectory.”

Bobbitt said an interim chancellor will be appointed at UAPB in the coming months, along with an announcement of a search committee representative of the UAPB campus and Pine Bluff communities, the UA System, the Board of Trustees of the ����Ƶ member and other constituents to conduct a national search for Alexander’s permanent replacement. The outcome of the search committee’s effort will produce a pool of finalists that will make public visits to the campus and ultimately Bobbitt will recommend a candidate for approval by the Board of Trustees.

“I am thrilled to join the University of Michigan – Flint community,” said Alexander, whose selection caps a 10-month national search. “Leaving my amazing colleagues, students and friends at UAPB and in the Pine Bluff community is bittersweet. However, I’m excited to become a part of one of the world’s greatest universities in Michigan and am eager to take this next huge step in my career. I want to thank the UA System, the campus and all of those who have been supportive of the important work we were able to accomplish as a team during my tenure in Pine Bluff.”

Alexander has more than three decades of combined professional and academic experience as a university chancellor, professor, attorney and journalist.��Under his leadership,��UAPB grew enrollment, increased retention and graduation rates, and launched several new academic programs. The university reached higher levels of research investment and grant funding, acquired funding for new construction and renovation, and developed new corporate partnerships that led to multiple major-gift donations and increased the endowment by 250 percent.��Alexander also was appointed in 2022 by President Joe Biden to Chair the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, a seven-member, presidentially appointed advisory board to USAID to ensure that the agency brings the assets of U.S. universities to bear on development challenges in agriculture and food security and supports their representation in USAID programming.

Prior to joining ����Ƶ at Pine Bluff, Alexander served 22 years as a professor and administrator at the University of Florida, where he held key leadership roles, including Provost Administrative Fellow in the Office of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Director of the Office of Graduate Minority Programs, Chair of the Department of Journalism, and Distinguished Teaching Scholar.��He earned a bachelor’s degree in drama and communications from the University of New Orleans, master’s degree in journalism and communications from the University of Florida, Juris Doctor from Tulane University, and Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University.

Trustees and other administrators are expected to tour the campus to examine deferred maintenance needs for possible projects to be considered at future public meetings of the board. There is no formal meeting or agenda, and no action will be taken.

“I was fortunate to have��the��honor��of working alongside Sen. Pryor in different capacities in my career, most notably serving as president during his service as a trustee on the Board of Trustees of the ����Ƶ. Sen. Pryor always brought a palpable��spirit of civility and��thoughtful��dialogue on major issues facing the Board,��utilizing his��breadth of experience and knowledge to��provoke meaningful��discussions that��were��respected by��fellow Trustees��and administrators within the UA System. He��was named the first ever Chair Emeritus of the Board after serving as vice chairman of the Board from March 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017, and as Secretary��from March 1, 2015 to February 28, 2016, and he also served terms as chair of the Agriculture Committee, the Distance Education and Technology Committee and the Two-Year Colleges and Technical Schools Committee during his��tenure. He was also the inaugural Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service. His contributions to the��the��UA System��and to the state have made us better and��will��continue��to��make��an impact in peoples’ lives��into the future. I will miss his respectful and fierce presence and offer��sincere condolences to the Pryor family from all of us within the UA System.”

The policy amendments posted below are organized by subject area with explanations of the proposed policy revisions along with redlined versions of the policy drafts enclosed in each document. The major subject areas include Campus Governance, Retrenchment, Leave and Benefits Programs, and Construction. The proposed policy changes include:

• Campus Governance – Revised Board Policy 100.4, Section 5 Campus Governance
• Retrenchment – Revised Board Policy 405.5 Retrenchment
• Leave and Benefit Programs – Revised Board Policy 420.1 Annual Leave, New Board Policy 420.2 Paid Parental Leave, New Board Policy 420.8 Leave Exchange, Revised Board Policy 430.2 Insured Employee Benefit Programs
• Construction – Revised Board Policy 730.2 Procedure for Capital Projects, Revised Board Policy 730.2 Approval of Major Capital Projects, Revised Board Policy 730.3 Procedure for Guaranteed Energy Cost Savings Act Projects, Revised Board Policy 740.1 Selection of Architects or Engineers for Capital Projects

Feedback on the proposed policy changes should be sent to Ben Beaumont at bbeaumont@uasys.edu.

The meetings will be held��in the ����Ƶ Hospital Lobby Gallery (ground floor) at��4301 W. Markham St. in��Little Rock.

*Please note that the March 12 meetings will begin with an executive session at 12:30 p.m. with the videoconference of the regular session expected to begin streaming at 1:30 p.m.��or immediately following the��conclusion of the executive session.��

Any decision reached by vote in executive session will be publicly announced as the regular session begins.

Campus officials, members of the media and the general public can��.

, and the approximate schedule is as follows:

LITTLE ROCK (Tuesday, March 5, 2024) — The Board of Trustees of the ����Ƶ elected new officers at its Jan. 24-25 regularly scheduled meeting at the ����Ƶ for Medical Sciences (����Ƶ) and Kelly Eichler will serve as chairman of the 10-member board during the upcoming year.

Scott Ford, chief executive officer and co-founder of Westrock Coffee and former president and CEO of Alltel Corp., to the Board of Trustees of the ����Ƶ for a 10-year term ending in 2034. He holds a B.S.B.A in Finance from the ����Ƶ.

Eichler, other officers, and the members of a new slate of Board committees appointed by the chairman started their roles March 1.

In addition to Eichler being elected as chairman, the trustees voted for Steve Cox to serve as vice chairman; Ted Dickey to serve as secretary; and Sheffield Nelson to serve as assistant secretary. The election was announced following an executive session at the Jan. 24-25 meetings at ����Ƶ.

Morril Harriman previously served as chairman in the final year of his decade-long term as a trustee. Trustees are appointed to 10-year terms by the governor.

“Trustee Harriman was a very thoughtful and deliberate leader for our Board during the last year, and we’ll miss his many contributions and steadfast leadership he provided,” Eichler said. “I’m extremely excited about the appointment of Scott Ford to our Board and look forward to working with him alongside the diverse perspectives of our existing Trustees of the ����Ƶ. I’m optimistic about the year ahead and approaching the various issues we carefully deliberate to continue our service of providing world-class educational and professional opportunities for Arkansans.”

Ford, who founded Westrock Group in 2013 which serves as the Ford’s family office,��has worked in a number of leadership roles, including president and CEO of Alltel Corp. from 2002 to 2009. From 1998 to 2002, he served as its president and COO. Before joining Alltel, he worked closely with Jackson T. Stephens, the Chairman of Stephens Group, Inc., and he worked in the Investment Banking Division at Merrill Lynch. Ford is a special advisor to Stephens Group where he brings extensive C-Suite experience in managing and operating both private and public companies, with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with a business undergoing accelerated growth initiatives.

Ford currently serves on the Board of Directors of AT&T, Inc. and Agaciro Development Fund, the sovereign wealth fund for the Republic of Rwanda. He has served on the Board of Directors of Tyson Foods and as chairman of the Little Rock Branch of the St. Louis Federal Reserve. He also served as Chairman of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.

“This is a tremendous addition to the Board of Trustees and one that will be celebrated by many across the System who would like to benefit from Mr. Ford’s talent and expertise in many areas,” said Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt. “His business acumen is unique in that it blends a mastery of supply chain management with meaningful humanitarian efforts on a global scale. I can’t be more thrilled to have him join the Board and get started.”

Under the umbrella of the UA Board are eight committees in which members are chosen under the discretion of the board chairman. Eichler and the office of UA System President Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt recently finalized those committees, which are listed below:

UA Board Committees Effective March 1, 2024:

STANDING COMMITTEES
(meets every Board meeting)

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
Ed Fryar, Chair
Tommy Boyer
Steve Cox
Sheffield Nelson
Jeremy Wilson
UA System Liaison: Ben Beaumont

AUDIT AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Nate Todd, Chair
Kevin Crass
Ted Dickey
Ed Fryar
Jeremy Wilson
UA System Liaison: ��Tara Smith��

JOINT HOSPITAL
Kevin Crass, Chair
Tommy Boyer
Ed Fryar
Sheffield Nelson
Jeremy Wilson
UA System Liaison: Melissa Rust��

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
Ted Dickey, Chair
Tommy Boyer
Steve Cox
Sheffield Nelson
Nate Todd
UA System Liaison: Don Bobbitt

SELECT COMMITTEES
(meets as needed)

AGRICULTURE
Steve Cox, Chair
Ted Dickey
Sheffield Nelson

DISTANCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Ed Fryar, Chair
Nate Todd
Jeremy Wilson

ATHLETICS
Jeremy Wilson, Chair
Kevin Crass
Ted Dickey
Ed Fryar

TWO-YEAR COLLEGES AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
Nate Todd, Chair
Tommy Boyer
Kevin Crass

LITTLE ROCK (Monday, Feb. 12, 2024) —��Students from across the ����Ƶ System are invited to submit applications for mini-grants awarded through an endowment honoring James L. “Skip” Rutherford III upon his retirement as dean of the ����Ƶ Clinton School of Public Service in 2021.

Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to students for expenses such as technology, conference registration, interview expenses, research and evaluation, travel, test preparation, books, equipment or other supplies where a student can demonstrate need through the application process. This is the third year for awards from the endowment, which are given out each spring.

The endowment was established at the ����Ƶ Foundation to honor Rutherford and provide support to student leaders across the UA System. Undergraduate and graduate students from any UA System campus are eligible to apply for grants, which will be awarded by a committee appointed by UA System Vice President for Academic Affairs��Dr. Michael Moore, in accordance with the terms of the endowment.

The application process requires students to submit information about themselves and their proposed use of grant funding, along with contact information and a letter of recommendation from a faculty, staff or administrative advisor at their home campus.��The deadline for submission is April 12, 2024.

.��After completing the form, students are required to submit:

• A letter describing their grant proposal
• A resume
• A letter of recommendation from a home campus faculty, staff or administrative advisor.

These documents should be emailed as PDF files to ��rutherfordendowment@gmail.com.

For questions about the grant process please contact Sylvia White at��swhite@uasys.edu.

The meetings will be held��in the Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr. Assembly Hall in the Donaghey Student Center on the UALR campus, located at��3259 S. University Ave. in Little Rock.

*Please note that the Jan. 24 meetings will begin with an executive session at 12:30 p.m. with the videoconference of the regular session expected to begin streaming at 2 p.m.��or immediately following the��conclusion of the executive session.��

Any decision reached by vote in executive session will be publicly announced as the regular session begins.

Campus officials, members of the media and the general public can��.

, and the approximate schedule is as follows:

The meeting is set to begin at 11 a.m. and the Board will��immediately convene an executive session. The public portion of the meeting will begin streaming upon conclusion of the executive session at approximately 11:30 a.m.

NOTE:��Any decision reached by vote in executive session will be publicly announced as the regular session resumes, expected to be at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Click here for the Zoom Registration link and full agenda.��

There are three action items on the agenda, including a tuition and fees request and a consideration of an inter-institutional loan request from ����Ƶ Grantham, and revisiting a licensing agreement��item from UA Little Rock that had previously been��tabled.

Campus officials, members of the media and the general public can register for a link to view meetings at the button below or attend in person at 2404 N. University, Little Rock, 72207.

The meetings will be held��in the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center on the UAFS campus,��located at 800 N.��49th St. in Fort Smith.

*Please note that the Nov. 15��meetings will begin with an executive session at 12:30 p.m. with the videoconference of the regular session expected to begin streaming at 1:30 p.m.��or immediately following the��conclusion of the executive session. Also note that some trustees will be gathering at 10:30 a.m. to tour the��Peak Innovation Center (PEAK), an educational facility designed specifically for career-focused programming, located at 5900 Painter Lane in Fort Smith.��

Any decision reached by vote in executive session will be publicly announced as the regular session begins.

Campus officials, members of the media and the general public can��.

, and the approximate schedule is as follows: