Florida educator nominated to be chancellor at UAPB

LITTLE ROCK — The leader of the University of Arkansas System has nominated University of Florida administrator Laurence B. Alexander to be the next chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Alexander - associate dean of Florida’s graduate school since 2006 and director of its office of minority programs - will succeed interim UAPB Chancellor Calvin Johnson if he is approved by the UA board of trustees in a special meeting this week, UA System President Donald Bobbitt said Monday.

Alexander, 53, was one of four finalists selected through a nationwide search to find the next leader for the historically black university, which enrolls about 2,800 students.

“I certainly admire and respect the work they’ve done over the years, and I’m really overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a part of that tradition,” Alexander said in a phone interview.

In a November application, Alexander outlined plans to develop community partnerships and outreach efforts to build UAPB’s profile.

UAPB has a “real pride and passion that manifests itself through its students, staff and alumni,” he said Monday.

Alexander’s application noted his comfort and familiarity with online education, which Bobbitt is increasingly encouraging on the system’s campuses. At Florida, Alexander has served as dean of the Graduate Curriculum Committee, reviewing dozens of online courses every month, he wrote.

He is also an inaugural member of the University of Florida’s Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars, which works with the school’s provost on faculty development.

Bobbitt said in a statement that he believes Alexander has “the right combination of experience and enthusiasm to help shape a positive, successful future for UAPB.”

“Dr. Alexander understands the important role that UAPB plays in the higher education portfolio of our state and in the Pine Bluff community,” Bobbitt said. “It’s a university that has grown and developed throughout the past two decades, and I am excited about the leadership Dr. Alexander will provide to help the campus and its students, faculty and staff achieve at the highest levels.”

A native of New Orleans, Alexander has a bachelor’s degree in drama and communications from the University of New Orleans, a master’s degree in journalism and communications from the University of Florida, a law degree from Tulane University and a doctorate in higher education from Florida State University.

Alexander and his wife, Veronica, have three sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

In addition to his administrative duties, Alexander is a professor in the Florida’s journalism department and directs more than 20 student development and fund programs.

As chancellor at UAPB, Alexander would oversee a wide span of issues, including the continuing growth of a new doctorate in aquaculture and fisheries, and the challenges of educating first-generation college students.

Alexander has experience developing graduate programs, he wrote. And at Florida’s graduate school, he leads a program for recruitment, retention, success and graduation of students who are members of minority groups.

UAPB, which has an open admissions policy, seeks to recruit leaders and instructors who can work with academically under prepared students and students from low-income families to help them overcome hurdles that may hinder degree completion.

UAPB admits the highest percentage of students who require remediation of any of Arkansas’ four-year universities, a fall report by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education said. Of the 575 students admitted in fall 2012, 85.2 percent had to take remedial noncredit course work after scoring below a 19 on at least one subject on the ACT college admissions test, that report said.

If his selection is approved by trustees, Alexander will start at UAPB on July 1, UA System spokesman Ben Beaumont said. Alexander has agreed to a $250,000 annual salary in addition to chancellor’s housing and a university car, Beaumont said.

The chancellor vacancy opened after former Chancellor Lawrence Davis Jr. retired in May after 21 years at UAPB’s helm.

His departure came after an internal audit that found that because employees involved with a campus dorm bypassed university rules for approving and documenting spending, auditors were unable to verify whether $497,532 in payroll expenses and $239,348 in purchasing expenses were made properly. No criminal charges resulted from the audit.

Search firm Greenwood, Asher and Associates has helped locate chancellor applicants under a $70,000 contract with UAPB, which was paid from the university’s operating budget, Beaumont said. That contract also allowed for up to $30,000 in expenses, such as travel for candidates and search consultants, he said.

Bobbitt selected the candidates with the assistance of a committee led by Robert McGehee, a UAPB graduate, Pine Bluff native and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.