The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced Thursday the hiring of a new vice chancellor for student success, retention, and online and extended learning.
Sherry Rankins-Robertson will take over the post on Feb. 9, and she will make $118,610 annually, UALR spokesman Keli Jacobi said. She replaces Daryl Rice, who is moving to a faculty position at UALR, Jacobi said.
University officials began the search to fill the position in December through campuswide nominations of internal candidates, according to a news release. A search committee -- made up of Provost and Vice Chancellor Zulma Toro; Ann Bain, dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences; Brad Patterson, interim vice provost of Student Affairs; and Clea Hupp, associate professor of history -- narrowed down the candidates to three, the release states.
"Dr. Rankins-Robertson's passion for student success has fueled her energy to create successful, sustainable curriculum to improve the student experience, making her an excellent choice for this position," Toro said in the news release after the appointment Thursday.
Rankins-Robertson, who has a doctorate in English, joined the UALR staff in 2012 as the writing program administrator in the rhetoric and writing department. During her time at the university, she has helped begin the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Summer Bridge Academy, a remediation program for incoming freshman. She is the literacy coordinator for the program.
Before coming to UALR, Rankins-Robertson spent eight years at Arizona State University, where she helped create family-history writing and prison writing programs.
Metro on 01/30/2015