Interviews over; Bobbitt to endorse 1 for UALR

Information and images of finalists for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock chancellorship.
Information and images of finalists for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock chancellorship.

The three finalists for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock chancellor job are all from out of state, and "U-A-L-R" didn't readily roll off their tongues during their interviews in Little Rock last week.

Each spent two days on campus in a series of interviews with UALR students, faculty and staff members; community members; and the University of Arkansas System president and trustees.

All three are astute academic administrators, said UA System President Donald Bobbitt. So, how will the school pick just one?

"You put down all the boxes that you'd like to have checked," he said. "A keen understanding of the role of faculty; the importance of faculty in educating students; the fact that we must be more concerned than we have in the past about student success. Our students aren't coming to us as well-prepared as they were 20 years ago, but that doesn't mean we should shirk our responsibility."

"UALR has a strong role to play in both the culture and economy," he said.

With each candidate, "all of those boxes were checked. Some of them had a darker check-mark than others."

Bobbitt said he wanted to wait to comment on the finalists until he had received feedback from local people who had participated in the interviews. He suggested that the campus would be well-served with any one of the three.

In the coming days, Bobbitt will double- and triple-check the references provided to Greenwood/Asher & Associates, the Florida-based firm that the UA System hired for up to $155,000 to search for candidates for the UALR position.

He also will get feedback from various groups, ranging from UALR students to the search committee members. And within seven to 10 days, he hopes to have a hiring recommendation for the UA System trustees, who are to meet later this month in Nashville in south Arkansas.

The prevailing candidate will take the helm at UALR in the wake of a restructuring period that included some $2.4 million in cuts to its five colleges and nonacademic units. Last fall, the school's enrollment rose to 11,924 students, breaking a four-year downward trend. The university is expecting about the same number of students in the coming fall.

The new chancellor also will spearhead UALR's goal of, by 2020, becoming one of the top metropolitan, community-engaged, research higher-education institutions in the 16 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board. Among the schools in those other states are Florida International University, Texas Tech University and the University of Memphis.

Each finalist for the chancellor's position has a different idea for reaching that goal.

During his interviews Monday, Mark Rudin told faculty and staff members about his climb to become the vice president for research and economic development at Boise State University, a metropolitan research university in Idaho's capital. For his interviews, he sported a maroon tie -- something he seldom wears and something he tugged on at times during the question-and-answer session.

It was his answer to the second question -- if he becomes chancellor, what is his five-year success plan for the university? -- that he made the gaffe.

"I'm going to drill this down to the most simple thing. It's that I want students, for folks, students, to have U-A-R-L, U-A-L-R -- that's the first time I did that -- U-A-L-R to be the school of choice."

The slip-up didn't slow him down. He went on to say that he wanted to increase research at the university, create a culture of innovation and have students interact more with the community. He answered questions ranging from campus security to football to graduate education, and he emphasized the importance of campus diversity.

In Wednesday interviews, finalist Andrew Rogerson also wore a maroon tie and also started his session by introducing himself. He is the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University in California. He's a native of Scotland.

UALR should leverage its metropolitan-area location, he said. UALR should partner more with the city and with area businesses to help the region grow and to give students hands-on experience, he said.

"That's your little jewel that you haven't polished yet," he said. "It gives you the opportunity to do so much more than teach in the classroom. College is changing. And urban universities like this one are positioned for it."

With his Scottish accent and self-deprecating humor, Rogerson's interview in the student forum was more informal and intimate, focusing on two students. Both students had internships in Little Rock last summer, epitomizing Rogerson's philosophy on the future of higher education.

"That's exactly why you will get a job," he told them.

Chancellor-job finalist Cheryl Lovell dove directly into her interviews Thursday. The special adviser to the chancellor and to the chief academic officer at the Colorado State System started her session by taking questions right away. The first came from Kelly Olsen, an associate professor at the W.H. Bowen School of Law. What would Lovell bring to the job and what would her chancellorship at UALR look like?

"A great big hello to everyone," Lovell started. "I think what I bring is I've already been a successful president. I obviously have to learn the local issues. Learn about what makes UALR tick. What's the lifeblood of your institution? I need to learn your language."

She answered each question, following up with a "was I close?" or "does that help?"

Lovell said an urban university needs to be a member of the community and serve the community. To achieve UALR's goal, she said, she would determine the university's current needs in areas, such as alumni giving and research, and then gauge where the university should be in achieving the goals in each area.

"If that goal isn't important to the institution anymore, then we need to be honest about that and make sure that we're clear what the big goal is for the campus, if that's not it," she said. "In terms of moving the campus forward, there are unmet needs in Little Rock now where there are opportunities to [have] stronger industry connections."

Also, last week, each of the chancellor finalists got the opportunity to ask questions of students and members of the faculty and staff.

On Rudin's mind was: Is UALR ready and willing to be a metropolitan research university?

Rogerson had a similar question: Is UALR positioned for change, and does it have the potential to be a destination college in the region?

The responses they received were a mix. It would differ unit by unit, one responder said. The faculty is so small that professors can't take time off during the semester to continue research, another said, adding that some faculty members are also on special committees to boost revenue. Most faculty members are on board and have what it takes to get there, but the university's leaders have long failed to articulate the goals, another said.

Lovell asked what she should do immediately, if she becomes the new chancellor. She picked up a yellow legal pad and began writing down the responders' recommendations: take charge in identifying problems and solutions, look for inefficiencies and heal fissures.

After the week's meetings, UA board of trustees Chairman Reynie Rutledge of Searcy said the trustees had "meaningful conversations" with each of the finalists, all of whom would provide some fresh perspectives and big ideas for the Little Rock campus.

"The recommendation we eventually get will be based on many of the things we learned this week, along with feedback from the campus community," he said. "I trust it will be the candidate who overwhelmingly has the greatest potential and ability to build on UALR's momentum and lead them into the future in a way in which the UA System can be very proud."

SundayMonday on 05/15/2016

Upcoming Events