The University of Arkansas at Monticello has announced the appointment of Tracy Tucker as vice chancellor of the UAM College of Technology-Crossett. Her appointment will begin July 1, according to a news release.
Tucker currently serves as the superintendent of the Hermitage School District, a position she has held since 2014. In 2015, she also served as an instructor at UAM.
She is a 1987 graduate of Hamburg High School. Tucker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from the University of Central Arkansas in 1991, a Master of Education degree in adult education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1993 and a Doctor of Education degree in educational administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2004.
Tucker has three decades of combined experience in both public and higher education. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Oklahoma City School District in 1991. In 1995, she served as an instructor at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla.
UAM-CTC's current vice chancellor, Linda Rushing, will retire on June 30, 2023, after nearly five decades of service at the college.
"I am so excited and honored that I have been given the opportunity to continue the work at UAM-CTC," Tucker said. "I know, understand and appreciate the legacy that Ms. Rushing leaves from her dedicated work, as well as the importance of this school, its programs and its importance in the southeast Arkansas community. I look forward to the tasks and can't wait to get started."
From 1995 to 2000, she was a teacher in the Little Rock School District before shifting to a school administrator position at Pulaski County Special School District, where she worked until 2006. From 2006 to 2011, she was a school administrator in the Stuttgart School District. From 2011 to 2014, she served as a special assistant to the commissioner of education in the Arkansas Department of Education.
"Dr. Tucker is a proven public school and higher education educator and administrator with a deep understanding of the K-12 pathways that lead to technical college classrooms," said UAM Chancellor Peggy Doss. "I am pleased that she has accepted the position as the next vice chancellor of the UAM College of Technology-Crossett. She is an Ashley County native who knows the community well and will be committed to serving the needs of our students."
Rushing is the only original staff member of the school remaining at UAM-CTC. In 1975, when Forest Echoes Vocational Technical School (later renamed UAM-CTC) opened, Rushing was hired as a business instructor. She also served as coordinator of Student Services/Financial Aid, supervisor of instruction and assistant director.
Rushing was named the director of Forest Echoes Vocational Technical School in 1987, and her title transitioned to president when the school was renamed Forest Echoes Technical Institute (FETI). Rushing served in the role until 2003, when FETI merged with UAM to become UAM-CTC, where she has since served as the vice chancellor.
Doss offered thanks to Rushing for her service.
"On behalf of the entire University of Arkansas at Monticello community, I congratulate Ms. Rushing on her retirement. With distinction, she has served the Crossett campus community for over 47 years. I deeply appreciate her commitment to excellence and to the success of her faculty, staff and students at the UAM College of Technology-Crossett. Her servant heart leadership has created a campus environment in which students thrive and one that has served the workforce needs of southeast Arkansas and its communities. It has been an honor to work with her over the years. I wish her the best in this next phase of her life," Doss said.