Dr. Robin Myers was named interim president of the Arkansas State University System on Friday. Myers’s appointment comes at the vote of the ASU System board of trustees.
Myers is chancellor emeritus at ASU’s Mountain Home campus.
The move comes ahead of the upcoming search for a successor to President Chuck Welch, who on Nov. 14 announced he would be resigning after 13 years to move to Washington, D.C., to become president and CEO of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Welch’s move will be effective Jan. 15.
Myers, who retired in July after 11 years as chancellor at Mountain Home, will not be a candidate for the permanent position.
Trustee Price Gardner of Little Rock, who is serving as chair of the board’s search process, said the search is expected to begin in January with a target hiring by May.
“We will be reviewing search firm options in the next two weeks,” Gardner said. “It’s an attractive position, and we expect to have a quality pool of candidates. We’re not looking for someone to make significant changes or overhaul things. We have one of the strongest system staffs and a group of chancellors in the country. We’re hiring from a position of strength and don’t want to lose momentum.”
The search firm will be paid with private funds through a contract with the ASU System Foundation but the boar will comply with the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act “in every way and be transparent in the process,” Gardner said, adding that a recent survey of system stakeholders to identify qualities sought in the next president generated 471 responses.
Welch, attending his final regular board meeting, called the move a “bittersweet” one but said he and his family are “excited about the opportunities the new role will provide to be able to influence higher education.” Welch praised the work of the system team of chancellors and encouraged them to “don’t stop what you’re doing and continue to take risks” for the benefit of the institutions and students.
Welch said it had been “the honor of my life” to work in the ASU System and expressed gratitude for the successes, including record enrollments, higher retention and graduation rates, growing infrastructure, adding three institutions to the system and saving Henderson State University from the brink of closure. He also noted the hiring of the system’s first female chancellor and first black chancellor during his tenure.
“Every board member I have worked with has loved this system and been incredibly supportive of me,” said Welch, adding that candidates for president will be attracted by a strong, personal board.
Myers became chancellor of ASU-Mountain Home on July 16, 2012. His leadership provided the impetus for development of many new technical programs on the campus. He also oversaw a rebranding initiative that included a new logo and mascot, the Trailblazer owl, and guided the campus through the pandemic challenges. The creation of a disc golf course, a walking and biking trail, and a community holiday festival were also products of Myers’s leadership.
Board chair Jerry Morgan of Jonesboro said Myers was chosen because of his familiarity with the system and its leadership, as well as his understanding of the system priorities.
In other business the board approved establishment of A-State Qatar, a new off-campus location in Doha, Qatar. Existing classes, delivered by A-State faculty through synchronous courses via Zoom, are held at the Global Studies Institute and requires no new infrastructure by A-State. The site has averaged 34 students each semester since fall 2021 and is being designated as a new off-campus instruction center to comply with Arkansas Division of Higher Education and Higher Learning Commission requirements.
Trustees also approved Henderson to offer a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in innovation and entrepreneurship. The new meta-major will replace the existing Bachelor of Business Administration general degree and adjusts core courses to meet current industry demands.
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