UALR Chancellor Joel Anderson To Retire June 2016

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chancellor Joel E. Anderson announced Wednesday (Sept. 2) that he will retire from the post on June 30, 2016.

Anderson has served as UALR chancellor for 13 years and has been with the university for 45 years. He became UALR chancellor in 2003 and had previously served as provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and as founding dean of the Graduate School at the Little Rock urban university.

“It has been a tremendous pleasure to see UALR grow and mature into the excellent, comprehensive university that it has become,” said Chancellor Anderson. “The faculty and staff of UALR deserve more credit than they will ever receive for their tireless efforts to help students achieve the dream of a college education that will enable students to adjust to a changing future and support themselves and their families.”

Anderson’s announcement comes on the heels of a 1.2% increase in enrollment at UALR, including a 19% increase in first-time college students and a 7.1% increase in first-time transfer students, the school said.

During Anderson’s tenure as chancellor, the campus completed several major building projects including the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, the Donaldson Student Services Center, the Nanotechnology Center, the Coleman Sports Complex, the Jack Stephens Center, the University Plaza shopping center purchase, the Coleman Creek Greenway Project, and three residence halls.

University of Arkansas System President, Donald R. Bobbitt will form a search committee in the coming weeks with the goal to complete the search by July 1, 2016.

“It has been one of the great honors and privileges of my professional career to work with Chancellor Anderson,” said Bobbitt. “He has been a calm and productive leader for UALR, and it is clear from the length of his service to the institution that he has passion and concern for the students and the faculty who serve them.”

Anderson, who grew up on a farm east of Swifton in Northeast Arkansas, received a BA degree in political science from Harding University, an MA degree in international relations from American University, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan. He also completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

“The university has good momentum. I need time to catch up on a backlog of books and also to see my grandchildren more often. All the while I will watch with pride as UALR grows and changes,” Anderson said.