Arkansas State University-Beebe Chancellor resigns; interim named

Arkansas State University-Beebe Chancellor Dr. Karla Fisher tendered her resignation Monday. Fisher’s tenure will end Tuesday (Aug. 15). She will remain with the ASU system, acting as a special assistant to ASU President Chuck Welch to help in the institution’s re-accreditation process. ASU-Beebe Vice-Chancellor Roger Moore has been appointed by Welch to serve as the interim chancellor.

“Dr. Fisher indicated to me a couple of months ago her desire to seek employment at another higher education institution,” Welch said. “We both agreed that changing leadership in the middle of an academic year was not in the best interests of the institution. Fortunately, Dr. Fisher has significant expertise in accreditation matters and will provide great assistance to the institution this fall as we prepare for an accreditation review. I appreciate Dr. Fisher’s hard work and the significant strides made by the institution over the past couple of years. Her vision and strategic initiatives have the institution poised for continued growth and development. I wish her nothing but the best.”

Fisher was hired as the chancellor in January 2016, replacing the former chancellor Dr. Eugene McKay. Her base salary was $183,000 per year.

She previously served as the vice-president of academics at Butler Community College in Kansas. Fisher served as interim president at Butler for seven months in 2013. She has also been an associate of the Center for Community college Student Engagement since 2007 and was director of institutional marketing at Salt Lake Community college from 2001-2007.

Fisher’s primary objective was to reorganize the leadership structure on the Beebe campus, ASU vice-president for strategic communications and economic development Jeff Hankins told Talk Business & Politics. Some administrative positions were eliminated and the scope of some jobs have been changed, Hankins said. Welch described the decisions as “tough,” but the institution has saved about $350,000 since the changes were enacted.

Fisher said she’s excited to embrace her new role with the system however long it lasts.

“I feel it would be beneficial to the institution to transition to a leader who will not be associated with the difficult changes we’ve had to make. With Dr. Welch’s support, I have been interviewing elsewhere with positive results. Knowing I will be moving on in the not-too-distant-future, we agree it would be better to start the new academic year with a new plan, rather than make this leadership change during the semester.”

Moore has served as vice chancellor since June 2016. He was ASU-Beebe’s director of student success for five years and taught as assistant professor of business on the campus from 1998-2011.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of the Southwest and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Arkansas. He has completed coursework toward a doctoral degree in organizational leadership in higher education from Grand Canyon University.

Welch said he will seek input from campus constituencies this fall and anticipates a nationwide search for a successor in spring 2018.