UA chancellor search zeroes in on 4 finalists, including interim chancellor Robinson

EducationLatest NewsNorthwest Arkansas

by Paul Gatling ([email protected]) September 2, 2022 11:12 am 1,506 views 

Photo credit: Michael Barera

University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt announced Friday (Sept. 2) four finalists to be the next chancellor for the UA campus in Fayetteville.

They are listed with their date of public forums:

  • Charles F. Robinson, Ph.D., interim chancellor, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (Sept. 12)
  • Jay T. Akridge, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Purdue University (Sept. 14)
  • Daniel A. Reed, Ph.D., presidential professor of computational science, University of Utah (Sept. 16)
  • Cynthia Y. Young, Ph.D., founding dean of the College of Sciences, Clemson University (Sept. 19)

The finalists were selected with the help of a search committee chaired by Dr. Kim Needy, chair of the College of Engineering. According to a news release, the finalists will each participate in a public forum as a part of two-day visits to campus, including meetings with students, faculty, staff and university supporters.

“I couldn’t be more pleased that these four distinguished individuals have accepted our invitation to visit the University of Arkansas as finalists in the search for our next chancellor,” Bobbitt said in a statement. “A national leadership search presents an opportunity to test the reputational quality of an institution, and the quality and diversity of our four finalists show that the U of A is very well regarded on the national stage. I want to especially thank Dean Kim Needy and our search committee members for their hard work and dedication to this process, which has yielded a strong result heading into these campus visits. We look forward to getting to know the finalists more in the coming weeks.”

Robinson, the provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the UA, has been interim chancellor for the state’s flagship university since Aug. 16, 2021. Bill Kincaid had served as acting chancellor after former chancellor Joe Steinmetz resigned on June 18.

More detailed information on each finalist, including CVs and application cover letters, as well as dates, times and additional details regarding each candidate’s public forum, is available at this link.