Utter to resign as ASU Academic Affairs Provost; Chancellor Shields to fill role temporarily

Dr. Alan Utter is stepping down as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and research at Arkansas State University at the close of the fall 2022 semester, Chancellor Todd Shields said.

“We thank Alan for his work here at Arkansas State, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Shields said.

Utter will assume his faculty appointment and take a sabbatical for the spring 2023 semester to prepare for returning to the classroom in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Sport Sciences.

“I want to take a moment to thank Chancellor Shields for graciously accepting my decision,” Utter said. “It has been both an honor and privilege to serve the university as provost over the last three-and-a-half years.”

Shields will serve as the acting provost for A-State while plans for a search committee are finalized and the potential for an interim provost are evaluated.

Utter joined A-State in April 2019 following two years as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. Utter previously was the vice provost for research at Appalachian State University. While at Appalachian State, he was the founding director of the university office of student research and had a lengthy tenure as a professor in the department of health and education.