Dr. Len Frey to serve as interim provost at Arkansas State University

Dr. Len Frey has been appointed interim provost at Arkansas State University, Chancellor Todd Shields announced on Tuesday (Jan. 10). He will serve in that capacity until a permanent provost is appointed.

“I am appreciative that Len is taking on these additional duties for the next few months, and I want to thank him in advance,” Shields said. “I’m thankful that we have someone available who can oversee our Division of Academic Affairs and Research that knows the campus and already has relationships with our academic leaders. This allows me to devote time to chairing the search for our next provost. I also know with the start of the legislative session, I want to be able to have time to be available to be in Little Rock to work with our new governor and her administration as well as our legislators.”

Previously a department chair and dean in the Griffin College of Business prior to becoming the university’s executive vice chancellor for finance and administration and chief operating officer, Frey will be stepping in for Shields, who served as the acting provost the last days of the fall semester.

“It is my honor to assist the chancellor with the day-to-day operations of Academic Affairs,” Frey said. “I’m looking forward to working with our deans and program chairs to help solve problems and pursue opportunities together.”

Frey also announced that he will not be a candidate for the permanent appointment.

A two-time graduate of Arkansas State, Frey returned to his alma mater as the chair of the Department of Management and Marketing in 2000, a position he held previously at Nicholls State University. He was a department chair for four and a half years before his appointment as the interim Griffin Dean in January 2005. He became the permanent dean in the fall of 2005 until his selection as the university’s vice chancellor over finance and administration in July 2012. He was promoted to executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer in 2019.

Arkansas State’s previous provost, Dr. Alan Utter, announced in December his intention to return to the classroom and is currently on sabbatical.