Green named provost at UAFS, will begin in July

Dr. Raymond Green has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS), the university announced Thursday (May 28). He succeeds Dr. Shadow Robinson who was named president of Frostburg (Maryland) State University.

Green, 56, is set to begin in July at what is the second highest job at the university, and his salary will be $240,000.

Green is dean of the College of Education and Human Services at East Texas A&M University, which is based in Commerce, Texas, northeast of Dallas. He has led efforts there to stabilize enrollment, expand academic offerings, strengthen faculty recruitment, and advance student success initiatives, according to UAFS.

“Dr. Green brings a rare combination of academic leadership, student-centered vision, and understanding of the mission of regional public universities,” UAFS Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley said in the announcement. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to supporting his faculty and his students. I sincerely admire that approach to leadership, and it is wholly aligned with our values at UAFS. His leadership experience, collaborative approach, and passion for transforming lives through education make him an outstanding fit for UAFS and the River Valley.”

Green has worked higher education leadership for more than two decades, including as founding dean of the Honors College at East Texas A&M University (Formerly TAMU-Commerce,) where he helped establish multiple residential learning communities focused on scholarship, leadership, and student engagement.

In his role as dean of the College of Education and Human Services, Green helped reverse a significant enrollment decline, hired more than 40 faculty members in four years, launched new academic programs, and supported increased external grant activity across the college, the UAFS noted.

Green earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drew University, and earned a master’s degree and doctorate in social psychology at Rutgers University. Green said the university’s mission and momentum drew him to the job.

“I was attracted by the university’s commitment to increasing student social mobility,” Green said. “I believe students are making an investment of their time and finances with the hope that there will be a meaningful return on that investment. It is clear UAFS is already making a tremendous impact in that work, and I’m excited to help continue that momentum moving forward.”

Green, a first-generation college student, said higher education transformed the trajectory of his life, and he emphasized the role regional public universities play in improving their communities.

“We are here to provide opportunities for students and to help our regions move forward,” he said. “Just as we talk about the social mobility of students, we should think about the economic mobility of the region, and the university is the engine for that change.”

Green and his wife, Sabrina, a recently retired school psychologist, plan to relocate to Fort Smith later this summer. They have two adult children, Conor and Meghan.

UAFS had 5,504 students in the fall of 2025, and has around 840 faculty and staff.

The university is also working toward completing its “Intrepid Ambition” fundraising campaign. The campaign is designed to reshape access to education, elevate academic excellence, and power economic development in the Fort Smith metro, according to UAFS. University officials set a fundraising goal of $85 million by 2028, and had privately raised $68.518 million prior to the April 2, 2025, announcement of the public phase of the campaign. As of Dec. 17, the campaign amount was $77.384 million.