Arkansas’ Higher Ed Chief In Line For Louisiana Job

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reports that Arkansas Department of Higher Education Director Jim Purcell is likely headed to Louisiana for that state’s top higher ed post.

The top college policymaker in Arkansas is the leading candidate to become Louisiana’s next commissioner of higher education, ending a nearly eight-month search that began when the previous commissioner resigned under fire last summer.

Jim Purcell, the director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said Friday that he has submitted his application for the job, and sources said he is likely to be offered the position next week.

"It’s a great opportunity just to come back (to Louisiana)," Purcell said in a telephone interview, adding that he lived in Baton Rouge earlier in his career. "It looks like it’ll be a good opportunity to do some good things."

You can access the full story at this link. If Purcell leaves, which seems likely, speculation would quickly turn to a replacement for the Arkansas position.

Talk Business will update this story as more information becomes available.