Planning official to retire this year

FAYETTEVILLE — A longtime planning administrator at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville will retire May 31.

Kathy Mandrell Van Laningham, 66, joined UA in 1992 and has been the school’s vice provost for planning since 2000.

“She took on the job of vice provost for planning during a time when the university experienced incredible growth in enrollment and construction,” Dan Ferritor, former UA chancellor, said in a statement. Yearly enrollment has grown by more than 12,000 students since 2000, with UA reporting 27,558 students this past fall.

Before joining UA, Van Laningham worked as a senior assistant for education in the administration of Gov. Bill Clinton.

In a statement, she cited work to establish UA’s New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship program as a career highlight. Based on grades and college entrance exam scores, the scholarships are for up to 90 percent of the difference between in-state and out-ofstate tuition.

“I may be proudest of the work I did with different chancellors and provosts over a period of several years to help the public understand the [program’s] importance,” Van Laningham said.

Van Laningham earns a yearly salary of $184,576, UA spokesman Steve Voorhies said. A search will be done to fill the position, UA provost Jim Coleman said.