UA system begins taking applications for UAFS post

Experience building graduate programs and the ability to align school goals with a new state funding model are two of seven “preferred qualifications” for the next top administrator at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

The University of Arkansas System announced Wednesday applications to become the university’s next chancellor are being accepted. The previous chancellor, Paul Beran, left Aug. 31 for a job leading the South Dakota Board of Regents.

The university would prefer someone with a doctorate and experience making decisions “affecting an entire campus” or as a leader in an “academic environment,” according to a position profile published on the university’s website.

Other “preferred qualifications” are experience with “innovative” funding initiatives and budget management; experience with industry partnerships; and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The higher education funding model, first used in 2017, involves a productivity index based on several factors, including the number of credentials earned by students. A school’s funding losses because of the index are capped at 1 percent for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 2019.

Beran earned a yearly base salary of $224,910 at UAFS. The position profile states the salary will be “competitive” and based on qualifications and experience, and application material should be submitted to the search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates by Feb. 8 for “best consideration.”