Board for HSU gets new details on ASU merger; hunt for leader in mix

The president of the Arkansas State University System would chair a committee searching for the next top administrator of Henderson State University as part of an agreement approved Thursday by board members for the Arkadelphia campus.

The ASU System board will meet Dec. 6 to consider approval of the merger agreement and transition plan.

The plan outlines in more detail how Henderson State — after a summer of financial troubles — would become part of the ASU System headed by Chuck Welch, who, before taking on leadership of the ASU System in 2011, served as president of Henderson State.

Glen Jones, Henderson State’s most recent former president, stepped down in July, weeks after the school requested a $6 million state loan because of what Jones described as an “immediate need” for cash.

In approving the zero-interest loan, which must be paid back by June 30 of next year, state officials asked the Henderson board to consider joining a larger university system.

Last month, the seven-person board voted unanimously to approve a resolution to join the ASU System. The school, founded in 1890, has had a few name changes in its past but will continue to be known as Henderson State University. It has about 4,054 students.

Along with board approval, the merger requires approval from an accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, which pushes the target date for completing the transition to more than a year away, Jan. 1, 2021.

Welch presented the 16-page agreement to the Henderson State board on Thursday.

It states that two board members will be added to the five-person ASU System board, to be appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

The agreement states that “the ASU System President agrees to encourage the Governor to fill these two appointments with individuals who have significant familiarity with the Henderson campus, including those who attended Henderson.”

A board of visitors for Henderson State will be created to serve in an advisory function. But the agreement states that the change will require action by state legislators.

The HSU board in July appointed the school’s general counsel, Elaine Kneebone, as interim president.

“We will make every effort for the transition of Henderson into the ASU System to be as smooth as possible for everyone,” Welch said in a statement. “The inclusive process for identifying the next chief executive of the institution will be similar to what we’ve successfully done at each of our campuses. I’m confident that affiliation with the ASU System will strengthen Henderson, our institutions and all of higher education in Arkansas.”