Arkansas Baptist names president

LITTLE ROCK — Carlos R. Clark, provost and executive vice president at Arkansas Baptist College, has been named the institution’s 15th president, the college announced Monday.

The board of trustees selected Clark after a national search.

Board Chairman Richard Mays Sr. cited Clark’s academic credentials — bachelor’s degrees in English and in business as well as a master’s and a doctorate in higher education administration, with major emphasis in student affairs and statistics from the University of Mississippi — as one of the reasons for selecting him to run Arkansas Baptist College.

Mays also said in a news release that Clark’s experience with the college as an employee since 2018 and at historically black colleges and universities elsewhere makes him a good choice. Besides Arkansas Baptist College, Clark has worked in senior level positions at Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio; Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas; and Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Ala.

“These opportunities, matched with his vision, energy and passion, will serve the institution well as the college continues to realize both its historic and current mission under Dr. Clark’s capable leadership,” Mays said in a news release.

The college, founded in 1884, has been without a president since the departure of Joseph Jones in December 2017.

First, Howard Gibson, a former Arkansas Baptist College administrator, served as interim president. He did not want to serve in that position long term, so in August 2018 the board appointed Regina H. Favors, a graduate of the college and a longtime insurance executive who served as a college trustee, as the next interim leader.

At the time of Favors’ appointment, Mays said the board wanted the focus to be on stabilizing the college’s finances before hiring a permanent president. Favors was appointed as a long-term interim.

In its announcement Monday, the board praised Favors’ tenure “for her dynamic, entrepreneurial and visionary leadership” and for her “prudent stewardship of the College’s financial resources.”

Clark will begin his new role as president Oct. 1.

“I am extremely excited to continue to serve Arkansas Baptist College as president,” Clark said in the news release. “The mission resonates with me, especially its emphasis on preparing students for personal and professional success and especially its focus on service, social justice and leadership.”