Higher education notebook

Williams named vice chancellor

Lonnie Williams has been named vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement at Arkansas State University, Chancellor Kelly Damphousse announced.

Williams, 66, joined Arkansas State University in 2003. He was associate vice chancellor for student affairs before joining the chancellor’s office in 2017 as special assistant to the chancellor. Since June 19, 2020, he has been interim vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, succeeding Maurice Gipson, who accepted a similar position at the University of Missouri last year.

A native of Stephens in south Arkansas, Williams holds four degrees from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville: a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking from the Sam M. Walton College of Business in 1978, a Master of Education in 1984, an Educational Specialist degree in 1991 and a Doctor of Education in 2001. He spent 27 years working at UA, including 12 years as an assistant vice chancellor for student affairs.

His annual salary in his new position is $145,927, according to ASU.

ASU System hires information officer

Henry Torres has been hired as the inaugural vice president for information technology and chief information officer for the Arkansas

State University System, President Chuck Welch announced.

Torres, 57, has been assistant vice chancellor and chief information officer at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, a role that he will continue to handle, according to a news release.

He has a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and a master’s degree from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia (now part of the ASU System). He is completing his PhD in business information systems at Kennesaw State University, a public university with campuses in Kennesaw and Marietta, Ga.

His annual salary for the new position is $162,350, according to ASU System.

The ASU System, based in Little Rock, has nearly 34,000 students.

Instructor at UAFS earns certification

An instructor with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is among the first 21 educators in the nation to earn Geospatial Science and Technology Educator Certification.

Lisa Cady earned the recognition from the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence. She is the first educator in Arkansas to have the certification.

Cady teaches unmanned aerial systems, animation technology, and computer graphic technology for the UAFS College of Applied Science and Technology.