Panel named for Batesville college search
University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt released the names last week of an advisory committee that will help find a new chancellor to run the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville.
He also said an interim chancellor will be be named later this month.
Deborah Frazier, who was named chancellor in 2007, announced her retirement in March. Her retirement takes effect May 31.
“Chancellor Frazier’s planned retirement on May 31 does present some challenges for the search committee, but we agree that it is more important that we take the time to do the search properly than to do it quickly,” Bobbitt said in a statement. “Thus, I anticipate that an interim chancellor appointment will be necessary for a part of the time from May 31 until the next chancellor is in place. Fortunately, there are a number of very capable leaders at UACCB ready and willing to take on this responsibility.”
The chancellor post at the Batesville campus is one of several top leadership positions soon to be vacant in the UA System because of pending retirements. National searches are underway to fill those positions, which are at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope-Texarkana, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock and the Arkansas Archeological Survey based in Fayetteville, all part of the UA System, the state’s largest higher education system.
Most UA-Batesville’s 1,233 students live in Independence County. But students also come from nearby counties that include Cleburne, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Sharp and White.
The college operates an adult education program in Highland in Sharp County.
Marietta Candler, division chairwoman of Nursing and Allied Health at UA’s Batesville campus and a 27-year employee, will serve as chairwoman of the community college’s search committee.
Four members of the college’s board of visitors are on the committee. They are Board Chairwoman Maggie Williams, Calvin Wright, Dr. Michael Hester and Ted Hall.
Other members are Stacy Gunderman representing the Batesville community and Carter Ford of the college’s Foundation Board.
Four others — two faculty representatives and two staff representatives — round out the committee. They are faculty member Mindy Shaw, faculty senate President Andrew Seely, Physical Plant Director Heath Wooldridge and Cheyenne Diaz of the college’s career pathways program.
The committee will come up with a short list of final candidates. Bobbitt will then decide which one to recommend to the University of Arkansas board of trustees, which will make the final decision.