Baptist Health College head starts job
Joel Hicks, who spent two decades working in healthcare and most recently was dean of a nursing and health college in Louisiana, started as president of Baptist Health College Little Rock on Monday.
“We are thrilled to have Joel Hicks at the helm of our college, which for over a century has trained the next generation of health care professionals in nursing and allied health programs,” said Mike Perkins, president of Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, in a news release from Baptist Health. “His decades of experience, not only in education, but in hands-on medical practice, as well, make him a great fit for its next chapter.”
After two decades in diagnostic and cardiac imaging — predominantly in heart catheterization labs — Hicks moved onto Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he began teaching in 2010 and was a tenured associate professor within the School of Allied Health, according to Baptist Health. He served as associate dean in 2020 — and as the School of Allied Health director from 2017-2020 — before becoming dean of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health in July 2021.
“Working with multiple health care disciplines, in a high-stress situation, has greatly influenced my ability to build strong working relationships in higher education,” Hicks said in the news release. “I look forward to furthering the mission of Baptist Health College Little Rock and building upon the high-quality education offered to students.”
Hicks earned a certificate in radiologic technology in 1994 from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences in 2006 from Northwestern State, a Master of Science in Radiologic Technology in 2009 from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a Doctor of Education in Developmental Education at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana, in 2016, according to Baptist Health. Baptist Health College Little Rock, part of Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, has been educating healthcare professionals since 1921, and it offers nine programs of study, including two nursing programs and seven allied health programs.
Karen James had been serving as leader on an interim basis prior to the hiring of Hicks, following the October 2022 departure of Judy Pile, said Brandon Riddle-Sims, a communications specialist for Baptist Health. Total enrollment for Baptist Health College Little Rock is roughly 550 students.
Baptist Health College Little Rock honored more than 150 graduates during its fall commencement in December 2023, with graduates earning Associates of Applied Science in Nursing, Associates of Applied Science, practical nursing diplomas, and patient care technician certificates, according to the college. Baptist Health Schools Little Rock transitioned to Baptist Health College Little Rock in 2015 after gaining certification through the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to grant degrees.
Baptist Health offers more than 250 points of access — including a dozen hospitals — for healthcare in Arkansas.