Southern Arkansas University opens national search for president
Arkansas University has officially launched its search for a new president, releasing a presidential position profile, job announcement and presidential search webpage on Friday.
Trey Berry departed at the end of last year to become chancellor of Henderson State University on Jan. 1, and David Rankin, who retired as SAU president on June 30, 2015 — and is SAU President Emeritus — is filling in temporarily as SAU president.
The presidential profile is available on the SAU website, and includes more details on the opportunity and the qualifications sought by the search committee, according to Jessica Williamson, assistant director of communications and marketing. Public information regarding the search, including a timeline for the search activities, the presidential profile and search committee members is also available.
Search committee members have worked diligently to launch this national recruitment effort to attract an impressive and diverse pool of applicants, Monty Harrington, SAU board of trustees member and committee chair, noted in Friday’s news release.
“We look forward to engaging with candidates that share the SAU spirit of student success and our commitment to serving the needs of our region and beyond,” he said.
The website allows community members and university supporters to nominate candidates, Williamson said. Applications for the presidential position are currently being accepted with a best consideration date of April 1.
The university’s next president will “promote academic excellence, scholarly activity, and innovation across all disciplines; oversee responsible financial management, ensuring sustainable growth and
resource allocation; [and] provide vision and leadership for University Advancement initiatives, including an upcoming comprehensive institutional advancement campaign,” among other responsibilities, according to the presidential profile.
This person will also “forge and nurture bipartisan relationships with local, state, and national government leaders, advancing SAU’s agenda and securing support for its mission; engage intentionally with the community, building partnerships that enrich the university and its surrounding region; [and] lead strategic planning initiatives, positioning SAU for future success.”
The next president should be “a visionary and thoughtful leader with ambitious goals for SAU [who] demonstrates personal integrity and promotes a culture of trust through shared governance, transparency, and ethical decision-making, [and is] a champion for academic freedom, community engagement, and student success,” according to the profile. This person should also be “an excellent communicator who will be able to rally support and foster pride within and beyond the university community [and] values the tapestry of experiences, perspectives, and cultures arising from a campus community that is multi-ethnic, international, and richly varied, dedicated to fostering a sense of family and belonging, ensuring SAU remains a nurturing environment for students, faculty, staff, and alumni.”
The university completed its first comprehensive campaign in 2021, the Love and Loyalty Campaign, raising more than $29.7 million toward a goal of $22.275 million, which led the effort to increase the endowment to more than $50 million , according to SAU. The university plans to embark on another capital campaign with the new president.
The public university prizes personal attention for students, with a 15:1 student-teacher ratio, and offers more than 100 degree and certification options in undergraduate and graduate studies, according to SAU. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, SAU is located in Magnolia, and the president of SAU is also president of the SAU System, which includes SAU Tech, a comprehensive twoyear institution in Camden.
The school is conducting its own search for a new president, rather than hiring an executive search firm.
Arkadelphia is Berry’s hometown — “I literally grew up on [the HSU] campus,” he explained when he accepted the HSU job last fall — and he had been SAU’s president since 2015.
At SAU, Berry oversaw enrollment growth to the highest level in SAU’s history, with 5,128 students in the fall of 2023, and SAU has students from 73 of the state’s 75 counties, according to the university. Under Berry’s leadership, SAU added 21 graduate degrees and certificates, including a new doctoral program in education leadership, and SAU tied for 86th for regional universities in the South in the latest U.S. News and World Report college rankings.