SAU appoints Sronce to post

Robin Sronce, dean of the David F. Rankin College of Business at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, has been named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at the university.

A national search for the permanent provost and vice president for academic affairs will begin once a new SAU system president is hired, the university said in an announcement Thursday.

Sronce, 62, will start her new role as SAU’s No. 2 official effective in June.

She will replace David Lanoue, who has accepted the position of provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York Old Westbury, about 12 miles from New York City. The Old Westbury campus has 4,448 students and 171 full-time faculty members. SAU has 5,127 students and about 400 faculty and staff employees.

David Rankin, SAU president emeritus and interim president, said of Sronce: “She has a wealth of experience in academic leadership and is the ideal selection for this important position.”

Sronce joined SAU as the dean of the business college in 2017. She led projects such as the SOAR Sustainability Conference, the Entrepreneur Pitch and Idea Competition, and initiatives like Backpack to Briefcase, Leaders Conference and the Rankin College of Business on the Road, helping connections between academia and the professional world, according to SAU.

Under her leadership, SAU said, the business college added multiple degree plans such as undergraduate degrees in international business and health care administration and a new graduate program in business analytics.

Sronce earned a doctorate in business administration in 2003 from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where she also earned her MBA in 1997.

She received her B.A. at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., majoring in business administration and sociology and minoring in economics.

“I look forward to collaborating with the SAU community as we continue to foster innovation, maintain academic standards, and promote student success,” she said in a statement. “During this transition period, I am committed to building on our strong foundation, ensuring we continue to excel and adapt in a rapidly changing academic landscape.”

Gerald Plumlee, who has been the associate dean of the business college, will become the interim dean following Sronce’s transition.