ChancellorJanuary 26, 2024

Campus Update, Jan. 26

Written By: Terisa Riley

Dear colleagues and students,

Board of Trustees of the UA System: It was an honor to represent the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith at the meeting of the Board of Trustees held on the campus of UA-Little Rock on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Trustee Kelly Eichler was formally announced as the new chair of the Board of Trustees and her tenure as chair will begin at the meeting in March. Also during the meeting, the trustees voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Michael Newcity and Mr. Anthony (Tony) Jones (new members) and Mayor George McGill (returning member) to serve on the UAFS Board of Visitors. We are honored that all three men have agreed to serve on this board which provides guidance, support, and advocacy for strategic objectives of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.  

UA System Workforce Committee: Also this week, I represented UAFS in a meeting of the UA System chancellors where we are working on development and execution of a variety of initiatives to improve access to workforce development programs. Specifically, the chancellors have developed a variety of initiatives to advocate for increased funding, creation of efficient processes, and development of critical programs and communication campaigns to further workforce development in the state. I look forward to sharing many of these initiatives with you as they begin to materialize.

Institutional Effectiveness Plan Reports: Thank you to the 80+ employees who logged in to view the Institutional Effectiveness Plan presentations shared by each of the vice chancellors. These public reports provide insight into the strategies that each division is planning to execute in order to help UAFS achieve the goals of our 2023-28 Strategic Plan. If you were not available to attend, please feel free to watch the recording of the presentations by clicking here.

Academic Program Viability Feedback: Thank you to the staff and faculty who have provided insightful feedback in response to the recommendations submitted by the Academic Program Viability Task Force. We will be sharing the feedback with Provost Robinson and APV Task Force Chair Dr. Matt McCoy, and I will send a summary of the feedback after I code and synthesize it, no later than mid-February.

Congratulations to the UAFS Women’s Basketball team on a phenomenal win (96 to 84) against Midwestern State University. We hope to see you on Jan. 27 when the women play at 1 p.m. and the men play at 3 p.m. in the Stubblefield Center. Remember, students and employees can attend for free.

Have a safe and relaxing weekend, Lions!

Terisa Riley

Terisa C. Riley, Ph.D.

Chancellor

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