ASU searches for new leader of Jonesboro campus
By Roy Ockert Jr.
While the lightning-quick search for a new men’s basketball coach attracted all sorts of attention, Arkansas State University is quietly searching, with all deliberate speed, for a new Jonesboro chancellor.
Notably missing from the chancellor search committee is ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir, who has become known for fast and successful coaching searches during his 4-year tenure. Chancellors can’t be chosen as quickly or as privately as coaches, nor should they.
And, of course, they don’t have to worry as much about their won-lost records.
Whereas the athletic director forms a one-man search committee to fill an opening, with a little help from top administrators, the search advisory committee includes 21 people from all areas of the campus community. (Yes, there is a representative of the Athletics Department.)
Keep in mind, too, that it’s an advisory committee. ASU System President Chuck Welch will make the final decision, subject to confirmation by the Board of Trustees. But Welch will rely on the committee to help narrow the list of applicants.
For now the university is taking applicants through a special page on the university Web site (www.astate.edu/chancellorsearch). Don’t be shy about applying — at least 30 people already have —it’s a good way to get your name in the newspaper. Early applicants included a desk clerk, a security officer and a sanitation employee, all of whom would bring specialized experience to the role.
Come to think of it, considering the Legislature’s latest gun bill, a security officer might be a good choice.
While the chancellor won’t get as high a salary as a head football or head basketball coach, the position is probably more important to the long-term success of the university. Plus, whoever is chosen as chancellor won’t be subject to a $1 million “escape penalty.”
The next chancellor will have a decidedly easier mission than if he or she had been chosen last year — on the heels of the unseemly end to the term of Tim Hudson, ASU’s third Jonesboro chancellor.
While Hudson can be credited with having done some good things for ASU, he bullied those he needed for support and bent the rules to suit himself. Finally, his transgressions caught up with him, and he was forced to resign last August.
By then, the campus and some of its constituent communities were in open rebellion. Welch, who had hired Hudson as a last-minute applicant in the 2012 search process, realized too late the gravity of the situation. Hudson, in fact, discouraged dissent and managed to stifle critics who might otherwise have gone over his head. Besides, he made some big splashes for the university with the Mexican campus, an osteopathic school and a convention center.
In truth, ASU was still working on the proper separation of powers between the system office and the administration of the Jonesboro flagship. You don’t want a system president trying to micro-manage any of the campuses, but you also want that president to know when important things are going wrong.
To his credit, Welch recovered nicely, meeting with various Jonesboro groups, admitting the shortcomings and outlining a vision for recovery.
The latter included hiring an interim chancellor, who could serve as something of a buffer between the Hudson regime and an administration led by a new permanent chancellor. That would also allow plenty of time for a search.
Welch couldn’t have found a better interim leader than Dr. Doug Whitlock, brought out of retirement from Kentucky at age 73. A good listener, Whitlock represented a good change of pace, and he has impressed even the faculty, which is hard to do on any university campus. He understands the unique qualities of the academy.
Although he won’t be a candidate for the position, he’s the kind of leader needed for ASU-Jonesboro. Big splashes are nice for a university too often relegated to playing second fiddle to the University of Arkansas system. But day-to-day operation is more important, and communication is critical.
The chancellor and the Faculty Senate aren’t always going to agree, but they need to listen to each other. The same could be said for the chancellor’s relationship with the other factions that make up a university community.
Welch was right to look off-campus for an interim chancellor. There were too many wounds for anyone identified with the Hudson administration to lead the healing process.
Now, though, it’s time is to find the right leader, and the search committee should not overlook some fine candidates already on campus. One of those is Dr. Len Frey, ASU’s vice chancellor for finance and administration and a finalist last fall for president of the University of Central Arkansas.
Frey’s credentials include substantial experience in teaching and administration, private business management, community service and leadership, and professional development. He moves easily from faculty meetings to ballgames to Chamber of Commerce meetings to the classroom. He is well-known and highly regarded in all such settings.
At last report, he hadn’t applied for the chancellor position, but he should. ASU needs a leader with not only a vision for the future but also an appreciation for its past and the community that supports it.
Roy Ockert, a resident of Jonesboro, is a retired editor of The Jonesboro Sun. He can be reached at royo@jonesborosun.com.