LITTLE ROCK — Students first - that's Chris Boyett's motto.
And from what he's seen so far in his new role as vice chancellor, he and the folks at Arkansas State University-Heber Springs are going to get along just fine.
"The first question people here ask whenever an issue arises is, 'How will this affect students?'" Boyett said. "A lot of places, that's the last question they ask. It has really impressed me. And I'm not just talking about student services. It's faculty. It's the physical plant. It's everybody."
Boyett, 38, has been at the campus since February when he stepped in as interim vice chancellor after the campus's founding vice chancellor Dianne Tiner retired after eight years with ASU-Heber Springs, 24 years with ASU-Beebe and 38 years in education.
"She did a great job of assembling a team of folks that will do what it takes," Boyett said. "I haven't seen anyone yet who has said, 'that's not my job. It gets on my every nerve to see someone turn away a student and say, 'I don't do that.' I don't understand that attitude. This group up here has a serving attitude, and that's the kind of attitude I like to see."
ASU-Heber Springs is a center of ASU-Beebe. Each of ASU-Beebe's campuses are administered by local vice chancellors under the overall guidance of ASU-Beebe Chancellor Eugene McKay, who hired Boyett with the input of the ASU-Jonesboro Board of Trustees. Boyett's first official day as vice chancellor was Aug. 1.
"Chris Boyett has the people skills and the management skills needed to be an excellent vice chancellor,"McKay said in an e-mail. "He has served the university well as a teacher and director of distance learning. I am sure he will bring the same energy and dedication to his new position and provide great leadership for the development of ASU-Heber Springs."
Boyett got his start with the ASU-Beebe system in 1996, when he was hired as a math teacher at the Beebe campus. Originally from Scott, Ark., he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He taught math until 2002, when his work as the part-time distance-learning coordinator became a full-time job.
A self-described computer geek, Boyett was interested in setting up a system of online course offerings at ASUBeebe. He started working in earnest on the project in 2001, and it took on a life of its own, and he found himself at the center of it.
"It's crazy," Boyett said. "We started with one little class in, I think, the summer of 1999. We started with five students, somewhere in there. This year, there are 1,200 students registered for online classes already. It's just grown amazingly."
Boyett said he always wanted to be a teacher. He said he loves seeing the light bulb go on over people's heads when they really get it - a phenomenon that can be especially rewarding in math because so many people are convinced they can't do it.
However, as he transitioned into a more administrative role with the distance-education director position, he got to learn so much about how ASU-Beebe worksand all its different programs, he said. The experience was rewarding, and he will bring the knowledge he gained from it to his new position at ASU-Heber Springs.
"A lot of people are really ambitious about their careers, have everything all planned out, but I'm not really like that," Boyett said. "I see a need and step up to plate if I think I can be helpful. That's what happened with the online job, and the same thing with Heber Springs. And I'm glad. I love this place. I saw an opportunity to help. And that's why I'm here."
The community was another deciding factor in Boyett's move to Heber Springs. He said he loves seeing the community groups who regularly use the campus for meetings and running into people at Walmart who stop and say hi when he's wearing his ASUT-shirt.
"The community up here loves this college," Boyett said. "They are up front with that. They put their money where their mouth is. I really appreciate that."
Boyett has joined the Rotary Club of Cleburne County and is on the Sugarloaf Heritage Council board. He said church is No. 1in his life, and he will be looking for a new church home in Heber Springs. He said he's more than a little sad to be leaving behind First Landmark Missionary Baptist in Ward.
"They've been my church family for a long time," he said.
Boyett also is a member of the Arkansas Distance Learning Association and a "wannabe guitar player." He has a wife, Meleah, of 12 years; an 8-year-old daughter, Bethany; and two adopted children: 2-year-old Brunson and 2-month-old Ben.
He is working on his doctorate through ASU-Jonesboro's Educational Leadership program. He completed his course work in 2007 and hopes to be finished with his dissertation soon.
Boyett said that between the new baby, school, work and volunteering, he is "very sleepy right now, but fine" and excited about the move.
"You never know where your life's going to go," Boyett said. "What I've seen in my life is one step at a time. I didn't know we were leading here years ago, but I love what I'm doing here. I love this community. I hope to be here for a long time, and I hope to see this campus really flourish." - awidner@ arkansasonline.commatter of fact
Birthday: Aug. 26, 1971
Occupation: Vice chancellor for Arkansas State University-
Heber Springs
Family includes: wife, Meleah; daughter, Bethany; son,
Brunson; and son, Ben (in process of adopting)
Hobbies: Fiddling with computers, playing guitar
My name comes from: Every generation of Boyetts has a
James, and I'm it for my generation
Most people don't know I'm: A bluegrass fan
I cannot live without: The support of family and friends
When I was young I wanted: To play baseball for the Los
Angeles Dodgers
What makes me mad: Self-absorbed people
The person I admire most: Jesus Christ
My favorite memory is: The birth of our daughter, Bethany
The world would be a better place if: Adam hadn't goofed
things up for the rest of us
Favorite quote: "Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a
hand" - John C. Maxwell
My goals for the future: To finish my doctorate; tso raise our
three children to be men and women of character; to help ASU
Heber Springs grow and develop
Three Rivers, Pages 121, 122 on 08/30/2009