PINE BLUFF — When Calvin Johnson takes the helm at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as interim chancellor Tuesday, he will, in many ways, be returning home.
Johnson, 71, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from UAPB and is the former dean of the School of Education there.
He has an extensive background in education and public service, having served as chairman of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and six years (1998-2004) in the state Legislature.
Before his appointment as interim chancellor at UAPB, Johnson was on the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
A reception and convocation will be held for Johnson at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Hathaway-Howard Fine Arts Center on the UAPB campus.
Johnson said in a phone interview last week that he didn’t know where he would be today without UAPB’s influence, and he’s looking forward to guiding the institution until a permanent replacement for Lawrence Davis Jr. can be found.
“I am excited to help make some positive things happen at UAPB,” Johnson said.
“Initially, I was very concerned whether I could provide the leadership that will be required during this interim period, but with my experience in higher education, I was able to resolve any doubts that I may have had.
“But there is no doubt it will be challenging.”
Johnson’s salary will be $190,000, the same as Davis’, UA spokesman Ben Beaumont said.
Davis, 74, announced in March that he would resign as chancellor effective May 25.
Johnson spoke highly of Davis and the former chancellor’s father, the late Lawrence Davis Sr., who led the university when Johnson attended classes there decades ago.
Johnson said he has contacted Davis several times since being named interim chancellor, though he wouldn’t divulge many details about their chats.
“I asked him a lot of questions, and he reminded me of the mission of the institution,” Johnson said. “I am definitely following in some pretty big footsteps.”
Davis’ resignation followed an internal audit that sparked an ongoing investigation by the Arkansas State Police and led Davis to fire four employees.
Working for two years, UA auditors discovered $700,000 in payroll and purchasing transactions that violated university spending controls at the Harrold Complex, a dormitory on the UAPB campus.
Davis was in his 21st year as chancellor of the historically black college and was the longest-serving head of any public university in Arkansas before his departure.
Statements from UA System leaders and from UAPB did not connect Davis’ resignation to the investigation, but Davis had told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in November that he did not plan to retire this year.
Johnson said he intends to make the most out of his time as interim chancellor.
Specifically, he will tackle the biggest education-related issues facing UAPB, such as sagging student retention and graduation rates, and high remediation rates.
UAPB has the highest remediation rate of the state’s public four-year institutions at 85.8 percent, according to statistics from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
The four-year graduation rate during a study between 2006-11 was just 28.3 percent, the lowest among the state’s public four-year schools, according to Higher Education Department statistics.
UAPB’s four-year retention rate of 32 percent, while not the lowest in the state, can be improved on, Johnson said.
“These are issues that we have dealt with for several years,” Johnson said. “These are things that will be at the top of my list to address. One thing that is very important is that we must have more graduates to be able to support economic development, and we are going to have to get students ready and keep them here until they are finished.”
Johnson cautioned that if these problems aren’t addressed, “sooner or later our budget will be impacted. And if we lose that, it puts us in a position where we couldn’t continue programs and services that we currently offer. I think we can improve things, but it may take some time.”
Former Arkansas Gov. David Pryor, who sits on the UA board of trustees, lauded Johnson’s career and said he couldn’t think of a better choice for interim chancellor at UAPB.
“He has a fabulous reputation in the world of education,” Pryor said.
“I think his selection was extremely well-received by everyone on the board and in the education community. He has our utmost respect, and I think he will do an outstanding job.”
Shane Broadway, interim director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, also praised Johnson.
Broadway, who is to speak at Tuesday’s convocation, served with Johnson in the Legislature and appointed him as vice chairman of the House Education Committee.
Johnson later went on to serve as chairman of that committee.
“He is exactly what UAPB needs right now,” Broadway said. “He understands the campus community and is well-respected in Little Rock. He brings instant credibility with him.”
As the moment when he will officially be given the reins at UAPB draws near, Johnson said, he’s more focused than ever on his mission to help students succeed.
After all, he said, “if not for UAPB, I would not have had the opportunity that I will have on Tuesday. I have been afforded other things that I could not have done without the preparation I received there, including being on the Legislature, graduate school and most everything else in my life.
“UAPB laid the groundwork and prepared me for my future. I want to be able to help others have that same chance.”
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 05/28/2012