The chief academic officer at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has been named one of four finalists to be president at the University of Memphis.
Sharon Gaber has been UA provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs since 2009. She is also a professor of sociology.
According to a news release from the Tennessee Board of Regents, the search advisory committee narrowed the candidate pool to four finalists Thursday. There were more than 70 applicants, and 10 were interviewed.
“The University of Memphis is looking to make strides in enrollment growth, research funding and graduation rates similar to what we are doing at Arkansas,” Gaber said in an email. “I have been very well prepared here at the U of A for an opportunity such as Memphis.”
The other finalists for the position are:
Guy Bailey, professor and former president at the University of Alabama and former president at Texas Tech University; George Hynd, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the College of Charleston; and David Rudd, provost at the University of Memphis.
Each candidate will visit the campus between March 16 and March 25 to meet with a variety of university constituent groups, including faculty and staff members, students, alumni, and the community, according to the news release.
The University of Memphis is one of Tennessee’s three comprehensive doctoral-extensive institutions of higher learning.
According to Gaber’s resume, before joining UA, she was senior associate provost at Auburn University from 2007-2008. She was associate dean of Auburn’s College of Architecture and a professor from 2002-2006. Resumes of all the candidates are available at tbr.edu/offices/chancellor. aspx?id=9315.
The Tennessee Board of Regents supervises one of the nation’s largest higher-education systems, governing 46postsecondary educational institutions. The system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology, providing programs across the state to more than 200,000 students.
Arkansas, Pages 19 on 03/09/2014