SAU president retires, gains 'emeritus' title

College dean assumes role

Dr. David Rankin
Dr. David Rankin

MAGNOLIA -- After 45 years of service to Southern Arkansas University, President David Rankin retired Tuesday from overseeing the day-to-day operations of the university.

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Trey Berry

The board of directors recently named Rankin as president emeritus, and he will retain an office at SAU and stay active in both the university and local communities.

"I want to keep my position on the Golden Triangle Economic Development Commission and continue to work to bring industry and jobs to this area," Rankin said.

Trey Berry, who joined SAU in 2011 as professor of history and dean of the College of Liberal and Performing Arts, assumed the presidency Wednesday with a tree-planting ceremony.

"Today is not about me, and the ceremony is not about me. Today we are honoring our past, our history," Berry said, according to an SAU news release.

Berry said the tree planting -- particularly the replanting of SAU's historic Lone Pine -- served as a symbol of a collective future of SAU, the community, the region and south Arkansas.

"As we watch [the Lone Pine] grow, we will be reminded of where we've come from and how far we have come, and this university has come so far."

Taylor McNeel, an SAU president's ambassador, congratulated the new president on behalf of the SAU student body.

"Over the two years I've been a student at SAU, I've gotten to know somebody who has been a mentor and a supporter in my life," McNeel said of Berry. "I've really gotten to know that Dr. Berry has a heart for the students here at SAU. He loves watching them succeed and he loves pouring every ounce of his effort into this university."

"We owe such a thanks and gratitude for [all the previous presidents of the University] for their dedication and experience for what they have done for all of us, including Dr. David Rankin," Berry said, according to the news release.

When Rankin came on board as the new president 13 years ago, SAU was a different place.

"We had been on a long hiatus so far as a building program was concerned when I accepted the office, and we were behind on our infrastructure and some of our programs," Rankin said.

Since then, an almost nonstop building program that changed the face of the university has been in effect. And along with the new buildings came new programs and students.

Rankin's first big project was the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center. It became the center for community life on campus, along with providing space for organizations off-campus that wanted to connect with SAU.

"That was a big step forward, and put the university on a trajectory of growth," Rankin said.

Honors Hall was constructed to accommodate more students, and to attract higher achieving students to SAU. Along with the new residence came a new honors program.

Other dorms and the newer apartment-style living arrangements that were becoming popular around the country for college students followed with the building of Fincher Hall, University Village and University Hall.

Buildings were also added to improve academics at SAU. The Wharton Nursing School was bursting at the seams, and an expansion program was undertaken to increase the size of its building.

But something was on the horizon that would dwarf the other improvements: The state-of-the-art Science Center was the culmination of dreams for a new facility to house SAU's growing science programs. The Natural Resources Research Center and the new engineering department that followed were made possible by Rankin's commitment to science programs.

Rankin also pushed to provide more infrastructure for agriculture. A brand-new Agricultural Center was completed, along with horticultural facilities, the acquisition of the Monroe and Laney farms, and the Story Arena.

Student athletes weren't neglected during Rankin's tenure, either. New turf was installed on the football field, Mulerider baseball saw the construction of Walker Stadium for the consistently nationally-ranked team, and Lady Mulerider softball went from playing games at a city park to a new field with a stadium complex on the way. A new track and field program is also in the works.

The building of the Mulerider Activity Center and the Band Hall provided services to the student community, and added to the color and tradition of the marching band. And perhaps one of the most popular additions was the walking trail system that traverses the campus. Students at SAU and hundreds of people in the Magnolia area use the 3-mile trails, which feature water stations, rest areas provided with benches and views of the campus.

Rankin said, "When I started, it was obvious to me that we needed to do three things. Our infrastructure had deteriorated, and my first step was to improve it. The building of the Reynolds Center started that journey.

"But we also needed to do some things academically. We changed some programs and added others. The addition of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing was a great step forward, and the gaming program along with the recent addition of an engineering program helped us reach our goals."

Rankin also gave credit to the people at SAU who worked with him.

"Everything we've accomplished has been a team effort, with everyone involved in the program we undertook to widen our appeal," he said.

Information for this article was contributed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

State Desk on 07/03/2015

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