Four finalists have been selected in the search for an Arkansas State University Mid-South chancellor, the Arkansas State University system announced Tuesday.
The four candidates, selected from 57 applicants, are: Rodney Ellis, former chancellor of Central Louisiana Technical and Community College in Alexandria, La.; Robert Gunter, Mid-South Community College vice president for workforce education; Dwayne Scott, vice president for student services and enrollment management at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis; and Debra West, deputy executive director for programs and accountability for the Mississippi College Board in Jackson, Miss.
The candidates will visit the West Memphis campus for a day of interviews with university system President Charles Welch, faculty and staff, the board of trustees and the chancellor search advisory committee, according to a university news release. Scott will visit May 19, Gunter will interview May 20, Ellis will visit May 26 and West will finish up the candidate interviews May 27, the release states.
The university would like to appoint a new chancellor prior to July 1, Welch said. He will meet with the advisory committee after the candidate interviews to get feedback about the potential campus leaders.
The new chancellor will replace Mid-South Community College President Glen Fenter, who served as the first president of the college starting in 1992 and will move on to work as the chief executive officer of the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce on July 1, the release states.
The college will merge with the Arkansas State University system on July 1, pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission, according to the release.