List for UCA president's job trimmed to 4

Next week, ASU vice chancellor set to be first of finalists to visit campus in Conway

CONWAY -- One Arkansan is among four finalists for the presidency of the University of Central Arkansas.

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Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Darrell Parker, dean and economics professor in the College of Business at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.

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Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Houston Davis, interim president of Kennesaw State University in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Ga.

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Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Len Frey, vice chancellor for finance and administration at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

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Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Nagi Naganathan, dean and engineering professor at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

Len Frey, vice chancellor for finance and administration at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, will be the first of the four to visit the UCA campus when he talks with faculty and staff members, trustees and community residents Monday and Tuesday.

Other finalists are Houston Davis, interim president of Kennesaw State University in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Ga.; Nagi Naganathan, dean and engineering professor at the University of Toledo in Ohio; and Darrell Parker, dean and economics professor in the College of Business at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.

All four hold doctoral degrees.

UCA released the finalists' names Friday after a UCA search committee interviewed eight semifinalists Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas.

"I think the committee was very unanimous in the selection of the four," said Kelley Erstine, UCA chief of staff and a nonvoting campus liaison to the committee.

"There was considerable discussion given to all eight candidates. I think that can be attributed to the good quality of candidates we had," Erstine said. "It was a very thorough process," with each candidate being "fully vetted by the committee."

The university's board of trustees will get the final say on who will be the next president.

Asked if he was confident the board would choose from one of the four finalists, Erstine said, "It is hoped that that will happen, but of course the board does have the final decision. ... I think the committee is offering to the campus four outstanding candidates."

Davis, 43, will visit UCA on Tuesday and Wednesday; Parker, 58, on Wednesday and Thursday; Naganathan, 60, on Thursday and Friday. The board could decide on a new president as early as late next week, but Erstine said it's too soon to know if the board will act then.

Davis has been interim president at Kennesaw State University since June. The research university has 34,900 students and four campuses, including one in Italy, according to his resume.

Davis was executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at the University System of Georgia in Atlanta from May 2012 through May of this year. Among his previous positions was vice chancellor for academic affairs from July 2007 through April 2012 at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in Oklahoma City.

Frey, 53, has held the vice chancellor's position at ASU's main Jonesboro campus since July 2012. From October 2005 through June 2012, he was dean of the College of Business there.

Among Frey's previous positions were business manager at Cardiology Associates of Northeast Arkansas and manager of outpatient services at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro.

Naganathan has been a professor of mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering and dean of engineering at the University of Toledo since July 2015. He was interim president at the school from July 2014 through June 2015. He has held the professor's title there since May 1995 and became interim dean in November 2000 and dean in May 2003.

In addition to more than 30 years at the Ohio university, Naganathan has done consulting for General Motors and Procter & Gamble, according to his resume.

Parker has been dean and economics professor at Western Carolina University since 2012. From June 2014 through January 2015, he also was acting dean for the College of Fine and Performing Arts. Since 2015, he also has been president of the Corporation for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which his resume describes as a "for profit affiliated entity" of the university.

From 2006 through 2012, Parker was dean and economics professor at Johnson College of Business and Economics at the University of South Carolina Upstate.

UCA's current president, Tom Courtway, has indicated he hopes to leave the position in December but has said he will honor his contract and stay through June if necessary.

The UCA Foundation, the university's fundraising arm, contracted with Parker Executive Search of Atlanta to help with the selection process. The contract was for $82,500 plus expenses.

UCA's general counsel, Warren Readnour, has said that state law would allow UCA to pay the next president up to $307,330 in the current fiscal year and $343,750 in the next fiscal year. Those figures do not include other benefits the school or the foundation could provide such as housing and automobile allowances.

A Section on 10/22/2016

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