Todd Shields, named Arkansas State University chancellor on Monday, will bring to the job a stated desire to make the state's second-largest university a leader for northeast Arkansas.
He will also bring nearly a decade of experience as a college dean at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he emerged as a campus administrator with major responsibilities during a period of enrollment growth that other colleges -- including Arkansas State -- have not seen in recent years.
"We must connect with our community. ASU is primed to be able to do that," Shields, 53, said during a presentation on the Jonesboro campus last month in which he spoke about the importance of the university's role in the surrounding region.
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"The community is almost begging you to reach out and to say, 'Help us all become better' -- much more so than any other place I've been in," Shields said. "The community here is saying, 'Let's work with ASU.'"
Shields will begin Aug. 15 as chancellor, having applied for the job in a cover letter dated May 25.
"Arkansas State University is in a strategically advantageous position to play a central role in the future success of Northeast Arkansas," Shields stated in his letter.
Shields, a political science professor, became dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences in 2014 after starting a year earlier as interim dean.
He once seemed to express an interest in becoming the next UA-Fayetteville chancellor, telling the Democrat-Gazette in July of last year that it "would be an incredible honor to be considered."
But a list of applicants for the Fayetteville job provided Friday by the University of Arkansas System did not include Shields. UA System leaders began advertising for the position in April, after last year naming an interim chancellor, Charles Robinson, to replace Joe Steinmetz, whose abrupt resignation left questions still unanswered following his departure.
The UA System released the applicant list under the state's public disclosure law.
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In a written statement Monday, Shields called opportunities at Arkansas State "obvious and exciting."
"My family and I are deeply committed to the mission of Arkansas State, and we couldn't be more excited to be a part of the A-State family," Shields said. "After seeing the many opportunities, new relationships, and potential partnerships in Jonesboro, Northeast Arkansas, and across the university, we are eager to help serve the campus, the community, expand collaborations, and help Arkansas State University grow into an even brighter future."
Shields did not respond Monday evening to a text and voice message seeking comment.
He takes over from Kelly Damphousse, who left the chancellor's post to become president of Texas State University. Damphousse joined ASU on July 1, 2017, after working for 20 years as a professor and later a dean at the University of Oklahoma, starting his new role in Texas on July 1.
Not counting students at ASU's campus in Mexico, enrollment dipped for ASU by about 1.9% this past fall, falling to 12,863 from 13,106 the previous year, according to the state Division of Higher Education. Five other public universities in the state saw sharper percentage enrollment declines.
ASU's enrollment has dropped by about 7.7% since fall 2017, when there were 13,390 students, according to the Division of Higher Education.
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Shields will earn $450,000 yearly as part of an initial three-year agreement, and will be eligible to earn $50,000 annually in incentive-based deferred compensation, according to his offer letter. Each year, a satisfactory evaluation of Shields by the president of the ASU System will result in a one-year contract extension, according to the letter.
Damphousse earned a base salary of $372,000 in fiscal 2021 and that year also was paid an additional $52,000 in deferred compensation and as a bonus, according to the state Division of Higher Education.
Chuck Welch, president of the ASU System, in a statement said he believed the hire of Shields will "prove to be a truly transformational moment."
"He has an extraordinary track record in fostering student success, securing external funds, and managing large, complex academic units," Welch said. "These experiences, combined with his strong reputation and connections statewide, are precisely why the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee recommended his hiring to me."
Shields and three other finalists for the Arkansas State job each visited the Jonesboro campus last month.
The three other finalists were: Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University in Louisiana until recently and a former president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock; Karen Petersen, dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tulsa; and Lance Tatum, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Troy University in Alabama.
Dan Ferritor, chancellor at UA-Fayetteville from 1987-97, in a phone interview Monday described Shields as "very personable" and spoke about advances made by Arkansas State.
"I think ASU has made some good steps forward. They've always been a good institution, and I think it's now time for someone to come in and solidify that and move them up to the next level," Ferritor said.
Shields, as an administrator, "has shown he can deal with lots of different people," Ferritor said.
"He's also proven that he can talk to other people and show them what the educational institution can do for them, to come along and support it," Ferritor said.
As dean, Shields oversaw the creation and establishment of the university's School of Art following an unprecedented gift of $120 million from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation that expanded the scope of the university's art department.
Feedback on the candidates included many who spoke highly of Shields, with some questions also raised.
"Dr. Shield's experience and work drive is incredibly impressive. He obviously cares about his staff, faculty, and students in his current position, and I think that will translate over into his role as chancellor," wrote one faculty member.
One staff member wrote: "Dr. Shields, of all the candidates, answered questions that gave excitement to a new A-State vision."
Another staff member wrote that Shields "gives 'cool uncle' vibes."
In commenting on Shields, one faculty member stated Shields "is well positioned to raise the bar on strategic thinking," but also had words of caution: "The only concern I have is that he will come from an university where resources are plentiful compared to A-State and I do not think he has ever dealt with a situation of low enrollment in his tenure as department chair, graduate dean and college dean. Is he ready to make that mental shift to an institution that does not have as much resources as his current institution?"
Shields earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Miami University in Ohio. He earned a master's degree and doctorate in political science from the University of Kentucky.