Four finalists have been chosen in the search for a new chancellor at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
The finalists are:
• Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University in New Orleans.
• Karen Petersen, dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Tulsa.
• Todd Shields, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
• Lance Tatum, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, chief academic officer and provost at Troy University in Troy, Ala.
All four have accepted invitations to visit the campus and formally interview for the position of chancellor, according to an Arkansas State University System announcement Friday.
The invitations came after recent meetings ASU System President Charles L. Welch conducted with the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee. The 22-member committee reviewed 44 applications for the position.
"We received a deep pool of quality applicants, and the four finalists are outstanding higher education administrators with impressive backgrounds in teaching and research who would each bring unique experiences to Arkansas State," Welch said. "Our constituencies will have an opportunity to visit with them later this month, and we will welcome feedback."
Each finalist will meet with the advisory committee, faculty, staff, students and community members during interview sessions, according to ASU System. Individuals attending the interview sessions will have an opportunity to submit feedback to the committee, which in turn will provide feedback to Welch.
He has indicated a desire to have a new chancellor named by July 1.
Kelly Damphousse, 59, who has served as Arkansas State University's chancellor since 2017, will resign effective June 30 to become president of Texas State University in San Marcos, according to Arkansas State University System.
Each of the four finalists has a doctoral degree, the ASU System said.
Kimbrough has been president of Dillard University since 2012. He announced last year that he would step down this month to pursue other opportunities. He served as president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock from 2004-2012 and was vice president for student affairs at Albany State University in Albany, Ga., from 2000-2004. He also served at Emory University, Georgia State University and Old Dominion University.
Petersen has been dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Tulsa since February 2021. She was previously dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, where she was also a professor of political science.
Shields has been the dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas since 2014. He was previously associate director of the J. William Fulbright Institute of International Relations, director of the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society, interim dean of the Clinton School of Public Service, and dean of the Graduate School and International Education. He led the creation of the School of Art in 2017 following a $120 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation and is guiding the construction of the Windgate Art and Design District in Fayetteville.
Tatum has served as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Troy since 2019, where he is also a professor in the Sorrell College of Business and its school of hospitality, sport and tourism management. He previously served four years as vice chancellor for Troy's campus in Montgomery, Ala., four years as vice chancellor for Troy's Global Campus, and began his academic administrative career as dean of the College of Education at Troy.