FAYETTEVILLE -- Charles Robinson, the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's top academic and student affairs administrator, has been named interim chancellor effective Aug. 16.
A national search will begin later this year to find the next top campus leader, but Robinson is taking on the role for the upcoming fall semester and possibly longer.
University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt announced Robinson's appointment Monday and said that both internal and external candidates will be considered to replace former chancellor Joe Steinmetz, who resigned in June.
Robinson, 55, will be the first Black chancellor in UA history after last year becoming the the university's first Black provost, the top academic officer for the campus.
"I'm honored to be selected to serve the University of Arkansas as interim chancellor and would like to thank Dr. Bobbitt for entrusting me with this important role," Robinson said in a statement. "We have amazing students, faculty and staff, and it's a privilege to continue working with them as we prepare for the upcoming fall semester, and advance many long-term initiatives in service of Arkansas."
A historian, Robinson joined the university as a faculty member in 1999 and has held various leadership roles on campus.
As interim chancellor, Robinson is set to earn an annual salary of $480,000 "for the duration of time you serve in this role," according to a letter to from Bobbitt dated Aug. 6.
In the letter, Bobbitt tells Robinson that "your acceptance of this interim appointment does not compromise your ability to apply and compete for the permanent position."
Bobbitt also states that Robinson is being asked to serve as interim chancellor until the position is filled on a more permanent basis.
"I anticipate that the earliest this will occur will be January 2022," Bobbitt states in the letter.
In Monday's announcement, Bobbitt said a search committee would be formed to help with the search.
"During a transition period, it is imperative to have a leader in place who has the trust and confidence of all stakeholder groups, and I am confident that Dr. Robinson has the background, personality and temperament to work with everyone to drive the U of A forward through the coming year," Bobbitt said in a statement.
Robinson earns $320,000 in his current role as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, UA spokesman Mark Rushing said.
Rushing said Monday that two interim leaders will be named for the university's provost's office and to serve as the university's top student affairs administrator.
Steinmetz's resignation abruptly ended nearly 5½ years as UA's top campus leader.
But even before then, Robinson had moderated panel discussions for faculty and students about the university's response to covid-19, and he's listed as co-chair for contingency planning efforts that are a part of UA's response to the pandemic.
The university continues to plan for a full return to in-person classes this fall semester, which is set to begin Aug. 23.
During a July 29 panel discussion for faculty members about covid-19, Robinson said, "there's nothing that's 100% in anything that we do." So, Robinson said, "we try to mitigate as much as possible," referring to steps such as allowing faculty to hold virtual office hours.
"It is not ideal, and I'm not trying to make it ideal. But it is a situation that I think we have significant tools to mitigate," Robinson told faculty members.
Coleman Warren, UA's student body president, said he's been meeting monthly with Robinson to discuss student issues and concerns. Robinson is a "good listener" and "very candid," said Warren, a senior from Farmington.
"What I find to be most valuable is he understands the importance of the student experience," Warren said.
Students want to "feel like the university cares about them, more than just giving them the baseline education that they need to graduate," Warren added.
"He wants to make sure we're a student-focused institution, and that's at all levels," Warren said.
Robinson spoke to him about having student leaders encourage covid-19 vaccination.
"He really wanted us involved," Warren said, adding that Robinson "doesn't want to go to a virtual environment because he knows it would not be reasonable to put students through another semester of that."
Mary Savin, a professor of microbial ecology and chair of UA's faculty senate, in an email said Robinson "has shown the ability to work with the people in place."
"I am sure it was a difficult decision to choose between an interim and move forward with a full national search or to select an internal, permanent candidate from a selection of worthy individuals within the system," Savin said.
As far as finding UA's next top leader, faculty "will definitely expect to be contributing to the search and want to contribute to the vetting of the next chancellor," Savin said.
Among the 14 member schools of the Southeastern Conference, there had not been a Black college president or chancellor until this year, when Louisiana State University hired William Tate IV.
"Clearly, Black people are underrepresented at all levels, not only the administrative ranks but the academic ranks as well, and so this is a positive change," Andre Perry, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, said about the recent SEC appointments.
Robinson earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Houston, a master's degree in history from Rice University and a doctorate in history from the University of Houston.
CORRECTION: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Interim Chancellor Charles Robinson agreed to an interview with an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Robinson did not respond to an interview request.