MONTICELLO -- As Summer DeProw shook the hands of University of Arkansas System trustees after they unanimously approved her as the next chancellor of the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College on Wednesday, she was visibly emotional, because she couldn't help but think about her parents -- especially her father -- in that moment.
Though he's "not here anymore, my father was dean of the college of education at Arkansas State, and I'm here because of him," said DeProw, UA-PTC's provost/vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, who is expected to officially begin her chancellor duties Jan. 1, 2023.
UA System President Donald Bobbitt recommended DeProw as the next chancellor to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas, based on feedback from faculty, students, external stakeholders, the chancellor search committee, and others, he said. "They felt comfortable with her and know she will understand all facets of any issue to make the best decision."
DeProw is "very detail-oriented and inquisitive," Bobbitt said. "She asks as many questions as she answers, because she takes time to understand all the underlying factors."
"I'm passionate about student success -- I get really excited seeing people be successful -- and one of the great things I've learned" in her first year at Pulaski Tech is "the passion for students our faculty and staff have," DeProw said. "They stay late because they love what they do -- you can't fake that -- and it's a great place to be because of their dedication to students."
Among DeProw's first tasks as chancellor will be to replace herself as provost, then to re-ignite the process of developing a strategic plan for Pulaski Tech in earnest, she said. Though some of that work has started, "it's time to get that going again, because -- done well -- a strategic plan can galvanize people around the mission and [lead us to] look for new ways to accomplish that mission."
"I believe the faculty and staff are ready for new ways to help students succeed," added DeProw, who was chosen over two other finalists, Wade Derden, National Park College's vice president for academic affairs, and Ted A. Lewis, provost/vice president of academic and student affairs at Bluefield State University in West Virginia. That includes not only academic success, "but success in the workforce and the community," she said.
The UA-PTC search committee evaluated applicants from 17 states, and finalists were selected with the aid of an advisory search committee chaired by Richard Moss, dean of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Pulaski Tech, according to the UA System. DeProw will succeed interim Chancellor Ana Hunt, who was appointed interim by Bobbitt in June following the retirement of then-Chancellor Margaret Ellibee -- who announced in January her intent to retire effective June 30 -- but did not apply for the full-time chancellor role.
"We had three wonderful finalists, which is a great credit to the search committee, and they all could have done the job well," but DeProw is "very experienced," Bobbitt said. "She knows and understands the campus."
"I'm excited Summer was" chosen following a "very collaborative search process that" included on and off-campus stakeholders and resulted in selection of "the best possible person to take [UA-PTC] into the brightest possible future," said Chris Thomason, who headed up the search and is the UA System's vice president for planning and development. DeProw's extensive experience -- as well as the "diversity of her experiences -- and her understanding of [Pulaski Tech's] mission were overwhelming."
DeProw, who earned her doctorate in higher education from the University of Mississippi and has a bachelor's degree in accounting, master's in business administration, and specialist in community college education from Arkansas State University, was Business Department chair and associate professor of business at Williams Baptist University before moving back to Arkansas State, according to the UA System. She began there as director of assessment before becoming assistant vice chancellor for assessment and accreditation, then became a provost at UA-PTC a year ago.
"The whole (search) process really unified and invigorated the campus in putting its best foot forward to help ensure a future of which we'll all be proud," Moss said in a news release from the UA System. "It was very rewarding to be a part of, and I know we're all looking forward to moving ahead with Dr. DeProw at the helm."
UA-PTC, the UA System's largest two-year college, was established in 1945 as a vocational-technical school, but it has evolved through the years to meet varying education needs, according to the UA System. In addition to its main campus in North Little Rock, the college has locations across Pulaski and Saline Counties, but enrollment at Pulaski Tech has decreased for three consecutive years, down to 4,223 this fall from 4,425 in 2021, 4,833 in 2020, and 5,531 in 2019.
As chancellor, DeProw will emphasize and develop academic programs that lead to livable wages for students.
"Our job is to apply the new knowledge" that springs from industry and top research institutions "and teach people how to use it," DeProw explained during an on-campus forum last month. "Bring in high-tech, but we also need to" equip students with basic knowledge and baseline skills so they can master advanced concepts.
Math, writing, etc., is "made real -- it's applied" -- at colleges like UA-PTC, as well as in the workplace, she added. "We create lifelong learners here."