Dec. 16, 2005 -- Mrs. Florine Milligan, chair of the Arkansas State University Board of Trustees, announced today that the board has asked Dr. Les Wyatt to present a plan separating the responsibilities between the ASU system and the daily operation of the Jonesboro campus.
 
Dr. Wyatt in his 11th year as president of ASU currently performs both roles.
“The board and Dr. Wyatt have been discussing this strategy since 1999. We have asked him to assist in the definition of and planning for the roles of both the president and the chancellor. The opportunities for the definition of the ASU System have grown over the last decade, and now compete for attention with the focus on daily administration of the Jonesboro campus. It is timely to consider the division of those administrative functions, and to assign them to two individuals.

"We have asked Dr. Wyatt to assist in the recruitment of the new chancellor, who will be considered for appointment by the board. We would like for Dr. Wyatt, as president of the system, to focus his attention on resource development, government and constituent relations, interaction with campus chancellors and to continue to oversee the development and coordination of the ASU campuses,” Milligan said.

Both the ASU system and the Jonesboro campus have progressed to the point that such a separation will be very advantageous. The system now enrolls 17,000 students at nine locations. In addition to new construction projects and campus improvements at these locations, Milligan cited growth in the number and quality of graduate programs and research capabilities at Jonesboro. She also noted progress in achieving the goals set forth by the Higher Learning Commission.

“The trustees have received from ASU-Jonesboro a strategic plan for future directions, a feasibility study for a capital fund-raising campaign, a diversity plan, an enrollment management plan, a campus master plan, a shared governance system plan and a proposed revision of the faculty handbook. All of these were described by the accreditation team and all have now been developed by the campus. We feel that the time is right to move forward with the separation of system and campus leadership, and to have this arrangement ready for the accreditation review in 2006-07,” Milligan said.

“Over the last six years, we have had discussions with the board about the concept of an ASU President who would be separate from the Jonesboro campus chancellor,” Dr. Wyatt said.

“We are grateful for the confidence of the trustees to initiate this process now as an outgrowth of our planning process. The occasion of the centennial gives us an opportunity to think about organization for the future. We are confident that with the board’s approval we will be able to move forward more effectively and efficiently with this division of responsibilities,” Wyatt said.