LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas State University System Board of Trustees on Jan. 5 in a special meeting voted to designate Dr. Chuck Welch as President Emeritus in recognition of his nearly 13 years of service as system president.
Welch announced Nov. 14 that he would resign as system president effective Jan. 15 to move to Washington, D.C., and become president and chief executive officer of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Dr. Robin Myers, who retired in July after 11 years as chancellor of ASU-Mountain Home, will serve as interim president.
The board resolution said: “Dr. Welch is designated President Emeritus of the Arkansas State University System, in recognition of his superb stewardship, and in deep gratitude for his legacy of wise and generous counsel and his untiring efforts on behalf of the ASU System, its students, faculty, staff, and friends.”
Later at a reception honoring Welch, the ASU System announced creation of the Charles L. Welch Presidential Scholars Program. The program annually will recognize and honor a deserving scholar from each ASU System two-year institution who transfers successfully to an ASU System four-year university. Monetary awards will be included, and more than $34,000 has been raised so far through donations in Welch’s honor to the ASU System Foundation.
Trustee Price Gardner of Little Rock, who is serving as chair of the Board of Trustees search process, reported that a contract privately funded by the ASU System Foundation, Inc., has been executed with Academic Search, Inc. to facilitate the search. The process is expected to begin in mid-January with development of a job description and position advertisement. He said the timeline must be developed, but the overall goal will be for the board to conduct interviews in April and reach a decision by May for a July 1 start.
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