AASCU Chooses ASU System President Chuck Welch as Chair-Elect
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Association of State Colleges and Universities Board of Directors has selected Dr. Chuck Welch, president of the Arkansas State University System in Little Rock, as its Chair-Elect.
Welch, who will become chair of the national organization in 2020, was first elected to the AASCU Board of Directors in November 2016. AASCU is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of more than 400 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development.
“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Welch as Chair-Elect 2019 of our AASCU Board,” said Dr. Mildred Garcia, president of AASCU. “His wisdom, expertise and leadership will be of great benefit to the AASCU institutions that are delivering American’s promise.”
Welch will succeed F. Javier Cevallos, president of Framingham State University in Massachusetts, who will serve as Chair in 2019.
“I’m honored to serve this outstanding organization,” Welch said. “I look forward to working with my fellow presidents and chancellors as we advance higher education. I’ve been an active member of this professional association during my seven years with ASU and previously while at Henderson State. Our members benefit from discussing common opportunities and challenges, and we serve as an important national voice for higher education.”
Welch became president of the ASU System in April 2011 and has become one of the state’s leading advocates for higher education. He is chairman of the board of the Arkansas Association of Public Universities, as well as co-chair of the executive council of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
During his tenure with the ASU System, Welch has hired new chancellors for all five of the system’s main campuses and overseen a major operating efficiency study and plan. Among the system’s major expansion initiatives under his leadership are the merger of Mid-South Community College in West Memphis; the August 2016 opening of NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State; and fall 2017 opening of a $100 million privately funded A-State campus in Queretaro, Mexico. Additionally, the ASU System office was relocated to Little Rock and expanded to enhance its statewide exposure and position in higher education leadership at the State Capitol.
The ASU System serves almost 23,000 students throughout Arkansas and includes Arkansas State University, a four-year research institution in Jonesboro. Its two-year institutions include ASU-Beebe, with additional campuses in Heber Springs and Searcy and an instructional site at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville; ASU-Newport, with additional campuses in Jonesboro and Marked Tree; ASU-Mountain Home; and ASU Mid-South in West Memphis. For more information about the ASU System, visit ASUSystem.edu or follow on Twitter @ASUSystem.
