Jones-Branch Appointed as Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Communication
JONESBORO – Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch has been named dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication (CLAC) at Arkansas State University, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Calvin White Jr. announced today.
“I am pleased to name Dr. Jones-Branch in her new role in her home college,” Dr. White said. "She is a capable leader and an award-winning educator with an established reputation throughout our state and nation as a thought leader and a champion for the humanities.”
“During the search, she shared a strong vision for the future of the college, and a demonstrated understanding of the unique challenges facing colleges of liberal arts and communications. I look forward to supporting her efforts to elevate the college and its diverse academic departments and programs,” White added.
Jones-Branch was appointed dean of the Graduate School in 2020. Over the past four years, she has worked to re-establish a centralized school for those seeking advanced degrees at A-State, as the institution deepens its Research II Carnegie classification.
"It is an honor and a privilege to return to the College of Liberal Arts and Communication as dean, where I began my academic career as an assistant professor of history 21 years ago,” Jones-Branch shared. “I am excited about this opportunity to work with CLAC students, faculty and staff as we continue to emphasize liberal arts and communication as core and essential components of a university education.”
Jones-Branch began her A-State career in 2003 in the Department of History. She was promoted to professor in 2016 and named the inaugural James E. and Wanda Lee Vaughn Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2017.
Jones-Branch said she is looking forward to continuing the mission of CLAC to help students develop the skills they need to be competitive in a 21st century world by focusing on support and advocacy for faculty as A-State continues to invest in its innovative research enterprise and teaching practices.
“I have long been aware of Dr. Jones-Branch’s profile as a leading historian in the state,” Chancellor Todd Shields said. “More recently, in 2022, I had the privilege to work with her directly and see her effective leadership and expertise in action while serving with her on the Governor’s Commission on Women. We are lucky to have her in this crucial campus role.”
Jones-Branch was a 2021-2022 American Council of Education Fellow (ACE), an ACE Women’s Leadership Program mentor, an ACE Council of Fellows board member and was part of the inaugural cohort of the American Council of Learned Societies, Leadership Institute for a New Academy. She is also co-founder of the Arkansas Delta Women’s Leadership Academy and participated in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities 2023 Millennium Leadership initiative.
She will begin her appointment at the beginning of the academic year on July 1, 2024.
“No matter what one's major is, every student who comes through CLAC has been impacted by the stellar disciplinary offerings within each department,” Jones-Branch added.
A published author, Jones-Branch’s latest book, Better Living by Their Own Bootstraps: Black Women's Activism in Rural Arkansas, 1914-1965, was published in 2021. She is currently working on a third book, To Make the Farm Bureau Stronger and Better for All the People: African Americans and the American Farm Bureau Federation: 1920-1966. Jones-Branch is also co-editor of “Rural Black Studies” for the University of Arkansas Press.
A Persian Gulf War veteran, Jones-Branch served in the U.S. Army in Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a member of the North Charleston, South Carolina-based 941st Transportation Company.
Jones-Branch received her bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in 1994, she earned her master’s at the College of Charleston in 1997. She received her Ph.D. in history from Ohio State University in 2003.
Outgoing CLAC interim dean Dr. Brad Rawlins will work with Jones-Branch to ensure a smooth transition.
“Since joining A-State in 2012, Dr. Rawlins has repeatedly shown a selfless willingness to serve the university and fill some of our most immediate administrative needs. I especially admire his steadfast and consummate advocacy for his college, faculty, staff and students,” White said.
“I look forward to spending more time in the classroom and pursuing some of my research interests. There are some goals that I hope to accomplish in the next few years that will be more achievable as a faculty member,” added Rawlins.
