Arkansas State University System President Dr. Chuck Welch has been tapped to serve as chair-elect of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Board of Directors.
Welch is set to become chair of the AASCU Board of Directors in 2020, where he will succeed F. Javier Cevallos, president of Framingham State University in Massachusetts.Welch originally was elected to the board of directors in November 2016.
“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Welch as Chair-Elect 2019 of our AASCU Board,” says 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.”
“I’m honored to serve this outstanding organization,” Welch says. “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.”
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Welch was appointed president of the ASU System in April 2011. Currently, he is the board chairman for the Arkansas Association of Public Universities and the co-chair of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education’s executive council.
Since assuming his role as president, Welch has been responsible for hiring chancellors for all of ASU’s five main campuses, as well as spearheading an operating efficiency study, according to a press release. Under his leadership, Mid-South Community College in West Memphis has merged with ASU, and ASU has opened a $100 million campus in Queretaro, Mexico. The system has also opened a NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities is a national organization that connects over 400 public colleges and universities. According to a press release, the association is dedicated to sharing “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.”
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