UCA has been conducting interviews to replace Patricia Poulter, who has served as provost since 2018 and is set to retire at the end of the semester.
Poulter said the new provost should be “someone who understands the challenges of contemporary higher education and is committed to being part of a place that doesn’t shy away from complex issues.
“The provost is a partner in ensuring UCA not only survives but thrives, flourishes and leads in higher education,” Poulter said.
The applicant pool has been narrowed down from 89 applicants to four candidates, Cherisse Jones-Branch, Magesh Rajan, Michael Hargis and Vedaraman Sriraman.
Jones-Branch had her on-campus interview on Feb. 28, and Rajan on March 1.
Hargis is scheduled to be on campus March 5, with Sriraman scheduled for March 7.
Interview day schedules were filled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and included meetings with various offices, the president’s cabinet, and an open forum.
The open forums provided candidates a chance to present their background, skills and goals for UCA to not only the hiring body but also to students and staff.
After the presentations, attendees were encouraged to ask questions, which the candidate then answered.
While at the open forum, Jones-Branch detailed her qualifications, research, past responsibilities and experiences, as well as her vision for UCA’s future.
“I’m a huge proponent of supporting change, positive change that leads us in the right direction. Not change for the sake of change. The university is already moving forward, how do we continue to help the university to do that?” she said.
Both candidates spoke on enrollment numbers, and how they hope to bring those numbers up.
“Student enrollment is not just a numbers game, but it is an opportunity to make those impacts,” Rajan said.
“I understand that growing enrollment is an issue for everybody right now, right? So when we think about students, we need to be thinking strategically about who our students are. Most of our students, or often our students are not going to be the traditional 18-year-old that I was back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. That moment is gone. So, we have to look at our students differently and think about them differently, which means we have to think about what they need in a way that we haven’t before,” Jones-Branch said.
Rajan was drawn to UCA because of the UCA Commitment program, the university’s debt-free pathway for incoming freshmen.
“I was driving to my work a couple of years ago when I heard President Davis talk about UCA Commitment [on a podcast]. That got my attention instantly because it’s closer to me and closer to my heart because that’s what enabled me to get access to education and mentorship, and was able to have this successful career.
“And, stand in front of all of the scholars and great contributors to higher education and have this conversation with you. Those are all possible with a program like that. A university that is committed to help people transform their lives through higher education and high-quality education. A learner-focused university that is focused on student success being its top priority,” he said.
Those in attendance at the open forums are encouraged to leave feedback for the search committee as they grow closer to making a final decision on the new provost.