Dear Campus Colleagues:

It feels like it was just yesterday that I had the privilege of accepting the position as your chancellor at Arkansas State.  Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to so many people who have shared their passion for our A-State mission.  There has been a lot of meetings with students, faculty and staff as well as with community and statewide leaders.  I’ve been listening and learning, and today, I’d like to share with you some campus-wide updates.

Our university budget is in good shape, and our fall enrollment was mostly positive. Here comes the “but . . .”  Many of you have heard talk about our “structural deficit.”  Simply put, we’ve spent more than we brought in the past two years as we navigated through the pandemic.  Thanks to tightening of budgets and applying some one-time monies, we’ve carried on. Yes, we saw modest enrollment growth, but we can’t expect to simply grow our way out of some situations.

I’ve asked the University Planning Committee (UPC) to start the budget planning process earlier this year, and to begin with an informational meeting on Nov. 4 about how our campus finances work. From what I’ve been told, UPC often didn’t meet until the spring semester.  

There are some important reasons I’ve asked for this meeting.  The state’s General Assembly will conduct its semi-annual pre-session budget meeting with leaders of higher education institutions on Oct. 25 in Little Rock.  We might learn more about our legislators’ priorities during the meeting, so we didn’t want to meet prior.  These meetings are livestreamed, and I recommend watching so you’re up on these trends. At the same time, I want to give all our constituency groups a chance to have their regular meetings for discussions and questions after the UPC meeting.

Now, I don’t want anyone to panic or read more into this informational meeting.  In listening to employees, I know that most of them have a good understanding of how A-State’s budget works. However, there are some persistent myths, and I’m hoping by having a presentation from our finance and budget offices, we can all get on the same page.

• We are making progress on Windgate Hall.  The university has selected an architect, and after some preliminary meetings, we’re looking ahead to a design charrette in the coming months.
  
  
• If you’ve not been to the Judd Hill Farmers’ Market this fall, take a moment to drive by and see the progress on the new expansion.
  
  
• Coming up soon is the Employee Benefits Fair, and along with flu shots, COVID boosters and other vaccinations, St. Bernards Medical Center is providing mammograms and other health screenings.  Please get registered.
  
  
• Speaking of St. Bernards, their third-annual Pink Warrior walk and run takes place on Saturday, Oct. 22.  There is still time to register and support breast cancer awareness and fund-raising for our area. And, most of the 5K event will happen on campus using our PAC Paths and the Marion Berry Parkway. Watch for closed lanes as we work with SBMC and the City of Jonesboro to keep the runners and walkers safe that morning.  We will light the Dean B. Ellis Library clock tower pink on Friday night in their honor.
  
  
• I’ve received some preliminary good news on some research grants earned by faculty, and as soon as we can share, we’ll be bragging on their hard work.
  
  
• I want to remind everyone that nominations for the Chancellor’s Medal for Research and Creative Activities will be opening soon.  A couple of years ago, one of our outstanding alumni, Buddy Beck, endowed this award to recognize career achievement by an A-State faculty member.  Watch Daily Digest for more info on medal nominations, along with info on our other faculty awards.

Finally, what makes me excited is to see my colleagues achieve great things, and nothing gives me more pleasure than shining a spotlight on what they’ve done. Our video team has come up with the catchy title of “Take 5 with Todd,” and the first of these short features drops today.  

In the video below, I’m visiting with Dr. Argelia Lorence about the progress of her multi-year study on the impact of nighttime temperatures and rice production. Argelia is one example of how what happens right here in Jonesboro will change the world. 

If we haven’t met yet and you see me out on campus or in the community, please stop me and introduce yourself.  If you want to email me a question, please send it to Chancellor@AState.edu.

Dr. Todd Shields
Chancellor
chancellor@AState.edu

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