The University of Arkansas System board of trustees has unanimously approved Anthony Graham as the next chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB).
System President Jay Silveria recommended Graham for the position and the UA board called a special meeting to consider the recommendation. Graham is expected to begin his new role July 1.
Currently a tenured professor of education and former provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Graham also served as interim chancellor of the institution from 2023-24.
He was previously a professor and dean of the College of Education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Nearly 60 people applied for the position, and finalists were named in February, followed by campus visits and meetings with administrators, students and stakeholders later that month. The advisory search committee was chaired by Perry Stuckey, a UAPB alum and Pine Bluff native.
Graham said in a press release that he is eager to collaborate with faculty, staff and alumni to foster a culture of excellence that drives student success, growth and development.
“As chancellor, one of my priorities is to ensure that UAPB thrives as a catalyst for social and economic mobility,” Graham said in the release. “Our mission is to provide students with a strong return on investment by expanding experiential learning opportunities that prepare them for meaningful careers and lifelong success.”
Graham attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in mathematics. He obtained a master’s degree in secondary English education in 1999 and a doctorate in curriculum and teaching with a cognate in multicultural education in 2003 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Prior to his work in higher education, Graham was a high school English teacher. He has served as the managing editor of the peer-review academic journal The Negro Educational Review, and has collaborated on initiatives that aim to increase the number of classroom teachers, especially ethnic and racial minority teachers, who enter the teaching profession in under-resourced rural and urban schools.
“UAPB is one of the UA System’s most storied and unique institutions,” Silveria said in the press release. “Graham has demonstrated his understanding of its important role and brings the experience necessary to lead this proud institution into a new era of prominence.”
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