The University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College has named three finalists to succeed Margaret Ellibee as chancellor.
They are:
- Summer DeProw, Ph.D., provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, UA-Pulaski Technical College
- Wade Derden, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs, National Park College
- Ted A. Lewis, Ed.D., provost and vice president of academic and student affairs, Bluefield State University (West Virginia)
Ellibee retired in June after leading two-year college since 2012. Ana Hunt, associate provost, has been serving as interim chancellor.
The search for Ellibee’s successor yielded applicants from 17 states, the University of Arkansas System said in a news release. The three finalists will visit the campus in North Little Rock and hold public forums later this month.
DeProw previously served as the assistant vice chancellor for assessment and accreditation at Arkansas State University. She had been with ASU for six years and started as the director of assessment. Her academic career began at Williams Baptist University, where she was the business department chair and later associate professor of business.
DeProw earned her doctorate in higher education from the University of Mississippi. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a master’s of business administration, and specialist in community college education from ASU.
Derden is a sixth-generation Arkansan who grew up in central Arkansas and has served in education for more than two decades. He first taught at ASU-Beebe on the Little Rock Air Force Base and at UA-PTC. Upon appointment as a full-time faculty member at UA-PTC, Dr. Derden taught classes in history, political science, and the humanities. Later, he chaired the social science division at National Park College before becoming its vice president.
Derden received his Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Arkansas. His research focused on the social and cultural factors in a community that may predict students’ choices to attend college and their likelihood to complete a degree. Derden earned a bachelor’s in history from Hendrix College.
Lewis has twice been named “Administrator of the Year” at Bluefield State. Previously, he was the vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer at Pellissippi State Community College. He was founding dean of instruction at Lone Star College-CyFair, professor of political science and department chair at Collin College, and director of Collin College’s national Bellwether Award-winning learning communities program.
Lewis holds a bahcelor’s in political science from Texas Wesleyan University, a master’s in political science from the University of North Texas, and a doctorate of education educational administration, with a specialization in community college leadership, from the University of Texas at Austin.
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