Dr. Trey Berry

Dr. Trey Berry has been named vice president for academic affairs at Southern Arkansas University effective July 1.

With 20 years of experience in higher education, Berry currently serves SAU as dean of the College of Liberal and Performing Arts. He came to the University in fall 2011 from the Department of Arkansas Heritage where he served as deputy director for two years. He previously worked at Ouachita Baptist University from 1989 until 2007. While at OBU he was a professor of history, director of the Carl Goodson Honors Program and director of the Daniel R. Grant International Studies Program. He left Ouachita for the University of Arkansas at Monticello where he served as dean of social and behavioral sciences.

            Berry said his motivation to apply for the VPAA position came as a result of the listening sessions he held when he became dean.

            “I heard from a faculty who wanted to advance the academic programs in new and innovative ways,” he said. “I thought, ‘Here’s a faculty that is sitting on go, ready to move forward.’”

Many administrators plan to “hit the ground running,” but Berry said his first priority will be to “hit the ground listening” on July 1. He plans to hold listening sessions with faculty members in each of the University’s colleges, building a collaborative vision for SAU academic programs.

Berry said he hopes the listening sessions will spark interest in innovative ways to conduct faculty development, enhance student learning opportunities outside the classroom, and create new degree programs.

“I really want the faculty to think outside the box,” he said.

A teacher at heart, Berry will continue to teach a history course each semester except for those during which the Arkansas General Assembly meets in regular session. He will also work with other administrators and the SAU Foundation to raise private funds for academic programs. One project he hopes to complete will be an endowment for student academic travel.

Berry anticipates an exciting future for academics at SAU. Among his goals will be to develop new majors and minors “that will be of great interest to this generation of students” and continuing expansion of the School of Graduate Studies. He also hopes to increase the University’s presence as a “global campus” by providing more opportunities for SAU students to study abroad and by bringing more international students to the Magnolia campus.

Berry follows Dr. David Crouse who has been serving as interim vice president for academic affairs. Crouse will return to his previous post as associate vice president for academic affairs and will fill Berry’s former role as interim dean of the College of Liberal and Performing Arts.

“We are delighted that Dr. Berry has agreed to serve as vice president for academic affairs,” said SAU President Dr. David Rankin. “He has been a tremendous asset to the University during his time as a dean, and we look forward to seeing his energy and enthusiasm for his work continue as our chief academic officer.”

Berry earned his undergraduate degree from Ouachita Baptist University and his master’s and doctorate in history from the University of Mississippi. He and his wife, Katherine, have now made their home in Magnolia. She is employed by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and is able to work from home. The Berrys have two children: a son, Tanner, age 14, and a daughter, Berkley, age 4.

Award recipients will be honored in four categories, according to Ceil Bridges, director of alumni relations. Receiving the night’s top honor – the Lifetime Achievement Award – will be Dr. James Floyd Kyser. Donald “Buddy” Wray and Grady Bolding, Jr., will be recognized as Distinguished Golden Muleriders, Dr. Corbet Lamkin, William Fullenwider, Jr., David Barham and Dr. Robert Olive will receive the Distinguished Alumni award, and Marc Smith will be honored as a Distinguished Young Alumni.

Kyser graduated from Southern State College (now SAU) in 1958 before completing a medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1962. He is now retired from a successful surgical practice. He served in the U.S. Army at Martin Army Hospital in Ft. Benning, Ga., from 1963-1965 where he reached the rank of captain.

During his time at Southern State, Kyser was a member of the Pre-Med Club and was named a member of Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities. During his professional life, he has served as a member of the Baptist Hospital Foundation Board, the Arkansas Arts Center Board of Trustees, and the UAMS Foundation Board. He has had many other successes including opening the second freestanding outpatient surgical suite in Arkansas in 1980 and founding Highfield Equities, Inc., in 1994.

Bolding is a native of DeQueen, and currently resides in Great Bend, Kansas, where he is president of Grady Bolding Corporation, an oil and gas production and exploration firm. He has also served as president of B&R Oilfield Services, Inc., an oil investing corporation.

Bolding received an associate of arts degree from Southern State College in 1949 before finishing his bachelor’s degree at Henderson State University in 1950. He served as a member of the Arkansas National Guard from 1947-1950. While at SSC, he was the sports editor of the 1948 Mulerider yearbook and was named to the campus Who’s Who by the 1949 Mulerider yearbook.

During his professional life, Bolding has held numerous prestigious memberships and places of honor including being former president of the Great Bend Petroleum Club, former president of the Great Bend Country Club, and chairman of the Barton County Democrats, among others. He has been an active member of two different churches where he has served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. For six years, he taught microeconomics at Barton County Community College. In 2010, he was elected to the Kansas Oil and Gas Hall of Fame.

Lamkin received his bachelor’s degree from Southern State College in 1975 before earning a master of science from the University of Arkansas in 1978 and a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in 1981. During his time as a student at SSC, he was a member of the Agriculture Club and the Student Government Association.

Upon completing his Ph.D., Lamkin returned to SAU in 1981 where he held a number of positions before being named vice president for academic affairs in 2002. He left the Magnolia campus in 2008 to become chancellor of Southern Arkansas University Tech. Before reaching the position of vice president at SAU, he worked as an associate professor of economics and agriculture, the director of the Small Farmer and Technical Assistance Center, the interim chair of the Department of Agriculture, director of grant research, and professor of economics and agriculture.

Lamkin has served on numerous local and state-level boards and commissions. He was appointed to the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission by Governor Jim Guy Tucker in 1996 and served as the commission’s chairman in 2000 and 2007. During his tenure with the commission, he has provided the group with much practical insight form his extensive knowledge of conservation, economics and finance.

Fullenwider received his bachelors degree from Southern State College in 1969 and currently works in property management in Magnolia. During his time at SSC, he was a member of the Agriculture Club and the Collegiate FFA Chapter.

Since leaving SSC, Fullenwider has been active as a member of the SAU Agriculture Advisory Board, the Columbia Christian School Board, the Magnolia Crop Advisory Board, Farmers Real Estate Company Board, and the Columbia County Fair Board. He has been honored with the FFA State Farmer Degree and the Columbia County Outstanding Young Farmer Award.

Barham received his bachelor’s degree from SAU in 1990. He currently resides in Sherwood where he works as a journalist. During his time at SAU, he was a member of ROTC, later serving the both the Arkansas and Louisiana National Guards. He also worked for The Bray, SAU’s student newspaper while he studied at SAU.

Since leaving SAU, he has been a member of the National Conference of Editorial Writers and has received numerous awards for writing.

Wray received his degree from Southern State College in 1959 and currently serves as executive vice president and special assistant to the president and CEO of Tyson Foods, Inc. While he was appointed to his current position in January 2009, he began his Tyson career in 1961.  He worked in a wide variety of management positions over the years and was named Chief Operating Officer in 1992, overseeing all operations, including live poultry production, processing and sales.  About a year later, he became President and COO, and he retained this position until he retired in 2000.  Wray also served on Tyson’s Foods’ Board of Directors from 1994 until 2003. 

Wray is currently on the board of the Jones Center for Families, the Jones Trust, the Endeavor Foundation and the Care Foundation.  He is also on the National Advisory Board for the American Studies Institute at Harding University and is a board member of Arvest Bank.  He has previously served as chairman of the board for the Northwest Arkansas office of the American Heart Association and was a deacon and elder of the Robinson Avenue Church of Christ.

Smith received his bachelor’s degree from SAU in 1999, a medical degree from UAMS in 2003, and completed a neurosurgical residency at UAMS in 2009.

While at SAU, Smith was a receiver for the Mulerider football team and was a member of the Biology Club. In addition to his professional duties, he also serves as the team physician for the Texarkana Arkansas High School Razorbacks. He has been honored as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor society for medicine.

“For one, these students get to see past high school to college. Each week they come and bring them positive male role models – and they need those anytime. This gives them that and something to aspire to,” Rader said.

“Muleriders for Movement is all about giving back to the community,” said Gary Herron, assistant director of housing, who oversaw the April 17 field day event on Mulerider turf – literally -  SAU’s football field in Wilkins Stadium.  

Football stars worked with the kids at different stations, running them through some of the drills that players perform each practice session to keep them in shape.

Smiles and excitement were evident in the little faces as they tried their best to impress their mentors.

“This program is all about giving back. It allows our SAU students a chance to be role models to the youth of today. I don’t know who gets more out of it – the kids or the players. There are smiles on every face,” said Herron. “These are positive role models who are tangible, accessible. They aren’t just someone you see on TV. They are real and within reach. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Quarterback Tyler Sykora visits Westside every week. For him, the visits are a way to give back and to show that football players are more than competitive athletes.

“I think it shows that we care. Life is more than football,” he said. “It’s about making relationships and giving back some of what God has given me. I hope the message it shares is that if you work hard and give it your best, you can accomplish whatever you want.”

It’s hard to imagine that anything can sap the endless energy of a five-year-old, but following in the footsteps of their hero football players did the trick. The children saw just how strenuous the life of an athlete is. By the end of the field day, the kindergarten-aged kinetic mass of energy – that only minutes earlier had mimicked that of Mexican jumping beans – was tamed, tired and ready for lunch and a nap.

It’s tough, yet rewarding, being a Mulerider.

The program was awarded the RHA or Residence Hall Association Educational Program of the year and Herron was recognized as faculty/staff of the year at the Greek Life Awards Banquet Sunday night. The award was given in recognition of his work with the Muleriders for Movement program and his work with Greek life and students across campus.