Dr. Bruno G. Hicks became a Mulerider and joined Southern Arkansas University as System president on June 17, 2024. Before coming to SAU, Dr. Hicks served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Dalton State College, where he oversaw the four academic schools, the library, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Student Success and Advising Center, Institutional Research, First Year Experience, the satellite Mountain Campus and the campus-wide strategic planning assessment.

Between 2016 and 2020, Dr. Hicks served as the dean of the School of Education at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, MA. At Fitchburg, he founded the School of Education, led the School of Education through accreditation, and organized the Young Teachers Academy. While in Massachusetts, Dr. Hicks chaired the Standing Committee of Education Deans for the state university system. Dr. Hicks dedicated his previous 18 years as a professor at the University of Maine Fort Kent (UMFK), where he served 14 years as the division chair of Teacher Education and led student-travel programs, providing educational opportunities beyond the classroom. Prior to joining UMFK, Dr. Hicks spent time as a seventh and eighth grade science and math teacher in the Maine public schools.

An outdoor enthusiast, Hicks dedicated several years during that time to leading outdoor adventure programs for teens. His wife, Linda, spent 27 years as a physician assistant in rural family practice and has an MSW degree from the University of Maine. The Hicks own a 450-acre farm in Maine that has been in Linda’s family for six generations. In May 2024, they celebrated 35 years of marriage and have four adult children. They both love gardening, the outdoors, hiking, canoeing, and camping.