Whitney Gass, assistant professor of criminal justice at Southern Arkansas University, has been appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Board of Corrections.
Her term on the board is for seven years, and it is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017.
She was informed of the appointment on Feb. 13.
“I hope to represent my department, the University, and my discipline well,” Gass said. “It is a big responsibility and is not one that I take lightly.”
Dr. Trey Berry, president of SAU, said that he is “excited that Professor Gass will be serving our state on the Board of Corrections. Her knowledge and experience will serve that group very well.”
“We would also like to thank Gov. Hutchinson for appointing her and Rep. Matthew Shepherd of El Dorado for his desire to have south Arkansas represented well on this important board.”
Dr. David Lanoue, provost and vice president of academic affairs at SAU, congratulated Gass on her appointment and said, “We are very proud to have an SAU faculty member in such an important position.”
Gass said she was first approached by Berry at the beginning of the spring 2017 semester about a vacancy on the board.
“The Board of Corrections is made up of certain types of individuals, including an academic position in criminal justice,” Gass said. “A change was made in that capacity, and the board petitioned universities for names of individuals in their criminal justice programs. Dr. Berry asked me if I would mind if he submitted my name. I was honored that he thought of me.”
The Board of Corrections is comprised of seven members who serve staggered terms and are appointed by the Governor. Its mission statement is “to provide public safety by carrying out the mandate of the courts, provide a safe, humane environment for staff and inmates, strengthen the work ethic through teaching of good habits and provide opportunities for staff and inmates to improve spiritually, mentally and physically.”
Gass said that after her name was entered for the appointment, she was subsequently contacted by officials with the Governor’s Office. “They vetted me, asking me questions about my perspective on corrections,” she said. “I met with the Governor and his criminal justice adviser, and early last week they called to say that I had been granted the appointment. I’m honored and excited, and I feel like I’m the right person for the job.”
Gass said that as a board member, she will be asked to consider policies, budgetary issues, and items “related to institutional programs and jails, community corrections, such as probation, parole and sentencing, and I will be presented with proposed changes and asked for ideas on how corrections will evolve or stay the same.”
Her background as an educator will be of use to her on the board. “I’m filling an academic seat, so based on my classroom preparations and research, I will be able to fulfill my duties,” she said. “Knowing the ins and outs of community corrections – the benefits and downsides – will be a help. We will have monthly meetings and some called meetings. The director of the board called me the day I was appointed to welcome me and ask how comfortable I am with ‘3 a.m. calls.’”
She said that if a “drastic situation” arises at a state correctional institution, such as a riot or an escape, “it becomes a concern for the board,” necessitating calls at any hour.
“I hope that I can over-prepare and do a really good job,” she said. “This is one reason I’m in education. I like the idea that what I do for my job can have an impact on someone’s life – maybe not today, in a way they recognize, but in the future, in a positive way.”
She said she hopes her appointment will bring about more awareness of SAU and the programs it offers. “We’re here in this southern pocket of the state, and we’re not the flag university, so any kind of recognition will, I think, make people aware of us and what we’re doing.”
Dr. Helmut Langerbein, dean of the College of Liberal and Performing Arts, said the appointment “is indeed great news for her, her department and SAU.”
Gass received her BA in behavior and social science with an emphasis in criminal justice from SAU, and her MA in criminal justice from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She is a doctoral student in criminal justice at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
