SAU Board of Trustees
The Southern Arkansas University System Board of Trustees met in a regularly scheduled session on Friday, November 21, on the SAU–Magnolia campus.
Trustees approved previous meeting minutes and conducted officer elections for 2026, naming Jason Sullivan as chair, Monty Harrington as vice-chair, and Gary Sewell as secretary.
Dr. Bruno Hicks, SAU president, provided an overview of recent accomplishments and ongoing initiatives across the University. Hicks reported that Niche.com has named Southern Arkansas University the Best Small Public College in Arkansas for the second consecutive year. SAU is also ranked No. 2 among public institutions in Arkansas. Hicks shared enrollment initiatives and future efforts with the Board.
SAU recently celebrated a successful Giving Day, raising more than $250,000 from 488 donors.
Dr. Bruno Hicks
Hicks highlighted the University’s expanding role in the development of Arkansas’s lithium industry. SAU’s engineering programs and outreach efforts are supporting workforce development tied to critical minerals and energy-related technologies. Trustees viewed an ExxonMobil video created for the recent Lithium Learns Conference that showcased Magnolia, the region, and SAU’s contributions to STEM education and workforce readiness.
SAU’s engineering program continues to build strong partnerships with high schools across the state, and, as Hicks shared, the University’s new mobile STEM lab is expected to arrive on campus this spring.
Hicks recognized SAU student-athletes for their strong academic performance, noting a collective GPA of 3.2. Students achieving these marks represent all academic colleges across campus.
The Board unanimously approved a Resolution of Appreciation recognizing outgoing trustee Nate Evers, who has served from 2021 to 2026, including terms as secretary, vice-chair, and chair. The resolution acknowledged significant system enhancements during his tenure.
Dr. Jerry Thomas
SAU Tech Chancellor, Dr. Jerry Thomas, reported a productive fall semester, highlighted by strong enrollment growth. SAU Tech enrolled 1,019 students this fall, surpassing 1,000 for the first time since the pandemic, reflecting a 2.4% increase over last year. Growth was led by a 5.7% increase in high-school and technical program enrollment.
Thomas announced that SAU Tech has been named a 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence nominee, placing it among the top 200 community colleges nationwide.
Thomas shared updates on SAU Tech’s extensive workforce partnerships with employers in the Highland Industrial Park. Training has expanded in robotics, CNC machining, advanced manufacturing, PLCs, environmental safety, and other high-demand areas. The Arkansas Fire Training Academy has delivered more than 41,000 hours of training statewide this year. The new EMS Training Center will hold a ribbon-cutting on December 3.
Dr. Robin Sronce, provost and vice president for academic affairs, presented several new academic programs and modifications for approval. The Board approved the following:
- MBA – Project Management Emphasis
- Project Management Graduate Certificate
- BS Computer Science – Artificial Intelligence Emphasis
- MS Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Track
- Education Specialist (Ed.S.) – Rural Educational Leadership
- Engineering emphases in Chemical Engineering and Industrial Engineering
- MS Computer Information Science – Artificial Intelligence Option
- Criminal Justice program restructuring, including combining Cyber Criminology into a track and deactivating the standalone program
- Mathematics Education – deactivating with plans for a proposal for this to be in the MAT track
These academic changes will be presented for formal approval to the Arkansas Department of High Education.
The Board also approved updates to the SAU faculty handbook related to post-tenure review processes.
Dr. Valerie Wilson, vice chancellor for academics and planning, presented the initial elements of SAU Tech’s 2026–2029 strategic plan, including a new mission, vision, core values, and four strategic priorities. The complete strategic plan will be presented to the Board for approval at a future meeting.
Dr. Connie Wilson, vice president for advancement, presented updates and revisions to the SAU Foundation Naming Policy and to the memorandum of understanding between SAU and the SAU Foundation to reflect added staffing.
Trustees also approved the naming of the SAU trap and skeet fields and the sporting clay field trap facilities in honor of Dr. Bob Burns, recognizing his long-standing philanthropic support and leadership. The facility will be renamed the Dr. Bob L. Burns Fields at the Farmers Bank & Trust Range.
Following the executive session, the Board approved personnel changes and adjourned the meeting.
