{"id":3707,"date":"2014-05-01T12:03:28","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T17:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=3707"},"modified":"2014-09-16T16:20:28","modified_gmt":"2014-09-16T21:20:28","slug":"dr-david-rankin-announces-final-year-as-sau-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2014\/dr-david-rankin-announces-final-year-as-sau-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. David Rankin announces final year as SAU President"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dr.<\/a>Dr. David Rankin has announced that the 2014-15 academic year will be his final year as President of Southern Arkansas University.<\/p>\n

Rankin will retire effective June 30, 2015. He made the announcement at SAU on Thursday, May 1, 2014.<\/p>\n

Watch video from the announcement courtesy of Magnolia Reporter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a great pleasure to serve with wonderful people at Southern Arkansas University for the past 45 years,\u201d said Rankin. \u201cAs we say in\u00a0 Mulerider Country, It\u2019s been quite a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rankin was appointed President in 2002, and quickly set forth with his ambitious \u201cBlue and Gold Vision,\u201d SAU\u2019s first-ever capital campaign.\u00a0 In his 13 years, he has almost completed that vision with numerous campus capital projects completed, totaling more than $100 million.\u00a0 The most recent project, the $4.4 million SAU Story Arena and Farmers Bank Reception Center, opened this spring.\u00a0 In addition, a $7.2 million Student Center at SAU Tech is nearing completion.<\/p>\n

Rankin\u2019s first challenge was securing funds for and completing the $15.5 million Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center in 2004.\u00a0 The Reynolds Center was the largest construction project SAU\u2019s campus had ever seen, but following it is a list of impressive projects that include the $17.5 million Science Center, a 30,557 square-foot Agriculture Center, $2 million Natural Resource Research Center, a new $2.3 million band hall, a $2.3 million addition to the Wharton Nursing Building, a multipurpose student activity facility, University Village Apartments, three new residence halls, as well as improvements to all athletic facilities.<\/p>\n

With each completed construction project, Rankin facilitated growth for SAU\u2019s quality academic programs.\u00a0 Many cutting-edge programs have been added to SAU\u2019s comprehensive list of degrees, including the recent engineering program, the computer game and animation design program, wildlife and marine biology, and digital cinema production.<\/p>\n

Rankin has also paid tribute to SAU\u2019s strong heritage by maintaining the campus\u2019 Georgian architecture with each new additional construction project.\u00a0\u00a0 He also built upon the tradition of the Mulerider, not only telling the history of SAU\u2019s unique athletic mascot at his speaking engagements, but using the Mulerider as a way to nationally brand the University.<\/p>\n

Resulting have been years of steady enrollment growth.\u00a0 Despite difficult times in higher education, the fall of 2013 witnessed a record system-wide\u00a0 enrollment of 5,451 students (including SAU Tech).\u00a0 Graduate enrollment at the University is up 200% since 2002.<\/p>\n

In addition to his duties as SAU President, Rankin has served as the Economic Advisor to Arkansas Governors Mike Beebe and Mike Huckabee and is Chairman of the Governor\u2019s Council of Economic Advisors.\u00a0 The economic advisor to the governor is responsible for chairing the Governor\u2019s Council and reviewing the Arkansas state revenue forecast.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>Rankin received his Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Management from the University of Arkansas in 1964 and an M.B.A. in Finance from Louisiana Tech University in 1966.\u00a0 He earned his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Mississippi in 1970 and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1979.<\/p>\n

In 1968, Rankin joined the faculty of SAU as an Assistant Professor of Business.\u00a0 From 1977-80, he served as Dean of the School of Business Administration and Professor of Economics and Finance at SAU.\u00a0 Rankin also served as a Puterbaugh Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at SAU, and again as Dean of the School of Business Administration from 1994-2001.\u00a0 On a one-year leave from SAU in 1992-93, he was consultant for the creation of the Higgenbotham School of Business at Ouachita Baptist University.<\/p>\n

Fellow faculty colleagues selected Rankin as the University Honor Professor in 1986.\u00a0 In addition, the Americanism Educational League Award for excellence in teaching Free Enterprise Economics was awarded to Rankin multiple times.\u00a0 He was also a George Washington Honor Medal recipient from the Freedoms Foundation for Excellence in Economic Education.\u00a0 Subsequent to Rankin being chosen the Outstanding Phi Beta Lambda Advisor from Arkansas in 1989, he served on the FBLA-PBL, Inc. National Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

Rankin is a past President of the Magnolia-Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.\u00a0 He was Chair of then Governor Mike Huckabee\u2019s Summit on Economic Development in 1998.\u00a0 He currently serves as Chair of the Golden Triangle Economic Development Council, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Council of Economic Education, and a member of the Board of the Arkansas Association of Public Universities.\u00a0 Rankin has also served on the NCAA Division II National Presidents\u2019 Council and the NCAA Long-Range Planning Task Force.\u00a0 He is currently a member of the Arkansas Public School Resource Center Policy Board.<\/p>\n

Rankin has been actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America as a troop leader for many years and is the proud father of two Eagle Scout sons.\u00a0 He has received the District Award of Merit and the Silver Beaver Award.\u00a0 He is a member of Central Baptist Church serving as a Sunday school teacher in the Men\u2019s Department, where he enjoys song leading with his guitar.<\/p>\n

Rankin and his wife, the former Toni Cameron, reside on their farm in Magnolia and have two sons, Curtice and John, and a daughter Beth Anne.<\/p>\n\n\t\t