On Wednesday, Charles Robinson was named chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, making history for the flagship campus for appointing its first Black leader.
Charles Robinson has been named the seventh Chancellor of the University of Arkansas by the UA System Board of Trustees #WPS pic.twitter.com/L2RakBlzfm
— University of Arkansas (@UArkansas) November 16, 2022
Robinson has been serving the 31,000-student campus as interim chancellor since August of last year. The university’s board of trustees voted unanimously to appoint him to a three-year term.
“He now has the opportunity to cast a broader vision for advancing the university as a leading public research university in the region and raise its status on the national stage,” University System President Donald Bobbitt said in a statement. “He has a unique ability to inspire others and to relate to the many different constituencies across the university, and I look forward to working with him to help make his tenure as Chancellor a success.”
Robinson has served the university for 23 years and said he’s excited to get to work.
“I’m looking forward to serving our campus in its entirety and greatly appreciate the support and confidence shown in me to lead the university and advance our land-grant mission,” he said in a statement.
Robinson’s career at the U of A began as an assistant professor in 1999, which served as the stepping stone to the various roles he later took on, such as director of the African and African American Studies program, vice provost for diversity, vice chancellor for student affairs, and provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.
Robinson has led several initiatives focused on student recruitment and success, such as a college preparation program for underrepresented student groups, restructuring the Division of Student Affairs and a $10 million scholarship for first-generation and low-income students.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Houston, a master’s degree in history from Rice University, and a PhD in history from the University of Houston.
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