Arkansas State University System Welcomes Mid-South as Newest Member

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. – Mid-South Community College today officially became Arkansas State University Mid-South and the newest member of the ASU System following approval by the Higher Learning Commission, System President Dr. Charles L. Welch announced.Dr. Barbara Baxter, previously executive vice president of Mid-South, is serving as interim chancellor following the departure of the institution’s only president, Glen Fenter, who is the new CEO of the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce. Welch named Dr. Debra West as the new chancellor of ASU Mid-South on June 5, and she will assume leadership of the campus on Aug. 1.The ASU Board of Trustees and the Mid-South Community College Board of Trustees approved resolutions authorizing the merger on Jan. 9.

“Mid-South is an outstanding addition to the ASU System,” Welch said. “We appreciate the support of the Higher Learning Commission and are ready to work with Mid-South’s leadership to build on the institution’s national reputation for innovative workforce training.”

ASU Mid-South serves almost 2,000 students in Crittenden County and the surrounding area of the Delta. Originally established as a vocation-technical school, Mid-South became a comprehensive community college in 1992.The ASU System now serves 23,000 students throughout Arkansas and includes Arkansas State University, a four-year research institution in Jonesboro; ASU-Beebe, with additional campuses in Heber Springs and Searcy; ASU-Newport, with additional campuses in Jonesboro and Marked Tree; ASU-Mountain Home; and instructional sites in Paragould and at the Little Rock Air Force Base. For more information about the ASU System, visit ASUSystem.edu or follow on Twitter @ASUSystem.

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