Judges to Retire as Vice Provost for Distance Education

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Donald Judges

Donald Judges, vice provost for distance education at the University of Arkansas, has announced his retirement from the university, and an internal search committee has been formed to help select his replacement.

Judges, who has served in his current role since 2016, will retire on Sept. 15 after 30 years at the U of A, with most of that time spent as a professor in the School of Law. He has worked for four years in leadership roles at Global Campus beginning as the interim associate vice provost for distance education.

"We are tremendously grateful for Don's service and hard work during his time here," said Jim Coleman, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. "Thanks to his leadership, the Global Campus has excelled in its mission to provide top-notch online and workforce development programming to serve the needs of Arkansans. We will miss his presence on campus and appreciate all he's done for the U of A."

The vice provost for distance education is the chief academic and administrative officer of Global Campus and reports to the provost. The position is responsible for providing intellectual and philosophical leadership and strategic direction for the Global Campus.

Under Judges' leadership, enrollment in online programs at the Global Campus increased from 2,747 in 2016 to an estimated 3,100 in 2019, with an estimated $4.5 million increase in revenue for the campus during that same time period.

"I am grateful to the University of Arkansas for the opportunities it has offered over the course of my 30 years here," Judges said. "It has been my good fortune to work with many fine students and colleagues; to participate in and contribute to the world of ideas; and to offer service to the School of Law, the university, and at the state and national level.

"It has been a privilege working with the superb team at Global Campus to help students overcome obstacles of cost, time, distance and life circumstances to accomplish their educational goals, providing high-quality professional and workforce development to Arkansas and the region, and to offer support for learning technology and teaching innovation across all course-delivery modes," Judges added. "The Global Campus is a truly valuable asset to the university and state of Arkansas."

A search committee chaired by Terry Martin, senior vice provost for academic affairs, will conduct an internal search for a new vice provost of distance education, with the job vacancy notice posted earlier this week.

Search committee members are:

• Terry Martin, senior vice provost for academic affairs (chair)
• Matthew Ganio, head of Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation
• Miran Kang, director of instructional design and support services for Global Campus
• Stacy Leeds, vice chancellor for economic development
• Jamie Loftin, assistant vice provost for distance education administration
• Peter MacKeith, dean, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
• Greg Parnell, director of M.S. in Operations Management and Engineering Management
• Anna Zajicek, interim associate dean of fine arts