History

Terry Martin was first appointed as the interim  provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas in August 2021.  He was later appointed to the position permanently in 2022, and he served as provost until June 2025.

In June 2025, Martin stepped down as provost and returned to a full-time faculty position as professor of electrical engineering in the College of Engineering.  He was succeeded by Indrajeet Chaubey, who came to the University of Arkansas from the University of Connecticut.

During Martin’s tenure as Provost, the university opened the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, completed the renovation of all floors of Mullins Library, built the School of Art Studio and Design Center, opened the Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center, outfitted a clean nano classroom, built an addition to the Biology Greenhouse, and recently celebrated the grand opening of the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R). 

Many additional facilities are slated to open later in 2025, including the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, the Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Facility (MUSiC), and the Fine Arts Center.  These new facilities enable the university to better support its students by advancing their success, expanding research opportunities, and opening career pathways in emerging fields and technologies.

In addition, Martin has been with the University of Arkansas for more than 40 years with more than 20 years of dedicated service in university leadership.   As an administrator he served as senior vice provost for academic affairs, senior associate dean, associate dean, and interim dean for the College of Engineering and interim department head of biomedical engineering.

Prior to joining the University of Arkansas in 1983, he worked for Reynolds Metals Company, where he served as a project engineer, process control engineer and reduction supervisor at the Jones Mills Reduction Plant in Arkansas and as a research engineer at the Reduction Research Laboratory in Sheffield, Alabama. During this time, he worked on the design team that developed the first automated digital temperature controller for a ring-baking furnace for carbon anodes.

Martin holds a Ph.D. in engineering and master's and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Arkansas. He has conducted research in the fields of control systems, digital signal processing, intelligent control, and power electronics. He has received several awards for his academic performance and has also been inducted into the Arkansas Academy of Electrical Engineers.

He has served in various leadership capacities with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic (IEEE) Region 5 and the Industrial Electronics Society. He is a life senior member of the IEEE and a life member of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society. He is a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and has served as a Program Evaluator for the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Charles F. Robinson served as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs from September 2020 until August 2021, when he was named interim chancellor for the university.  Robinson became the seventh chancellor of the University of Arkansas in November 2022 and currently serves in that role.

He joined the university as an assistant professor of history in 1999 and was promoted to full professor in 2011. He was then promoted to positions of increasing responsibility, including vice chancellor for Student Affairs. 

Before becoming chancellor, Robinson led initiatives such as Advance Arkansas — a $10 million scholarship effort for first-generation, low-income Arkansans — and the College Access Initiative, a need-based college readiness outreach program serving students and under-resourced schools statewide. Under his leadership, the university constructed Adohi Hall, which is the only residence hall in the United States to use sustainable cross-laminated timber.  Robinson also oversaw an expansion of Pat Walker Health Center and led strategic planning for the university’s 71,000 square foot Student Success Center.   

An accomplished historian, Robinson’s research and teaching focus on southern history. He has earned many awards for his teaching, including the Fulbright College Master Teacher Award, Arkansas Student Alumni Board Teacher of the Year, and induction into the university’s Teaching Academy. 

Robinson holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Houston, a master’s degree in history from Rice University and a doctorate in history from the University of Houston.

Jim Coleman became the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2017, and during his tenure, the university improved retention and graduation rates, with both reaching record levels at the time. The university has also closed achievement gaps and improved post-graduation success, implementing several strategies including using data analytics to identify students with the highest likelihood of not completing a degree and launching a proactive, holistic advising program to support these students. Research expenditures also reached $180 million in 2019, a record at the time.

Prior to serving as provost at the University of Arkansas, Coleman was the provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of biology at Northern Arizona University. He also served in various roles at other institutions including dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences and biology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; vice provost for research and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Rice University; vice chancellor for research and biology professor at the University of Missouri; and vice president for research and business development and professor of earth and ecosystem sciences at the Desert Research Institute. He also served as program officer for ecological and evolutionary physiology at the National Science Foundation and began his career as assistant professor of biology at Syracuse University. Coleman also worked with the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority to chair the external advisory board to two of Arkansas' multi-million dollar NSF EPSCoR research infrastructure improvement grants, ASSET I and ASSET II.

Coleman earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Yale University working in plant ecology as well as a Master of Philosophy and Master of Science. He received his Bachelor of Science in forestry from the University of Maine. He conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford and Harvard universities.

Ashok Saxena was appointed provost in 2015 by then incoming interim chancellor Dan Ferritor.  Prior to serving as Provost, Saxena was the first permanent head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, which was created in 2012.  As a researcher, Saxena worked in multidisciplinary fields, focusing mainly on mechanical engineering and materials science.  

Saxena served as dean of the College of Engineering from 2003 until 2012, when he stepped down in order to serve a two-year appointment as the senior leader at Galgotias University, a new private, multidisciplinary research university near Delhi, India. 

As vice chancellor (the equivalent of the campus CEO in Indian/British higher education) of Galgotias University, Saxena oversaw the institution’s growth from zero to 6,500 students. He also helped the country of India gain admission to the Washington Accord, an international engineering accreditation organization. 

Saxena’s awards and recognition include the George Irwin Medal from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for his pioneering contributions to creep fracture mechanics, the ASTM Award of Merit and Fellow, Fellow of ASM Award, and Georgia Tech Outstanding Research Author Award. He is a recipient of the Wohler Medal . 

Saxena received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and his master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. 

His major industrial experience was at the Westinghouse Research and Development Center in Pittsburgh, where from 1976 to 1985 he rose to the rank of Fellow Scientist. 

Prior to coming to the UA, he was chair of the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering and was named Regents’ Professor in 2002. 

Sharon Gaber served as provost at the University of Arkansas from 2009 to 2015.  Gaber served as the U of A’s chief academic officer during a time of unprecedented growth. From 2008-2014, student enrollment grew by nearly 40 percent, while the quality of students also increased. During her tenure, the university added approximately 300 tenure track faculty, increased research funding, and improved graduation rates.

Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, Gaber served as senior associate provost at Auburn University, where she was responsible for all academic personnel and budgeting at Auburn. She managed the Graduate School, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts, the women's studies program, the office of information technology, the program for students with disabilities and the office of international education. She also chaired Auburn University's enrollment management council.

Gaber was also the associate provost for academic administration at Auburn.  In this role, she worked extensively on academic policy development and implementation as well as personnel and budgeting. From 2002-2006, she was associate dean and professor in Auburn's College of Architecture, Design and Construction, responsible for the college’s budget, promotion and tenure mentoring, research and sponsored programs, and graduate program enhancements.

Prior to her tenure at Auburn, Gaber spent 11 years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as faculty associate to the vice chancellor for research.  She was also an assistant professor in the department of community and regional planning and served as the department chair in 2001.

Gaber holds a Doctor of Philosophy in city and regional planning from Cornell University, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of Southern California, and baccalaureate degrees in economics and urban studies from Occidental College.

Robert (Bob) McMath served as interim provost from 2008 to 2009. McMath was appointed as the first dean of the Honors College in 2005 and resumed his position as dean after serving as interim provost.  He served as the dean of the Honors College until he retired in August 2014.

During his time as dean, the Honors College’s enrollment increased 44 percent, and the average college GPA for Honors College students rose from 3.58 to 3.76.  In addition, the college maintained a retention rate of more than 90 percent for freshman students under McMath’s leadership. He also encouraged interdisciplinary courses and experiences by awarding more than $500,000 in grants. These grants provided seed funding for 30 honors courses on topics ranging from the digital recreation of ancient Roman cities to nanotechnology. McMath also shepherded the completion of a permanent home for the Honors College in the expanded Ozark Hall and the renovation of Hotz Hall as a well-appointed residence hall and community hub for honors freshmen.

McMath came to the University of Arkansas from Georgia Tech, where he taught history and held a series of administrative posts over the course of 33 years, eventually becoming the first vice provost for undergraduate studies and academic affairs. While at Georgia Tech he received the Governor’s Award in the Humanities and Georgia Tech’s highest teaching awards. In 2004 he was named an honorary alumnus.

As a professor of history, McMath is most widely known for his work on American and comparative populist movements. His book, “American Populism” (1992) is a standard work in the field. He is the author or co-author of seven books and numerous articles.

McMath is a 1967 graduate of the University of North Texas and received his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972.

Robert (Bob) Smith served as provost from 2000 to 2008.  As provost, he helped revitalize the University of Arkansas press, increased external funding for research and recruited deans for the university’s schools and colleges that helped increase university enrollment.

Smith came to the University of Arkansas from the University of Connecticut, where he served as head of research and graduate education.  He was the director of the University of Connecticut Research Foundation and interim chancellor and provost for Health Affairs at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Prior to the University of Connecticut, Smith served as the vice provost for research and dean of  Washington State University’s Graduate School and as dean of Washington State’s College of Pharmacy.  He also served as director of the Drug Dynamics Institute and was the James E. Bauerle Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He began his academic career at the University of Iowa as assistant and later associate professor of medicinal chemistry.

His research and scholarly interests have been in the pharmaceutical sciences, communication, professional development and university administration.

He earned his Ph.D.  and master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Michigan. A native of Long Island, N.Y., Smith earned his bachelor’s in pharmaceutical sciences from St. John’s University, Jamaica, N.Y.

Dan Bennett served as both the interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and the dean of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture.  He became dean in 1991 and held both positions concurrently from 1998 to 2000.

Bennett is credited with the development of the school’s Community Design Center, which allowed students work with the college’s faculty to help towns throughout Arkansas refurbish areas through architectural design. The Center was created as a result of Bennett’s vision and a generous gift from Bernice Jones of Springdale. The Steven L. Anderson Chair in Architecture and Urban Studies chair was subsequently created in support of the program.

Bennett also served the local community through his involvement on the board of directors of the Northwest Arkansas Habitat for Humanity. He served on the International Editorial Board of the Journal of Urban Design, and the Arkansas Chapter AIA board of directors. He was an Ex-Officio member of the Arkansas State Board of Architects and also served on the Board of DDEP (Downtown Dickson Street Development District).

Bennett received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Auburn University in 1968 and his master’s degree in architecture in urban design from Rice University in 1974.

Donald O. Pederson served as acting vice chancellor for academic affairs in 1985 before being named to the position in 1986. He served as the vice chancellor for academic affairs until he was appointed vice chancellor for finance and administration in September 1998. Under his leadership, the U of A saw an unprecedented increase in construction on campus – renovation and new construction. The Arkansas Alumni Association recognized Pederson with the Honorary Alumni Award in 2009 for his contributions to the university.

Pederson joined the University of Arkansas faculty as an assistant professor of physics in 1972, and published 60 scientific papers in the field of condensed matter physics. From 1978-83 he was chairman of the department. He was named associate dean for research and faculty development of what is now the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences in 1983, before being appointed as acting vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Pederson earned his Bachelor of Science in physics at Texas Tech University and his doctorate at Rice University.

 

Daniel E. Ferritor served as the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs from 1985 to1986 at which time he was selected to be chancellor of the University of Arkansas.

During his time as provost and chancellor, he led the renovation of Old Main, a fixture of the Fayetteville skyline and the symbol of the University of Arkansas and higher education in Arkansas. In addition, he led a $120 million building boom on campus that resulted in an additional 2 million square feet of classroom, laboratory and library space. Under his leadership, the university saw increased enrollment and increased annual giving from $3 million a year to $20 million. After stepping down as chancellor in 1998, Ferritor returned to the department of sociology to teach and to guide creation and organization of the Family and Community Institute.

Ferritor first joined the U of A faculty in 1967 as assistant professor before leaving to complete his doctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis and to conduct early childhood research as part of a federal educational research laboratory. He returned to the U of A in 1973 as associate professor of sociology and in 1980 became chairman of the sociology department.

In recognition of his commitment to education, Ferritor was awarded the University of Arkansas Alumni Association’s Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching and Research in 1984. Ferritor was also awarded the Chancellor’s Medal in 2000. In March 2001, the University of Arkansas dedicated the Daniel E. Ferritor Hall to honor him for serving as one of the university’s best advocates.

After retiring as a faculty member, Ferritor continued to serve higher education as vice president of academic affairs for the University of Arkansas System. During the latter half of 2015, he returned to the Fayetteville campus to serve as interim chancellor while a search was conducted for the university's sixth chancellor.

Ferritor holds a bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst College in Kansas City and master’s and doctoral degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

Willard B. Gatewood served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs in 1984 before becoming chancellor of the University of Arkansas, a position he held until 1985.

As chancellor, Gatewood initiated the first steps toward restoration of Old Main and the establishment of the Sturgis Fellowships, now among the university’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. He and professor Miller Williams are also credited with founding the widely respected University of Arkansas Press. Gatewood also led development of higher academic standards for admission to the University of Arkansas, one of many contributions he made to increase the academic credentials of the university.

Gatewood’s academic career spanned more than 40 years, most of them on the University of Arkansas campus. He taught history of the United States and the South with an emphasis on African American history.  He began teaching in 1957 at East Tennessee State University, and then at East Carolina University, North Carolina Wesleyan College and the University of Georgia before coming to the University of Arkansas in 1970. He received numerous awards, including Humanist of the Year from the Arkansas Endowment for the Humanities. In 1994, he was awarded the inaugural Chancellor’s Medal from then-Chancellor Daniel Ferritor in recognition of “his achieved excellence in teaching, scholarship and service to the university.” He took emeritus status in 1998.

In addition, Gatewood’s academic career was rich in historical research. He wrote or co-wrote 12 books, including “The Governors of Arkansas,” the first book published by the University of Arkansas Press. He wrote more than 50 articles for historical journals, and he also served on the editorial boards of the Georgia Review and the Journal of Negro History. Gatewood also supervised 23 doctoral students and 30 master’s candidates during his tenure. In 1986, he was elected president of the Southern Historical Association. He also received the university’s Distinguished Research Award and Teacher of the Year Award.

Gatewood received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Duke University.

Milton Copeland served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs in 1983 and held the position through part of 1984.

He joined the University of Arkansas in 1971 as a professor of law, and he served as the acting dean of the U of A School of Law in 1978 and 1979.  He also served as the chair of the Campus Council. Before joining the U of A, he practiced law in California for eight years, where he worked for two different firms and specialized in banking law and litigation.

After serving as the interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, Copeland returned to the School of Law, where he served as a faculty member for 29 years.

Copeland received his juris doctor from George Washington University Law Center, and he holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in speech from Abilene Christian College in Texas.

James E. Halligan served as the first vice chancellor for academic affairs in 1982.  In 1983, Halligan became the interim chancellor.

Halligan joined the University of Arkansas in 1979 as the dean of the College of Engineering. Prior to joining the U of A, Halligan was the dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Missouri at Rolla. He also was a faculty member at Texas Tech University, where he taught chemical engineering. Before he began his career in academia, he worked as a process engineer for the Humble Oil and Refining Company.

After serving as vice chancellor for academic affairs and interim chancellor at the University of Arkansas, Halligan became the president of New Mexico State University in 1984. Student enrollment and research and development grew under his leadership.  In 1994, he became the president of Oklahoma State University (OSU).  He retired from OSU in 2003 and later served two terms in the Oklahoma Senate in 2008 and 2016.

Throughout his academic career, Halligan received many awards for his teaching, research and service. Halligan earned his doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering from Iowa State University.