The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees voted Thursday to accept the resignation of Donald Bobbitt, who has served as the system’s president for more than a decade. The trustees also approved a motion to begin a national search for new leadership.
Bobbitt, 67, has been president since Nov. 1, 2011, when he succeeded Alan Sugg. He notified the board trustees this week that he wished to step down by Jan. 15, 2025.
“Personally, I am thankful for your 13 years of service,” board chair Kelly Eichler said during a public meeting that followed an hour-long executive session Thursday afternoon.
Eichler called Bobbitt, who was present at the meeting, a “consummate professional.”
“You have left this system in a very strong position,” Eichler said. “And for that we are grateful.”
The board of trustees approved member Scott Ford, CEO and co-founder of Westrock Coffee, to lead the search for a new president. Ford will work with the UA Foundation to select a recruiting firm to assist with the search, Eichler said.
“I would love to compliment Don for the work he has done,” Ford said of Bobbitt. “The team building, and the progress, and the position he is leaving us in.”
Bobbitt’s retirement was announced in a UA System news release Tuesday, which said he notified Eichler of his plans this week.
Bobbitt’s tenure was not without controversy. The board renewed his contract last summer despite efforts of one trustee, Sheffield Nelson, to fire Bobbitt. Nelson accused Bobbitt of untoward business practices, namely an opinion that Bobbitt had not been fully transparent about a failed deal for the UA System to indirectly purchase the University of Phoenix, an online university, through the formation of a separate nonprofit.
The public portion of Thursday’s meeting did not include mention of one possible candidate to replace Bobbitt: Asa Hutchinson. Nelson said earlier this year that the former governor has expressed interest in the job.
The board last approved a new contract for Bobbitt in August. Under that agreement, he continues to make $510,000 annually. Additionally, the board, using private funds, contributes $150,000 annually to a deferred compensation plan for Bobbitt. The contract, which runs through Jan. 1, 2026, allows Bobbitt to terminate the pact for convenience with 180 days notice.
During Thursday’s board of trustees meeting, Bobbitt told members he was “grateful for the support the board has shown the system, to the people in this building and to me personally.”
UA System spokesman Nate Hinkel told the Arkansas Times that it remains unclear whether Bobbitt would continue to work as a professor at the university.
Eichler will work with Bobbitt to “negotiate more specific terms” of his retirement agreement and transition plans upon the election of a new president, she said.
The board of trustees annual retreat is scheduled for Aug. 12 – 13. The next regularly scheduled meeting is slated for Sept. 11 – 12 at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.