LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas State University System Board of Trustees, today in a special meeting, approved the recommendation of President Todd Shields to appoint Dr. Calvin White Jr. as chancellor of Arkansas State and Ike Wheeler as chancellor of ASU-Newport.
White, formerly executive vice chancellor and provost at A-State, had been serving as interim chancellor since July, when Shields was named system president. Wheeler, who was previously ASUN vice chancellor for institutional advancement, had served as interim chancellor since August 2025.
“These appointments provide strong leadership and continuity at two institutions with tremendous opportunities ahead,” Shields said. “Calvin has helped shape A-State’s recent growth in enrollment, academics, research and workforce development, and he has a clear vision for where the university can go next. Ike’s three decades of service to ASU-Newport give him a deep understanding of its people, its mission and its role in the communities it serves. I look forward to working with both as we continue to strengthen the ASU System.”
Board Chair Robert Rudolph said, “I am delighted to congratulate Ike Wheeler and Calvin White on their appointments. As chair of the Board of Trustees, I recognize that one of our greatest responsibilities is ensuring that our institutions have the right leadership to move them forward. I believe these gentlemen understand that higher education is about more than buildings, programs and degrees. It is about people, creating opportunities, changing lives and preparing students for a brighter future. I want to thank Dr. Shields for his leadership throughout this process and my fellow trustees for their commitment to the continued growth and success of the ASU System.”
As provost and executive vice chancellor, White was the university’s chief academic officer. He led the Office of Academic Affairs and Research, the institution’s largest division, which includes 12 academic colleges, the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, A-State Heritage Sites, two museums and the A-State Reserve Officer Training Program regiment.
Since joining A-State in 2023, White has played a strategic role in advancing the university’s academic distinction and contributing to its institutional growth, while strengthening research advancement and workforce development. Under his leadership, the university launched Arkansas’ first College of Veterinary Medicine in fall 2026. During this period, fall enrollment expanded to 18,775 students and annual enrollment has reached 23,430 students.
White is a first-generation college student and becomes the first African American to serve as chancellor at A-State. He was also the first African American provost at A-State.
“I am grateful to the ASU System Board of Trustees for their confidence in me and to Dr. Todd Shields for his trust and support,” White said. “It is an extraordinary privilege to serve as chancellor of Arkansas State University, and I accept this responsibility with tremendous respect for the people who make this university special. A-State has incredible momentum, and I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters to build on that momentum, expand opportunity and continue moving this university forward.”
A native Arkansan with deep ties to the Delta, White is a historian who has been awarded numerous teaching and mentorship accolades and whose research focuses on the African American experience in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta, which has led to multiple publications.
He served as a fellow in the SEC Academic Leadership Program and earned numerous top teaching, advising and service awards, including the Fulbright College Master Teacher Award and the Dr. John and Mrs. Lois Imhoff Award for Outstanding Teaching and Student Mentorship. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas’s Teaching Academy and served as a Gilder-Lehrman Fellow at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York. Further, White has lectured at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, and presented research at the Obama Institute at the University of Mainz, in Mainz, Germany.
White earned a Ph.D. in history at the University of Mississippi and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Arkansas.
Wheeler succeeds Dr. Johnny Moore, who announced in July 2025 that he would leave ASU-Newport after four and a half years to become president of the four-year Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss. He previously served as interim chancellor at ASU-Newport for a brief time in 2021.
He has been associated with ASU-Newport for more than 30 years. In December 2019, he was named vice chancellor for leadership and community engagement. He accepted his current title in 2023 to better reflect his role in fundraising for the institution and has responsibility for campus outreach events and alumni relations.
“It is my highest honor to serve ASU-Newport as chancellor,” Wheeler said. “Spanning some 35 years, my connection with this institution has been my proudest association. I am humbled by this opportunity and appreciate the confidence of Dr. Shields and the Board of Trustees. I am eternally grateful to my wonderful network of friends, faculty and staff, and most especially the students and communities driving our work. I will strive ardently to remain worthy of this trust.”
During Wheeler’s career with ASU-Newport, he has been part of growth from a small technical college with 600 students to a three-campus entity with enrollment of 2,235 students.
A resident of Swifton, Wheeler is a member of Arkansas Community Colleges, the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, Jackson County Historical Society and Iron Mountain Regional Arts.
He received both his Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree from Arkansas State University.
Established in 2001, ASU-Newport is a two-year community college serving 4,994 students annually in Northeast Arkansas with campuses in Newport, Jonesboro and Marked Tree.
In other business, the Board:
• Approved a permanent water line easement to City Water and Light of Jonesboro to support construction of the Career Readiness Education & Skills Training Center on the A-State campus.
• Approved application for a grant from the Arkansas Department of Human Services to continue participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
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