Allen C. Meadors is Named UNCP's Chancellor

Dr. Allen C. Meadors was elected the new chancellor for The University of North Carolina at Pembroke by the UNC Board of Governors on April 9.

Dr. Meadors, 2nd from right, at the press conference in Greensboro following his election. Pictured from left are UNC President Molly Broad, UNC Board of Governors Chair Ben Ruffin, Dr. Meadors and UNCP Board of Trustees Chair Roger Oxendine.

Chancellor-elect Meadors is currently Chief Executive Officer and Dean of Penn State Altoona. He was one of three finalist and was recommended to the board by UNC President Molly C. Broad.

Dr. Meadors will begin his duties July 1 replacing Chancellor Joseph B. Oxendine, who has served UNCP for 10 years. The new chancellor's salary will be $145,000.

President Broad said it was an "extraordinarily successful" chancellor search for UNCP. Dr. Meadors has a proven track record of success in leadership, she said.

"Allen Meadors has compiled an enviable track record of stimulating and managing growth in a variety of academic settings," President Broad said. "He brings to UNC Pembroke great energy, enthusiasm, and strong commitment to reinforcing and strengthening UNCP's historic ties to the local community and the region's public schools."

Penn State Altoona is the second largest of the 23 Pennsylvania State University campuses with more than 3,800 students. During the past four years under Dr. Meadors leadership, the university has seen unprecedented growth in enrollment and a growing number of undergraduate programs.

In remarks to the press following the announcement, Dr. Meadors said he is excited about leading an "exceptional" school.

"My first priority will be to establish a collective vision for the university," Dr. Meadors said. "Then, we will begin going out and marketing the university to students."

"We want to make sure we have the highest quality instructors, and we must support our faculty," he said. "We will begin outreach in a wide variety of directions. We want growth with a vision and growth that makes us a better campus and university."

The Board of Governors approved enrollment growth recommendations for UNCP of more than 40 percent over the next eight years. President Broad called the recommendation a "very ambitious set of enrollment growth targets."

The UNC president outlined four goals for UNCP that her choice for the new chancellor is well qualified to meet. She cited enrollment growth, connections with the public schools, ties to the community and development of the regional economy as top priorities.

"I believe a university is the most important player in economic development of the community it serves," President Broad said.

In other areas such as student satisfaction with instruction, President Broad said UNCP is already leading the way.

"UNCP is the high water mark of this system for the quality of student interactions with faculty," she said.

Dr. Meadors said improving student life on campus will be a primary goal for his administration.

"UNCP has a very nice campus," he said. "It is very comfortable and well laid out for students. We must make Pembroke truly a residential campus, and that takes a lot of work."

Dr. Meadors said he will be very "accessible" as UNCP's chancellor.

"A university should be a leader in bringing people together in a collaborative fashion," he said. "If somebody doesn't get to know us, it will be their fault."

Chancellor-elect Meadors said his outreach efforts will not overlook UNCP's history or the local community of American Indians it has served since 1887.

"I will say to them as I will say to our students, we have to look to the world beyond race and religious lines and look to the larger global community," he said.

Dr. Meadors said he considered himself a typical American with diverse ancestry that includes American Indians on both sides of his family.

The chancellor-elect is 51 and a native of Van Buren, Ark. Dr. Meadors and his wife, Barbara, have two sons, Tyson, 15 and Jarrett, 14.

He has a broad educational and professional background that includes careers in the Air Force, in the health care industry and in higher education.

Dr. Meadors received a Ph.D. in Administration and Education from Southern Illinois University; a Master in Health Services Management from Webster University; a Master in Psychology and Human Relations from Webster University; a Master in Public Administration from the University of Kansas; a Master in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado; a bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Arkansas and an associate degree in Computer Sciences from Saddleback College.

He has been Dean and CEO of Penn State Altoona since 1994; Professor and Dean of the College of Health, Eastern Washington University; Dean of the College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma; Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Administration, College of Public Health at the University of Oklahoma; Executive Director of the Northwest Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute; Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Health Administration, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Texas; Western Regional Coordinator for Southern Illinois University; Adjunct Professor and Program Coordinator, Webster University; Assistant Professor and Program Director of Southern Illinois University; Health Care Consultant; Assistant Director of Health, Kansas City, Mo.; Assistant Director of Health Services Development, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas; Manager of Institutional and Drug Review, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Captain, United States Air Force Medical Service Corps and Hospital Administrator and Clinic Administrator.

Dr. Meadors has written and spoken widely on health care issues and is a member of an array of professional and civic organizations. He has won an number of honors, including two outstanding faculty awards, an outstanding professional service award from the University of Texas and Penn State's Ben Lane Award for outstanding contributions to student affairs.

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