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| New ANC Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Keith McClanahan |
Arkansas Northeastern College Hires Chief Academic Officer
Following an exhaustive, year-long search, the Arkansas Northeastern College has selected a new Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Keith McClanahan will join ANC as the new Vice President of Instruction on July 1, 2019. In this capacity, he serves as the Chief Academic Officer and is responsible for all academic programs offered by ANC. McClanahan comes to ANC from Ozarka College in Melbourne where he has served as Provost and Executive Vice President of Learning since July 2015.McClanahan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Engineering Science - Electrical from the University of Mississippi. He earned his Specialist Degree in Community College Teaching and his Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University.
Prior to his time at Ozarka College, McClanahan worked for 20 years at Arkansas State University - Beebe where he held a variety of positions including Director of the Advanced Technology and Allied Health Division, Industrial Relations Coordinator, Director of the Economic Development Center, Director of Continuing Education, Director of Workforce Training, Assistant Director and Director of Arkansas State Technical Institute (ASTI), and Director of ASTI Applied Arts at Arkansas State University - Beebe.
McClanahan has experience working in industry as a supervisor and project manager, and he is a 20-plus year veteran of the United States Marine Corps where he gained extensive training, education, world experiences and received numerous awards for his military service and achievements. He began his military career as an enlisted electronics technician and progressed to the grade of Staff Sergeant (E-6). He earned his bachelor's degree during this time and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He later earned his master's degree and served three years as a faculty member at the U.S. Naval Academy where he taught Electrical Engineering and Systems Engineering. Additionally, he served in various staff and department head positions throughout his military career. He served as an Operational Test Project Officer for the Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity, Quantico, Virginia, during his last year in the Marine Corps. His operational testing projects were UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS). McClanahan left the Marine Corps at the grade of Major (O-4).
McClanahan is a graduate of the Arkansas Community Colleges Leadership Institute, the American Association of Community Colleges Future Presidents Institute, and the American Association of Community Colleges Future Leaders Institute. Additionally, he is serving as a Higher Learning Commission Peer Reviewer for Open and Standard Pathways and is a member of the North Central Arkansas Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Board. He also serves as a Governing Board Member for the Arkansas Rural Nursing Education Consortium and has served as a Board of Trustee member for the American Technical Education Association and as a member of the North Central Arkansas Workforce Investment Board. McClanahan has also served on the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce Education and Workforce Committee, the Arkansas Association of Two Year Colleges Workforce Training Consortium, and the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority Manufacturing Extension Task Force on Advanced Technology.
"ANC is very fortunate to find someone as qualified and proven as Dr. Keith McClanahan, and we look forward to having him on our team and sharing his knowledge and experiences with us," said Dr. James Shemwell, ANC President. "Dr. McClanahan is well-known and well-respected across the State, particularly in the areas of technical programs and institutional accreditation," Shemwell continued.
McClanahan will be taking over the helm of ANC Academic Programs where he will oversee the College's academic curricula, course scheduling, faculty and program assessment, program development, faculty development, and accreditation preparation and reporting.
"As a first generation college graduate, I am excited to be part of a student-focused and high-achieving college that clearly values student success in all it does. I believe that ANC makes a difference in student lives and in its community through its educational and community activities. I look forward to being part of that effort to help students achieve their educational goals at ANC in my role at the College," said McClanahan.
