A-State chancellor resigning

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Chancellor Dr. Kelly Damphousse announced Thursday he is leaving Arkansas State University.

In a message to the college and community, Damphousse said he would resign effective June 30, 2022.

The announcement comes five years after he began at the university.

Damphousse will assume duties as the president of Texas State University in San Marcos.

In his statement, Damphousse indicated the move would allow them to be closer to their friends and family in Texas.

“When I came to A-State five years ago, I pledged to do everything that I could to help the members of our faculty and staff reach their full potential, to ensure barriers to success were removed for our current and future students, and make our former students and friends proud of their university,” Damphousse said. “As Beth and I take this opportunity to be closer to her mother, our family, and friends, we pray that our A-State family understands our decision to return home, and knows that we gave our university and adopted hometown everything we had during our time here.”

“This is certainly a bittersweet moment as we hate to lose the Damphousse family at A-State,” Dr. Chuck Welch, president of the ASU System, was quoted as saying. “Kelly leaves the university in a very strong position and well-poised for the future.”

Welch commended Damphousse for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that his “financial positioning, fund-raising efforts, exciting new facilities, and academic program growth have made A-State a better place.”

“We have been blessed by a welcoming A-State and Jonesboro community, and we will never forget our time here,” Damphousse said.

Damphousse became the third permanently-appointed chancellor of A-State on July 1, 2017. This past December, he was appointed to the NCAA Board of Governors.

Welch said he would meet with university constituency groups to determine the next steps, Thursday’s news release stated. No decisions have made regarding a possible interim appointment or search process.

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