Overview

During his seven years as chancellor of the University of Arkansas, David Gearhart was outspoken on many issues, including putting students first, advocating for undocumented and minority students, and raising the profile of the university as a nationally-recognized research leader. But on some of the most controversial issues of the day he maintained a diplomatic silence. In this account, filled with candid descriptions of private boardroom deliberations and personal correspondence, Gearhart shares his honest opinions on everything from the selection of high-profile executives to the Sandusky scandal to his true feelings about the University of Arkansas System. Beginning with his early years growing up in Fayetteville, where his family had long connections to the university, and continuing all the way up to his retirement as a professor in 2022, Gearhart's reflections focus on his 17 years as chancellor and vice chancellor at the University of Arkansas. He left the university with enrollment at an all-time high and an endowment approaching $1 billion. Touching on themes from finance and fundraising to academics and athletics, the author also tells his side of the story regarding deficits in the advancement division-including details of his appearance in front of state legislators-and the investigations that cleared his name. This book is for anyone with an interest in higher education, leadership, fundraising, or Arkansas politics. Full of engaging stories, it's both a highly personal accounting of events and a primer on navigating the personalities and politics of the ivory tower and the halls of power.

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Reviews

A must-read for anyone aspiring to lead a higher education institution. But its readership should not be limited to those who live in academe. Leaders of nonprofit organizations, in particular, will face challenges similar to those Gearhart faced. So, too, will leaders in government, business, and the military. -JOHN A. WHITE, JR., chancellor emeritus, University of Arkansas To know Dave is to know a man who is an unassuming servant, an ultimate professional, honest and sincere to a fault and authentic to the core. Dave constantly kept his personal values, the welfare of his family, the students, and his beloved state of Arkansas at the top of his agenda .... At one point in the book, Dave mentioned he should have 'gone along to get along.' That is not Dave! He kept his determination to do the right thing above all else. -JANE ROGERS, former chairperson, Board of Trustees, University of Arkansas Chancellor Gearhart's book provides an important perspective and insight into the many challenges he met during his tenure as chancellor and reveals his unique abilities and professionalism. -JOHNELLE HUNT, founder, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Incorporated The book features an extraordinarily rich and unvarnished variety of brief case studies, ranging from billion-dollar capital campaigns to hiring and firing high-profile coaches and athletic directors to decisions about enrollment, tuition and fees. -DANIEL E. FERRITOR, chancellor emeritus, University of Arkansas This true story should be recommended reading for higher-ed graduate students and aspiring administrators. -SHARON L. GABER, PH.D., chancellor, University of North Carolina Charlotte Bravo for not holding back in exposing the dark side while holding on to faith in the imperative of higher education ... -KIRK THOMPSON, chairman of the board, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Incorporated

Author Information

"Dr. G. David Gearhart was chancellor of the University of Arkansas from 2008 to 2015, following 10 years of service to the university as vice chancellor for the Division of University Advancement. Prior to being appointed chancellor, Dr. Gearhart oversaw the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, the most successful capital campaign in Arkansas history, which raised more than $1 billion for academic programs. That campaign included a $300 million gift, which established the Honors College and endowed the Graduate School.With enrollment topping 28,000 students during his tenure and an 80 percent increase in diversity since 2008, the University of Arkansas was recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as the seventh-fastest growing public research university in the country and by U.S. News and World Report as an ""up and comer"" public institution. In 2011 The Chronicle named the university to its list of ""Great Colleges to Work For,"" and in 2011 the Carnegie Foundation awarded the university its highest research classification.In 2015 Dr. Gearhart retired as chancellor, and the board of trustees named an iconic academic building on campus the G. David Gearhart building. The board also named the on-campus Full Circle Food Pantry after his spouse, Jane Brockmann Gearhart. He and Jane have been married 48 years and have two children and five grandchildren."

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