The Arkansas State University community was shocked by the news that Chancellor Dr. Kelly Damphousse was resigning his position. In a statement that was emailed to members of the A-State community, he stated he was resigning by the end of June.
Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, earlier announced Damphousse has been named as the sole finalist to replace Dr. Denise Trauth as president on July 1, 2022. Trauth has been president of Texas State since 2002, and will retire June 30, 2022.
“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. That was the essence of the idea behind Every Red Wolf Counts,” 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.”
A native of Canada, Damphousse completed his bachelor’s degree at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, then earned his master’s and Ph.D. at Texas A&M University. The Damphousses met and married in Bryan, where Beth grew up and her immediate family lives today. The Damphousses’ oldest daughter, Kayleigh, lives in Austin.
KASU News reached out to ASU System President Dr. Chuck Welch for comments about the next steps. First, Welch praised Damphousse for the work that he has done over the past five years.
"I liken this to coaching searches in that we want to have people that others want," says Welch. "I know this is a risk when you have talented individuals like Kelly [Damphousse], but we are certainly appreciative of what he has done over the last five years. This is certainly a bittersweet moment as we hate to lose the Damphousse family at A-State. But we are also proud of them for this new opportunity and the ability to live closer to family. Kelly has been a trusted colleague and friend, and I always knew that his top priority was our students and their success"
Welch went on to say that Damphousse will leave Arkansas State stronger than when he came.
“Kelly leaves the university in a very strong position and well-poised for the future,” Welch added. “His leadership during the past two years of the pandemic was exemplary. Financial positioning, fund-raising efforts, exciting new facilities, and academic program growth have made A-State a better place because of Kelly’s leadership.”
Welch tells what the next steps will be in the search for a new chancellor.
"I will sit down with the constituency group over the next several days and begin to talk about timeline and process," says Welch. "Once I get a committee appointed, then they will assist me on a position announcement, desired characteristics for the next chancellor, and we will launch the search."
There are no decisions yet on a possible interim appointment or a search process.
When asked about what Welch is looking for in a new chancellor, he said he was careful not to start expressing specifics on what he was wanting in a new leader without first consulting with the university constituency groups. He did talk in generalities about what he would like to see.
"I want someone who is a good communicator. I want someone who will continue to be approachable. I want someone with passion who will continue to push the envelope. I want someone wo is engaging and who is passionate about the university. Those are some generalities, but after I start meeting with the groups, then I will get more specifics about what is wanted in the next leader."
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