Dr. Sandra Massey, chancellor at Arkansas State University-Newport (ASUN), has been awarded the Jackson County 2017 Outstanding Citizen Award by the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce, according to a release from ASUN.
The award, presented by chamber director Julie Allen, exemplifies a model citizen – a role model who perfectly conforms to a community’s virtues and demands.
“On behalf of the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce, I applaud the efforts of Dr. Massey – both as ASUN Chancellor and a respected member of our community,” said Allen. “Dr. Massey truly ‘gets’ the connection between college and community and has encouraged broad-based involvement throughout faculty, staff and administrators alike in initiatives which support the Newport community.”
During her tenure as ASUN chancellor, the college was named by BestColleges.com as the No. 1 two-year college in Arkansas for two consecutive years. In addition, under Massey’s leadership, ASUN received a perfect scorecard from the university’s accreditor, Higher Learning Commission.
Massey has also been instrumental in the recent $1.8 million solar panel installation – cutting the university’s power consumption by approximately 50% and ultimately keeping tuition affordable for more students.
Massey is also a highly visible community member involved in such organizations as DRIVE (Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort); CASA, an organization that helps abused and neglected children in juvenile dependency-neglect proceedings reach safe, permanent homes; PEO (Professional Employer Organizations); the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce; and the Rotary Club of Newport. She is also a commissioner for the Newport Economic Development Commission and serves the board of directors of the Little Rock Capital Corporation and the American Association of Community Colleges Diversity Board.
“Dr. Massey is an exceptional leader and advocate for our college and Jackson County,” said Dr. Charles Welch, ASU system president. “She has the innate ability to take any situation, even a potentially challenging one, and synthesize it with her unique sense of kindness and calmness to produce an effective process driven result. She is known as a strong mentor, encourager, and facilitator to many, and what she has been able to accomplish at ASU-Newport is inspiring.”
ASUN’s Dr. Sandra Massey (left) with Julie Allen of the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce / Image submitted
Get up-to-date local and regional news along with the latest weather every weekday morning by listening to Gary B. and Ozark Newsline on Arkansas 103.3, 93 KZLE, and other W.R.D. Entertainment radio stations. If you have a news tip or event to promote, email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com.
