Two candidates have been selected as finalists for the dean of the new College of Education and Health Professions at the UALR. They will be on campus in late April and early May for interviews and presentations.

The finalists include Ann Bain of UALR and S. Rex Morrow of Purdue University North Central in Westville, Ind. A third finalist dropped out this week because he accepted another position.

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Zulma Toro appointed Deborah Baldwin, associate provost and dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, to lead the search committee. Academic Search, a subsidiary of The American Academic Leadership Institute, assisted with the national search.

Bain is currently interim dean of the College of Science and chair of the Department of Nursing at UALR. She joined the university in 1987 as an assistant professor of nursing and attained both tenure and promotion to the rank of full professor. She formerly worked as a nurse at several hospitals in Little Rock and was assistant manager at Controlmed Medical Auditing. Her campus interviews were Monday and Tuesday, April 28 and 29.

While at UALR, Bain helped establish partnerships with St. Vincent Health System and Baptist Health System and led national accreditation initiatives for nursing. She received a doctorate in higher education administration in 1998 from UALR, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from the University of Central Arkansas.

Morrow is dean and professor in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University North Central (PNC). He formerly was chair and professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Health Sciences at Bradley University and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at Illinois State University. His campus visit and interviews will be May 7 and 8.

At PNC, Morrow has led the development of more than 15 community college articulation agreements and 45 concurrent enrollment contracts with area high schools. He received a doctorate in social science education in 1983 from Ball State University, a master’s degree in education in 1982 from Ball State; a master’s degree in world history in 1977 from Indiana State University; and a bachelor’s degree in history and social sciences from Marian University.

The new College of Education and Health Professions brings together several of UALR’s established professional programs that are each individually accredited: Educational Leadership; Teacher Education; Audiology and Speech Pathology; Health and Human Performance and Sports Management; Nursing; CARE (Counseling, Adult & Rehabilitation Education); and the School of Social Work.

By emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration and sharing departmental strengths, the new college will strive to open doors to high-demand careers for graduates of all ages.