After four years as executive vice chancellor and provost, Dr. Zulma Toro departed the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to become the first female Hispanic president of Central Connecticut State University. 

During her time as the UALR’s second in command, she has been responsible for overseeing more than 500 faculty members and about 12,000 students and establishing relationships in industry, government, and alumni for the university.

Toro arrived at UALR on Jan. 7, 2013, with a desire to help the university’s diverse student population.

“I wanted to join UALR because of the potential UALR has and the student population that the institution serves,” Toro said. “It is a mix of nontraditional and traditional, but mainly students who have not been afforded college education when they were college age. I wanted to make UALR successful in serving those students, the students that needed help the most.”

During her time at UALR, Toro was instrumental in establishing key partnerships, including the building of an eSTEM Public Charter Schools high school on UALR’s campus and the development of UALR’s Community Connection Center, which serves as an outreach office for campus and community partnerships.

“As provost, Dr. Toro has worked tirelessly to head up academic affairs and maintain high standards at this university,” UALR Chancellor Andrew Rogerson said. “She has been a strong champion of student success and student-centered policies. She has also led efforts to establish quality educational opportunities for students in the P-16 pipeline (the education experience for students from preschool through college). We wish Dr. Toro well in the next step in her career.”

She tackled long-term goals of raising the university’s graduation rate and establishing key initiatives for the university.

“She will leave a positive imprint on multiple places on campus, some with significant payoff in the future,” said UALR Chancellor Emeritus Joel Anderson, who worked closely with Toro until his retirement in June 2016. “Another example, under her leadership, UALR has been included in the multi-year, multi-institution initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, ‘Reimagine the First Year Experience,’ which will benefit the institution as the state’s new funding approach is implemented.”

Toro’s favorite part of her job was working with teams to establish initiatives that improved the student experience and provided professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

“My greatest accomplishment was the life I was able to impact on students, faculty, and staff,” she said. “I think making people understand better their roles in student success and how everyone impacts what we do for students was my main accomplishment. Now everyone talks about student success, and they didn’t when I arrived at UALR.  That is a cultural change that has long-lasting impact on UALR.”