UA Little Rock Announces CHASSE Leadership Change 

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has announced that Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE), will depart the university to become the dean of Fairmount College of Arts and Sciences at Wichita State University, effective July 2025. 

Dean Estes joined the faculty at UA Little Rock in 2006, and over the past decade in administrative leadership roles, has championed innovation, student success, and community engagement. 

As the founding dean of CHASSE, she unified programs and faculty to establish two schools, the School of Literary and Performing Arts and the School of Human Inquiry, combining disciplines in new ways to better serve students and connect learning to workforce opportunities.

Under her leadership, CHASSE saw the largest increase in new student enrollment across all colleges in Fall 2024 and raised more than $8 million in private support. A strong advocate for educator preparation, Dean Estes also secured nearly $500,000 from Forward Arkansas to launch a paid, year-long teacher residency program and helped secure a $3.5 million gift to endow the School of Education directorship—advancing student success and academic innovation. 

“Dean Estes has been a valued member of the Provost’s leadership team,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ann Bain. “We are grateful for her contributions and wish her all the best as she embarks on this new opportunity at Wichita State.”

An interim dean for CHASSE will be announced to serve during the 2025-26 academic year while UA Little Rock conducts a national search for the next dean.