Editor’s note: The Fort Smith Metro Daily News Executive Summary series is focused on looking under the title, so to speak, of a business, government, and non-profit executive in the Fort Smith metro.
Dr. Terisa Riley has been chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith since July 1, 2019. She has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. Her work in the field includes positions as chief student affairs officer, chief financial officer, chief administrator, and chief enrollment management officer.
She also held faculty appointments in graduate higher education administration programs at Saint Louis University and the University of South Dakota.
A first-generation college graduate, Riley is an advocate for public higher education and its power to create access and opportunity. Her community involvement includes serving on the boards of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, Van Buren Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Fort Smith, Fort Smith Regional Council, Arvest Bank, and as chair of the U.S. Marshals Museum Board. She also chairs the University of Arkansas System Workday Steering Committee and serves on the Arkansas Division of Higher Education Executive Council.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and a doctorate in higher education administration and research methodology from Saint Louis University. She is a graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and the National Police Institute.
She lives in Fort Smith with her husband, Dr. Ricardo Maestas. They have seven adult children and three grandchildren.
Following are Riley’s responses to the Executive Summary questions.
• What was your first job and what did it teach you?
My first paying job: I cleaned out stalls at a sale barn. Yep, I shoveled horse and cow manure. My family lived next door to the sale barn and I could hop the fence and go over to work after school. I started when I was 10 years old and earned $10, which seemed like a fortune to me in 1980. I learned the value of hard work and exceeding my boss’s expectations, and that people counted on me to do my job so that they could do their jobs. Frankly, I also learned the value of earning my own money and not feeling reliant on my parents or others to pay for things I wanted or needed.
• What is a principle or value on which you never compromise?
Honesty. Period. I expected people around me to be honest, and I am always honest with others. There are many principles on which I do not compromise, but every relationship I have is built on a foundation of trust, which can only be accomplished if both parties are honest with each other and themselves.
• What’s one belief you held strongly 10+ years ago that you’ve changed your mind about?
One belief that has changed for me over the past ten years is the value and credibility I perceive in online learning. Pre-pandemic, I believed some online programs and institutions were pretty questionable with regard to quality, but most universities had to quickly ensure high-quality online education that was engaging and had value that was similar to learning that happened in person. I believe we have a lot to learn in this arena, but my previous biases about this have been proven wrong by fantastic faculty who worked diligently to ensure highly engaging courses online.
• If you could change one thing about the Fort Smith metro, what would it be?
If I could change one thing, I would ensure that all businesses and organizations “bleed blue.” They would sell UAFS gear and offer menu items or services that show their pride in the UAFS Lions. We are incredibly lucky to have a four-year degree-granting university in this community. There are fewer than 750 public universities in the country, so I would ensure that Fort Smithians celebrated and took advantage of having this fantastic resource in our community.
• There are many promises and concerns with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). What societal benefit do you hope AI will produce?
This question probably deserves its own article, and my faculty are much better versed to explain the ways in which AI use has both improved and deteriorated learning. From my perspective, AI has tremendous promise in personalizing tutoring and as a resource to improve student success. UAFS is already using AI to run our Chatbot, Roary, which responds to prospective student and parent questions 24/7/365.
• How do you approach decision-making in an environment where public scrutiny or stakeholder criticism is frequent?
I am incredibly fortunate because I have structures in place that allow multiple constituent groups to give feedback to ensure good, thorough decision-making. Of course, I approach my decisions with the following fundamental knowledge: I cannot make everyone happy, and each of my students and employees represent very different wants, needs, and values. At the end of the day, I have to focus on what is best for the university, for our students, and for those individuals who are counting on us to educate and train their future employees.
• What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever made?
I make hard decisions all the time in areas of budget and resource allocations, personnel, etc., so it is tough to focus on one over the others. It was heartbreaking – and I still cry when I talk about it today – to cancel graduation during the pandemic. Knowing how hard our students work to achieve their goals made it so tough to cancel their milestone celebrations, despite knowing it was the safest thing to do.
• If you could instantly learn the truth about one mystery – like who killed JFK – what would it be?
There are so many mysteries I’d love to solve; however, I’d choose being able to review ALL of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. I’d love to learn the real details on his case and find out all the people who are implicated in this.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SUBJECTS
Following are the links to previous posts in the Executive Summary series.
ArcBest Chair and CEO Judy McReynolds
Fort Smith Mayor George McGill
BHC President and CEO Marty Clark
Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission Director Maryl Koeth Purvis