University of Central Arkansas

Dr. Allen C. Meadors is the ninth president of the University of Central Arkansas.

A native of Van Buren, Ark., as well as an alumnus of UCA, Meadors has a varied background that is deeply rooted in health care administration and education.  As an Air Force officer from 1969-1973, he served in the Medical Service Corps as a health administrator.  After his service commitment, he was a health care administrator for Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Topeka, Kansas. Later, he served as the assistant director of Health for Kansas City, Mo., and a health consultant involved in designing, developing, organizing, marketing and implementing health care programs in the Midwest and Western United States.

In 1977, Meadors was assistant professor and program director for Southern Illinois University. He recruited students and faculty, served as the students' counselor, coordinated with appropriate state and federal agencies and taught health management.

In 1982, Meadors became associate professor and director in the Division of Health Administration at the University of Texas at Galveston. He left that position several years later to become the first executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute in his home state of Arkansas. It was his responsibility to build this free-standing radiation therapy facility from the ground up. In his first year, more than $3.5 million was raised, and eight months later, the facility was debt-free.

Meadors returned to higher education as professor and chair of the Department of Health Administration at the University of Oklahoma, and later served as the dean of the College of Public Health at O.U. from 1989-90. In 1990, Meadors became the first dean of the College of Health, Social and Public Services at Eastern Washington University. He also held the faculty rank of professor.

Meadors then became the CEO and dean of Penn State Altoona. Under his leadership, enrollment increased, fundraising improved and intercollegiate sports revived. In fact, Penn State Altoona grew from the fifth-largest to the second-largest campus during his tenure.

In 1999, the UNC Board of Governors elected him Chancellor of UNCP. Under his leadership there, UNCP tripled its endowment; established a honor college; doubled the number of education majors; was granted full SACS accreditation; doubled its enrollment; significantly increased in its international partners and international enrollment; raised the entering freshmen class average SAT scores and GPA to an all time high; added nearly 200 new full-time tenure line faculty; received six outstanding financial audits; established six new endowed chairs; raised over $60 million dollars in external funds; and over $170 million dollars in new facilities and renovation projects.

Meadors earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from UCA, and then went on to earn four master's degrees, including an MBA, and received his Ph.D. in administration and education from Southern Illinois University. One of his last academic endeavors was to enroll in a computer sciences program at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, where he earned an associate's degree.  He has also earned certification as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), has written and spoken extensively on health care issues, and is a member of numerous professional and civic organizations.

Dr. and Mrs. Meadors have two sons. Tyson is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Jarrett is a graduate of Elon University.