LITTLE ROCK (Friday, Nov. 21, 2025) – University of Arkansas System President Jay B. Silveria has announced that Stuart Flynn, currently dean of academic affairs at Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & the Arts (ASMSA), has been named interim executive director at the state’s residential high school and will begin that role Jan. 1, 2026.
Current ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice announced in June his plans to step down in December after 13 years of leadership at the school.
A national search for a permanent executive director is also officially underway, with the school solidifying its job profile and launching a web presence for the search process intended to keep the public informed. The search site can be found here. Michael Moore, Ph.D., the UA System’s vice president for academic affairs, is leading the search, working with a previously announced committee to advise Silveria as he seeks a candidate to recommend to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas for final approval.
“I”ve been fortunate to have spent enough time at ASMSA to recognize the breadth of institutional knowledge Mr. Flynn has acquired and the level of respect his colleagues on campus have for his leadership,” Silveria said. “We are grateful he’s agreed to take on the responsibility of interim executive director and to keep things progressing during this time of transition.”
Flynn was named dean of academic affairs at ASMSA in May 2019, leaving his position as director of student support services at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) in Birmingham, Ala. He previously served as a creative writing instructor from 2001-2015 at ASFA and chair of ASFA’s Creative Writing Department from 2002-2015. Flynn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Alabama.
As dean of academic affairs at ASMSA, Flynn is the lead academic administrator for the campus, providing leadership, supervision and evaluation to faculty members and staff within the academic component of the institution. He also determines teaching schedules and oversees the planning and implementation of statewide professional development and outreach opportunities for teachers around the state through digital learning, among other duties.
“I want to thank President Silveria for entrusting me with this responsibility,” Flynn said. “I’m honored to serve the ASMSA community in this capacity, and I look forward to collaborating with all ASMSA stakeholders as we continue working together to provide meaningful educational opportunities for Arkansas families in a learning environment dedicated to academic growth and student well-being.”
About the University of Arkansas System (www.uasys.edu)
Since its inception, the University of Arkansas System has developed a tradition of excellence that includes the state’s 1871 flagship, land-grant research university; Arkansas’s premier institution for medical education, treatment and research; a major metropolitan university; an 1890 land-grant university; two regional universities serving southern and western Arkansas; eight community colleges; two schools of law; a presidential school; a residential math and science high school; and a 100 percent-online university and divisions of agriculture, archeology and criminal justice. As the premier higher education system in the state, it enrolls more than 70,000 students, employs more than 27,000 employees, and has a total budget of more than $4 billion. An intrinsic part of the texture and fabric of Arkansas, the UA System is a driving force in the state’s economic, educational and cultural advancement.
About Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (www.asmsa.org)
The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts is one of 17 public residential high schools in the country specializing in the education of academically gifted students with a STEM focus. Located in historic downtown Hot Springs, the school is the early college campus of the University of Arkansas System. For more information about ASMSA, visit asmsa.org or call (501) 622-5100.