LITTLE ROCK (Thursday, May 8, 2025) — Dr. Christine Holt, chancellor of University of Arkansas Community College Hope-Texarkana (UAHT), today announced that she is leaving her post for a new position after nearly four years at the helm of the institution.
Holt has accepted a job as deputy chancellor at State Center Community College District, based in Fresno, California. The District includes four colleges – Fresno City College, Reedley College, Clovis Community College and Madera Community College — that educate roughly 60,000 students across four counties.
“UAHT is clearly one of our many two-year institutions that is effectively making a difference in the region it serves and providing world-class opportunities for students,” said UA System President Jay B. Silveria. “I want to thank Dr. Holt for her contributions to the college and the UA System, while also viewing this as an opportunity not only to carry on the success and momentum underway in the community, but to also ensure future growth and success at UAHT.”
Under Holt’s leadership, UAHT’s fall-to-fall enrollment has increased three consecutive years, while its spring enrollment was up 10.4 percent this year. The first class benefitting from the Hempstead Guarantee, a scholarship program that guarantees Hempstead County students’ first year of college at no cost at UAHT began this year, while its Collegiate Academy program leads the state in high school seniors graduating with associate’s degrees and high school diplomas.
During Holt’s tenure, UAHT also increased the tuition discount to 90 percent for full-time employees to promote college attainment to enhance marketability for workplace advancement and made a concerted effort to pay the lowest wage earners sustainable wages. Holt also convened a member of the UAHT Board of Visitors, employers, college personnel, the Office of Skills Development and the Arkansas Community Colleges to launch this past fall the Fiber Optics Technician Program. This program offers short-term training in a high-skill and high-wage employment field.
“I appreciate the confidence the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas had in me when I became chancellor in 2021 and along the way,” Holt said. “It has been the pinnacle of my career to serve as chancellor and we have accomplished great things. For as long as I am here, I remain ‘all in’ and will continue the important work we have set out to accomplish. But I do want to express my eternal gratefulness for the opportunity to serve the many stakeholders in our region, the UA System, and most importantly the wonderful students we’ve positively impacted during this time.”
Clark Named Interim Chancellor
Silveria has named Laura Clark, UAHT vice chancellor for academics, as interim chancellor effective July 1, while a search for Holt’s replacement gets underway.
Clark has served at the campus for nearly 30 years, including as dean of health professions before becoming vice chancellor for academics. She also served as practical nursing program director, Arkansas Rural Nursing Education Consortium (ARNEC) program chair, Certified Nurse Assistant program chair, and as a full-time practical nursing instructor. In 2013, Clark was named the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. She began her career as an emergency room and critical care nurse at Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville and as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.
“I appreciate Laura Clark’s willingness to once again take on the role of interim chancellor during this important time of transition at UAHT,” Silveria said. “With her vast experience on campus, impressive institutional knowledge and passion for seeing students succeed, she is well-equipped to lead UAHT and to keep the institution moving forward as we plan the process for ultimately naming the next chancellor.”
As vice chancellor for academics, Clark led the reactivation of the paramedic program and was actively involved in the college joining ARNEC. Under Clark’s direction, the college initiated the associate of applied science Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)-to-Registured Nurse (RN) degree, including expanding the curriculum design to an evening program on the Texarkana campus. Clark also was instrumental in the design, development and implementation of the campus textbook program and provided insight and oversight into the creation of the Hope and Texarkana Collegiate Academies. She also managed absorption of the Secondary Career and Technical Education Centers on both UAHT campuses, endeavors that greatly expanded access to higher education and workforce training in the region. More recently, Clark developed and guided the approval of the James Black School of Bladesmithing, making historic arts a unique addition to the UAHT curriculum, and helped UAHT design, develop and launch the state’s first solar education lab.