Peggy Doss is the first graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello to serve as the school's chancellor. Not only a UAM graduate, she's a southeast Arkansas native. Doss grew up in nearby Warren and has a deep affection for southeast Arkansas. She understands its problems and potential like few others. She also understands the role UAM must play in the years ahead for a region that has some of the poorest counties in the country.

"I recently told a group of public administrators that we have to do our part to ensure that southeast Arkansas is the first thought and not an afterthought for Arkansans," Doss tells me. "We have a lot of innovative thinking going on here right now. We have people who understand the possibilities for southeast Arkansas. And we've come to understand that we can't be all things to all people."

Doss is proud to call herself a Boll Weevil. In addition to her bachelor's degree from UAM, Doss has a master's degree in education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a master's degree in gifted and talented education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a doctorate in higher education administration from UALR.

Doss served a decade as dean of UAM's School of Education. She also served as UAM's vice chancellor for student affairs and university relations after working in public education as a teacher and administrator.

Prior to becoming chancellor on Jan. 1, 2020, Doss was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UAM. In that job, she focused on student retention efforts such as the UAM Degree Pathways initiative, which directed students to programs where they were most likely to be successful. She also involved faculty and staff in an early-alert system to identify students in danger of dropping out. Her 15-to-finish campaign encouraged students to enroll in at least 15 hours each semester to ensure graduation in four years.

Most UAM students are first-generation college students. They often come from rural working-class families. Doss says she wants to give them an education that will allow those students to prosper without having to leave their home region. For instance, the school has increased its efforts to serve the timber industry. UAM has the only........

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