Jones-Branch Named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication

JONESBORO – Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch has been named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication (CLAC) at Arkansas State University (A-State), Chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor Calvin White Jr. announced today.

Dr. White said, “I am pleased to appoint Dr. Jones-Branch to this new role at her home institution. She is a capable leader and award-winning educator with a statewide and national reputation as a thought leader and advocate for the humanities.”

“During the search process, she shared a strong vision for the future of the college and demonstrated an understanding of the unique challenges facing colleges of liberal arts and communication. I look forward to supporting her efforts to elevate the college as well as its diverse academic departments and programs,” White added.

Jones-Branch was named Dean of the Graduate School in 2020. Over the past four years, she has worked to re-establish a college focused on those seeking advanced degrees at A-State, as the university strengthens its Carnegie Research II classification.

Jones-Branch shared, “It is an honor and a privilege to return to the College of Liberal Arts and Communication as dean, the place where I began my academic career as an assistant professor of history 21 years ago. I look forward to working with CLAC students, faculty and staff as we continue to emphasize liberal arts and communication as core and essential components of a higher education.”

Jones-Branch began her A-State career in 2003 in the Department of History. She was promoted to professor in 2016 and was named the James E. and Wanda Lee Vaughn Endowed Professor of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2017.

Jones-Branch said she is looking forward to continuing CLAC's mission of helping students develop the skills needed to compete in the 21st-century world by focusing on supporting and advocating for faculty as A-State continues to invest in its innovative research enterprise and teaching practices.

A-State Chancellor Todd Shields said, “I have long known of Dr. Jones-Branch's reputation as one of the state's leading historians. More recently, in 2022, I had the honor of working directly with her and witnessing her effective leadership and expertise in action as we served together on the Governor's Commission on Women. We are fortunate to have her in this important role on campus.”

Jones-Branch served as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for 2021-2022, an ACE Women's Leadership Program mentor, a board member of the ACE Fellows Council, and a member of the inaugural cohort of the Council of Independent Colleges' Institute for New Chief Academic Officers. She also co-founded the Arkansas Delta Women's Leadership Academy and participated in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' 2023 Millennium Leadership Initiative.

She will begin her appointment at the start of the academic year on July 1, 2024.

Jones-Branch added, “Regardless of a student's major, every student who attends CLAC is influenced by the excellent disciplines within each department.”

A published author, Jones-Branch's latest book, Better Living by Their Own Bootstraps: Black Women's Activism in Rural Arkansas, 1914-1965, was published in 2021. She is currently writing her third book, Making the Farm Bureau Stronger and Better for All: African Americans and the American Farm Bureau Federation, 1920-1966. Jones-Branch is also co-editor of the “Studies in Rural Black History” series for the University of Arkansas Press.

A Persian Gulf War veteran, Jones-Branch served in the U.S. Army in Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a member of the 941st Transportation Company based in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Jones-Branch earned her bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in 1994. She earned her master's degree from the College of Charleston in 1997. She received her Ph.D. in history from Ohio State University in 2003.

CLAC's outgoing interim dean, Dr. Brad Rawlins, will work with Jones-Branch to ensure a smooth transition.

“Since joining A-State in 2012, Dr. Rawlins has repeatedly demonstrated a selfless willingness to serve the university and meet some of our most immediate administrative needs. I especially admire his steadfast and dedicated support for his college, faculty, staff and students,” White said.

“I am looking forward to spending more time in the classroom and pursuing some of my research interests. There are several goals I hope to accomplish over the next few years that will be easier to achieve as a faculty member,” Rawlins added.