President Dunsworth Elected Chair of Higher Learning Commission

University of the Ozarks President Richard L. Dunsworth, J.D., has been elected as Chair of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Board of Trustees.

Dunsworth's two-year term as chair runs from Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2026.

Founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States, HLC is the nation's largest institutional accrediting agency, representing nearly 1,000 colleges and universities in the U.S.

Dunsworth was elected to an initial four-year term on the HLC Board of Trustees in 2018 and served as vice-chair from 2022-2024. He first joined HLC as a peer reviewer in 2007.

"Serving as a member of the Higher Learning Commission Board of Trustees has been one of the greatest professional development and service opportunities of my career. It's humbling to work with such thoughtful and committed volunteers who tirelessly work to ensure quality for nearly 4.8 million students. We are supported by an amazing cadre of volunteers and staff who represent the very best of higher education. I am honored to serve as the chair for the next two years"

Dunsworth became the 25th president of U of O on June 1, 2013. Under his leadership, enrollment has grown more than 20 percent and the University completed its most successful capital campaign in its history, the $73 million Climb Higher Campaign, in 2021. His emphasis on making an Ozarks education affordable and accessible has led the University to be recognized as one of the most affordable institutions in the 12-state South region by U.S. News & World Report for the last five years.

The HLC Board of Trustees has primary responsibility in three areas: HLC policy; finances and planning; and institutional actions: direct decision-making regarding initial status, sanction, withdrawal of accreditation and change of control, organization or structure.

Dunsworth previously served on the NCAA DIII President's Council and on the board of directors for the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. He is the past chair of the President's Council of the Arkansas Independent Colleges and Universities (AICU).

Before joining Ozarks, Dunsworth was an administrator for 22 years at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he served as interim president and vice president for enrollment

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