McCoy Named Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

Photo Submitted

Chris McCoy

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Chris McCoy has been selected as the vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Arkansas. The appointment becomes effective Aug. 2. McCoy previously served as the university’s associate vice chancellor for Information Technology Services and chief information officer, starting in 2015.

“Chris McCoy is an accomplished leader with more than 30 years of experience in higher education, most of that supporting the land-grant mission,” said Chancellor Joseph E. Steinmetz. “He has spent the last eight years leading technology development and business alignment for enterprise resource planning systems including the current UA System ERP project. His experience in this area will serve us well as we begin to implement the project and modernize our financial and human resources processes.”

McCoy has led development of an enterprise resource planning project, or ERP for short, that uses software and collective data to integrate the various functions of the university — from human resources to business processes to financial affairs — combining them into a single system that streamlines processes and information across the entire University of Arkansas System.

In his new role, McCoy will oversee seven units including facilities management, human resources, information technology services, business and administrative strategic information systems, business affairs, financial affairs and the university police department. As a member of the University Executive Committee, McCoy will report directly to Chancellor Steinmetz.

“I have worked my entire career for an opportunity like this at a world-class institution like the University of Arkansas, and I’m honored to have been selected for this important role at a very important time for the university,” McCoy said. “Every area of the institution will be impacted by the ERP project as it will modernize our processes and systems, allowing us to enhance services for our students, faculty and staff. This is a chance for us to rethink how we work and operate moving forward to best help the university succeed.”

“Chris has done a tremendous job leading some significant campuswide and systemwide projects and initiatives for the university, managing a great deal of change in the process,” Provost Jim Coleman said. “He understands how technology can be used as a tool to increase efficiency and enhance the services we provide to our campus community.”

“We had an excellent and diverse group of applicants and yet Chris stood out,” Steinmetz said. “I’d like to thank Mark Power and all the members of the advisory committee for their time and careful review of the candidates.”

The advisory committee was comprised of chair Mark Power, vice chancellor for advancement; Matt Waller, dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business; Gary Gunderman, executive director of institutional research; Debbie McLoud, associate vice chancellor for human resources; Steve Gahagans, director of UAPD; and Mike White, associate vice chancellor for finance.

Prior to joining the U of A, McCoy served as chief information officer at Metropolitan State University, where he led a successful campuswide initiative to modernize the entire information-technology infrastructure. He also served as interim vice chancellor for information technology and system CIO for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, director of engineering computing at Iowa State University, and manager of computing support for the Department of Computer Science at Iowa State University. He started his career as a UNIX systems programmer at Purdue University in the Cooperative Extension Service.

McCoy earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa, as well as an Master of Engineering in systems engineering and a Bachelor of Science in computer science, both from Iowa State University.

A search will begin immediately for a new associate vice chancellor for Information Technology Services and chief information officer.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.