Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series with new University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College Chancellor Adam O’Neal.
FORREST CITY — The University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College is beginning a new school year under new leadership.
Adam O’Neal was named the replacement for retiring Chancellor Dr. Cathie Cline ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
O’Neal is a native of Hot Springs but is no stranger to the Forrest City campus. He joined UA-EACC in 2022 as dean of student services and served for two years as vice chancellor of student services before being selected as chancellor.
O’Neal said he decided to apply for the position because UA-EACC is a special place.
“I’ll tell you what was interesting to me coming from a K-12 background. I knew I wanted to work here but I was unsure what it was going to look like having worked in K-12,” he said. “The last six years prior to that I had been a building level principal at an elementary school. You’ve got kindergarten teachers that love kids and they love education. You know you’ve got a lot of people who are student-centered and student first. I didn’t know if there would be that same type of culture on a college campus.
“Something I learned really quickly working here was students were the priority number one. Two weeks into the job I said, oh, this is just like working in K-12. You just find the needs that the students have and you find a way to address it,” O’Neal added. “They may look differently but the student-centeredness of the campus and the culture, that is what really made EACC home for me. Interest in working in higher education and working in this community is what made me accept the job. What kept me at EACC is the student-centered culture and the focus of the faculty and staff.”
O’Neal acknowledges there is pressure following Cline’s more than 25 years of service to EACC, including nearly a decade as president and chancellor. However, he said it is a good pressure.
“There’s pressure because things are going well. I welcome that pressure,” he said. “I’d rather have the pressure of things going well than trying to clean up a dumpster fire. She’s left the college in great shape. She gave me opportunities to learn a lot while she was here. I learned a lot under her leadership. We’ve got a lot of momentum with the (University of Arkansas) System and our partnerships with the K-12 districts. Now I feel like my job is to continue the momentum and make sure that the team is putting our efforts all in the same direction.”
