Diane NewtonDiane Newton began her job as the new vice president of finance and administration at UCA aware of the challenges ahead – a second round of state cuts on the horizon and the university slowly rebuilding its reserves.
But, those challenges were among the reasons Newton accepted the post.
“I’ve never been afraid of a challenge, but rather look forward to being able to make a difference,” said Newton.
Newton, 50, served as the vice president of business and administration at Lander University in South Carolina before coming to UCA on Jan. 11.
While at Lander University, Newton managed a staff of 100 people and provided planning, development and oversight of nearly $50 million of construction projects.
Newton, an Arkansas native, has 26 years of experience in the public university environment.
She began her career in higher education as an accountant and later the assistant controller at Henderson State University, where she worked from 1984 to 1993. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and later her master’s degree from Henderson State University.
“Funny thing, I started out majoring in art, but decided other than teaching I wasn’t sure I would be able to find a job and I don’t have the teaching gene,” she said.
Newton, an avid amateur photographer and a grandmother of four, said the position at UCA came at the right time. The job allowed her to come back home and to be a part of something special at UCA, she said.
“I am really excited to be part of such a wonderful university,” Newton said. “UCA has a great history and employees that are dedicated to its success. It will be exciting and challenging and I look forward to getting started in this bright new chapter.”
Returning UCA to a solid financial base is critical, Newton said.
“That has to be in place to make all the other things happen,” she said. “The tricky part is maintaining the quality of the student experience while still rebuilding that base.”
Financial ups and downs are really not that uncommon in universities, she added.
“They may not be created by the same set of circumstances as at UCA, but they do happen,” Newton said. “I have very definitely been involved in these downturns, whether declining enrollment, the cutting of state appropriations or other economic factors. You work through them, you make the smartest decisions you can make at the time with the information available to you and remain flexible. … You have to position yourself in such a way that allows you to make the smart choices. We have done that at Lander and we’ll do it at UCA, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”