The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will host its 172nd commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., with the processional starting at 9:45 a.m. Recently named one of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders, Dr. Charlies Nelms will serve as the commencement speaker. The event will be livestreamed on UAPB TV YouTube Channel.

“I am immensely grateful to the faculty and staff of Arkansas AM&N College for nurturing my dreams. The culture of caring they provided allowed me to excel and to become a three-time university chancellor. They emphasized that I was more than my GPA or my test scores. During my 50-year career in the academy, I never lost sight of what it means to be an agent of change. Every day, I seek to repay AM&N/UAPB for investing in me by investing in others.”

— said Dr. Charlie Nelms

In September, Dr. Nelms was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 as a “Towering Higher Education Leader, Author and Philanthropist.”  The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding accomplishments of African Americans with Arkansas ties and invests in Black and underserved communities across Arkansas to improve the education, health, and social well-being of marginalized populations, according to its website.

A nationally recognized leader in higher education, a compelling storyteller, and a dedicated activist, Dr. Nelms is the first African American to be appointed chancellor of an Indiana University (IU) campus and to serve as vice president of the University. Dr. Nelms’ career also includes serving as chancellor at the University of Michigan-Flint, and North Carolina Central University (NCCU). During his tenure as chancellor of NCCU, U.S. News & World Report ranked it among the best public HBCUs in the nation for three consecutive years, according to his biographical sketch.

Dr. Nelms has been named the second recipient of the Dr. Lawrence A. Davis, Jr. Trailblazer of Higher Education Award. Demetrius Johnson, Jr., founder, president, and CEO of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Campaign Fund (HCF), recently announced.

Dr. Nelms will be honored as part of the ninth class of The Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2026, which is the award’s highest distinction, Johnson said.  He will be recognized alongside fellow honoree, Dr. Forest E. Harris, Sr., retired president of American Baptist College.  The additional honorees will be announced in full in early 2026, according to an article on HCF’s website.

“Dr. Charlie Nelms is a true trailblazer in the higher education community, and we proudly recognize him for his exceptional leadership, steadfast commitment, and enduring contributions to the field,” Johnson said.  “As an alumnus of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff – and with this award bearing the name of Dr. Lawrence A. Davis, Jr., a leader whose legacy reflects transformative impact and dedicated service – there is no one more fitting to receive this honor than Dr. Nelms. We express our deepest gratitude for Dr. Nelms’ invaluable achievements and congratulate him on this well-deserved honor, celebrating a legacy that continues to inspire and elevate the future of higher education.”

Dr. Nelms is a founding member of the Millennium Leadership Initiative and professor emeritus at IU. He is currently a senior scholar at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, providing leadership in assisting minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Additionally, he serves as President In-Residence with the United Negro College Fund. In addition, he is the author of From Cotton Fields to University Leadership: All Eyes on Charlie (Indiana University Press, 2019).

Dr. Nelms graduated from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal (AM&N) College (now known as UAPB) in 1969.  While in college, he milked cows on the college farm, worked as a clerk in the campus bookstore, and served as president of the Student Government Association, according to his biographical sketch.  From these humble beginnings, he went on to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees from IU.  In 2019, IU awarded him an honorary doctorate. He is also the recipient of its highest honors: The President’s Medal for Excellence, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion for Distinguished Achievement. Dr. Nelms is Vice President and Professor Emeritus at IU. He also holds honorary degrees from Earlham College, Martin University, and UAPB. 

Dr. Nelms has received numerous national accolades for his higher education leadership, including prestigious fellowships from the Ford Foundation and the American Council on Education. In addition, he has been widely recognized for tackling issues beyond academia in our communities. In 2012, President Obama honored him with the MLK Drum Major for Service Award for helping to address the most pressing needs in our nation.

In October 2024, Dr. Nelms celebrated 55 years of marriage to his wife, Jeanetta Sherrod (Class of ’68), in addition to his 55th class reunion.  He also served as the grand marshal for the 2024 UAPB Homecoming Parade.

Dr. and Mrs. Nelms, along with their son, Rashad, a Michigan undergraduate (2001) and law graduate (2004), are philanthropists who have established scholarship endowments at UAPB, Indiana University, University of Michigan Flint, and North Carolina Central University. Each year, 30 to 40 students are awarded Nelms Scholarships. The Charlie and Jeanetta Nelms Alumni Scholarship Endowment is the largest at UAPB, according to Dr. Nelms’ biographical sketch.

Dr. Nelms conveyed his appreciation for the formative influence that AM&N/UAPB had on his life.

For more information, please visit uapbcommencement.com.

###