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UAH leaders, trustees praise retiring President Charles Carr as system readies presidential search
Summary
Chancellor Sills and trustees honored University of Alabama in Huntsville President Charles (Chuck) Carr for his service, cited record freshman classes and research growth, and said a national search committee chaired by Trustee Evie Malden is close to recommending a successor.
Chancellor Sills opened the University of Alabama System's UAH institutional session by thanking President Charles "Chuck" Carr for his leadership and long service to the campus and the region. "We owe them an enduring debt of gratitude for their service," Sills said, summarizing Carr's work to strengthen UAH's academic profile and community ties.
Sills pointed to record-setting freshman classes in fall 2024 and 2025 — noting a cohort of 1,220 students for fall 2025 with an average GPA of 3.97 and an average ACT score of 27 — and described UAH as growing both in student quality and research. "With research expenditures of nearly $640 million over the past 5 years, UAH has made a significant impact in areas critical to national security, space exploration, and scientific innovation," he said. He also listed near-term campus investments under way, including the Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building, renovations at the Bevill Center for a new Center for Cybersecurity Research, and a planned 58-acre mixed-use Exploration Plaza adjacent to campus.
The chancellor said a national search for UAH's next president launched in January and that a presidential search advisory committee chaired by Trustee Evie Malden has been reviewing finalists. "If all goes well in the next few weeks, I will have the honor and privilege of recommending to the board an individual who meets all of our qualifications," Sills said.
Trustees responded with extended remarks praising Carr's impact at UAH and at other University of Alabama campuses, and the meeting included prerecorded or read remarks from elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Dale Strong and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, that thanked Carr for his service and noted UAH's contribution to the state and local workforce. The institutional session recessed to allow the Investment Committee to convene and will resume the board meeting the following day.
The board did not take any formal action on the presidential search in this session; trustees said they expect a staff recommendation to the full board in the coming weeks.
