The office of Director of University Relations was created in 1971 by University president David Mullins. The position had many responsibilities, including coordinating the legislative liaison activities of university personnel and lawmakers on the local, state, and federal level; helping develop policies pertaining to pending legislation and relating those policies to legislators; maintaining good relations between the university and local, state, and federal leaders; keeping university administration and personnel up to date on legislation; and interpreting the larger trends that individual pieces of legislation represent. This position was first held by Carl Simpson Whillock, an alumnus of the University of Arkansas. Carl Whillock had previously served in many positions including state representative of Van Buren County, 1953-1955; executive assistant to J.W. Trimble, 1955-1963; prosecuting attorney of Arkansas’ fourteenth judicial district, 1963-1966, and assistant to the U of A President, 1966-1971. Whillock left the University briefly in 1974 to manage David Pryor’s campaign for governor of Arkansas.

Whillock returned to the University in 1975 as the Vice President of Governmental Relations and Public Affairs. While at the University, Whillock was also a special lecturer in the Political Science department as well as the chairman of the Fayetteville Housing Authority. Much of his energy in his primary position as head of University Relations was directed toward a few specific areas. One area included a series of mergers among institutions of higher education in Arkansas which would result in the creation of the University of Arkansas System. Another area was the planning of legislative weekends in which Arkansas political figures from all levels of government visited the University for a weekend. A third area was a series of informational meetings which took place across the state to educate the populace on the benefits of the University. A fourth area was corresponding with lawmakers when constituents raised concerns about the University. Whillock left the University in 1978 to become president of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Whillock would go on to serve on various boards and commissions across the state including the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas. He would also advise notable Arkansas Democrats such as Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, and Bill Clinton.

The duties of the Director of University Relations have become so complex that the position was split in two. In 2014, the two different positions are titled the Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations and the Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations. The office of University Relations works to advance the university’s institutional goals by providing information through print, digital media and events. The office of the Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations is responsible for the coordination of University of Arkansas activities related to government and community organizations at the local, state, and federal levels.