Chairman selected at Ozarka College
MELBOURNE - Bob Evins of Cherokee Village will serve as chairman of the Ozarka College board of trustees for two years.
Jack Yancey, 68, of Brockwell was appointed vice chairman and Darla York, 49, of Salem was appointed secretary.
Evins, 63, president of Liberty Bank of Arkansas’ Highland location, has served on the Ozarka College board for five years.
Ozarka College trustees are appointed by the governor and serve seven-year terms. Evins’ term on the board will expire in July 2016.
Ozarka College has locations in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties.
UAFS’ chancellor honored as alum
FORT SMITH - Paul Beran, 59, the chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, has been selected as one of 23 notable alumni from Stephen F. Austin State University.
The university in the town of Nacogdoches, Texas, is honoring those alumni members with banners that are hanging along its historic Vista Drive. The banners - 30inches wide and 60 inches tall - will be displayed through the rest of the academic year in commemoration of the university’s 90th anniversary.
The recognition honors Beran’s service as a higher-education administrator in three states - Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Missouri - and his work as a faculty member at several Texas institutions.
Beran graduated from Stephen F. Austin in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in English and political science, and in 1980 with a master’s degree in English. He also holds a doctorate degree in higher education curriculum and instruction from Texas A&M University, which honored him with a College of Education Honored Alumni Award in 2005.
Beran became UA-Fort Smith chancellor in 2006.
Soil-testing lab’s renovation starts
MARIANNA - Construction has begun on the expansion and renovation of a soil testing and research laboratory in eastern Arkansas.
The University of Arkansas Agriculture Division’s Soil Testing and Research Laboratory’s receiving and lab buildings will be replaced while the office wing will be renovated.
The program has provided free statewide testing for 65 years of soil samples submitted through Cooperative Extension Service county offices. The laboratory provides customized reports on soil nutrient levels and recommendations for fertilizer and lime applications for the desired use and location.
The construction will be conducted in phases and is expected to be finished in August 2014.
Mena campus gets child-care funding
MENA - An Arkansas community college is receiving a federal grant to establish or fund campus-based child-care services for lower-income parents involved in higher education.
Rich Mountain Community College in Mena will receive $20,064 for the program from the U.S. Department of Education.
The federal agency is giving nearly $9.2 million to similar campuses across the country for the program.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says the grants will help parents stay focused on their studies and graduation goals and is part of the agency’s overall goal to support students who are parents so that they can build better lives for themselves and their families.
Schools in 28 states are receiving the grants, and the programs will be funded for four years.
Information for this article was contributed by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette staff and The Associated Press.
Arkansas, Pages 16 on 09/29/2013