2 campus leaders' contracts renewed
Two board of trustees -- one for a community college and one for a university -- have renewed contracts with their presidents.
On Wednesday, the Pulaski Technical College board approved a two-year rolling contract for its president, Margaret Ellibee. The board evaluates Ellibee, 54, every year in executive session and decides whether to extend her contract. Ellibee will earn the same salary as she did last fiscal year at $176,826.
On Thursday, trustees for Arkansas Tech University approved a one-year contract extension for its president, Robin Bowen. Bowen, 55, became the first female president of a public four-year university in the state after the board unanimously selected her in April 2014.
She will enter her second year of a three-year contract this year, earning $275,000. Her contract with the university gave her $224,000 annually. Her raise is part of a campuswide initiative to align faculty and staff salaries with the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources median salaries at peer institutions.
Some parents get free class at Tech
Arkansas Tech University will allow parents or legal guardians of a first-generation college student to take one class there for free.
The offer will begin for the parents in fall 2015, after the university's board of trustees approved the initiative last week. Parents or legal guardians will be identified by the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.
Interested parents must complete an admission form and meet standards for nondegree-seeking candidates, according to a news release. Parents can register for a course -- one without prerequisites -- and take it without paying tuition and fees. The offer is only available during the first year of enrollment for the first-generation student.
"Perhaps this offer will serve as a launching point toward academic goals that were deferred earlier in life," university President Robin Bowen said in a statement. "Perhaps this offer will simply give parents and students a common experience as they discuss the value of a college education. Regardless, we are proud to be able to make this opportunity available to the parents of our first-generation students."
Harding cuts MBA students' tuition
Students wishing to pursue masters in business administration at Harding University will have lower tuition rates in the fall.
The board of trustees last month set the rates for that degree program at $650 per credit hour to stay competitive with other universities while maintaining affordability for students, according to a news release. Of the 6,058 students at the private university in fall 2014, 1,573 were graduate students at the Searcy school, according to the state Department of Higher Education.
Bryan Burks, dean of the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration, said in a news release that he hoped the tuition reduction will attract more students to the university's program in management and business ethics.
"Our business world needs leaders trained in values and integrity -- people willing to do the right thing and make a difference," Burks said in the statement. "This has always been at the heart of our program. In the end, our goal is to prepare students in this program for lives of service."
Metro on 06/21/2015