Higher education notebook

ASU targets 2017 for Mexico campus

Arkansas State University is now planning to open its Mexico campus in fall 2017, according to a news release.

Construction on the privately funded $75 million campus in Queretaro, Mexico, has begun, the university said.

ASU’s campus will be on a 370-acre plot and is part of a 2,125-acre community development plan that includes commercial, residential and recreational items for some 70,000 residents, the university said.

“The campus layout is now visible with substantial earth work completed, steel beams going up for the Student Union and multiple levels of infrastructure being installed,” ASU Jonesboro Chancellor Tim Hudson said in a statement.

The campus is hoping to have 5,000 students, with 1,000 enrolling in its first year. The courses will use Arkansas State curriculum and will be taught in English. Degrees will be recognized in both Mexico and the United States.

Four radio stations plan to collaborate

Four Arkansas public radio stations have received a grant to collaborate statewide on multimedia journalism.

The $278,300 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will support the creation of Natural State News, a service to reach the rural areas of the state, according to a news release. The program will be based at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus, which is also home to National Public Radio affiliate KUAR.

Other participating radio stations include Fayetteville’s KUAF, Jonesboro’s KASU and Texarkana’s KTXK, the news release states. The stations will work together on stories about education, health and energy. They will continue to report breaking news and special interest stories, the release states.

The joint venture will fund four new positions — three in Little Rock and one in Jonesboro: a managing editor, two reporters and a partner manager who will help raise more funds for the project.

Partnerships include UALR’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, the Arkansas Educational Television Network and the newspaper El Latino.

Fort Smith school

promotes official

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith has named a new dean of students.

Dave Stevens, who was the director of campus involvement, will transition into the new administrative role, in which he will continue overseeing the Student Activities Office. Stevens, who will earn $65,000 annually, also will help provide counseling and support for the university’s 6,713 students, according to a news release.

Stevens started at the university in 2006 as an adviser for the Western Arkansas Technical Center. Three years later, he became the center’s coordinator. He started as director of campus involvement in 2012.

“This has been a very humbling experience for me,” Stevens said in a statement. “I consider myself to be very fortunate to work at such a great university with so many talented colleagues and wonderful students. I believe that UAFS has a bright future, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Campus recreation at UCA gets director

The University of Central Arkansas has hired a director of campus recreation.

Richard Hammond started the position Nov. 2 and will earn $79,000 annually, the university said. Hammond is coming to UCA after 18 years at Valdosta State University in Georgia.

At the 11,754-student Conway university, Hammond will oversee the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center, a 115,000-square-foot building that reopened in fall 2014 after renovations and expansion, according to a news release. The center includes a six-lane swimming pool and outdoor recreation programs, the news release states.

“UCA has a wonderful [Health, Physical Education and Recreation] facility,” Hammond said in a statement. “Now we just need to make sure that we get every student at UCA to come through the door so they can experience it.”

Upcoming Events