UA system notebook

Initially, eVersity attracts ages 25-45

In the earliest days of the online-only eVersity, older students have made up the majority of the school's first applicants.

Michael Moore, the University of Arkansas System's vice president for academic affairs, told system trustees Thursday that eVersity received 69 applications during the first 2½ days it was open for enrollment. Enrollment is currently limited to Arkansas residents.

Out of the applicants, 48 are between 25 and 45 years old, Moore said, and eight are in their 50s.

EVersity has an annual budget calling for $1.53 million in tuition revenue from students during its first year of operation.

Moore described the work as ongoing to develop courses for eVersity. Future applicants will have more options.

"We're not ready to start baccalaureate programs for just a little while," Moore said, explaining that some of the applicants may already have enough credits for an associate's degree and thus not able to enroll.

During the UA System board of trustees meeting Friday, Skip Rutherford, dean of UA's Clinton School of Public Service, told the board the Clinton School is in the early stages of working with eVersity for a master's degree program in public service.

Though Moore had said eVersity will not be able to enroll out-of-state students pending accreditation, Rutherford spoke about the potential for national and even international outreach with a program like the master's in public service.

UAPB notes pivot as enrollment rises

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Chancellor Laurence Alexander told trustees Friday that the university has "turned the corner" with enrollment growth after years of declines.

"We have a 6.1 percent increase in overall enrollment and a 3̶1̶ 38.1* percent increase in first-time freshmen," said Alexander, now in his third year on the job. "That's a whopping increase in first-time freshman."

This fall, the school enrolled 2,666 students, compared with 2,513 at the same time last year. The number of freshmen has increased to 685 from 496 last year.

It's a reversal of a recent trend. The number of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen decreased from 781 students in fall 2010 to 484 in fall 2014, a decrease of about 38 percent.

"It's negatively impacted, I would say, nearly every aspect of campus life," Alexander said of the drop in students.

He praised Linda Okiror, UAPB's associate vice chancellor for enrollment management and student success, with reversing the trend.

Okiror said work done by faculty helped boost enrollment, as they reached out to prospective students on the basis of their preferred fields of study.

Renaming makes it Gearhart Hall

A building that first opened in 1940 on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville will be renamed for former Chancellor G. David Gearhart.

Gearhart's wife, Jane, will be honored for her volunteer efforts with a campus food pantry named after her.

University of Arkansas System trustees on Friday approved the naming resolutions.

Ozark Hall will become G. David Gearhart Hall to honor Gearhart, who stepped down from the chancellor's position at the end of July.

In addition to serving as chancellor from 2008 to 2015, Gearhart led UA-Fayetteville's main fundraising division for 10 years during a time when the university received a record $300-million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

Jane Gearhart in 2010 began supporting campus efforts to help students struggling with a lack of food, with the campus pantry to be known as the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Campus Food Pantry.

UALR land OK'd for charter school

University of Arkansas System trustees formally approved on Friday a land deal to help establish a charter school on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Trustees first discussed the sale of tracts of land off 28th Street during an August committee meeting. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is selling land to eStem Public Charter Schools Inc. for $50,000.

The eStem charter school may open in the summer of 2017, pending state approval and funding.

Fay Jones home is UA-Fayetteville's

The former family home of renowned architect Fay Jones has been donated to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, with system trustees approving the gift Friday.

The university's architecture school is named after Jones, known for his affiliation with architect Frank Lloyd Wright as well as his own designs.

The daughters of Fay and Gus Jones have given to UA-Fayetteville a 0.25 acre land tract plus an adjacent 0.34 acre lot and the family's 1,982-square-foot house. Interim Chancellor Dan Ferritor said the Fayetteville home, situated roughly 1.5 miles from UA's main campus, may serve as lodging for visiting lecturers. It will also be used by the architecture school.

Metro on 09/12/2015