Higher education notebook

Agency lauds ASU's storm preparations

Arkansas State University is ready -- for hazardous weather.

The state's second-largest university earned the National Weather Service's StormReady Community designation last week. The designation means the university has procedures in place in preparation for emergencies, according to a news release.

The weather service's Memphis office reviewed and scored the university's severe-weather readiness plans against six criteria, including how the school receives and monitors weather, the methods used to distribute that information and overall planning.

"Arkansas State met, and in many cases, exceeded the criteria," Gary Woodall, warning coordination meteorologist at the Memphis office, said in his remarks when presenting the designation. "However, their drills and advance planning activities for large events were particularly impressive."

Jonesboro-based ASU is the largest university in the state with the designation, according to a news release.

Because Jonesboro and Craighead County have also earned the designation, ASU is the state's first "triple-StormReady" university, the release states.

Mexican campus of ASU opens doors

Arkansas State University's Campus Queretaro opened its doors to students last week and will start classes Monday.

Some 214 students moved into residence halls of the university's Mexico campus, according to a news release. The Mexico campus has 250 students enrolled in classes so far, but it will make a final tally on the 11th day of the courses.

The university was built using $100 million from a private foundation led by Mexican businessman Ricardo Gonzalez, ASU said. The donation helped fund the first phase of the 200-acre campus: 800,000 square feet of academic and residential buildings and recreational facilities.

ASU said no state funds have been used to build or operate the Mexico campus, including startup personnel and travel costs.

ASU-Jonesboro Chancellor Kelly Damphousse, after visiting the Mexico campus for the first time after he took the position on July 1, said the international campus was "more impressive than I ever imagined."

"We're thrilled to welcome the Queretaro students, faculty and staff into the A-State family," Damphousse said in a statement.

"Ricardo, Vice Rector Brad Rawlins and the entire team in Mexico have worked hard to build a stunning campus, hire a strong group of faculty and recruit an impressive inaugural class of students. Our partnership is incredibly unique, and it will serve Arkansas State and its constituencies well in the years to come."

State grant to fund research at UALR

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a state grant that will help continue the school's special education research.

The $601,775.75 grant is from the state Department of Education and is for the university's Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Data and Research Center, which does specialized research in data reporting and management on special education programs for the state agency, according to a news release.

Data and analytics for special education are required by the U.S. Department of Education to ensure the programs are effective. UALR collects data on race, education placement, discipline data, special-education testing data and graduation rates, the university said.

UCA's grad school welcomes new dean

The University of Central Arkansas has a new dean of its graduate school.

The Conway-based university hired Angela Barlow on July 1. In that role, she will oversee the school's 62 graduate degrees and certificates and earn $135,000 annually, the university said.

"As graduate dean, I see my role as being a supporter of faculty who are providing transformative experiences for their students and an advocate for graduate students who want to influence the world in a positive way," she said in a statement. "My goal is to have UCA be the destination for excellence in graduate education."

Barlow comes from the National Council of Science Museums' Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, where she served as an editor, and from the Mathematics Teacher Educator, where she was on an editorial panel.

She has worked as director of the Mathematics and Science Education doctoral program at Middle Tennessee State University and has taught at the University of Mississippi and the University of West Georgia, according to a news release.

She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics education, a master of education in mathematics education, a master of applied mathematics and a doctorate degree in mathematics education from Auburn University.

Metro on 09/03/2017

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