UA plans to expand business education
FAYETTEVILLE -- A lease agreement for a building in downtown Little Rock puts the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville closer to expanding its offering of executive education courses, said Brent Williams, associate dean for executive education and outreach at UA's Sam M. Walton College of Business.
UA in late December finalized a $1 per year agreement to lease a one-story building owned by financial services firm Stephens Inc., Williams said. The building is at the corner of Main and 2nd streets.
He said expanding executive education comes after talks between UA business dean Matt Waller and central Arkansas business leaders including Warren A. Stephens, chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Little Rock-based company.
"Executive education for us means non-credit type programs that are designed for the professional," Williams said.
In July, UA hired Joshua Ayres as Little Rock-based director of executive education. Ayres receives a $90,000 yearly salary, according to UA spokesman Steve Voorhies.
The first Little Rock courses will possibly be offered in late spring, Williams said, with a leadership program for health care professionals in the works.
Nuke site cleanup still short $10.1 million
FAYETTEVILLE -- No federal funding is yet in place to complete cleanup of a nuclear reactor site in rural Washington County, said Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities.
Funding is in place to pay for ongoing work through March, Johnson said in a December community meeting about the UA-owned Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor, often referred to as SEFOR, a nuclear reactor test site built in the late 1960s.
He said $10.1 million is needed to finish the job estimated by UA to cost $26.1 million.
In an email, Johnson noted continued uncertainty regarding the federal budget. Federal lawmakers in January approved a stopgap funding measure maintaining government funding through Feb. 8, according to a statement from the House Appropriations Committee.
Without funding lined up, UA must decide soon to either shut down cleanup at the end of March or keep the specialized crew from Utah-based Energy Solutions waiting in the wings in anticipation of receiving the federal funds.
Johnson said "none of these options are very good when you see what $10.1 M in [Fiscal Year 2018] funds could do to fully complete this project" in 10-12 months. He said Energy Solutions and UA "have pretty much agreed to needing to have this final decision made by late [this month]."
NW News on 02/05/2018