Joint effort aims to add to nurses
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has announced a partnership with Saline Health System to address Saline County's nursing shortage by creating more scholarship opportunities for students who want to enter the health care field.
Leaders at the two institutions have agreed to a two-year initiative that allows the university to recruit and educate 20 students for two-year associate of applied science degrees, according to a news release from the school. Those students will each receive a $5,000 scholarship structured as a loan that's subject to forgiveness as long as they remain employed by Saline Memorial Hospital at least two years after they graduate from the program.
The initiative begins this fall.
Tech names head of STEM division
Arkansas Tech University has named Sarah Burnett as the new director of its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Collaborative, the school said in a news release.
The unit offers training sessions for kindergarten-12th-grade teachers and engages students in projects including a STEM institute for girls and a statewide robotics competition. It serves more than 40 school districts in west-central Arkansas.
Burnett, 33, holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Arkansas Tech and a master's degree in teaching from the University of Central Arkansas. She also taught mathematics in public schools in Perryville, Danville and Western Yell County before joining the ATU STEM Education Collaborative as a kindergarten-through-12-grade math specialist in 2014.
She succeeds interim director John Watson, who is a professor of mathematics at Arkansas Tech.
529 college plan offers mobile app
The Arkansas 529 College Investing Plan has become the first state-run savings plan in the country to launch a mobile application, according to a news release.
Participants can now view their account balances and transaction histories, get deposit and security alerts, and stay up to date on news about their plan on their smartphones.
Arkansas 529, which allows Arkansas taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 in contributions to a college savings account, teamed up with Springdale-based Central25 App Works to create the app.
Emma Willis, the plan's director, said the app will help with identifying and reaching Arkansas 529 account holders.
UAPB magazine takes a top honor
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's alumni publication, UAPB Magazine, took home a top award from a gala honoring historically black colleges and universities that was hosted by HBCU Digest, a blog that covers those institutions.
According to a news release from the school, the magazine is produced by creative director and lead photographer Brian Williams and lead writer Donna Mooney, and has contributors from the schools' departments. It publishes twice a year, and has a combined print and online readership of more than 10,000.
"I am so appreciative of the honor," Tisha Arnold, UAPB public information officer and editor of the magazine, said in the release. "It is a testament to the teamwork from colleagues across campus and support from the administration to continue to tell UAPB's story."
SAU to purchase housing complex
The board of trustees at Southern Arkansas University has voted to buy an 80-bed apartment complex near its campus to accommodate its enrollment growth, according to a news release from the school.
Trustees voted at their meeting in June to authorize financing $1.4 million for the purchase, the release states. The property will be used for student housing and will be overseen by the school's student housing office. Roughly half of the units are already occupied by SAU students. The five-building, two-story complex contains 24 one- or two-bedroom units and is about half a block from the campus.
SAU President Trey Berry said enrollment growth "has been a blessing" and that additional growth is anticipated in the fall. The school recently constructed three new residence halls, broke ground on a fourth and converted a nearby property into a residential space.
Trustees also voted to finance an additional $100,000 for parking and other improvements.
Metro on 07/23/2018