Texarkana college gets interim chief
The vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope-Texarkana will become the school's interim chancellor next month.
UA System trustees approved System President Donald Bobbitt's appointment of Laura Clark at their meeting Wednesday.
Clark has also been dean of health professions at the college and spent years working as a hospital nurse, according to a system news release.
A search committee, soon to be formed, will pursue a permanent chancellor.
Clark takes over July 6, soon after current Chancellor Chris Thomason leaves to begin his new job as vice president for planning and development for the UA System.
Lottery scholarship deadline extended
Arkansans now have until Aug. 1 to apply to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery for college financial assistance.
The previous deadline of July 1 was extended to accommodate students who may have faced setbacks because of challenges related to the covid-19 pandemic, Arkansas Division of Higher Education Director Maria Markham said in a news release.
To qualify, students must have scored a 19 on their ACTs or an equivalent score on an Accuplacer test. Students must maintain a grade-point average of 2.5 to maintain their scholarship.
At four-year schools, first-year students receive $1,000, second- and third-year students receive $4,000, and seniors get $5,000. At two-year colleges, first-year students receive $1,000 and second-year students receive $3,000.
ASU official exits for Missouri post
Arkansas State University's vice chancellor for diversity and community relations is leaving to take a similar position at the University of Missouri, the university announced Friday.
Maurice Gipson has held his position since 2018, when he became the first "cabinet-level chief diversity officer" ever at the university, according to a university announcement.
While the university begins a national search for his replacement, Lonnie Williams will serve in the position on an interim basis, a news release states. Williams is a special assistant to Chancellor Kelly Damphousse and was previously an associate vice chancellor for student affairs at ASU.
Williams has worked at ASU since 2003, after spending 27 years at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He spent 12 years at UA as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. Williams has four degrees from UA, three of which are advanced degrees in education.
Tech joins system for student returns
Arkansas Tech University has joined a dozen other colleges nationwide in starting the ReUp Network, which matches people who want to go back to college to finish their degrees with a school.
The network notes that people who have stopped attending college may no longer be able to attend their original institution, and they need to find another one.
In a news release announcing the network, Arkansas Tech Vice President for Enrollment Management Blake Bledsoe emphasized the university's efforts toward increasing social mobility for Arkansans.
Two-thirds of the more than 300 programs available in the network are online programs.