University of Arkansas System

Last updated
University of Arkansas System
Type State university system
Chairman John Goodson
President Donald Bobbitt
Administrative staff
17000
Students60,000
Address
2404 North University Avenue
, , ,
United States
Website uasys.edu/

The University of Arkansas System is a state university system in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It comprises six campuses; a medical school; two law schools; a graduate school focused on public service; a historically black college, statewide research, service, and educational units for agriculture, criminal justice, and archeology; and several community colleges. Over 50,000 students are enrolled in over 188 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

Contents

Legally, the entire system carries the name University of Arkansas. Nonetheless, to avoid confusion with its flagship campus in Fayetteville, the system usually refers to itself as the University of Arkansas System and the Fayetteville campus usually refers to itself as the University of Arkansas.

History

The original and flagship campus was established in Fayetteville as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871 under the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. The system now includes both of the state's land-grant colleges, as University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) was later designated as such under the 1890 Morrill Act; it left the system in 1927, but returned in 1972. The Division of Agriculture and UAM's forestry programs also contribute to the system's land-grant mission. The Division of Agriculture includes the statewide Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and the Cooperative Extension Service (CES). AAES and CES were managed by the dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics on the Fayetteville campus until 1959, when the Board of Trustees established the statewide Division of Agriculture as a unit of the U of A System.[ citation needed ]

The University of Arkansas System as an organized educational alliance (system) could be said to date from the founding of UAPB (1873) or perhaps UAMS joining the system (1911). The Division of Agriculture was established in 1959 as a statewide system unit with its own line-item appropriation from the state Legislature. University of Arkansas President David Wiley Mullins, along with the Board of Trustees, brokered a series of mergers in the late 1960s. The Little Rock and Monticello campuses joined the system in 1969 (UALR) and 1971 (UAM), and UAPB returned to the system in 1972. In 1975, a University of Arkansas Board of Trustees policy officially adopted the name "University of Arkansas System" as an alternative identification for the system, along with the present names of the campuses, in order to allow the Fayetteville campus to continue its identification as the "University of Arkansas". The policy has been amended over the years as other campuses were added.

In March 2014, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees created eVersity, a 100% online university aimed to serve students who were unable to access traditional higher education campuses. The University of Arkansas System eVersity was the first and only public, online university in the state of Arkansas. [1] In November 2021, the University of Arkansas System acquired Grantham University, a for-profit online college based in Lenexa, Kansas, for $1 [2] It was renamed the University of Arkansas Grantham, into which eVersity was merged to become one institution. University of Arkansas Grantham now serves as the only 100% online institution for the entire system.

The administrative offices for the University of Arkansas System are located in Little Rock.

University presidents

Up until 1982, the president was the chief administrative officer of the Fayetteville campus and the University of Arkansas System. In 1982, the position of chancellor was created to be the top administrator at the Fayetteville campus, and the title of president referred only to the University of Arkansas System.

PresidentTenure
Noah P. Gates1871-1873
Albert W. Bishop1873-1875
Noah P. Gates1875-1877
Daniel Harvey Hill 1877-1884
George M. Edgar1884-1887
Edward H. Murfee1887-1894
John L. Buchanan1894-1902
Henry S. Hartzog1902-1905
John N. Tillman 1905-1912
John Hugh Reynolds (acting)1912-1913
John C. Futrall 1913-1939
J. William Fulbright 1939-1941
Arthur M. Harding1941-1947
Lewis Webster Jones 1947-1951
John T. Caldwell 1952-1959
Storm Whaley (acting)1959-1960
David Wiley Mullins 1960-1974
Charles E. Bishop1974-1980
James E. Martin 1980-1984
Ray Thornton 1984-1990
B. Alan Sugg1990-2011
Donald R. Bobbitt2011–present

University campuses

CampusOfficial nameFoundedEnrollmentEndowmentAthletics
(nickname)
Division
(NCAA)
Primary
conference
Grantham University of Arkansas Grantham19514,427
Fayetteville University of Arkansas187130,936 [3] $1.7 billion Razorbacks Division I (FBS) Southeastern (SEC)
Little Rock University of Arkansas at Little Rock192713,167$136 million Trojans Division I (non-football) Ohio Valley (OVC)
Monticello University of Arkansas at Monticello19103,762$22.8 million Boll Weevils Division II Great American (GAC)
Pine Bluff University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff18733,332$1.9 million Golden Lions Division I (FCS) Southwestern (SWAC)
Fort Smith University of Arkansas at Fort Smith19287,329$38.8 million Lions Division II Lone Star (LSC)

Medical school

LocationOfficial nameAffiliated campusesFoundedEnrollmentEndowment
Little Rock University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fayetteville 18792,907$75.9 million

Law schools

(Neither one is officially independent of its parent campus, though the Bowen School of Law is on a separate campus from UALR proper)

LocationCampusOfficial nameFoundedEnrollmentEndowment
Fayetteville University of Arkansas at Fayetteville University of Arkansas School of Law 1924445$84.2 million
Little Rock University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law 1975450$43.4 million

Graduate school

LocationCampusOfficial nameFoundedEnrollmentEndowment
Little Rock Independent University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service 200496$0.00 million

Community colleges

LocationCampusPreferred nameFoundedEnrollment
De Queen Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas Cossatot19751,486
Batesville University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville UACC Batesville19971,745
Hope University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana [4] UAHT19651,358
Morrilton University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton UACC Morilton19612,421
Helena-West Helena Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas Phillips19652,350
North Little Rock University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College Pulaski Tech19456,576
Mena University of Arkansas Rich Mountain UA Rich Mountain1973824

Advanced high school

Other system units

Bags of long grain rice from the UA Division of Agriculture Research and Extension - Rice Research and Extension Center Bags of UA Extension rice.jpg
Bags of long grain rice from the UA Division of Agriculture Research and Extension - Rice Research and Extension Center

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas</span> Public university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, US

The University of Arkansas is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System. Founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871, classes were first held in 1872, with its present name adopted in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff</span> Public historically black university in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S..

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is a public historically black university in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Founded in 1873, it is the second oldest public college or university in Arkansas. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" established by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. It was one of 23 established to train African Americans to teach in segregated schools. Some of the 180 closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century. UAPB is part of the University of Arkansas System and Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences</span> Medical university in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is a public health sciences university in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is part of the University of Arkansas System and consists of six colleges, seven institutes, several research centers, a statewide network of community education centers, and the UAMS Medical Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas at Monticello</span> Public university in Monticello, Arkansas, U.S.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) is a public university in Monticello, Arkansas with Colleges of Technology in Crossett and McGehee. UAM is part of the University of Arkansas System and offers master's degrees, baccalaureate degrees, and associate degrees. The city is in the Arkansas Timberlands, and UAM is home to the state's only School of Forest Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas at Little Rock</span> Public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year university under the name Little Rock University in 1957. It returned to public status in 1969 when it merged with the University of Arkansas System under its present name. The former campus of Little Rock Junior College is now (2019) the campus of Philander Smith University.

The Arkansas Forest Resource Center is a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence. It is primarily located on the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but center faculty members extend to Little Rock, Fayetteville, Hope, Pine Tree, and Batesville as well. It is both a major source of Arkansas Department of Agriculture research as well as the location of the University of Arkansas at Monticello's School of Forest Resources. The University of Arkansas' Spatial Analysis Lab is also located at AFRC.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (CFANR) is located within the Henry H. Chamberlin Forest Resource Complex on the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus in Monticello, Arkansas. The Chamberlin Forest Resources Complex also houses the Arkansas Forest Resource Center. The school employs 17 faculty and offers Associate of Science, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science degrees.

Jack Stephens Center is a 5,600-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States and was built in 2005. It is home to the school's men's basketball, women's basketball, men's wrestling, and women's volleyball teams, known as the Little Rock Trojans, and named in honor of billionaire philanthropist Jackson T. Stephens, who donated $22.4 million for the construction of the facility. The facility is located on the north end of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus, adjacent to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service State Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Bowen School of Law</span>

The UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law is a public law school, part of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The school is both American Bar Association (ABA) accredited and a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).

University of Arkansas Grantham is a public online university based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1951 as Grantham Radio License School, it would eventually be renamed Grantham University. The then-for-profit school offered distance-education programs from 1951 until 2021, at which point it was entirely online. Grantham was purchased by the University of Arkansas System for one dollar in 2021, merging with the latter’s eVersity online program. It is composed of four colleges: the College of Business, Management, and Economics; the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology; and the College of Nursing and Health Professions. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas State University System</span> State university system

The Arkansas State University System, based in Little Rock, serves almost 40,000 students annually on campuses in Arkansas and Queretaro, Mexico, and globally online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John C. Futrall</span> American football coach and college administrator

John Clinton Futrall was an American football coach and college administrator. An alumnus of the Arkansas Industrial University, later renamed the University of Arkansas, he was the first head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks football program, serving from 1894 to 1896, while the school's mascot was still the Cardinal. Futrall later served as president of the University of Arkansas from 1913 to 1939. He was killed in an auto accident in 1939. The first student union on the University of Arkansas campus was named Futrall Memorial Hall in his honor when it opened later that year.

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) is the statewide research component of the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture. The Division also includes the Cooperative Extension Service. The AAES and CES work together to develop and test new agricultural technology and extend it to the public. Research faculty and staff are based on five university campuses, at five Research and Extension Centers; six research stations and seven specialized units.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is the agricultural research center for the University of Arkansas (UA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Rock, Arkansas</span> Capital and largest city of Arkansas

Little Rock is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 204,405 in 2022. The six-county Little Rock metropolitan area is the 81st-most populous in the United States with 748,031 residents according to the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Arkansas</span>

The History of the University of Arkansas began with its establishment in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1871 under the Morrill Act, as the Arkansas Industrial College. Over the period of its nearly 140-year history, the school has grown from two small buildings on a hilltop to a university with diverse colleges and prominent graduate programs. Its presidents have included Civil War general Daniel Harvey Hill, John C. Futrall, and J. William Fulbright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UAMS College of Medicine</span> Medical school of the University of Arkansas

UAMS College of Medicine is a medical school that is part of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, a state-run university in the U.S. state of Arkansas and part of the University of Arkansas System. The primary campus is in Little Rock and is affiliated with UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children's Hospital, and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. A branch campus, UAMS Northwest is in Fayetteville. It is one of three medical schools in Arkansas, with NYITCOM in Jonesboro and Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Smith being the other two.

Carlos James is an American college baseball coach, currently serving as head coach of the Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions baseball program. He was named to that position prior to the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Arkansas, United States

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Arkansas in March 2020. The first case in Arkansas was reported on March 11, 2020, in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County. As of March 2022, there were 819,984 cumulative cases of COVID-19 with a total of 10,524 deaths.

The Little Rock–Pine Bluff media market, which encompasses the state capital and two of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. state of Arkansas, maintains a variety of broadcast, print and online media outlets serving the region. The Little Rock–Pine Bluff market includes 38 counties in the central, north-central and west-central portions of the state, serving a total population of 1,172,700 residents ages 12 and over as of 2021. As of September 2021, it is ranked as the 59th largest American television market by Nielsen Media Research and the 92nd largest American radio market by Nielsen Audio.

References

  1. "University of Arkansas System eVersity - University of Arkansas System". uasys.edu/. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  2. Adame, Jaime (12 August 2021). "$1 deal to add online school to University of Arkansas System receives board approval". www.arkansasonline.com/news. Arkansas Democrat. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  3. "University of Arkansas tops 30,000 students at Fayetteville campus" . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  4. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2019/2019R/Acts/Act204.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]