Southeast Arkansas College

Last updated
Southeast Arkansas College
SEARK logo.png
Former names
Pines Vocational-Technical School
Pines Technical College
Southeast Arkansas Technical College
MottoChanging lives...one student at a time
Type Public community college
Established1991 (1991)
Accreditation HLC
President Steven Bloomberg
Students1,842
Location
Pine Bluff
,
Arkansas
,
United States of America
Faculty and staff145
Colors Teal  
Website www.seark.edu

Southeast Arkansas College (SEARK) is a public community college in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Formerly a vocational-technical school, the state legislature designated the school as a college in 1991 with the name Pines Technical College. It acquired its current name in 1998. [1]

Contents

History

Southeast Arkansas College was originally named Arkansas Vocational-Technical School. It began offering postsecondary vocational-technical programs on September 21, 1959. Act 328 of 1957 set the stage for it to become the first vocational-technical school in Arkansas to meet the needs of industry and to provide jobs, and raise the standard of living, for Arkansas citizens. The school's first director was Leon Coker, who headed it from 1958 to 1974. The school's name was later changed to Pines Vocational-Technical School.

When Act 1244 of the Seventy-eighth Arkansas General Assembly, was signed into law by Governor Bill Clinton on April 17, 1991, it re-designated and redefined the mission of eleven existing postsecondary vocational-technical schools located throughout the state to technical colleges. Consequently, state authority for these institutions was transferred from the Arkansas Board of Vocational-Technical Education to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, which serves as the state coordinating agency for all public universities, community colleges, and technical colleges in Arkansas.

With the enactment of Act 1244 on July 1, 1991, all land, buildings, equipment, and personnel associated with Pines Vocational-Technical School were transferred to Pines Technical College. In October 1991, the governor appointed the charter members of the Pines Technical College Board of Trustees. The college's first president, Dr. Terry J. Puckett (1992–2000), was appointed by the board effective December 1, 1992. To better reflect the college's service area, it changed its name from Pines Technical College to Southeast Arkansas Technical College on July 1, 1996. The word "Technical" was removed from the college's name on July 8, 1998.

On Nov. 30 2017, the SEARK Board of Trustees announced Steven Bloomberg as the college's new president.

Academics

Educational programs and services at SEARK College include technical career education, workforce development, university transfer education, general education, adult education, continuing education, and community services. SEARK College provides nursing and allied health, criminal justice, computer training, and academic transfer programs, among others. As of 2007, its average enrollment is 2,200 students per semester with a faculty and staff of 132. The college also partners with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to provide workforce training for the existing workforce and to provide basic skills and specialized training for the unemployed. [2] [3]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thompson Rivers University</span> Public university in British Columbia, Canada

Ivy Tech Community College is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the state's public community college system and it has more than 40 locations. It is also the state's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest individual accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 100,000 students annually on campus and online and another 60,000+ dual credit students in high schools throughout Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

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

Southern Arkansas University Tech is a public community college in Calhoun County, Arkansas.

Black River Technical College (BRTC) is a public community college in Pocahontas, Arkansas. It is named for the Black River which runs through the city. BRTC serves approximately 3,000 students annually through its degree programs, technical courses, and community educational offerings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Community and Technical College System</span> Kentuckys system of community colleges

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) comprises 16 community and technical colleges in Kentucky with over 70 campuses. Programs offered include associate degrees, pre-baccalaureate education to transfer to a public 4-year institution; adult education, continuing and developmental education; customized training for business and industry; and distance learning. KCTCS was founded as part of the Postsecondary Improvement Act of 1997, signed by former Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton, to create a new institution to replace the University of Kentucky's Community College System and the Kentucky Department of Education's network of technical schools. The Kentucky Fire Commission, a separate state entity responsible for training emergency responders, also became part of KCTCS at that time.

Bates Technical College is a public technical college located in Tacoma, Washington, US. The college offers two-year Associate of Applied Science degrees, academic certificates, and industry certifications. Bates is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and maintains articulation agreements with several four-year colleges and universities. Some two-year degrees offered by this college are transferable.

Coastal Bend College (CBC), formerly known as Bee County College (BCC), is a community college that has its main campus in Beeville, Texas, and which operates branch campuses in Alice, Kingsville, and Pleasanton, Texas.

The Washington Community and Technical Colleges system consists of 34 public, two-year institutions of higher education which specialize in vocational, technical, worker retraining, and university transfer programs. Most of the member colleges award associate degrees and certificates, although some also offer specialized bachelor degrees. The largest college of the 34 state-assisted institutions is Bellevue College.

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) formerly Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) is a subdivision of the United States Department of Education. OCTAE falls under the supervision of the Undersecretary, who oversees policies, programs and activities related to vocational and adult education, postsecondary education, college aid and the President's financial reforms for the Pell Grant program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Western Idaho</span> Community college in Idaho, U.S.

College of Western Idaho (CWI) is a public community college in Southwest Idaho with its primary campus locations in Boise and Nampa. CWI also offers classes at several community locations throughout the Treasure Valley. It is one of four comprehensive community colleges in Idaho and is governed by a five-member board of trustees elected at large by voters in Ada and Canyon counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton</span> Community college in Morrilton, Arkansas, U.S.

The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM) is public community college in Morrilton, Arkansas. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New River Community and Technical College</span> College in Beaver, West Virginia, U.S.

New River Community and Technical College is a public community college in Beaver, West Virginia. It was founded in 2003 and is West Virginia's newest college. The college was independently accredited in 2005 by the Higher Learning Commission. Although newly founded and named, the college's origins span more than one hundred thirty years of service to West Virginia through its two parent institutions, Bluefield State College and Glenville State College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas State University Mid-South</span> Community college in West Memphis, Arkansas

Arkansas State University Mid-South, formerly Mid-South Community College (MSCC), is a public community college in West Memphis, Arkansas. ASU Mid-South offers degree programs, technical courses, community educational offerings, and intercollegiate athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vocational education in the United States</span>

Vocational education in the United States varies from state to state. Vocational schools are post-secondary schools that teach the skills necessary to help students acquire jobs in specific industries. The majority of postsecondary career education is provided by proprietary (privately-owned) career institutions. About 30 percent of all credentials in teaching are provided by two-year community colleges, which also offer courses transferable to four-year universities. Other programs are offered through military teaching or government-operated adult education centers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop State Community College</span> College in Mobile, Alabama, U.S.

Bishop State Community College (BSCC) is a public, historically black community college with campuses and facilities throughout Mobile and Washington Counties in Alabama. The college was founded in Mobile, Alabama, in 1927, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. It offers more than 50 associate degree and certificate programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Technical and Community College</span> Community college in Pine City, Minnesota, U.S.

Pine Technical and Community College (PTCC), formerly Pine Technical College, is a public community college in Pine City, Minnesota. PTCC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, which comprises 31 state universities and community and technical colleges in Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Career Institute</span>

Nevada Career Institute is a for-profit technical college in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada Career Institute is owned and operated by the Fuerst family of Success Education Colleges.

Ridgway Christian School (RCS) was a private K–12 Christian school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Pine Bluff First Assembly of God is the school's parent church. The 30-acre (12 ha) middle and high school campus was owned by the Pine Bluff Educational Endowment (PBEE); This campus was known as Ridgway Christian High School (RCHS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Ester Unit</span>

Barbara A. Ester Unit is a correctional facility of the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC), located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is scheduled to have a capacity of 580 prisoners, and it is the first prison in the ADC dedicated to the re-entry of prisoners into society. In addition to prisoners who are to be released within six months, it also houses prisoners who were incarcerated due to disobeying the rules of their parole. The prison's namesake is Barbara Ester, a prison guard holding the rank corporal at the East Arkansas Unit. She died on January 20, 2012, at the hands of a prisoner.

References


34°12′35″N92°01′29″W / 34.2098°N 92.0248°W / 34.2098; -92.0248

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.