LR college to join globalization work
Arkansas Baptist College is among 11 universities nationwide taking part in a twoyear program supporting internationalization.
The private, historically black university, along with Clark Atlanta University, is also among the first of its kind participating in the learning communities run by the American Council on Education. The council, a national coordinating body, will help review international activities on campuses, set student-learning goals for “international learning,” measure progress on those goals and develop plans to strengthen internationalization on each campus, according to a news release.
As a part of the group, Arkansas Baptist faculty and staff will join their peers from the other 10 campuses at an opening meeting in the nation’s capital later this month.
“Participating in this internationalization lab will reposition Arkansas Baptist College toward becoming a global campus by taking an internal and external look at our capacity to adapt to needs of globalization,” college President Joseph Jones said in a statement.
New report upbeat on career training
The Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative saw another year of success.
The program, which started in 2005, is a partnership between several agencies, including the state Department of Higher Education and Department of Workforce Services, and is run by Arkansas Community Colleges.
It seeks to educate low-income students who are also parents and give them career training for a highwage, high-skilled job. The program also provides social support services, such as transportation, child care vouchers and career coaching.
The report released Friday found that every dollar invested in the initiative had a return of $1.79 to taxpayers over five years, the release states. The finding suggests a successful way to end a cycle of poverty, it said.
According to the study, black participants had a 45.2 percent success rate, almost three times the rate of black students who did not participate. Hispanic students taking part in the program had about quadruple the success rates of those who did not, the study found.
“The results for [minority-group] students are particularly impressive,” said Maria Markham, the Higher Education Department director. “This is clear evidence that investing in programs like [the Career Pathways Initiative] that serve nontraditional students is good for Arkansas as a whole. This achievement demonstrates the impact that student success can have on the lives of Arkansans.”
The average participant is 31 years old, a woman and a single parent, the release said.
UAPB names Carr to academic post
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has hired a new provost.
Robert Carr Jr. was named to the position, along with the post of vice chancellor for academic affairs, according to a news release. The school did not respond Friday to an email seeking his salary.
Carr is coming from Alcorn State University in Mississippi, where he worked as dean of the school of education and psychology.
In his new role, Carr will be in charge of all academic affairs, including budgets and policies, and will work alongside university Chancellor Laurence Alexander to carry out the school’s strategic plan.