Civil-rights figure to speak at UALR
A civil-rights leader will speak Tuesday at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock about his experiences during the movement in the 1960s.
The Rev. Bernard LaFayette will give a free lecture at 6 p.m. at the Friday Courtroom in UALR's Bowen School of Law. The event will be followed by a reception and book-signing.
LaFayette co-founded in 1960 the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a group of young people who staged sit-ins, marches and voter-registration drives across the South to fight segregation. LaFayette also was a member of the Freedom Riders, took part in the 1965 Selma Movement and led a voter registration project in Alabama in 1962.
He is a distinguished senior scholar in residence at Emory University in Atlanta.
Program recruiting pharmacy students
Two University of Arkansas System schools have paired up to recruit students interested in pharmacy and from rural and underserved areas in the state.
Under the program, the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will accept five high school seniors into the pre-pharmacy program, which includes four to six semesters of undergraduate prerequisites at the Monticello campus. The students would then be guaranteed a spot in UAMS' pharmacy doctorate program if they maintain eligibility.
High schools seniors are eligible if they score at least 25 on the ACT college entrance exam, perform well in math and science courses, have a cumulative high school grade-point average of at least 3.5, interview with faculty members and administrators from both schools, and show an interest in and commitment to pharmacy.
While at Monticello, students have to score in at least the 50th percentile of the Pharmacy College Admissions Test; earn a grade-point average of 3.25 or higher; finish at least 69 hours of the prerequisite classes with a C grade or higher; finish 40 hours of shadowing a licensed state pharmacist; and interview with the UAMS College of Pharmacy.
The Monticello university has prospects with whom it hopes to interview in early summer for a fall 2017 start.
College broadens military discount
Central Baptist College has expanded a tuition discount program for members of the military and veterans.
The private, liberal-arts college in Conway used to offer a tuition discount to active military personnel. That group was eligible for Federal Tuition Assistance and then had an additional 25 percent of the remaining cost covered.
Now, the college will provide tuition discounts for the entire military community, including veterans, which will work in conjunction with all military and veteran benefits. The four-year school will then waive the remaining tuition balance -- up to 35 percent -- for both online and classroom courses.
The discount will be available for all programs starting in the fall, but Professional Adult College Education courses start in July for the fall semester and have rolling admissions, the college said.
Young innovators focus of 2 events
A new partnership between a university and a nonprofit aims to offer elementary through high school students skills regarding entrepreneurship, innovative thinking, financial literacy and intrapersonal communication.
The University of Central Arkansas' Conductor and Junior Achievement of Arkansas have two events planned: the Spark Tank Pitch Competition and High School Startup Day, both at UCA. The competition is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22, and the startup day is from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.
For the competition, student teams will have three minutes to pitch a business idea to judges and an audience. The teams can win prizes, and the ultimate winners will earn a $1,000 scholarship to the university. Registration and application information can be found at http://www.arconductor.org/conductor-calendar/2017/4/22/spark-tank-pitch-competition.
Metro on 03/12/2017