New academic degrees approved for UA

Masters in Black sacred music among board’s OKs

University of Arkansas students are shown on the lawn in front of Old Main on the campus in Fayetteville in this file photo.
University of Arkansas students are shown on the lawn in front of Old Main on the campus in Fayetteville in this file photo.

The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Friday approved a Master of Music in Black sacred music for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Although there are several sacred music programs around the country, the one at UA will be the first master's program to focus on Black sacred music.

The program will be funded by a grant of more than $848,000 from the Alice Walton Foundation, with continued annual support from endowed funds if outlined program goals are met, according to UA-Fayetteville.

The Master of Music in Black sacred music will be a 36-credit-hour summer program spanning three years. Faculty will include existing full-time and part-time Music Department faculty members, as well as special guest instructors.

"Graduates from this program are most likely to work in every region where Gospel and contemporary popular music are significant portions of the music industry," according to the university. The university "became aware of this need organically, through hiring faculty with Gospel music expertise, and through exposure to those faculty and students with the shared lived experiences of Black sacred music study and practice."

Black sacred music was among several programs and degrees approved by the Higher Education board during a meeting at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock.

Others included a bachelor of science in public health for Arkansas State University, a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering for Southern Arkansas University, and an associate of applied science, technical certificate and a certificate of proficiency in Marine Manufacturing for ASU-Mountain Home.

ARKANSAS STATE

Students can start A-State's B.S. in public health this summer or fall, and it will be 100% online, according to Chancellor Todd Shields. There is demand for such a degree from both students and employers in the Northeast Arkansas region.

Currently, there is no such program offered in A-State's region, said Mason Campbell, interim chief academic officer at the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.

Market research conducted on behalf of the university "indicated that Public Health ranked second in demand among undergraduate healthcare programs in Arkansas," and employment for Public Health occupations increased by 13% from 2016 to 2020, with continued projected growth of 13% by 2028.

"These would be considered high-paying careers, especially in the Delta," said Graycen Bigger, secretary for the Coordinating Board.

There is "a big demand" for this program, so "we're excited to get it approved," Shields said Friday. "We think there will be lots of interdisciplinary work with this and possibilities for internships."

Program funding will be covered by A-State Online and the College of Nursing and Health Professions until the program begins to generate revenue, according to Shields.

"Ultimately, tuition will be the primary source of income for program operations, and if projected enrollment is actualized, tuition will fund the program entirely by year three."

A new faculty member will be hired in addition to the existing two faculty members already on staff, according to the proposal presented to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. A program advisory committee will be formed now that it's been approved in order to provide input on curriculum and internship and employment opportunities for students.

ASU-MOUNTAIN HOME

The boat manufacturing industry in North-Central Arkansas "has long been a sustaining force in the state's economy," and there are 2,000 boat manufacturing jobs in the region 120 miles around Mountain Home, according to the proposal.

The college has received approximately $1.4 million to fund the first two years of this program through a Delta Regional Authority Grant and an Arkansas Office of Skills Development Grant, which will provide financial means for faculty salary, development of curriculum, facilities and equipment.

"Getting a program like this started is very expensive, but grants allow us to do that," said Victor Beck, director of workforce development at ASU-Mountain Home.

And these are "good, high-paying jobs," said Brian Bigelow, a member of the college's boat manufacturing faculty who recently joined the college from the boat manufacturing industry.

"Our local high schools can't wait for this program to be approved" and already have students to be placed into it, said Tamara Daniel, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the college. Boat manufacturers in the Mountain Home region, who have donated "many things" toward this program, have been crying out for workforce help for years, and have pledged to continue collaboration.

SAU

A degree in mechanical engineering at SAU will "create a pipeline of qualified, potential employees for the region's many companies in the defense, gas, oil, and steel industries," according to the proposal. "This program will benefit from an already thriving Engineering department and utilize many of the existing departmental resources."

Industry "partners have told us they want us to have a standalone mechanical engineering degree to fill their needs" in addition to the general engineering degree SAU already offers, said David Lanoue, SAU's provost and vice president of academic affairs

Not approved Friday was a technical certificate in paramedic science for ASU Mid-South, which died for lack of a second following an initial motion.

The Technical Certificate in Paramedic Science at ASU Mid-South would "build upon its existing certificate programs in Basic and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician" It would add one additional faculty member and use existing classroom space, equipment and other resources, according to the proposal.

More than 50 jobs in this field are currently available in Mid-South's region, with nearly 200 expected to be available in the next five years, said Jeff Gray, ASU Mid-South's vice chancellor for learning and instruction. ASU Mid-South planned to reallocate funds for this technical certificate from its respiratory care program, which is being phased out.

Coordinating Board members raised concerns about the number of other similar programs already offered in the state, wondering if ASU Mid-South's offering take away from others, but ASU Mid-South Chancellor Deb West said the college wouldn't give up on trying to get this technical certificate approved.

"We'll have our [local] employers come to speak to this need," West said. "This is too important to our region to give up on."


Upcoming Events