PRESIDENT SUGG SPEAKS TO CAMPUS FACULTY ABOUT WESTARK'S JOINING THE UA SYSTEM

I appreciate the opportunity to be with you this afternoon to talk with you about the expansion of the University of Arkansas System including Westark College which will join the System on January 1, 2002.

It is well known that the University of Arkansas had its beginning on January 22, 1872, when eight students enrolled at the University of Arkansas, then known as Arkansas Industrial University. What is not as well known is that in 1873 the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation instructing the University to create a two-year college called Branch Normal in Pine Bluff for African-American students. Branch Normal operated as a part of the University of Arkansas until 1923. In that year legislation was passed to make Branch Normal a four-year college and changed its name to Arkansas AM&N to be governed by a separate Board of Trustees. Arkansas AM&N rejoined the University of Arkansas System in 1972 as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

In 1881, the Arkansas Legislature confirmed that a private medical school in Little Rock was to be a Division of the University of Arkansas. In 1975 the Board of Trustees voted that the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences become a separate campus of the University System with its own Chancellor.

In 1969 Little Rock University, a private institution, joined the University of Arkansas System as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

In 1975, Arkansas A&M College in Monticello became a campus of the University of Arkansas System as the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

In 1996 Phillips County Community College joined the UA System as Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas. For many years this institution taught classes in DeWitt and Stuttgart. The leadership in Arkansas County wanted to establish permanent campuses in DeWitt and Stuttgart and the citizens of Arkansas County passed a 1/2 cent sales tax to build facilities in DeWitt and Stuttgart.

Also in 1996 the citizens of Hempstead County passed a 1/2 cent sales tax in order for their technical school to become a community college and to become a campus of the UA System.

Then in 1997, I was approached by legislative and community leadership in Batesville/Independence County about their two-year college becoming a campus of the University. The citizens of Independence County passed a 1/4 cent sales tax to support that campus. That campus became a part of the University System in October 1997.

On July 1^st of this year the two-year campuses in De Queen and Morrilton joined the University System and they, too, have local sales taxes.

I believe that our two-year campuses have greatly benefited from their affiliation with the University System. Their enrollments have grown, their curriculum has been expanded, and there has been significant new construction on their campuses.

Also, the universities within our system have offered baccalaureate degrees on our two-year campuses through distance education. Leading the way has been the College of Education and Health Professions here at the University. Because of the leadership of Dr. Barbara Hinton and her faculty, there are many Arkansans who now have baccalaureate degrees from the University of Arkansas who never dreamed that they would have bachelor degrees. Thank you Dr. Hinton and your faculty.

About 18 months ago, Joel Stubblefield, the President of Westark College, approached me about Westark becoming a campus of the University of Arkansas System. We had several meetings about this possibility. I have always been impressed with Westark but I found out information about Fort Smith, Sebastian and surrounding counties that I had not known.

Westark considers its service area as Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Scott, Johnson and Logan Counties in Western Arkansas and portions of LeFlore and Sequoyah Counties in Oklahoma. The population of this service area is over 300,000 people with approximately 250,000 people in Arkansas and some 50,000 in Oklahoma.

As you may know, Sebastian County ranks as the #1 location of value-added global manufacturing activity in Arkansas per the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority. Sebastian County has some 30,000 manufacturing jobs in some 200+ manufacturing firms. There is no doubt that the greater Fort Smith area is of significant economic importance to Arkansas.

Westark has and is playing a vital role in maintaining and expanding the industrial base in Fort Smith. For example, last year Westark directly served some 166 industries with noncredit workforce development education services involving some 12,262 employees.

There has been much discussion about the percent of the population of Arkansans over 25 who hold the Baccalaureate Degree as compared to other states. The Arkansas percentage is 18.4% which ranks 49^th nationally.

The following is information regarding the percent of people over the age of 25 who hold the baccalaureate degree in Westark’s service area:

Source: U.S. Census Data 1990 and 2000

In order to bring baccalaureate programs to the Fort Smith area, in 1992 Westark established a University Center and received funding from the legislature to encourage universities to offer four-year degrees at Westark.

This fall, the following baccalaureate programs are being offered at Westark:

• The University of Arkansas has 18 students enrolled in its Human Resource Development Program
• Arkansas State University has 235 students enrolled in Accounting and Business Administration programs
• Arkansas Tech University has 220 students enrolled in Computer and Information Science, Early Childhood, and Elementary Education Programs
• University of Arkansas at Little Rock has 168 students enrolled in its Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts Program.
• I am pleased that the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas will be offering its B.S. Degree in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering on the Westark campus.

In 1997 the Arkansas Legislature authorized Westark to offer selected baccalaureate degrees. Westark currently offers a baccalaureate degree in Manufacturing Technology. The current role and scope statement for Westark, approved on July 23, 1999, by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, is as follows:

• Designated by Act 971 of 1997 as a "Unique Community College," Westark serves as the state’s model for a "new college" - college that collaborates with responsible learners, business and industry, public schools, other education institutions, and community partners to positively change the lives of the people served through education and training. Founded in 1928, Westark College has grown in stature, role and scope over the years to that of a singularly distinctive hybrid institution. Organized around student goals rather than academic disciplines, Westark College offers multi-faceted vocational, technical, and academic educational opportunities. Westark provides these learning opportunities at times and places convenient to students and clients. These include single courses of instruction, certificates of proficiency, two-year associate degree programs, and selected bachelor's degrees, not to exceed a total of nine, designed to meet a demonstrated demand of the area and industries served by the college.

In the merger agreement there is language which states that the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas will continue to support the unique mission of Westark, as it becomes the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

Personally, I told the Board of Trustees at Westark that they should not even think about becoming a part of the University of Arkansas System if they had any plan to lessen their community college mission.

As we discussed the possible merger, we believed that because of a possible constitutional conflict, that it would be advisable if the citizens of Sebastian County would replace the ad valorem tax which supports Westark with a sales tax. President Stubblefield and the Westark Board agreed and legislation was passed in the last legislative session to authorize this election.

In July, 76 percent of the citizens who voted indicated their approval. Later this fall, some $45.5 million in bonds will be sold to replace the ad valorem bonds which now support the construction program at Westark College. The local 1/4 cent sales tax in Sebastian County will provide about $4 million per year.

On January 1, 2002 Westark College will become the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. The institution will continue its mission as a community college and it will offer baccalaureate degrees. It will be a unique institution of higher education in Arkansas and one of a few of its kind in the nation.

Dr. Brewer requested that I say a few words about the future of the University of Arkansas.

I strongly believe that the University has much momentum and that its future is bright. The people of Arkansas are extremely proud of the University.

I sincerely appreciate your commitment as the faculty in helping make the University a special place.

I commend John White on his efforts to communicate the importance of the University of Arkansas to the future of our State. The 2010 commission report, "Making the Case," clearly outlines what needs to happen in order to enhance the capability and potential of the University to better serve the citizens of Arkansas.

As you know, John White, David Gearhart, the College Deans and many others are working extremely hard to significantly increase the endowment of the University. We all know that it will take major new resources to move the University to where we would like for it to be. It is phenomenal that so many alumni and friends of the University are working on this development effort. I am confident this campaign will be highly successful.

In 1989, Senator David Malone led the way for passage of the college savings bond program by the General Assembly. In 1990, the people of Arkansas overwhelmingly voted for this referendum. As a result, millions of new dollars came to the University of Arkansas for construction of new academic facilities, renovation of existing academic facilities, the acquisition of teaching and laboratory equipment and new library acquisitions. A couple of weeks ago the University of Arkansas was notified that it will receive some $994,000 from interest earnings from the college savings bond program which may be the last major distribution of these funds.

In my judgment we need to have a new college savings bond program or a similar dedicated fund. It is staggering to think about what it will cost to maintain our facilities, our laboratories, our library and our technological capabilities.

Finding legislative sponsors and supporters for such a fund will be a top priority for this next legislative session.

I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.