University of Arkansas Unveils Delta Schools College Completion Consortium

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas office of diversity affairs and leaders from several colleges at the university are taking a message to students in eastern Arkansas: more Arkansas students need to go to college, and they should consider the University of Arkansas. They are spreading this message two ways: through personal visits to schools in the Delta-region and with a new memorandum of understanding between the University of Arkansas and participating schools in the form of the Delta Schools College Completion Consortium.

University of Arkansas Vice Provost for Diversity Charles F. Robinson and other university representatives will begin the process by holding an evening outreach visit with high school students at West Memphis High School at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20.

The group will travel to Clarendon for an assembly at Clarendon High School at 9:45 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 21, which will be attended by students from Barton-Lexa and Marvel schools.

To date, there are four schools that are considered members of the consortium. Those schools include KIPP Delta Collegiate High School in Helena-West Helena as well as the  Barton-Lexa, Marvell and Clarendon high schools. The memorandum of understanding outlines a formal framework of cooperation between each school and the University of Arkansas to encourage students attending each particular school to continue their education at college. The schools agree to provide access to their facilities for workshops or parent assemblies, updates on progress of students engaged in consortium activities and advertising support for programs tied to the consortium.

The university agrees to provide a facilitator to serve as a district liaison for consortium students to  assist students in completing online applications for admissions and scholarships. Leslie Yingling, the co-director of the College Access Initiative, will be the district liaison. In addition university personnel will provide support for assemblies and workshops to help students and parents with activities such as completing federal student aid forms. The university will also provide access to summer “bridge” programs designed to acclimate students to a university environment and Northwest Arkansas.

“Essentially, we’re offering college access and readiness outreach, bridge programs to help students transition to college, and retention services to support and help them succeed and persist,” Yingling said.

“When university leaders reach out to young people around the state and let them know the importance of pursuing higher education and getting a college degree, that gets results in that it causes these students to start thinking about college and understanding that degree attainment is an achievable goal,” Robinson said. “While I hope that they choose the University of Arkansas, we believe the most important message we can impart is that they don’t need to look outside the state for their opportunity. Higher education in Arkansas has enough flexibility and variety that every student can find a campus that fits his or her educational aspirations.”

In fact, several students who attended University of Arkansas assemblies held in eastern Arkansas last semester have made the University of Arkansas their choice. Kiera Brown, a freshman from West Memphis is one of them.

“The University of Arkansas chose me,” she said at an Aug. 26 enrollment news conference, saying she was attracted to the institution for its attention to the individual and her feeling that it was a place where she could succeed.