Tyson Foods Foundation, Tyson Family Donate $500,000 to eVersity
by January 21, 2015 11:31 am 130 views
The Tyson Foods Foundation and the Tyson Family have donated $500,000 to eVersity, the University of Arkansas System’s online university designed for Arkansans seeking a second chance at a college degree.
The gift was announced Wednesday during the UA Board of Trustees’ January meeting on the campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock.
“When I first learned of Dr. Bobbitt’s plan for eVersity as a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, I was convinced that this will be a game changer and a huge contributor to the future of higher education in our state,” John Tyson, Tyson Foods Inc. chairman, said in a news release, referencing UA System President Don Bobbitt, who initiated the project. “We must have a way to reach the more than 300,000 Arkansans who have a year or two of college and had to drop out for one reason or another, but want to pursue a degree so they can improve their quality of life.
“Many of these people work for Tyson Foods, or some other company in our state, and a college degree will enable them to move from an hourly production job into a supervisory position and eventually management,” Tyson said. “eVersity will be a blessing to these individuals and to the economy of Arkansas.”
eVersity and the UA System will develop workforce curriculum to every course in each degree program, including the elaboration of skills and competencies needed to help each graduate be ready for their job. The teaching and evaluation strategies used to develop courses will assure students and future employers that the discipline-relevant competencies have been mastered.
Initial degree programs include health care management, information technology, criminal justice, business and general studies with multiple degree options available within each field.
Applications for eVersity’s degree programs will be available this summer with the first classes beginning in the fall.
“eVersity’s core values are to provide high-quality, affordable and relevant online degree programs to Arkansans in order for them to obtain the necessary tools to take their career to the next level,” Michael Moore, vice president of academic affairs for the UA System, said in the release. “It is through the generous support of companies and individuals, such as The Tyson Foods Foundation and the Tyson Family, that will allow eVersity to develop curriculum that not only teaches adult students the technical skills relevant to a particular field of study but also the importance of communication, creative and critical thinking and the ability to work as a functioning member of a team, which are highly valued skills to all employers in our state.”