Campus Talk: Arkansas Tech Receives Accreditation For First Doctoral Degree

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ARKANSAS TECH RECEIVES ACCREDITATION FOR FIRST DOCTORAL DEGREE
Arkansas Tech University has received notification that its Doctor of Education degree in school leadership has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The accreditation is the final step in the development of the new degree, which is the first doctoral program in the 106-year history of Arkansas Tech. The first cohort of Doctor of Education degree in school leadership students will begin its studies later this year.

“The greatest beneficiaries of this news are the children of our state,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, president of Arkansas Tech. “As a result of this doctoral program, leadership capacity in our K-12 schools will be enhanced, teachers will be more empowered to advance in their careers and students will receive a more meaningful education. Arkansas Tech is already known throughout the region as a leader in the development of district and building leaders for our schools. The ability to offer this doctoral degree is a natural and important next step in our institutional efforts to partner with K-12 schools in creating a stronger Arkansas for generations to come.”

The program is designed for K-12 education professionals who currently serve or wish to serve in school district leadership positions.

The Arkansas Tech Doctor of Education degree in school leadership will build upon the curriculum of the institution’s existing Educational Specialist degree, which consists of 30 hours of course work beyond the master’s degree level.

Dr. John A. Freeman will serve as director of the doctoral program. He joined the Arkansas Tech faculty on Jan. 1, 2015, after previously working as professor and department head of the graduate studies division in the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

UALR’S SEQUOYAH RESEARCH CENTER WINS GRANT
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Sequoyah National Research Center (SNRC) was recently awarded a $56,000 grant by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

The grant is to hire an archivist and to process the Garrard Ardeneum Collection, which was donated by Francine Locke Bray of Antlers, Okla., on behalf of the Garrard Ardeneum in McAlester, Okla.

The collection is 100-cubic feet of material amassed by Allece Locke (Mrs. Tom) Garrard, a descendant of two well-known Native American families. She lived from 1909 to 1999.

Her father was Benjamin Davis Locke, Choctaw soldier and writer, whose brother Victor was not only chief of the Choctaws in Oklahoma from 1911 to 1918, but also superintendent of the Five Civilized Tribes. Garrard’s mother was Eleanor Davis, the daughter of Alice Brown Davis, the first female chief of the Seminoles.

UALR’s Sequoyah National Research Center is dedicated to the collection and preservation of all forms of Native American expression. Located on the southern end of the UALR campus in University Plaza, SNRC has served as an archive for Native Americans since 1983.

BUSINESS HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED
The selection committee for the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for the 2016 class of inductees. The nomination deadline is July 1.

The hall of fame was created in 1999 to recognize outstanding business leaders born in Arkansas or who have chosen to build their businesses in Arkansas. Read more at this link.