Osteopathy School On Track For ASU In 2016

The Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro was busy Monday with the first day of classes, not to mention the visit of nearly a dozen state legislators.

The House and Senate Education Committees hosted a hearing at ASU Centennial Hall Monday afternoon to learn more about Arkansas State University.

ASU-Jonesboro Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson told the committees that one of the major projects on campus – an osteopathy school – is set to open in fall 2016.

Hudson said crews are working to renovate Wilson Hall on campus to house the school.

ASU is working with the New York Institute of Technology on the project, Hudson said, noting that ASU will be the second school set up by NYIT as an instruction site.

Hudson said the new school will help the Delta area receive better healthcare, while NYIT will hire between 40 and 50 teachers over the next two years.

“We are at least 350 miles away from the nearest Osteopathy school,” Hudson told the committees.

Officials are hoping that there will be around 115 students per class. Hudson said at least two dozen hospitals have expressed support for the school.

The next step in the process will involve renovating Wilson Hall, a building that has housed history, political science and English classes, for many years.

ECONOMIC IMPACT, FUTURE
Both Hudson and ASU System President Dr. Charles Welch spoke to the committees about the university’s impact, both in the present and future.

Hudson cited a Sept. 2014 study that showed the university had a $1.2 billion impact on the state as well as a $91.9 million payroll.

Hudson said the university has presented 17,601 degrees to students since 2010, with nearly 3,000 students this year taking online classes.

Welch said the university, like other universities in the state, have looked for ways to balance the books while providing a strong education to students.

He said state funding for higher education has not risen in five years, while universities have raised tuition prices. Welch said K-12 funding has increased over the same time period, but he was not criticizing the funding increase.

However, the sight of parents digging into their pockets for more money to pay tuition creates other issues, Welch said.

“Tuition increases all the time are not sustainable,” Welch told the committees. “Like we have told our employees, you have to innovate your way out.”

Welch said the university system has consolidated several departments including legal, health insurance, financial management and internal auditing to help pare costs.

ASU-Jonesboro is also working on a plan to realign the university’s colleges from nine to six before June 2016, Welch said.

The committee will be meeting Tuesday at the ASU campuses in Newport and Beebe.