NEA Business Notes: A-State junior headed to Harvard

An Arkansas State University student will spend his summer at Harvard University. Jonathan Toma received a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute Fellowship. He is a junior from Hot Springs with a double major in accounting and finance.

The seven-week experience is hosted at three U.S. public policy graduate schools: Harvard, Princeton and the University of Michigan.

Toma was one of 15 selected from a pool of candidates and invited to be a fellow in Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The student, who hopes to run for political office, says the experience will aid him in his career.

Garrett Promoted To Lyon College Vice President Of Advancement

Lyon College President Dr. Melissa Taverner has announced the promotion of Gina Garrett, of Batesville, to vice president of advancement. A 1993 graduate of Lyon College, Garrett has worked for the college since 1995 in a wide range of advancement roles.

She brings 30 years of experience spanning prospect development, grant writing, annual giving, alumni relations, and major and planned giving. Prior to joining Lyon, Garrett worked as a journalist for a regional Arkansas newspaper.

Garrett is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and holds a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. She co-founded the Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement and was the first recipient of the Margaret Fuhry Scholarship, a national honor recognizing emerging leaders in advancement research.

A-State System Completes New Common Course Numbering System

The Arkansas State University System has completed a new common course numbering system to align with statewide higher education goals and simplify student transfer processes.

Identification numbers for more than 7,000 individual courses in the ASU System’s seven institutions are changing effective fall 2026 as part of a statewide comprehensive index of subject codes and course numbers for all Arkansas public postsecondary institutions. All courses have been renumbered using a five-digit number with some subject codes also changing.

Work began in January 2025 to align course subject area disciplines across ASU System institutions, said Eric Atchison, vice president for institutional research, who coordinated efforts with the campuses. The renumbering and updating of administrative records were completed in early February 2026.

Atchison said the new numbering system will maximize credit mobility for students across institutions, strengthen equitable transfer pathways between campuses and simplify administrative processes, including transcript evaluation.

The project was supported by the passage of the ACCESS Act of 2025, which expands the statewide common course numbering system beyond the lower division general education courses within the Arkansas Course Transfer System.

AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Promotes 4, Adds 1

AgHeritage Farm Credit Services has announced four promotions in its Pocahontas and Batesville branches.

At the Batesville branch, Jared Smith was promoted from ag lending officer to senior ag lending officer. Smith will continue to work with agricultural producers and mentoring lending staff.

Lizz Crick was promoted from loan assistant I to loan assistant II. In her expanded role, Crick will support lending operations while taking on additional responsibilities. The AgHeritage Batesville branch serves Independence, Izard and Stone counties.

At the Pocahontas branch, Kristyn Hibbard was promoted from loan assistant II to senior loan assistant. Vicky Murphy has been promoted from loan assistant I to loan assistant II, expanding her role in supporting lending operations.

AgHeritage Farm Credit Services has announced the hiring of Joseph Difani as an ag lending officer in Pocahontas. A native of Pocahontas, Difani attended Black River Technical College and Arkansas State University. He most recently worked as a field operations supervisor at GDM Seeds. The AgHeritage Pocahontas branch serves Fulton, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp counties.

First Community Bank Promotes Partee To Consumer Lender

First Community Bank has promoted Hayden Partee to consumer lender, serving the Jonesboro market. In his new role, Partee will focus on maintaining and growing his lending portfolio while building relationships with customers to expand bank loans in the Jonesboro community.

Partee joined First Community Bank in March 2022. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in entrepreneurship in December 2025.

The 2026 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition

The 2026 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition (DNSPE) is now open. Juror Ann Johnson reviewed hundreds of submissions, selecting 55 pieces from three countries, including art from 21 states.

In her artist statement, she said entries for DNSPE reflected strong technical skill paired with the visible passion that the artists showcased for printmaking.

Johnson, who holds a master’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in printmaking, said selecting the pieces was not easy. Johnson selected prints to receive purchase awards. The award-winning art pieces become part of BAM’s permanent collection. Others received merit awards.

St. Bernards Opens Neurointerventional Care Suite

St. Bernards Healthcare has opened the first neurointerventional care suite in Northeast Arkansas, bringing advanced, life-saving stroke treatment to patients closer to home.

The new suite allows physicians to diagnose and treat certain types of stroke more quickly by restoring blood flow to the brain, a critical factor in saving lives and preventing long-term disability. Until now, many patients in the region had to be transported to larger cities for this level of care.

At the center of the suite is a specialized imaging system known as a biplane, which uses two X-ray cameras to produce highly detailed, real-time images of blood vessels in the brain. This technology helps doctors locate and remove blood clots during emergency stroke procedures. Cerebrovascular neurosurgeon Dr. Nicolas Khattar, who joined St. Bernards in August 2025, will lead the program.

Williams Baptist University Launches Agribusiness Degree

Williams Baptist University has launched a new bachelor’s degree in agribusiness that students can complete in three years. WBU’s new degree, which requires 90 credit hours rather than the usual 120 hours, was recently approved by the university’s accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission.

The three-year program was developed over the past year and approved by WBU faculty and trustees. The Higher Learning Commission sent a team to Williams in the fall semester to evaluate the proposal, with final approval granted by the accrediting agency in January.