A-State chancellor focused on workforce, med school, vet school

Arkansas State University Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields has a full plate this fall as he moves his campus in several new directions.

Shields, who was a guest on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics, is fresh off an announcement that A-State will expedite the development of new doctors through a new revealed “freshman to physician” pathway. The goal is to excel, he said.

“Let’s build the best freshman to physician pre-medical program possible. Not only so that students can remove barriers and get there quickly, but uniquely at A-State. There are so few institutions that have a medical school that’s right there on campus,” he said in reference to NYITCOM, the osteopathic medical school on A-State’s campus in Jonesboro.

The “freshman to physician” pathway is designed to grow the number of physicians serving rural and underserved areas of Arkansas. Since opening its Jonesboro campus in Wilson Hall in 2016, NYITCOM has graduated 650 new doctors in six classes. It offers a direct route from undergraduate enrollment at A-State to NYITCOM, provided students meet clearly defined academic and professional standards. Participants pursue a bachelor of science in biological sciences with a pre-professional studies emphasis and apply for admission to NYITCOM during their third year.

To qualify, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in science and overall coursework (with a one-time waiver option for a single semester), complete all required pre-med classes, receive a favorable recommendation from A-State’s pre-medical committee and pass an admissions interview with NYITCOM faculty. Students who meet these criteria will not be required to take the MCAT, significantly reducing the cost and complexity of applying to medical school.

“We want them to start interacting with the med students and then the faculty there as soon as possible so that they can not only just arrive to campus thinking, ‘do I belong here?’ but they think, ‘Not only do I belong here, but I can see where I’m going to go and I’m going to do it right here,'” said Shields. “Partnering with them is great because 70% of their [NYITCOM] graduates stay and work in Arkansas. So we’re want to help fill that medical need that’s so needed across the state and particularly in the rural areas.”

Arkansas State University is also launching a veterinary school next year on campus. It expects to meet the needs of a critical shortage of vets around the state and the looming challenge of generational retirements in the field that may compound a veterinarian shortage. The first class size should be around 120 students.

“We are scheduled for our final visit January 4th. All of our indications are suggesting that it’s going to be fantastic. Our first visit was a flying success and we expect the same thing pending approval from that. We’ll be admitting our first class next fall in 2026,” said Shields.

Shields offered his thoughts on other subjects, including workforce development and the growing regionalism happening in Northeast Arkansas. You can view his full interview in the video below.