UA, UAPB Form Partnership For Poultry Graduates

The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a partnership to help fill a need for more graduates in the poultry sciences.

The new collaboration allows for agriculture majors with an animal science option at UAPB to take poultry science classes at UA as seniors. Those courses will be recognized by UAPB’s School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, and count toward degree requirements. At the same time, those students will earn a Poultry Science Undergraduate Certificate of Excellence from UA.

Completion of the certificate requires 26 to 28 hours of poultry science credit.

“This is something the poultry industry has been asking for and we’re happy to be in a position to help make this happen,” said Mike Kidd, head of the poultry science department in the Bumpers College. “There are currently more jobs available in the poultry industry than the poultry science departments across the country can fill.”

“This is an exciting day for UAPB and for the University of Arkansas, but it’s probably more exciting for the students and for the industry,” said Russell Tooley, senior vice president of corporate and international human resources at Tyson Foods. “For our industry to stay strong, it will take great young men and women. We believe this helps us with our commitment to diversity and with the talent pool that we need not only domestically but internationally.”

Tyson Foods employs more than 23,000 people in Arkansas.

“We are constantly looking for great talent,” said Frank Myers, director of breeder and hatchery operations for Simmons Foods. “We see this as an opportunity to draw in talent that wasn’t possible before. We look forward to having quality people to put in positions and be successful.”

“We’re happy to be involved in this partnership and think it will be great for the industry,” said Monty Henderson, former president of George’s Inc. “It’s very good for our university system and good for the state, and helps us include south and eastern Arkansas in our talent pool.”