Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University in Jonesboro enjoys a reputation as an excellent institution of higher education serving citizens throughout Arkansas and surrounding states. It is the only comprehensive public university located in this region. Dedicated to teaching, research and service, the university provides students with the broad educational foundations that help develop critical thinking and analytical skills, decision-making capabilities, and communication skills. Dr. G. Daniel Howard became interim chancellor of the ASU-Jonesboro campus on July 1, 2010.

This institution was founded in Jonesboro in 1909 by the Arkansas General Assembly as a regional agricultural training school. It began offering a two-year college program in 1918, then became "First District Agricultural and Mechanical College" in 1925. A four-year degree program was begun in 1930, then A & M College became "Arkansas State College" in 1933. The Arkansas Legislature elevated the college to university status and changed the name to Arkansas State University in 1967. Today, the institution has more than 61,000 alumni. ASU has been powering the minds of its students for 100 years; the university is observing its Centennial in 2009-10.

Degree Programs
Master's degree graduate programs were initiated in 1955, and ASU began offering its first doctoral degree, in educational leadership, in the fall of 1992. Additional doctoral programs are now offered in environmental science, heritage studies and molecular biosciences. Programs at the specialist's, master's, bachelor's and associate's degree levels are available through the various colleges: Agriculture and Technology, Business, Communications, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing and Health Professions, Sciences and Mathematics, and University College. Classes also are offered through The Honors College and the independent Department of Military Science. More information about the various colleges and academic departments is available through the Office of Academic Affairs and Research.

Accreditation
Arkansas State University's commitment to excellence in higher education is demonstrated by its accreditation by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, as well as 20 specialized accrediting organizations. In addition, the university holds membership in numerous national organizations which support the highest educational standards.

The ASU System
The ASU system includes campuses Jonesboro (Craighead County), which offers degree programs through the doctoral level; Beebe (White County), Mountain Home (Baxter County), and Newport (Jackson County), where associate degree programs are offered; and at Heber Springs, Marked Tree and Searcy. Dr. Robert L. Potts is interim president of the Arkansas State University System, which was created by Board of Trustees resolution and officially began on July 1, 2006. Arkansas State University-Beebe became part of ASU in 1955. White River Vo-Tech at Newport associated with ASU-Beebe in 1992; that campus is now Arkansas State University-Newport. The Mountain Home campus officially became ASU-Mountain Home on July 1, 1995. Delta Technical Institute at Marked Tree merged with ASU and became Arkansas State University Technical Center on July 1, 2001. ASU-Heber Springs operates as a sister campus of ASU-Beebe. Foothills Technical Institute at Searcy was merged with ASU-Beebe on July 1, 2003, and is now ASU-Searcy, a technical institute of ASU-Beebe.

ASU offers bachelor's degree programs, master's degree programs and upper level courses through ASU degree centers at ASU-Beebe, ASU-Mountain Home, and three other cities -- Blytheville, Forrest City and West Memphis -- where partnership agreements have been established in cooperation with the local community colleges. ASU also operates instructional sites at nearby Paragould, in Greene County, and at Little Rock Air Force Base.

Enrollment Growth
ASU has grown significantly over the past three decades. The Jonesboro campus enrollment in the fall of 1981 was 7,448; in the fall of 2010, it was 13,415. Because of the close partnerships between the campuses, ASU also reports a combined enrollment for the ASU System. Total System enrollment in the fall of 2010 was 21,801.