QUARTERLY

FALL 2015

Why would a student enroll at SouthArk to get an associate’s degree, after already having a

bachelor’s degree? Bailey Simpson can tell you.A 2011 graduate of DeWitt High School, Simpson

completed an exercise science bachelor’s from an area university in December of last year, but then immedi-ately enrolled at SouthArk for the spring of 2015.

“I had scholarships to the university, so I took the opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree,” she said. “It took some time to finally decide exactly what I wanted to do in the medical field.”

What she decided was that she wants to be a physical therapist assis-tant, which requires an associate’s degree. South-Ark is one of the only colleges in the region that offers such a program. Evidence suggests that more students like Simp-son who initially seek out university education are discovering that asso-ciate’s-degree professional programs might provide them with better career options.

Simpson learned about SouthArk’s PTA program from a sorority sister. The program combines class-room work with the application of this learning. The technical phase of the program consists of three semesters of full-time (30 to 40 hours a week) train-ing, including both classroom courses and clinical rotations.

It requires 32 hours of prerequisite courses—some of which Simpson already had due to her university education, and was able to transfer. To get the remain-der, she commuted from Monticello to El Dorado throughout the spring semester. Even with the hour and a half commute, she said, her love for SouthArk started to grow.

“There are many programs to pick from, so if you want a small classroom atmosphere SouthArk should be your choice,” Simpson said. “Also, I can’t lie…the Bistro has a good salad!”

The PTA program is competitive, with only 20 spots available each year. An outstanding student, Simpson applied and was accepted to the current PTA class over the summer, and moved to El Dorado, elim-inating the lengthy drive time.

Simpson now is in clinical rotations. She said that she enjoys working with patients, which she called

“rewarding” and “ex-tremely exciting.”

“We have been in the classroom for several weeks now learning, but to actually get to touch and see the things we have heard about is a complete-ly different world,” Simp-son said.

She said that she is applying all that she has learned in the classroom,

and is assigned her own patients, which involves pro-viding them therapy and charting their progress.

“My clinical instructor is amazing, and the envi-ronment is laid-back enough that I feel comfortable asking questions,” Simpson said. “I know that all the therapists want to help me as much as possible.”

Simpson is set to graduate in May of 2016 and al-ready is preparing for her board exams. She intends to enter the workforce as PTA immediately after passing.

She said that she has loved her time at SouthArk, especially when it comes to her classmates in the PTA program.

“My PTA class has become a second family. We all get along, help each other and are truly concerned for each other’s wellbeing, and I am grateful for that,” she said.

STUDENT FEATURE: BAILEY SIMPSON

From four to two

Simpson in a PTA class lab.

NEWS & NOTESThe Library Special Collection

and Archives was unveiled offi-cially in August, containing materi-als and information about the long educational history of the grounds on which SouthArk’s West Campus now resides.

More than 100 graduates were recognized during Summer Com-mencement. University of Arkan-sas for Medical Sciences professor Dr. Pete Carroll was the speaker, and longtime SouthArk Board of Trustees member David Ross was honored with the Spirit of South-Ark President’s Award.

SouthArk participated in both Young Manufacturers Academy in August and Manufacturing Day in October. Both are designed to draw attention to manufacturing ca-reers and to SouthArk’s programs that provide training in manufactur-ing trades.

Georgia-Pacific Crossett Paper Operations ($7,500) and TETRA Technologies ($5,000) each donat-ed to SouthArk’s process technolo-gy program. Funds will go toward construction of the Hays Advanced Manufacturing Training Center, the program’s future home.

The 2015 fall semester began on Aug. 24. Official enrollment reached 1,560. Students were thanked for their decision to at-tend SouthArk, and were given an opportunity to meet each other, at the first-ever #SouthArk4U Social, held at Howard Heritage Plaza.

The second-largest crowd ever

FROM AUGUST, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER

SOUTHARK FOUNDATION

The annual SouthArk Outdoor Expo was held at the El Dorado Conference center. Sponsorships and fees raise money for the foundation’s efforts, including scholarships. The event featured music, ven-dors and a number of different contests.

to see a Lecture Series event, 565 people, attended September’s appearance by Ndaba Mandela, grandson of famed Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela. This year’s is the 10th annual Lecture Series.

The El Dorado High School Class of 1960 donated a park bench to the South Arkansas Arboretum in September to commemorate the class’ 55th anniversary. The college operates the arboretum, which is a state park. The annual Autumn at the Arboretum, a fall-time cele-bration of the park’s natural beau-ty, was held to a record crowd in October.

This fall SouthArk was notified that it has been awarded portions of two Regional Workforce Plan-ning Grants from the State of Arkansas: the Futures in Informa-tion Technology grant ($92,000), which is to increase the number of students who pursue information technology locally; and the Region-al Advanced Manufacturing Part-nership: Building the Pipeline grant ($76,500), which is to increase the number of students who pursue manufacturing careers throughout the region.

A large contingent of SouthArk representatives participated in the Arkansas Community Colleges annual conference in Hot Springs in October.

A new mechatronics assem-bly line, costing about $150,000 and paid for with funds from the

RAMP: Unleashing Potential grant, went into service for the industrial technology: mechatronics pro-gram in October. The learning sta-tion is designed to emulate actual automated production processes so students can program and trouble-shoot them.

Vaya, Crezca, Lograra, an event to recruit Hispanic students, was held on the West Campus in October, along with Union Coun-ty College Night which brought colleges from around the region to campus for the recruitment of area high schoolers.

College Knowledge Week, the annual Fall Festival and for the first time a student government-spon-sored haunted house were among the student activities.

It is hard to believe, but we already have passed the mid-

term in the fall 2015 semester. The new academic year brought many new people, activities and opportu-nities to the SouthArk campuses.

As you probably would expect, we have many new students on campus. It might come as a surprise how far that some students travel to be with us—many of whom relo-cate to our area. After graduating and securing local employment, some may make that relocation permanent. Whether short-term or permanent, they are contributing to the local economy.

Cristal Mondragon is a practi-cal-nursing major from Montrose (in Ashley County; more than an hour and half one-way drive to El Dorado); she is marrying her high-school sweetheart and both are moving to El Dorado this fall. They’ll both be SouthArk students come January, and will live with-in walking distance of our West Campus.

We also have a group of new employees with us this fall, who come from many different places and backgrounds, each of them bringing their own unique talents to contribute to the overall mission of the college. They have relocated

FROM THE PRESIDENT

COMING EVENTS

from Florida, Kansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Our new vice president for finance and administration, Carey Tucker, comes to us from Bossier City, Louisiana. He served in the Air Force for more than 30 years, retiring as a colonel. He is a gradu-ate of Henderson State University with a bachelor’s degree in busi-ness administration and of the Air Force Institute of Technology with a master’s degree in logistics man-agement. In his position as deputy director of logistics, installations and mission support, he oversaw multi-million dollar budgets and projects’ impacting more than 20,000 airmen. He had assignments in California, Ohio and Alabama, and spent 12 years in Europe and 10 years at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, but we are so glad that he decided to “land” back in south Arkansas with us.

We received some wonderful news about new grants. We have been very fortunate to receive a number of federal, state and private grants in recent years, all of which help bolster SouthArk’s vision to be the leading provider of educa-tional and workforce training op-portunities in the area. These grants also encourage strong partnerships

with other entities—educational, industrial, business, medical, finan-cial and private—to the benefit of one another, our student population and the area as a whole.

And we had some great first-time events on campus as well as fantastic turnout for long-time events such as our Lecture Se-ries, which is in its 10th year. We thought it important that we thank our students for choosing South-Ark, and took the opportunity with the #SouthArk4U Social on the first day of classes in August. Despite an early threat of rain, not a drop fell from the sky, and many of our students expressed their apprecia-tion providing this fun welcoming event for them.

As we move toward the Thanks-giving holiday, we want to thank you for your continued interest and support of the programs, students, and outreach of SouthArk. Without it, we would not be able to touch so many lives in such positive ways. We would be honored if you include our college, faculty, staff and students in your thoughts and prayers during this holiday season.

NOVEMBER26-27 Thanksgiving (college closed)

DECEMBER1 Student Recognition Ceremony

3 Last day of fall classes

17 Fall Commencement

23-31 Winter Break (college closed)

JANUARY1 New Year’s Day (college closed)13 Spring semester begins27 Counselor’s Update