Month
The July 2016
Review
Arkansas State University - Newport
Volume 3, No. 7
ASU-Newport Awarded Agriculture Technology Grant Arkansas State University-Newport announced Thursday that the two-year college has been awarded an implementation grant for the project entitled “Northeast Arkansas Educating Agriculture Technology (EAT).” The grant, in the amount of $669,262, will be used to enhance the studies of agriculture, and develop a collaborative workforce training program to mitigate the skills gap for mid-level farm and food production workers. Set to begin in Fall 2017, the program will create an integrated educational pathway for regional workers that seek employment in farm manage-
ment, seed and chemical industry management, crop consult-
ing, or other agriculture related management fields.
“In addition to basic agronomy and plant science, our students will demonstrate knowledge in modern precision agriculture practice,” said Robert Summers, Dean for Applied Science at ASUN. “This will include Site Specific Crop Management, a data driven process for farm management. Students will understand and use Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) systems that include auto steer technology and Variable Rate Technology for planting and spraying.” Continued See GRANT, Page 2
ASU-Newport to Launch IGNITE Academy in Fall 2016 Arkansas State University-Newport announced in mid-July that the two-year college will launch a career
training center for high school students to be located on its Newport campus. The career center, which will
be known as the ASUN IGNITE (Investing in Gen Next Industrial and Technical Education) Academy opened Monday, Au-
Construction began in July on the new IGNITE welding facility, which will be housed in the Physical Plant Annex behind the ASUN Center for the Arts.
www.asun.edu
gust 22 when the first students arrived for an orientation session. The ASUN IGNITE Academy will provide a total of 70 high school students from four area school districts an opportunity to earn workforce-ready credentials upon graduation from the program. The pilot program will allow students from Newport Special School District, Jackson County School District, Cedar Ridge School District and Bradford School District to receive training in Computer Network Technology, Welding, Diesel Technology or Phlebotomy/ Certified Nursing Assistant. Continued See IGNITE, Page 3
Valley View Adult Education Center Joins ASU-Newport Family ASU-Newport staff and faculty members join faculty and staff from the ASU-Newport/ Jonesboro Adult Education Center for a reception July 14th at the Adult Education facility located at 2311 E. Nettleton in Jonesboro. Formerly the Valley View Adult Education Center, the center joined the ASUN family July 1. The Adult Education Center served approximately 350 students last year who were working on academic skills and approximately 50 more enrolled in the English as a Second Language program.
GRANT (Continued from Page 1) “Advances in agricultural technologies have enabled tractors, combines, sprayers, and other farm equipment to gather data about soil and weather conditions, seed viability, topography, nutrients, disease history, row distance, planting depth, and other factors that influence crop yields,” Summers continued. “Individual farmers use this information about their fields to make decisions about what and when to plant, depth and spacing, and other farming practices.” “As a farmer in Northeast Arkansas I am very happy to hear that a real ‘need’ in our area might be filled in the future,” said Tommy Young, of Generation Three Partnership Farms, and a member of the steering committee that helped guide the overall scope of the initiative. “That ‘need’ being qualified, skilled agricultural workers being educated by ASU-Newport’s new agricultural Associate Degree program. This will ensure we will have a qualified workforce for today and tomorrow’s high-tech agriculture. Farming now is ultra-modern and precision agriculture is the norm. Without that, the economical margins
are too thin to farm like your grandfather. I’m so happy that ASUN received the grant as this will enable us to have a sound longstanding program.” In the project, Arkansas State University-Newport will partner will seven local high schools, including the Newport School District, Jackson County School District, Nettleton School District, Harrisburg School District, McCrory School District, Marked Tree School District and the Northeast Arkansas Career and Technical Center. ASU-Newport will also partner with Arkansas State University for students who wish to continue their education past the Associate Degree level. “This grant will allow Arkansas State University-Newport and our partner institutions to develop an agriculture education program that will benefit the entire region,” said ASUN Chancellor Dr. Sandra Massey. “Students completing the program will enter the agriculture workforce with a skill set that will enhance their employability and allow them to earn higher wages. Employers will benefit from a workforce that is trained at the manage-
ment level upon graduation.” “I’d like to congratulate Mr. Summers and his staff for their efforts in helping ASU-Newport secure this grant,” added Massey. “They have worked countless hours to help craft a program that will not only benefit employers, but the agriculture workforce that is the backbone of an industry that affects our region, state and nation.” Funds from the grant will be
used at the high school level to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines. Students studying in those programs may then advance to ASU-Newport for agriculture educational opportunities that lead to an Associate Degree. Students wishing to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in the field would then enroll at Arkansas State University for completion.
ASUN Featured in NACEP Spotlight
The concurrent enrollment program at ASU-Newport has been featured on the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships website. To read the feature, click or log on to: http://tinyurl.com/hew3k2j
IGNITE (Continued from Page 1) These fields of study were determined through ASUN’s collaboration with four school districts, program advisory committees and through discussions with regional leaders in business and industry. Upon graduation from high school, students completing the program will have earned transferrable credits and certificates of proficiency or technical certificates in the four fields of study. The four school districts associated with the ASUN IGNITE Academy are not currently served by a secondary career and technical center, and will transport their students daily to ASUN’s Newport campus to study in both classroom and laboratory settings in their chosen field. Students desiring to enter one of the four fields of study will go through an application and interview process prior to acceptance. The program will be provided at no cost to the student. “I am really excited for our students,” said Chester Shannon, Jackson County School District Superintendent. “It is a wonderful opportunity for students to improve their future and it will only get better every year. We have a responsibility to our students to prepare them for life and to make them employable. So much emphasis is placed on AP courses and preparing for a traditional fouryear college, but that is the path that only a small percentage take. A four-year degree is great if that is what you want to do, but if you want a career in one of the fields that will be offered, that is something that needs to be available, and I am excited that it will be. These students will now have the opportunity to develop skills and earn certifications that will make them
immediately employable.” “I can’t say enough how excited I am to know that I will have the opportunity to hand a diploma to a young man or young woman that gives them an immediate chance to have a better quality of life and that will enable them to support a family,” added Shannon. “This is a wonderful opportunity and we will do whatever we can to make it the very best.” “I am extremely proud to be able to partner with ASU-Newport,” said Cedar Ridge Superintendent Andy Ashley. “They have gone above and beyond to accommodate the needs of our students. The opportunity for the students’ of Cedar Ridge to attend a career center is going to change the trajectory of our students’ lives. A secondary career center is way overdue for this area, and I am so proud of Dr. Massey, Dr. Ayers, and the others at ASU-Newport for their willingness to work to make this happen. I also appreciate the Dr. Charisse Childers, director of the Arkansas Department of Career Education, for granting this pilot program.” Between the four school districts that will be served by the Academy, approximately 50 percent of graduating seniors do not pursue post-secondary education and are underemployed. Students completing the program will now be workforce-ready, allowing them to seek employment that would have previously been unavailable, or prepared to continue their education at the college level. “This is quite an opportunity for our students because of the flexibility it gives them,” said Dr. Larry Bennett, Superintendent of the Newport Special School District. “The
fact that they will have access to courses that we don’t offer, and the opportunity to earn these certifications gives them more options and follows up on some of the career pathways that we are developing. The relationship and partnership that we have with ASU-Newport expands the opportunities that these students have.” Students entering the Computer Networking and Technology field will earn a Certificate of Proficiency from ASUN, which will also apply toward a CNT Technical Certificate and an Associate of Applied Science degree should the student decide to continue their education. Welding graduates will have earned a Certificate of Proficiency from ASUN, a National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Core Card, NCCER Welding Card and at least one, but with the option of six American Welding Society Certifications. The Certificate of Proficiency will also apply toward a Technical Certificate and an Associate of Applied Science degree. In addition to a Certificate of Proficiency from ASUN, students graduating from the Diesel Technology program will earn Get Ahead certificates in Freightliner, Western Star and Detroit engines from Daimler Trucks North America Service Training Academy. The Certificate of Proficiency will also apply toward a Technical Certificate in Diesel Technology and an Associate of Applied Science degree. Students entering the CNA/ Phlebotomy fields will earn Certificates of Proficiency in Certified Nursing Assistant and in Phlebotomy from ASUN. These students will also com-
plete a portion of the required courses needed to apply for the Licensed Practical Nursing program, and to transition into the Associate of Applied Science in Registered Nursing Program. “Students entering these programs at ASU-Newport will have the opportunity to earn a ‘value-added’ high school diploma,” said Dr. Holly Ayers, ASUN Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “This ‘value-added’ diploma will increase their earning power should they decide to transition into the workforce immediately following graduation. For students who decide to continue their education, college credits and professional academic certifications and credentials will already have been earned while dually enrolled in high school.” “Our IGNITE Academy will be an effective use of resources that will enhance, but not duplicate, the instruction that these students receive in high school,” Ayers added. “The Academy will provide a great return of investment for local taxpayers in the form of better-paying jobs, and more completers at both the high school and collegiate level.” “We are extremely proud of the programs that we offer at ASU-Newport, and of the staff and faculty members that have put in many long hours to make this program a reality,” said Dr. Sandra Massey, ASUN Chancellor. “Without the collaboration of the superintendents and administrators from the four districts, along with our advisory boards and local business and industry leaders, this would not have been possible, and we are certainly thankful for their efforts in making these programs available to the students from these school districts.”
The ASU-Newport Mission Statement ASU-Newport provides an accessible, affordable, quality education that transforms the lives of our students, enriches our communities and strengthens the regional economy.