Grant Expands High-Speed Network to Two-Year Colleges

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas public two-year college students will benefit from a grant awarded to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in partnership with the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges (AATYC).        

Funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the grant expands the current Arkansas Research & Education Optical Network (AREON) to the 22 public two-year colleges in the state.  The network will improve the colleges’ ability to deliver distance learning.  Two-year colleges will also have new opportunities to collaborate to expand course and program offerings by sharing curriculum and other resources that benefit students.

To manage fiber construction and connectivity at the two-year colleges, UAMS will grant a subaward to AREON, the state’s only publicly owned fiber optic network currently serving four-year universities. Spending from the grant will include $41.2 million for equipment and construction of fiber optic network routes to serve community colleges.  The project is expected to be completed in three years.

“This grant provides Arkansas two-year colleges with high-speed internet access that most other states don’t have,” said Dr. Ed Franklin, Executive Director of AATYC.  “This increases our capacity to deliver educational services to students and to improve our collaboration with business and industry partners.”

Arkansas two-year colleges will serve more than 60,000 students in the 2010-2011 year - nearly half of whom are nontraditional and/or first-generation students.  Nontraditional students typically work while attending college, and they are likely place bound, meaning they are not able to relocate due to family and/or work responsibilities.   Improving distance education through high-speed internet access will provide rural and working Arkansans with new opportunities to pursue higher education and skills training.

Broadband internet access will improve the ability of two-year colleges to meet the training needs of businesses/industries in their communities, and well as attract new businesses/industries.  Annually, more than 50,000 Arkansans take noncredit courses through two-year colleges to upgrade workforce skills directly related to local business/industry needs. 

Arkansas has four regional two-year college consortia located in the northern, central, eastern and southwestern areas of the state.  High-speed internet access will help these consortia better coordinate to offer classes together and serve the individualized needs of their regional businesses/industries.

The Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges will coordinate staff development activities to expose faculty and staff to the benefits of high-speed internet access.  AATYC will also serve on the project’s management and steering committees.

Other key partners in the project include the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Baptist Health, Arkansas Hospital Association, Arkansas State Library and Community Health Centers of Arkansas.

SAU Tech Multimedia Graduate Working for Los Angeles Production Company

Seth Tatum, Southern Arkansas University Tech Graduate

Seth Tatum, a multimedia student from Southern Arkansas University Tech, graduated in May 2010 with his Associate of Applied Science in Multimedia. Seth is 20 years old and from Rison, Arkansas.

“When my senior year began I was faced with the same choice most students face - where should I continue my education,” said Seth.  “During a tour of the SAU Tech campus, I was introduced to the Multimedia Department.  The tour was definitely a factor but it wasn't until I talked with Steve Taylor and David McLeane that I really considered going to SAU Tech.”

“For most of my life I’ve had a great appreciation for film, so when Mr. Taylor mentioned that if I came to SAU Tech I could work with professionals from the world of television and film, I became intrigued.  In the end, Mr. Taylor was right, I was able to learn in the field, and while my goals have changed a little bit there’s nowhere else I would rather be than on set of a movie or television production.”

Seth is currently a full-time employee of Gurney Production in Los Angeles, California.  Gurney specializes in reality and docudrama television.  Their current project is “I’m Alive” which is a mixture of interviews and reenactments that tell the stories of people who have survived violent encounters with wildlife.

Seth’s instructor, Steve Taylor, said, “Seth came to me with lots of enthusiasm and a little head knowledge about production.  He quickly earned my respect when he would stay after class almost every day trying to figure out how every piece of equipment worked!  He worked on every gig that came our way, never griping, never complaining, and never asking for money and ALWAYS with an attitude of ‘yes, I will’".  

“Gurney Production contacted me shortly before our 2010 graduation and asked if I had someone who could go to LA and intern without pay.  I talked to Seth and he quickly said yes not really knowing where he would stay or how he would get to LA.  He really wanted to go and he made it happen.  After less than four weeks as an intern, Gurney offered him a full-time job!”

“Seth is proof that the combination of hard work, rigorous hands-on training and real world contacts can make what was only a dream of a high school student become the realized goals of a young man.”

Career Coaches Help Students Prepare for College

The Career Coach pilot program, a component of Arkansas Works, began in January 2010 with the goal of motivating and supporting Arkansans in achieving their college and career planning goals.  Forty-three (43) career coaches are employed by the two-year colleges and are housed in high schools located within the 21 Arkansas counties, identified as having the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in the state.  The program is funded by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and is managed by the Arkansas Department of Career Education. 

Career Coaches serve students in the 8^th-12^th grades by helping them to identify and utilize resources in areas of academic tutoring, career counseling, mentoring, financial guidance and other supports necessary for career and educational access and retention.  Career Coaches help students connect their skills and interests with high-wage, high-demand occupations, as well as explore other options.  Through this added one-on-one attention and support, students are exposed to exciting new career fields and educational opportunities.  Students set goals to pursue education beyond high school and develop step-by-step plans for how to achieve their goals. 

Students working with Career Coaches have benefited from visiting colleges and business/industry sites, hearing from professionals and participating in job shadowing experiences.  Career Coaches also provide services and assistance in the areas of:

• Developing and revising college and career plans
• Preparing for postsecondary education
• Financial aid information and applications
• Making connections between high schools and careers
• Transitioning to postsecondary education 

The future success of these students could result in increased educational attainment and per capita income for their regions, leading to improved economic development prospects in these regions. 

Two-year colleges included in the Career Coach pilot program are Arkansas Northeastern College (Blytheville), Arkansas State University – Newport, East Arkansas Community College (Forrest City), Mid-South Community College (West Memphis), North Arkansas College (Harrison), Ozarka College (Melbourne), Phillips Community College of the UA (Helena), South Arkansas Community College (El Dorado), Southeast Arkansas College (Pine Bluff), Southern Arkansas University Tech (Camden), UA Community College at Batesville, and UA Community College at Hope.

Arkansas Works is a collaborative effort among Arkansas Departments of Education, Career Education, Higher Education, Economic Development, and Science and Technology Authority as well as the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges and State Chamber of Commerce.  The program is a two component system:  On-line Based Internet Tool powered by Kuder and Career Coaches.  The On-Line Tool is designed to assist Arkansas residents explore, develop and refine their college and career plans.

Black River Tech Graduate Has Goal of Becoming a Pediatrician

Kaylon Kimble, Black River Technical College Graduate

Recent Black River Technical College (BRTC) graduate, Kaylon Kimble graduated as Valedictorian of the 2008 class of Maynard High School and completed his Associate of Arts degree from BRTC in the Spring of 2010. Kaylon graduated on the Dean’s list with a GPA of 3.68 and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.  He was the recipient of two department awards, Physical Science and Biological Science. 

His love for children and his interest in the medical field have prompted him to pursue and continue his educational goals.  This fall he will be attending Lyon College where he will major in pre-med with aspirations of attending UAMS, upon graduation.  His ultimate goal is to become a pediatrician and he realizes the process will be long and challenging.  But Kaylon is dedicated and willing to work hard.  His involvement and commitment to BRTC and campus organizations are reflections of his positive nature and his determination to excel.  

While attending BRTC, Kaylon was one of nine Ambassadors.  This is a program designed to involve students more deeply with BRTC, build greater awareness of the opportunities available at BRTC, increase the general level of awareness of BRTC throughout the service area and provide recognition and scholarship assistance to deserving students. He feels that his experience as an Ambassador offered him an opportunity to work closely, not only with students, but also with the faculty and administration of BRTC.  

Kaylon also received the Academic Distinction and Academic Challenge scholarships while at BRTC.  This past summer he worked with MidSouth  Health Systems as a youth mentor, working with troubled teens and helping them to realize how making positive choices can improve their lives.