Page 4 - Arkansas Bound 2016

HISTORY
Founded in 1909, Arkansas Tech University has a rich and accomplished history that spans more than a century. The same principles of academic excellence and personal attention that shaped the university during its first 100 years continue to guide its focus, allowing Arkansas Tech to pro- vide a complete college experience for generations to come.
Arkansas Tech has experienced a 184 percent increase in enrollment since 1997; made more than $260 million in investments in campus improvements since 1995; and boasts an impressive record of accomplishments by the school’s students, faculty, staff and alumni.
OVERVIEW
Recognized as one of the 10 fastest-growing master- degree-granting institutions of higher learning in America for each of the past three years, Arkansas Tech has an enroll- ment of 12,054 students. The university offers more than 100 degree programs in fields as varied as business, liberal and fine arts, systems science, education, and physical and life science.
Arkansas Tech offers the first accredited emergency-man- agement-degree program in America. Arkansas Tech was the first institution in the state and only the 24th nationwide to offer an accredited program in information systems, and the university’s hospitality administration program was the first in the state and 33rd in the country to earn accreditation.
Arkansas Tech offers a variety of accredited programs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathe- matics) fields believed to be critical to the future economic development of the state.
For 17 consecutive years, record numbers of students have chosen to attend Arkansas Tech. It was little more than a decade ago that Arkansas Tech celebrated its first 5,000-student enrollment. Now the university is home to more than 12,000 students. Arkansas Tech is the third-largest university in the state and also has one of the top two graduation rates among public universities in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Tech freshman class has achieved an av- erage ACT score above state and national averages in each of the past 21 years.
The student population at Arkansas Tech can be de- scribed as increasingly diverse and largely homegrown. Students from minority groups represent 23.9 percent of the Arkansas Tech student body, compared to 10 percent of the student body in 2004. Among the 12,054 students at Arkansas Tech in fall 2015, 92.1 percent were from Arkansas.
Nursing, engineering, biomedical, agriculture, elementa- ry education, and management and marketing are among the most popular major fields of study among freshmen at Arkansas Tech.
ACADEMICS
Despite its remarkable growth, Arkansas Tech has contin- ued its tradition of maintaining small class sizes and courses that are taught by highly trained faculty.
One of the hallmarks of an Arkansas Tech education is that it provides students with an opportunity to get to know their teachers and build the kind of relationship that fosters learning.
Tech faculty attended prestigious universities such as Pur- due University, the University of Southern California, Duke
Baswell Residence Hall is one of 17 student-housing options available to students at Arkansas Tech University.
Arkansas Tech University
1605 Coliseum Drive • Russellville • www.atu.edu • 800-582-6953
University, Vanderbilt University and Stanford University. More than 70 percent of Arkansas Tech’s full-time faculty members hold a doctorate or another terminal degree in their fields of emphasis.
At Arkansas Tech, learning does not stop at the classroom door. Through the Bridge to Excellence mentoring program, each freshman at Arkansas Tech is paired with a faculty or staff member who is responsible for helping that student make the transition to college life.
FACILITIES
Numerous renovations in recent years have updated existing buildings, while new construction and acquisitions have expanded the campus and its capabilities.
Progress on the Arkansas Tech campus continued in 2010 with the construction of Rothwell Hall, the 60,000-square- foot home for the College of Business and the Academic Advising Center. Arkansas Tech added a new student union — Baswell Techionery — in fall 2011.
The university opened the new five-story M Street Res- idence Hall in fall 2013. Home to 290 Arkansas Tech stu- dents, the M Street Residence Hall is the latest improvement in residence life and another reason why almost 3,000 Tech students choose to live on campus.
Arkansas Tech students dine in the Chambers Cafeteria, which underwent an $8.7 million renovation in summer 2013. The results include 11 new serving and preparation stations on the dining-room floor that provide fresh and nutritious meals in a facility that can accommodate up to 900 diners at any given time.
Construction of a new four-story, $16.5 million academic, student-support and administrative facility was completed in spring 2016. The facility, named Dr. Robert Charles Brown and Jill Lestage Brown Hall in honor of the former university president and first lady, will be dedicated on April 16.
ATHLETICS
Arkansas Tech is committed to NCAA Division II and its vision of a balance between academics and athletics. Arkansas Tech is one of nine charter members of the Great American Conference, which began competition during the 2011-12 academic year. Arkansas Tech won the GAC All- Sports Trophy in 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15. Tech sponsors intercollegiate athletic programs in baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, cross-country, foot- ball, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis and volleyball.
CAMPUS LIFE
There are always a wide variety of activities at Arkansas Tech to suit any number of tastes. Fraternities, sororities, intramural sports, concerts and free movie nights are just a few of the most popular activities for Tech students. Jerry the Bulldog rejoined the Arkansas Tech family in 2013 after a 76-year absence. Jerry serves as campus ambassador and is always a popular figure at campus events. In addition to opportunities for social development, the Office of Stu- dent Services offers co-curricular programs that enhance and complement the classroom experience, and Norman Career Services helps Arkansas Tech students prepare for opportunities both before and after graduation.
FINANCIAL AID
The primary purpose of the Arkansas Tech Office of Financial Aid is to provide assistance to students who, with- out aid, would be unable to attend college. All awards are administered in accordance with state and federal regula- tions and the university’s equal educational opportunity policy. Application forms for all types of federal aid may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid in the Doc Bryan Student Services Center or online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
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