Page 7 - Best of the Best Winners 2015

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015
BEST OF THE BEST • 7H
FINALIST: BEST COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY Arkansas State University-Beebe >> Two-year college goes beyond standard education
Nestled in a small town in White County, the hidden gem that is Arkansas State University -Beebe is much more than an average two-year college. ASU-Beebe offers unique programs and opportunities that many colleges of its size don’t offer within the state or even the nation. The secret is now out, as the college received its first Best of the Best recognition from the readers of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as a finalist for Best College or University.
Nancy Meador, director of marketing and public relations, said the school is grateful for the recognition and that there are some things people may not know about the university.
“We are so excited. We have never been a finalist before. This is really great for a small, two-year college to become a finalist for central Arkansas,” she said. “When people think about colleges in Arkansas, there are many of them that are really, really good, and sometimes I think we’re kind of like a hidden secret, and our secret is getting out about how affordable we are and also how we have such a good college-life experience on our campus.”
Along with being a finalist for Best College or University, ASU-Beebe has also been ranked among the safest colleges in the United States for several years by StateUniversity.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Arkansas State University-Beebe boasts a unique program called the John Deere Agricultural Technology program that allows students to
learn the ins and outs of John Deere equipment and its technology.
com, based on the Clery Act, which requires all colleges and universities that receive federal funding to provide campus crime information to the public.
Meador said the school’s mission is “transforming lives through quality learning experiences.”
ASU-Beebe Chancellor Eugene McKay said 51.1 percent of the school’s students who took remedial classes were suc- cessful in completing a certificate or degree or continuing to a four-year university, and that the number ranks second in the state. He said that ASU-Beebe leads the state with an education success rate of 83.3 percent of nonremedial students, according to statistics provided by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
Along with being a two-year college, ASU-Beebe also offers programs that allow students to earn a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree in Beebe by taking classes on campus through Arkansas State University’s main campus in Jonesboro.
The school also offers transfer scholarships that supple- ment academic scholarships. Students have the opportunity to transfer from ASU-Beebe to any other school in the state and, in most cases, have their schooling paid for at the other university if they have a 3.25 grade-point average or higher at ASU-Beebe.
As the only two-year college in Arkansas with a residence hall, as well as a full 405-acre farm, ASU-Beebe has been recognized by central Arkansas for offering students much more than the average college experience.