• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

UA RICH MOUNTAIN AT A GLANCE UA RICH MOUNTAIN AT A GLANCE COLLEGE HISTORY scenic beauty and natural resources. Rich Mountain is the second highest mountain in Arkansas and sits in the heart of the Ouachita Mountain range, the highest range between the Appalachians and the Rockies. The University of Arkansas Rich Mountain The 54-mile Talimena Scenic Drive includes is isolated on the west central edge of the summit of Rich Mountain and the Queen Arkansas. UA Rich Mountain’s main campus Wilhelmina State Park and Lodge. The is located in Mena near US Highway 71, region features numerous crystal-clear the main artery between Fort Smith and rivers, lakes, streams, the Ouachita National Texarkana. State highways from UA Rich Forest, and Wolf Pen Gap and other ATV Mountain’s service area to larger cities are trails. There are a variety of outdoor narrow and winding. Mena is a minimum activites including canoeing/kayaking, of 1.5 hours in any direction from a larger horseback riding, fishing and boating, city. The closest four-year institution is the hunting, golfing, hiking, crystal digging, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, which camping, and more. is 82 miles to the north. Henderson State University is 85 miles to the east. Traveling The most recent College history is to Little Rock, the Arkansas capitol, is a 2.5- significant: the 2017 merger with the hour one-way trip. Students pursuing further University of Arkansas System. University education must conduct of Arkansas Rich Mountain is the result of a dangerous commute, Rich Mountain Community College (RMCC) relocate, or look for online merging into the University of Arkansas or hybrid options. System. As outlined in the 2016 merger agreement between the University of Tucked at the foot Arkansas System’s Board of Trustees and of Rich Mountain, President and RMCC’s Board of Trustees Mena offers a and President, Rich Mountain Community rich abundance College became a system institution and of untouched was renamed to the University of Arkansas www.uarichmountain.edu 2 479-394-7622 Community College Rich Mountain. Rachel Goforth as chair and began work to establish a college in Mena that combined The UA System merger allowed for retention these two services. of existing mission, vision, philosophy and scope, and strategic goals. UA Rich Arkansas Act 16 of 1983, authored by State Mountain continues to serve the community Representative Ode Maddox, established as an open enrollment, state-supported, the community college system in Arkansas. comprehensive, two-year community In April of that year, Polk County voters college. The College continues to provide approved a 5-mill tax to establish the Polk the highest quality of instruction, services, County Community College District. With Dr. and resources. With increased flexibility Mary Louise Spencer as its first president, and transferability for College constituents, Rich Mountain Community College opened the ability to serve our institutional mission July 1, 1983 with an enrollment of 290 has never been greater. The merger gives students. The College immediately applied expanded program options through transfer for candidacy for accreditation with the North and articulation agreements with University Central Association. of Arkansas four-year institutions. The merger includes a network for collaboration During the tenure of Mr. Bill Abernathy, who TABLE OF opportunities of professional development became president in 1987, development CONTENTS resources for faculty and staff, educational of community college programs began delivery processes and resources, and in earnest. After the required number employee health insurance cost sharing. of compliance years, Rich Mountain INDEX Community College received full UA Rich Mountain grew from the one accreditation in 1990, as well as obtaining original building to having buildings in all approval for Waldron as an off-campus three counties in its service area. Multiple site. Under Mr. Abernathy’s leadership, the progressive renovations to campus buildings College received five-year reaccreditations have taken place over the years. The in both 1995 and 2000. College has had four presidents, two interim presidents, three names, and at least four To acknowledge the early community logos and three different color schemes. leaders’ significant contributions for higher What follows is a recap of our rich history. education in the region, the Board dedicated buildings on the Mena campus to bear the In 1973, the Arkansas Department of names of Mr. Ode Maddox (in 1998), Dr. Vocational Education established Rich Mary Louise Spencer (1986), and Mr. Bill Mountain Vocational-Technical School. The Abernathy (1992). service area included Polk, Montgomery, and Scott counties. Vo-Tech classes began By 1993, just ten years into its successful in 1975 with Dr. Mary Louise Spencer history, enrollment had increased to 766 as president. In 1976, Henderson State students. Programs and offerings changed University came to Polk County as an over the years to include computer outreach program and offered residents the programming while course offerings in first two years of general education the math and science fields increased courses toward a Bachelor’s substantially. During Abernathy’s presidency, degree. The Polk County multiple federal grant program applications Committee for Higher for areas with low poverty rates netted Education formed funding that ensured access to higher under the direction of education and student success. Under www.uarichmountain.edu 3 479-394-7622 each of the College’s presidents, new and and to construct an outdoor amphitheater. renewed federal and state grants continued Progress continued, in partnership with the to benefit service area students. In 1995, City of Mena, with the addition of a hangar the St. John Library expansion project was and shared offices and classrooms at the completed, and the College acquired the Mena Intermountain Airport for an aviation historic National Guard Armory, also known maintenance program. The hanger was locally as the Historic Armory. converted later to house an expanded welding program. In 2000, Dr. Janet Smith became the third RMCC president. The Fall 2001 semester In 2006, an RMCC Board of Trustees enrollment reached the 1,000-student mark. directive to College administrators was to The increase was primarily due to the Aalfs expand access to education to the entire Manufacturing Company plant closing. Aalfs service area and to improve technology for had employed about 500 people in Mena to an increase in online course offerings. By manufacture denim jeans. NAFTA helped designating a portion of the budget annually navigate the way for students to enroll in to the directive, the number of online courses college for training in new fields. The College via a Moodle platform quickly increased purchased the adjoining 75.97 acres laying from nine to over thirty per semester. directly behind the College property from the Other technology improvements include Watkins family during 2002. The acquisition electronic teaching stations and smartboards protected the College from becoming in classrooms, and the new desks in the landlocked and provided for growth and computer technology classrooms allow expansion of the campus footprint for monitors to be in a raised or lowered decades to come. position, providing flexibility of courses taught in those classrooms. Technology and Renovations in 2003-2004 focused on access increased further in fall 2013 when the Maddox building and converting the outreach expanded and courses became diesel mechanic bay into a Student Center available through compressed interactive and exercise room. The RMCC Radio/TV video (CIV). Because of the investments program moved into a dedicated space to in equipment in Mena and at the Waldron house the equipment and editing machines. and Mount Ida sites, classes made that New construction included two buildings would not have in earlier years for the to accommodate advances in the Machine low enrollment numbers at each separate Tool Technologies program and to house location. A savings in the cost of instruction the Maintenance department and staff. At was (and continues to be) an added the completion of the 2005 reaccreditation benefit – one instructor for three locations. process, the Higher Learning Commission Equipment installed in 2014 at service area designated Rich Mountain as a “model rural high schools further increased concurrent community college” and awarded the first opportunities, which continues to increase 10-year accreditation in the College’s history. enrollment. Computer lab equipment stays current. Wireless Internet capabilities exist Between 2001 and 2005, Arkansas Natural campus wide. ZOOM capability offers online and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) face-to-face contact between instructors grant funds covered renovations to the and students. Social media outlets further Historic Armory. Over the next few years, expand contact with students, alumni, subsequent ANCRC grants provided community members, and potential students. funding to renovate both the upper and lower ponds and campus walking trails RMCC formed a one-year lease partnership www.uarichmountain.edu 4 479-394-7622 with the Waldron School District for two to lease space at the County Annex where vacant classroom buildings in 2005. In additional classes could be offered instead 2006, a five-year lease set the stage for of using the high school facilities. Enrollment a dramatic increase and expansion of continued to increase in the years to classes offered in Waldron. No longer were follow. While focusing on the 2006 Board students required to make the drive to Mena of Trustees expansion of outreach facilities for some courses needed for an associate directive, the search began for a location for degree. Initially, students could complete a stand-alone building. In 2009, acreage the two-year degree in three years. Within with an existing structure in Mount Ida was a few years, all classes were available in purchased by the College Foundation with Waldron, and the timeframe of two years for plans for the College to renovate over the a degree was standard.

Load more

  204

Copy Link