Casey Curtis, Communications Coordinator
HOPE, AR – September 22, 2021
The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana will break ground on a new facility at the Texarkana campus on October 7, 2021, at 330 p.m. The new 14,754 square foot facility will house a welding program, the Secondary Career and Technical Education Center, the Arkansas High Collegiate Academy, and more. “This new facility is a testament to our dedication to higher education in the Texarkana area community and the region as a whole,” said Dr. Christine Holt, UAHT Chancellor.” “UAHT has seen significant growth at the Texarkana campus, which shows that the Texarkana community is committed to us. Therefore, we want to showcase our commitment to this region by expanding our footprint to improve and grow the programs and services we offer to our Texarkana area constituents.”
A significant portion of the new facility will be dedicated to career and technical programs, including the UAHT Secondary Career and Technical Education Center. The career center provides participating high school juniors and seniors with the unique opportunity to earn college credit at no charge while still in high school. The curriculum serves as an extension of the high school curriculum by providing students with hands-on experiences in various career fields, including industrial maintenance, welding, coding, CNA, and EMT. “Part of our mission is helping our secondary school partners prepare our students for life after high school,” Holt said. “The secondary career center is one of the great programs we offer that help students get a head start in college or provides them with a credential to go to work in a quality career field straight out of high school. The new facility will also allow room for the expansion of other general education courses. We want to provide quality degrees and certificates to students of all ages and help our business and industry partners offer training to their employees to help build a better workforce.”
Along with the career center, the new facility will house the growing Arkansas High School Collegiate Academy. The academy is a partnership between Arkansas High School and the UA Texarkana that allows students an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and an associate degree simultaneously. The program consists of high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in dual-credit courses on the U of A Texarkana campus. The first Arkansas High Collegiate Academy class graduated last year, and these students received their high school diploma and associate degree 100% debt-free. This year the academy has its largest group of sophomores since the program began in 2019. “The collegiate academy is another example of an innovative program UAHT offers that helps our students prepare either for a 4-year university or the workforce,” Holt said. “We are dedicated to growing this and many other programs to serve students better and help break down their barriers to higher education.”
UAHT invites the public to attend the ceremony on October 7 at 3:30 p.m. at 3501 U of A Way, Texarkana, Arkansas. Additional parking will be available at Four States Fairgrounds, with shuttle services provided.
For more information, contact Anna Powell at [email protected] or 870-722-8516.
