UALR Unveils Plan for ‘World-class University’

April 21, 2006

By Lance Turner, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chancellor Joel E. Anderson on Thursday unveiled to the university’s board of visitors his roadmap for building a “world-class university” for the region and the state.

The plan — called UALR Fast Forward — is available here. In it, Anderson makes the case that the economic well-being of central Arkansas is tied to the well-being of the university. The plan challenges business and civic leaders to support UALR “not for the University’s sake, but for yours.”

Among the plan's goals:

• Increase the number of certified, K-12 teachers it graduates by 40 percent in five years.

• Increase the number of nurses it graduates by 100 percent in five years.

• Expand its cultural programs to contribute to the quality of life in central Arkansas.

• Increase the number of baccalaureate degree graduates by 20 percent in seven years.

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• Expand graduate offerings, particularly those that address regional and state needs and those that contribute significantly to the economic development of the state.

Driving Regional Growth

Throughout his presentation on Thursday, Anderson cited a study by Angelou Economics that recommended economic developers invest in UALR, making it a premier institution that would help drive regional growth. That report, issued in 2004, was commissioned by the Metro Little Rock Alliance, a group of metropolitan economic developers intent on drawing and creating industry in central Arkansas.

As yet, there is no timetable or budget associated with the plan. Rather, UALR Fast Forward is a foundation for future discussions with the civic and business community, Anderson said.

Business Community as Stakeholders

“We need for the business community to recognize and embrace the critical role that a university plays in an economic development strategy of a region,” Anderson said. “We need to get to the point that the civic and business leaders see moving the university ahead rapidly as something that’s very important to them.”

Anderson said he wants the business community to see how valuable the university is to them and that they are stakeholders in its success. In his presentation, he recalled the UALR-record-setting donation from the Trinity Foundation as a prime example of business leaders who understood UALR’s value and the need to cultivate it.

Last year, the Pine Bluff-based nonprofit gave UALR $6 million to establish an endowment for a mechanical and electrical engineering program at UALR's Donaghey College of Information Science & Systems Engineering, also known as the CyberCollege.