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Southern Arkansas University aims to ramp up in engineering

Southern Arkansas University president David Rankin speaks with Sen. Bruce Maloch, D-Magnolia, at the district meeting of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Aaron Street
Southern Arkansas University president David Rankin speaks with Sen. Bruce Maloch, D-Magnolia, at the district meeting of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Southern Arkansas University can move ahead in starting a new bachelor’s degree in general engineering in the fall semester. The school in Magnolia got the go-ahead for the degree Friday from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. SAU president David Rankin said there are already more than 20 students who plan to enroll, and local industry helped SAU make a strong case for the value of these graduates.

Southern Arkansas University president David Rankin speaks with Sen. Bruce Maloch, D-Magnolia, at the district meeting of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Credit Aaron Street
Southern Arkansas University president David Rankin speaks with Sen. Bruce Maloch, D-Magnolia, at the district meeting of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

"This is a real breakthrough for us because we had had an engineering physics program, but had not had a general engineering program," Rankin said. "It's a real step in the right direction for us because of the need for industry to have some help.”

As part of SAU’scommitment to the degree, according to Rankin, it hired an architecture firm to draw up plans for a $2.7 million engineering facility that will be adjacent to its newly constructed science center. Currently, in Arkansas, there is no general engineering degree south of Little Rock. Rankin hopes this four-year program keep more talent close to home.

“If you have a student that grew up in El Dorado, Magnolia, Texarkana, or any of these other areas, and they study here, they’re very familiar with the area. They’re happy here and would like to stay. We feel like it will really stabilize the employment of qualified engineers in south Arkansas," Rankin said.

The university plans to seek program accreditation through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Rankin expects to achieve it in about three years. He said construction of the engineering center will begin next year.

SAUsaw record enrollment growth last year, and Rankin believes new program offerings have helped drive the expansion.

Copyright 2021 Red River Radio. To see more, visit Red River Radio.

Chuck Smith
Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' experience to Red River Radio having started out as a radio news reporter and moving into television journalism as a newsmagazine producer / host, talk-show moderator, programming director and managing producer and news director / anchor for commercial, public broadcasting and educational television. He has more recently worked in advertising, marketing and public relations as a writer, video producer and media consultant. In pursuit of higher learning, Chuck studied Mass Communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.

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