James A. Goode of El Dorado, a nursing major at South Arkansas Community College, has accepted a Smackover High School Scholarship to attend the college this fall.
He is a 2009 graduate of Smackover High School.
The scholarship is funded through the SouthArk Foundation.
Award recipients
Arkansas Community Colleges recognized several SouthArk 2021 award recipients last week. SouthArk president Dr. Bentley Wallace, center, is with, from left, Outstanding Staff Member James Virden, Academic All-Star Gregory Greeson, Outstanding Faculty Member Gary Hall and Outstanding Alumni Chris Wasson
At its height, the global coronavirus pandemic forced some changes in course and service delivery at South Arkansas Community College, as it did at most educational institutions. When that happened, insufficiencies were revealed that made the unanticipated shift to online instruction more challenging for students and teachers alike.
In an effort to close those gaps, SouthArk sought—and, its representatives recently learned, was awarded—an Institutional Resilience and Expanded Post-Secondary Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of more than $380,000.
This grant is intended to provide additional support for online learners, improve technology skills for both students and faculty, enhance Internet access for students in rural areas, improve online curriculum and reduce the cost of college attendance.
The grant will create a new service aimed at providing a single point of contact for the technical problems of online students, operated by a concierge. Through a partnership with the Southeast Regional Library System, it will provide improved WiFi access at eight rural libraries. Additionally laptop computers will be available for contactless checkout and may be utilized by students for up to a full semester.
The grant also will fund professional development for instructors who will revise their courses to utilize what are known as open educational resource textbooks, which are free for students to use.
These initiatives will be implemented at SouthArk in the coming months. For information about becoming a SouthArk student, see www.southark.edu/info.
Representatives of South Arkansas Community College learned this month that the college has been awarded another Susan Harwood Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, the fifth consecutive such grant issued to the school.
These grants provide free Occupational Safety and Health Administration-approved training to small businesses and independent contractors. SouthArk’s grants have led to a cumulative 2,500 area workers’ receiving training in such areas as fall prevention, warehouse safety and hazard communications. In each year of these grants, the college has exceeded participation targets.
This year’s grant focuses on confined space safety training and totals more than $97,000. The two-hour training course will cover topics such as atmosphere testing, entering and exiting confined spaces, hazard control and signs of exposure. The course will be delivered in English at the college’s Center for Workforce Development on the East Campus and at industry sites upon request.
More information on this and other corporate training available through SouthArk is available at (870) 864-8453, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Rachel Frizzelle of Buckner, a practical nursing major at South Arkansas Community College, has accepted a Dr. Kenneth Bridges Scholarship to attend the school this fall.
She is a 2017 GED graduate.
The scholarship is provided through the SouthArk Foundation.
Rachel Frizzelle of Buckner, a practical nursing major at South Arkansas Community College, has accepted a Dr. Kenneth Bridges Scholarship to attend the school this fall.
She is a 2017 GED graduate.
The scholarship is provided through the SouthArk Foundation.
