HARRISON — The state’s biggest university and one of its community colleges will move forward with bond issuances to finance improvements to a health/recreation center and build a nursing/ science building, respectively, following approval Friday by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The benefiting schools are the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.

The Coordinating Board approved the economic feasibility of a plan by UA-Fayetteville to issue bonds not exceeding $34.175 million with a maximum term of 30 years at an annual interest rate of approximately 5.5%. The University of Arkansas System board of trustees approved the plan last month.

Maximum annual debt service will be a little more than $2.3 million and supported by revenue from tuition and fees, according to Nick Fuller, assistant director of finance at the state Department of Education’s Division of Higher Education.

Proceeds will be used for the renovation, acquisition, construction, furnishing, and equipping of the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) building, as well as the acquisition of property for expansion purposes and other purposes, and “the acquisition, construction, improvement, renovation, equipping and/ or furnishing of other capital improvements and infrastructure and the acquisition of various equipment and/or real property for the” campus, Fuller said.

The university “has sufficient tuition and fee revenue to support” the bond issue, Fuller confirmed. Consequently, approval was recommended by executive staff of the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.

Beginning this summer, the building’s 15-month renovation will modernize infrastructure and update architecture, as well as adding 13,000 square feet of fitness center space, according to the university. The remodel will also include new turf functional training areas, new-and-improved multi-purpose spaces, and functional, modern locker rooms.

All University Recreation programming and offerings will be available during construction, according to the university. The project is

expected to cost $24 million.

Executive staff also recommended approval of UACCM’s plans to issue bonds for no more than $12 million with a maximum of 32 years at an annual interest rate of no more than 5.5%, a plan approved by the UA System trustees last month.

Proceeds will be for educational and general purposes, the Nursing and Science Center, and the acquisition, construction, improvement, renovation, equipping and/ or furnishing of other capital improvements and infrastructure and the acquisition of various equipment and/or real property for the campus, Fuller said. UACCM has sufficient revenue from tuition and fees for the bonds, with a maximum annual debt service of $827,575.

The two-story, 36,000-square-foot Nursing and Science Center will feature seven science labs and classrooms, ten nursing labs and classrooms, and two student lounges for studying, according to Fuller. New construction will provide space for the addition of multiple new programs including Certified Medication Assistant, Paramedic, Respiratory Therapist, Medical Office Technology Assistant and Medical Clinical Assistant.

Chancellor Lisa Willenberg and other administrators at the college believe the new building can eventually double enrollment in nursing and similar programs, she said. The building is expected to open in the fall of 2025, and “we’re excited.”

Executive staff also recommended for approval Arkansas Tech University’s plans to issue no more than $10.4 million in bonds with a maximum term of 15 years at an annual interest rate of roughly 7% for educational and general purposes and auxiliary renovations supported by tuition and fee revenue.

With a maximum annual debt service of $1,151,958, the university has sufficient revenue from tuition and fees, and the university’s board of trustees approved the plan in December 2023, Fuller said. Infrastructure work will include HVAC upgrades and an elevator replacement, among other projects.

NEW DEGREES AND PROGRAMS

The Coordinating Board also approved an Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology offering from Arkansas State University-Newport, starting this fall. Arkansas State University System trustees approved the degree in December 2023.

Developed based on industry request, the degree will prepare students to successfully function in the clinical setting, performing diagnostic imaging examinations, and students will be able to sit for the American Registry of Radiologic Technology exam to become credentialed as radiologic technologists, or they can opt to transfer to complete a bachelor of science degree in Radiologic Science, according to ASU-Newport. Funding will come primarily from tuition and fees and general revenue, although a special student lab fee of $300 per semester will be acquired from students to help offset lab equipment needs.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences objected to the program in September 2023 due to a paucity of clinical sites.

“The availability of sites for the clinical education component of the curriculum of a radiography program, regardless of the degree or certificate awarded, remains the limiting factor to opening a new program,” Kristen Sterba, associate provost for Students and administration director in the Department of Institutional Research, Policy, and Accreditation, wrote in an October 2023 email. “There are currently barely enough clinical sites for the ten existing programs in the state to ensure the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) Standard 4, Objective 4.4 is met, which states, ‘The program provides timely, equitable, and educationally valid clinical experiences for all students.’”

Typhanie Myers, ASU-Newport’s provost/vice chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs, responded via email that “we went forward with meeting with several of our local healthcare providers to ensure that your concern regarding clinical space was addressed, (and) we have been enthusiastically assured that there would be space available for this new program, and it would not take away from the current agreements in place with UAMS.”

Vacancies in this profession are high, both in Mountain Home’s region and the state, and the college’s industry partners are struggling to fill their job openings, Myers said Friday. Consequently, all local health care providers support creation of this program, and a recent survey by the college of students in prehealth professions indicated high interest.

A full-time instructor will be hired for the first cohort of 12 students, she added. As more students enroll, more faculty will likely need to be added.

Trustees also approved an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, effective this fall. UA System trustees approved the degree in March.

This will support the university’s mission “by contributing to economic growth and workforce development in the area by producing more registered nurses in the River Valley region,” according to UA System President Donald Bobbitt. “Many members in the community have voiced support for the program to address the acute need for nurses in the area.”

“This program differs from many in the state mainly because of the two-year approach,” as many other Associate Degree Nursing Programs require prerequisites, which can extend the completion time to three or four years, according to the proposal. While this program meets educational standards and requirements, “it is structured in a way that does not require prerequisites and can allow students to complete the degree in four semesters.”

Much of the funding for this degree will be covered by a grant from the Windgate Foundation — a grant earmarked for nursing expansion — with remaining funding from tuition and fees, according to Chancellor Terisa Riley. As part of the $10 million grant UAFS received a couple of years ago, the university vowed to “double the nurses we produce, (and this associate degree) is the next step.”

Nursing is a high-demand area in the region, with roughly 200 jobs open currently at a salary of $65,000 per year, Provost Shadow JQ Robinson said Friday. “We have very strong partnership with” local health care providers, and — once the program is up and running — UAFS expects a cohort of 30 in the fall and another 30 in the spring.

The Coordinating Board also approved initial certification for the Doctor of Medicine from the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville. Construction on the medical school began in March 2023 with a groundbreaking ceremony near Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

The building is roughly half complete, with a goal of opening in May 2025, Sharmila Makhija, founding dean and CEO of the Walton School, said Friday. The college hopes to begin recruiting students this fall, pending successful accreditations, so students can begin their studies in the fall of 2025.

The Walton School of Medicine already has signed agreements with nine clinical affiliates, including UAMS, she added. The goal is aligning critical objectives, not competing with others.

Founded in 2021 by Alice L. Walton, the eponymous medical school is a nonprofit, four-year program, according to the school of medicine’s website.

The board also approved North Arkansas College offering a technical certificate and certificate of proficiency in Energy Management, effective this fall. Both were approved by the college’s board of trustees in February.

A part-time faculty member will be hired for the program, existing resources and facilities will be utilized, and additional equipment will be acquired via donations, college funds and future grants, according to Mason Campbell, assistant commissioner of academic affairs. No other programs similar to this are active in the state.