ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Jonesboro, Arkansas
The University
Founded in 1909, Arkansas State University (ASU) is one of the premier institutions of higher education in the state. With technologically advanced facilities and a population of more than 14,000 students (including those at the branch campuses), the University is a major educational force in the state. The main campus, which is located on 900 acres in Jonesboro, has a student population of more than 10,000. Students come from nearly all fifty states and territories and forty-three countries.
Currently, campus activities are centered at the Carl R. Reng Center. The building serves students with a bookstore, food service, a game room, a lounge, meeting rooms, and a ballroom. In 2003, the University will open a new student union with a recreation center. The union will house a post office, retail shops, a food court, lounges, and a fitness center.
The University's athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as part of the Sun Belt Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, indoor and outdoor track, and football. Women's sports include basketball, cross-country, golf, indoor and outdoor track, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. A comprehensive intramural program gives all students an opportunity to participate in organized sports. ASU has thirteen fraternities, nine sororities, and more than 160 clubs that serve religious, ethnic, departmental, and other special interests.
Location
As the largest city in northeastern Arkansas, Jonesboro offers a number of attractive alternatives to campus activities. The city, with a population of 55,000, has many shopping areas and hospitals and is the economic hub of northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Caraway Road, which runs through the University, is one of the main business streets in the city. Community activities, which range from the Jonesboro Fine Arts Council to the Jonesboro Saddle Club, welcome participation by ASU students. The area also offers many places of worship for students.
The area surrounding Jonesboro offers many forms of activity. Craighead Forest Park provides facilities for fishing and boating and has an attractive picnic area where many ASU groups hold outdoor parties. A few miles north of Jonesboro is Crowley's Ridge State Park, which has two lakes, picnic pavilions, and campgrounds. Jonesboro is within easy driving distance of Lake Norfork, Lake Charles, and Greers Ferry Lake, all ideal for fishing, boating, and camping. The city is an hour's drive from Memphis and a little more than 2 hours from Little Rock.
Majors and Degrees
Arkansas State University offers ninety-one associate and baccalaureate degrees in addition to sixty-five postbaccalaureate degrees. These degrees are offered in nine colleges and one independent department. The University also has a distinguished honors program for exceptionally qualified students. Preprofessional programs are available in chiropractic, dental hygiene, dentistry, forestry, law, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, and veterinary medicine. Some degrees are offered off campus at degree centers.
Academic Program
The academic year at ASU consists of two semesters in the fall and spring and two 5-week summer terms. General requirements for all bachelor's degrees include completing a minimum of 124 semester hours and meeting the requirements for a degree as outlined by the respective colleges. An average of C or better must be maintained on all courses completed, as well as an average of C or better in the major field. At least 32 semester hours (including 18 of the last 24 hours earned in a degree program) must be completed in residence at ASU; some programs require additional residency hours. Credits may be earned through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and/or Advanced Placement.
Academic courses are offered through twenty-five departments in nine colleges and one independent department. Classes are offered from 8 a.m. to 9:50 p.m. The Center for Regional Programs also schedules credit courses at various locations off campus at times convenient for working students.
Academic Facilities
The Fowler Center is the premier performing arts center in the region. The Dean B. Ellis Library, a highlight of the campus tour, subscribes to more than 2,322 periodicals. The library contains a total of 1,550,000 holdings, comprising 536,900 books and bound volumes, 531,307 federal and state documents, and 482,122 units of microtext. It features automated shelving, a computerized checkout system, and a wide range of microfilm materials and is joined with libraries across the nation through the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) system. The library also houses the Learning Resources Center and the museum. The museum provides resource materials for teaching and research and is nationally known for its art and historical collections. ASU's Laboratory Sciences Center is a sophisticated complex serving students in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and the physical sciences. Its 140,000 square feet contain twenty-five laboratory areas, photographic facilities, environmental chambers, and a greenhouse, as well as a full range of modern scientific equipment. The physical education complex has four full-length basketball courts, conditioning and weight rooms, a gymnastics area, racquetball courts, game rooms, and a 25-yard, six-lane indoor pool. The Communications Building features the latest radio-television and photojournalism equipment in the professionally equipped studios, control rooms, darkrooms, and newsroom. Students who pursue a degree in graphic arts have access to state-of-the-art equipment. Computer access across campus is both wireless and hard-wired.
Costs
For 2002–03, tuition was $119 per credit hour (plus fees) for Arkansas residents and $306 per credit hour (plus fees) for nonresidents. The cost for a residence hall room averages approximately $1670 per semester. The average cost of books is $450 per semester. Students 60 years of age and older may attend ASU tuition-free, space permitting. Costs are subject to change.
Financial Aid
Scholarships are awarded to Arkansas residents who have graduated from accredited Arkansas high schools. High school–age students who earn the GED may also be eligible for scholarships. Awards are based on various criteria, such as ACT/SAT test scores, rank in class, and high school GPA. The deadline date is April 1. A limited number of privately funded scholarships are available to freshmen as well as transfer students. Awards are based on criteria set by individual scholarship donors. The deadline date for these scholarships is March 1. Need-based assistance comes in the form of grants, loans, and employment. It is provided through federal and state sources. ASU recommends that all students apply for financial aid by February 15 for the upcoming fall semester. To apply for aid, students should use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Sixty-seven percent of all full-time students receive some sort of aid.
Faculty
ASU has 432 full-time and 147 part-time faculty members, and 87 percent hold the terminal degree in their field. There are approximately 247 members on the graduate faculty, most of whom teach at the undergraduate level as well. The student-faculty ratio is 19:1. Faculty members provide students with instruction and counseling and also participate in professional organizations and community affairs.
Student Government
The Student Government Association (SGA) provides an official voice through which students may express their opinions and interests. Student participation is encouraged in the overall policymaking and decision-making processes of the University. All ASU students are members of the SGA, with the Student Senate, composed of SGA officers and senators, serving as the governing body. The SGA sponsors a committee to hear student grievances, provides assistance with voter registration, participates in campus planning sessions, produces an off-campus-housing directory, and sponsors Homecoming Week activities.
Admission Requirements
High school students applying for early admission are required to have a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a six-semester transcript, have completed the state's pre-collegiate core requirements, and have English, math, reading, and composite scores of 19 or better on the ACT. For unconditional admission, students need a GPA of 2.5 or better for eight semesters, have completed state pre-collegiate core requirements, and have English, math, reading, and composite scores of 19 or better on the ACT. Admission to the programs in the College of Nursing and Health Professions is highly selective. Midyear admission is permitted at ASU. Conditional admission is possible for students who have a GPA of 2.0. Students may present SAT, ASSET, or COMPASS scores in lieu of ACT scores. Transfer students who have completed fewer than 13 acceptable semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher at a regionally accredited college or university are admitted on the same basis as that of entering freshmen. Transfer students who have completed 13 or more acceptable hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher at a regionally accredited college or university may be admitted to the University. Transfer students with fewer than 24 acceptable hours must either show evidence of compliance with state laws governing remediation or present ACT/SAT I scores. Proof of immunization against measles and rubella is required of all entering students who were born after January 1, 1957. Male students between the ages of 18 and 25 must show proof of registration with the Selective Service System.
Application and Information
Students may apply online using an application provided by the University. Each applicant within the United States is charged a $15 nonrefundable processing fee. Official transcripts of all high school and college work completed must be sent directly from the high school or college. New freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 24 acceptable hours must also submit scores from the SAT I, ACT, ASSET, or COMPASS. Applicants are strongly urged to take either the SAT I or ACT at an area test center as early as possible, preferably during October, December, or February of their senior year in high school. Individuals who wish to pursue courses of special interest without submitting academic credentials may accumulate up to 12 semester hours of undergraduate nondegree credit. Thereafter, nondegree students must comply with University admission requirements.
For more information concerning the University's programs, students should contact:
Baseball
