Arkansas Tech University

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Arkansas Tech University
ArkTechUniv-logo.svg
Type Public University
Established 1909
President Robin E. Bowen
Students 12,009
Location
Russellville
,
Arkansas
,
U.S.
Campus Rural, 516 acres (2.09 km2)
Colors Green and Gold
         
Nickname Wonder Boys (men)
Golden Suns (women)
Mascot Jerry the Bulldog
Website www.atu.edu
Arkansas Tech University logo.svg

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Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is a comprehensive regional institution located in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in a range of fields. Arkansas Tech will welcome its first doctoral cohorts in the Summer of 2015. The Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus, a two-year satellite campus in the town of Ozark, primarily focuses on associate and certificate education.

History

Early history (1909–76)

Aerial view of Arkansas Tech University, 2008

The Second District Agricultural School was created by Act 100 of 1909 of the Arkansas General Assembly It was decided on February 10, 1910, to found the school in Russellville. On October 26, 1910, the first classes were held in Russellville. The original purpose of the school was to offer classes leading to a high school degree. Later on, the school took on the first two years of college instruction, and the school's name was changed to Arkansas Polytechnic College by the General Assembly in 1925 to reflect this change in purpose. At this time, the course work leading to a high school diploma was phased out and in 1931, Tech formally only offered courses leading to a college degree.

Recent history (1976–present)

The school took on its current name of Arkansas Tech University on July 9, 1976.

In the fall of 2003, Arkansas Tech University announced it intended to overtake the state vocational school, Arkansas Valley Technical Institute, in Ozark, the seat of Franklin County. As of July 1, 2004, the Ozark campus has acted as a satellite campus of Arkansas Tech and has begun offering coursework leading toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in various subjects.

On Oct. 23, 2013, Jerry the Bulldog was adopted as Arkansas Tech's campus ambassador after a 76-year absence from the school.

From 1997-2015, enrollment at Arkansas Tech has increased by 183 percent. The Fall of 2015 marks the 17th consecutive year that Arkansas Tech has established a new institutional record for largest enrollment at 12,009 students, also officially making ATU the 3rd largest institution of higher learning in the state of Arkansas for the past 2 consecutive years.

Arkansas Tech has invested $180 million in upgrades to its infrastructure since 1995 and the university has added more than 40 new academic programs of study under the leadership of Robert C. Brown, who has served as president of Arkansas Tech since 1993. In April, 2014, Dr. Robin E. Bowen was unanimously selected by the university trustees selected to succeed Dr. Brown; when she takes office on 1 July 2014, she will become the first woman to lead a four-year, public Arkansas university.[1]

International and Multicultural Student Services Office

The Office of International and Multicultural Student Services is dedicated to providing student support services which enhance the college experience for international and multicultural students. Programs and activities are designed to encourage the intellectual and social development of students by providing opportunities for cross-cultural interaction. The achievement of academic excellence and the development of sensitivity, understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity throughout the campus community provide the foundation for all support services.[2]

Facilities on National Register of Historic Places

Several Tech buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

  • Old Art Building — Retired academic building.
  • Caraway Hall — Residence Hall, renovated in 2005.
  • Hughes Hall — Residence Hall, renovated in 2010
  • Techionery — Academic building, mainly used as a theatre shop and performance space by the ATU Theatre Department.
  • Williamson Hall — Academic building, renovated in 2003 to include kitchen facilities.
  • Wilson Hall — Residence Hall.

Academics

Academic centers

Student life

Residential halls

Greek system

Athletics

Current athletics logo

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Main article: Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys and Golden Suns

Arkansas Tech participates in NCAA Division II athletics as a charter member of the Great American Conference. Tech was a member of the Gulf South Conference from 1995 to 2011. Previously, Tech was a member of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The university fields four men's and six women's varsity sports, as well as a club sports program:

File:Tech logo 1982.svg
Athletics logo (c. 1982)

Facilities

  • Chartwells Women's Sports Complex (tennis, softball)
  • Hull Building (Athletic Training, Athletic Performance Development, intramurals)
  • Tech Field (baseball, capacity 600)
  • Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field (football, capacity 6,500)
  • Tucker Coliseum (basketball/volleyball, capacity 3,500)

Nicknames

Arkansas Tech University has dual nicknames: men's athletic teams are called the Wonder Boys, while the women's teams are called the Golden Suns.

On November 15, 1919, John Tucker, a 17-year-old freshman from Russellville, scored two touchdowns and kicks two extra points to lead the Second District Agricultural School Aggies to a 14-0 upset win over Jonesboro. In newspaper accounts following the game, Tucker and his teammates were referred to as "Wonder Boys," and the nickname remains to this day. Tucker was labeled as "The Original Wonder Boy" and was associated with the school for the rest of his life. He went on to play on the University of Alabama's Rose Bowl team in 1931 and served Arkansas Tech in a variety of roles - including coach, athletic director and chemistry professor - between 1925 and 1972. Two buildings on the Tech campus - Tucker Coliseum and Tucker Hall - are named in his honor.[4]

Tired of being referred to as the Wonder Girls or Wonderettes, the female athletes of Arkansas Tech held a contest in the spring of 1975 to determine what their new mascot would be. Several names were nominated, but in the end, the athletes selected Golden Suns as their new nickname.[5]

  • Baseball pitcher Bryson Morris in 2014

  • Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Election of New Arkansas Tech University President is Historic for State. 22 April 2014, retrieved 13 May 2014
  2. ↑ IMSSC
  3. ↑ NRHR
  4. ↑ Polytechnic College
  5. ↑ Women athletics
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  • Walker, Kenneth R. 'History of Arkansas Tech University 1909-1990', Arkansas Tech University, 1993.

External links

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