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The University of Arkansas moved higher on the list in Kiplinger's Personal Finances magazine as among the best for Arkansas students and nonresident students. It was also named the best place for Hispanic students to attend college in the state.

UA named best place for Arkansas students, Hispanics

By: Eric Evridge

Posted: 1/28/08

The UA's "best value" standing moved higher this year in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine as among the best in the country for Arkansas students, and an even better value for nonresident students.

The UA also was named the best place in the state, and the only Arkansas college or university named, for Hispanic students to attend college, according to The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education's Publisher's Pick issue.

"This is good news for the university and for our students," said Chancellor John A. White in a press release.

"First, this is national recognition that the UA provides a quality education," White said. "Second, it reflects the commitment this state is making to higher education."

The UA placed 59th out of 100 on the list of Best Values in Public Colleges for 2008, a 36-place increase from the previous year. The UA was No. 5 out of the Southeastern Conference schools. However, no other Arkansas school placed on the list.

The UA has taken many steps over the last 10 to 11 years to improve academic standards and increase the school's academic standing nationwide, said Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations for University Relations.

"You can credit the governor and Arkansas legislature on the financial end, and Chancellor White with improving academics," he said. "The governor and legislature made the biggest increase in 20 years to state funding for higher education. That helped a lot."

The UA is proud of the progress, but there is more to be done, such as more need-based programs and scholarships so low-income students can attend school, Voorhies said.

"The Access Arkansas campaign is addressing this university's need for additional need-based financial aid," White said in a press release. "The success of this campaign will be a dramatic benefit for our students. If that also improves our 'best value' ranking with Kiplinger's, so much the better.

"We're going to continue what we're doing," he said, "but we're making efforts for more scholarships, and so is the state."

"The Department of Higher Education worked out a funding formula for all colleges and universities that the state needed to pay for quality education," Voorhies said. "Unfortunately, the formula has never been able to fund it 100 percent, but this year was the closest. The effort for everyone is to get the full funding," he said.

The UA Hispanic population has increased substantially over the last two academic years, which helped the UA's standing as a school where Hispanics are thriving. Hispanic and Latino enrollment increased 20.2 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to the UA Web site. Enrollment also increased 17.9 percent from 2006 to 2007.

With enrollment increasing every year, this recognition doesn't come as a surprise to university administrators, according to a press release.

"The UA is committed to creating and maintaining an environment that is inclusive of all people and one where all students of culturally diverse backgrounds will feel comfortable," said Johnetta Cross Brazzell, vice chancellor for student affairs, in a press release.

"It is encouraging to see that a publication like The Hispanic Outlook is recognizing the efforts that have been made by our university community in the past and also its commitment to creating a more diverse campus for all cultures, including Hispanic students," Brazzell said.

Hispanic enrollment has increased dramatically in the last few years, with 372 students in 2005 to 527 students in 2007, 2.8 percent of the student population, Voorhies said.

The UA also is experiencing a national trend in rising Hispanic college enrollment, according to The Hispanic Outlook magazine. "Hispanic enrollment in higher education - the actual headcount - increased immensely over the last decade, far more than that of any other racial or ethnic minority.

"A recent American Council on Education report shows a 67 percent jump between 1994 and 2004 and a 73 percent increase at four-year institutions," according to the magazine.

However, more than just academic improvements and funding has allowed the UA to so quickly move up the national ranks.

"We've been bringing in high- quality students and even more high-quality teachers to keep the teacher-to-student ratios down," Voorhies said. "Not to say we didn't already have high-quality students and teachers. We just have more now."

The UA provides numerous events and programs designed to increase campus diversity, according to a press release. Diversity Impact is a yearly event designed to introduce prospective students of diverse backgrounds to the campus. Other programs include the Hispanic Engineering Society - offered through the College of Engineering, Latino Unidos, the League of United Latin America Citizens (LULAC) and the International Culture Team offered through the Office of International Students and Scholars.