Alderdice discusses pandemic, future

The director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts discussed the school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its future last week during a Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club meeting.

“ASMSA shares a special role in education in Arkansas, we’re the only school of its kind in the state and one of only 17 public residential high schools, mathematics, science and technology, anywhere in the nation,” Corey Alderdice told Rotarians during the virtual meeting, held via Zoom, last Wednesday.

He said that education had

been affected by the pandemic; the school went remote for the first time back in March. Alderdice said, though, that ASMSA has risen to the challenge.

“I think our faculty and students daily are showing resilience amid the changes and uncertainty that are part of the pandemic. But I think we’re coming through an even stronger institution than we were before,” Alderdice said.

ASMSA had 190 students return to campus Aug. 3. Alderdice said the school has had zero cases of COVID-19, and there were only 45 students who pursued an online opportunity.

“I think, most of all, that’s a testament to the desire of our students to preserve and protect the residential experience, as well as a shared commitment to doing those simple and basic things that ensure the safety of oneself and those around you,” he said.

“We’ve got about 35 different courses that are either being offered exclusively online or through a hybrid flexible model that has students both in the residential experience and remotely participating in the courses simultaneously,” he said.

ASMSA was the only school of its peer institutions to open on time in August to all students ready to return, Alderdice said.

He said that last year ASMSA’s entrepreneurship students made up one-third of all semifinalists and finalists in the state Governor’s Cup Business Plan Competition.

“They were competing against undergraduate students from throughout the state of Arkansas, and it’s incredible to see these high school juniors largely standing shoulder to shoulder with college juniors and seniors,” Alderdice said.

He said that this year caps off a three-year investment in the Student Life staff. ASMSA has hired six residential experience coordinators, in addition to its four resident mentors.

ASMSA’s residential experience coordinator all have master’s degrees in fields such as college student personnel, student affairs, social work, and counseling, Alderdice said.

“We have seven RECs this year. Six in the dorm and one additional assigned to establish community and support our remote students. This is a master’s degree required position,” he said.

Alderdice said that 55 percent of ASMSA students continue their education in Arkansas, whereas 45 percent go out of state, noting that more than a third continue their education within the University of Arkansas System, with 64 percent of those students majoring in a stem discipline.

He said that this year ASMSA is beginning the renovation of the chapel and other structures on campus, a project budgeted at under $4 million.

“It will add 24 more beds allowing us to increase enrollment in the residential experience by 24 more students, bringing us to about 260 students, and that would be our largest enrollment since about 2002,” Alderdice said.

“We did have a little bit of delay getting underway with the project with the pandemic this spring, and so now it is slated for completion in summer 2022; expecting to get some schematic drawings this week, so couldn’t be more excited about it,” he said.

“We are thrilled to be able to preserve this component of the St. Joseph Hospital complex,” Alderdice said.

In 2020, ASMSA undertook a new strategic planning process in anticipation of the school’s 30th anniversary, according to the school’s website.

“By 2025, ASMSA will create greater educational access, promote statewide equity, and expand academic vigor that benefits all Arkansans through our residential, out- of- school enrichment, digital learning, and educator development programs,” the website says.

“Using novel curricula, meaningful student development experiences, expanded partnership networks, and stronger relationships with our most dedicated advocates, ASMSA will further affirm our state and national leadership in science, mathematics, arts, humanities, and entrepreneurship education,” it said.

ASMSA’s full 2020-2025 strategic plan is available at https:// www.asmsa.org/strategicplan/.