State confident in viability of Henderson, officials say
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other key department figures reassured Arkansans in the viability and health of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia following its financial woes during a news conference Thursday at the state Capitol.
“I want to start this off by saying today that I wanted to express my full confidence, my support and my excitement about the future of Henderson State University,” Hutchinson said.
“And the reason I have this confidence is because we have the leadership that’s present here, that’s worked hard to right the ship, to put Henderson State on a good path and I have confidence, in its future.”
The Arkansas State University System board of trustees, in early May, approved a financial exigency plan that called for significant academic restructuring. Along with 88 faculty positions, 25 degree programs were eliminated.
Hutchinson said he has confidence in the institution because “tough decisions” have been made.
“And so I’m very proud of Henderson State University — its transition, its pivot, its foundation for success in the future,” he said.
“These are tough decisions that have not been easy — they have been painful. And, obviously, we have compassion for those that happened to have cut back on their hours or have lost their employment. But this was necessary for the survival of Henderson State University, and those were necessary but tough decisions. And because those tough decisions have been made, it has emboldened their legislative peers with confidence, too. We all wanted to see Henderson State University succeed.”
Henderson State University Chancellor Charles Ambrose said changes are on the way for
the school, though not all details are known. He did note that the academic degree programs would be organized into four meta-majors. These, he said, would align with student competencies, skills and talents that design community-based workforce needs. Such needs include health, education, social sustainability; applied professional science and technology; business innovation and entrepreneurship; and arts and humanities.
Hutchinson said the main reason for his confidence in the school and its continued success goes back to focus strategy.
“The most important reason I have confidence in Henderson State University and am excited about its future, is that it has a singular focus on student success,” he said. “And they have focused on making college education more affordable, to make it more successful, and to make it more engaged going through the lower grades all the way up to grad school.”
It essentially acts as a vehicle and pathway for students in high school to receive credits in the pathway into higher education and beyond grad school, he said.
“Henderson State is challenging the students for that lifelong commitment to education, that success path, and a key part of it is its partnership with industry — to make sure that we are creating skilled talent; we’re creating a workforce; we’re creating graduates that can enter the workforce with skills that they need to be successful in their community,” he said.