Colleges at Beebe, Conway team up

BEEBE — The University of Central Arkansas and Arkansas State University-Beebe on Monday signed an agreement giving ASU-Beebe students access to academic resources and other activities at UCA.

The memorandum of understanding provides for the two schools to enter into the Bear Partners agreement.

The program will give ASU-Beebe students pursuing an associate degree access to academic resources and other campus activities at UCA, located in Conway, 36 miles from Beebe.

Bear Partners benefits include a UCA identification card, admission to regular-season UCA athletic and Reynolds Performance Hall events, access to Torreyson Libary resources, and an application-fee waiver when ASU-Beebe students transfer to UCA, a UCA news release said.

“UCA has always been a great partner, and we have strong … transfer agreements between our institutions,” ASU-Beebe Chancellor Jennifer Methvin said in a UCA-issued statement. “The Bear Partners program adds a number of benefits for our ASU-Beebe graduates, including the application fee waiver and additional transfer scholarship opportunities.”

UCA and ASU-Beebe currently have 67 existing transfer agreements, “providing a clear pathway to both an associate degree at ASU-Beebe and a baccalaureate degree at UCA,” the release added. “These agreements allow students to seamlessly transfer to UCA with no loss of credits.”

UCA also has a Bear Partners agreement with the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, UCA spokesman Amanda Hoelzeman said.

More information about the program is available at uca.edu/bearpartners/.