El Dorado school plans to change its name

EL DORADO — South Arkansas Community College won’t be known by that name for much longer.

On Tuesday afternoon, the college’s board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a plan to change the school’s name to South Arkansas College.

“The idea has been around for a long time. Some of the folks who have been around a long time said it first came up 15 years ago … and it’s really been front of mind for the folks at SouthArk for the past couple of years,” college President Bentley Wallace said Wednesday. “We felt like finally the time was right to make the change.”

An official name change will require legislative approval, said Alisha Lewis of the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.

“Dr. Wallace notified us of the change and is expecting to work on the official name change in the 2023 General Session,” Lewis said Friday afternoon.

South Arkansas Community College, which has about 1,150 students, was established on March 31, 1992, as a comprehensive two-year college. Union County voters approved forming a community college district for the county, merging Oil Belt Technical College and

Southern Arkansas University-El Dorado and approving a tax levy to support the new college.

The original Oil Belt Vocational-Technical School, now known as the East Campus, opened in August 1967. After a name change and an expanded mission, it became Oil Belt Technical College in 1991.

Dropping “community” from the name is a reflection of how the college is changing and will continue to evolve in the coming years, Wallace said.

“It’s reflecting our current and our future — the comprehensive nature of the college … We feel that the name ‘community’ is perhaps a little bit limiting for future students or partners. We don’t want our name to be a barrier,” he said.

Over the past few years, the college has made numerous changes that have helped draw in students from a larger area, Wallace said, noting the addition of an athletic program that includes men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball; the introduction of new academic programs; and improvements in the student experience, like the introduction of the student center at the McWilliams House.

The college plans to continue collaborations with area and regional employers and other entities and enhance the student experience at the college, officials said.