SEARK now a member of NJCAA
Southeast Arkansas College has been officially accepted into the National Junior College Athletic Association. This fall, SEARK will launch its NJCAA athletic program, beginning with men’s baseball, women’s softball, and e-sports, which will include many virtually organized competitive sports. Men’s and women’s basketball and cheerleading are slated to begin in the fall of 2024.
SEARK President Steven Bloomberg is excited to incorporate athletics into SEARK’s educational package as it will provide Pine Bluff’s students with another pathway to success.
Bloomberg aims not only to bring people to the campus, but to showcase the city by utilizing local athletic talent. Once the athletic program is fully implemented, Bloomberg projects that SEARK will see an influx of at least 200 new, full-time students.
The SEARK Sharks will also provide another local team to root for, causing an increase in the patronage of Pine Bluff businesses as family members and friends come to town to support SEARK’s athletes.
To help make this vision a success, SEARK has hired former Arkansas Tech University’s men’s basketball coach Chad Kline to be the head men’s basketball coach and athletic director for the Sharks. Kline is determined to build a solid athletic program that develops successful, well-rounded student-athletes. He aims to create a program that can compete at the regional and national levels of the NJCAA.
“We expect to win, and we expect to win at a high level,” Kline said in an interview with KARKTV.
His extensive experience as a college basketball player and coach, as well as athletic director and NCAA compliance officer in Tennessee, are sure to assist him greatly in this endeavor.
SEARK has also hired Pine Bluff native Ka’Lisa Stanfield as the new dean of students. Stanfield brings a wealth of experience from her recent position as interim athletic director at Alabama A&M University. In her new role at SEARK, she will advise athletes, and assist with athletic-related compliance, student discipline, and student activities, including intramural sports.
To ensure the success of Pine Bluff’s student athletics, SEARK plans to also partner with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
“If the kid isn’t academically eligible to go to UAPB, he can graduate from here (SEARK) and then go right across town 10 minutes away,” Kline said.
According to Bloomberg, the addition of the athletics program will allow SEARK to expand its academic catalog to include physical therapy and personal training.
“To build a sustainable and competitive athletic program, you can’t just rely on institutional dollars,” Bloomberg said.
SEARK has already received a $250,000 gift from Relyance Bank for the college’s capital campaign to raise $3 million to grow the athletic department. Within the next 24 to 36 months, Bloomberg hopes to announce the addition of more NJCAA sports to SEARK’s catalog.
Sources: www.seark.edu — SEARK College announces press conference to showcase new hires and plans for the launch of NJCAA Athletics in Southeast Arkansas; www.thv11.com — Southeast Arkansas College joins NJCAA, adding athletic programs; www. kark.com — Southeast Arkansas College in Pine Bluff set to launch sports program. Image Credit: www. seark.edu.