Institutions of higher education prepare students for future
■ Texarkana College’s Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing is world-renown for its quality instruction, rich history and cutting-edge craftsmanship.
The Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing was the world’s first bladesmithing school of its kind, born from a partnership between TC and the American Bladesmithing Society.
The school is named in honor of Bill Moran, a pioneering American knifemaker who founded the ABS and is credited with reviving the ancient process of forging Damascus steel in the late 1960s. The Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing has offered worldclass training in beginning bladesmithing, Damascus steel, handles and guards, advanced grinding and more since 1988.
In April, Don McIntosh, TC’s bladesmith instructor and program coordinator, received the most honorable and prestigious award given by ABS, the Don Hastings Award.
This honor recognizes an individual who has performed outstanding services on behalf of the forged blade in the tradition of the gentle founder of the ABS, Don Hastings.
“Every student who walks into the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing at TC is in awe of our program, equipment, and facility. It’s rewarding to get to share my passion for bladesmithing with students and see them walk in as beginners and walk out with bladesmith skills they can use as a hobby or profession,” McIntosh said
The School has drawn students from Australia, England, France and South Africa, as well as from most of the states that make up the United States.
The curriculum is endorsed by the ABS—the leading authority on knives and blades—and the craft draws people who are looking to make their own knives, either as a hobby or to enhance their own profession.
The School offers hands-on training at all levels and a beginners’ course is also available online. More information about the programs can be found online at https://www.learnbladesmithing.com/ or by calling 903-823-3456.
■ Texas A&M University-Texarkana is a comprehensive regional University that provides students with academically challenging, engaging and rewarding educational experiences through quality teaching, scholarship, student support services, co-curricular programming, research and service.
It is a member of The Texas A&M University System.
Through the personal attention of its faculty and staff, students are afforded the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, abilities and skills to become leaders in their chosen profession and to prepare for the opportunities of serving in a global environment.
TAMU-T has continued to add programs to its curriculum that produce qualified students for some of the most in-demand jobs in Texarkana.
The recently-added Mechanical Engineering and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs are perfect examples of this.
The first cohort of both programs is scheduled to begin this fall.
The Mechanical Engineering program was introduced last fall to produce a more balanced array of engineers from different fields.
TAMU-T offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees with emphasis on experiential and collaborative learning.
Contact TAMU-T Admissions at 903.334.6601 or admissions@ tamut.edu
■ The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana offers a community of unique and diverse individuals with shared principles and common goals.
The college is a cohesive network that works to create a nurturing, accepting and personalized campus that meets the needs of individual students as they strive to overcome obstacles and make their dreams come true. of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana values community.
The public university thrives on community involvement, is responsive to community needs and seeks overall prosperity through collaborative and cooperative ventures that expand opportunities for area residents.
It has campuses in campuses in Hope and Texarkana.
■ University of Arkansas Cossatot embraces diversity and is committed to improving the lives o by providing quality education, outstanding service and relevant industry training.
It offers degrees and certificates in more than two dozen fields. UAC is a leader in implementing more affordable, textbook-free courses and boasts a variety of professional industry training certifications, small class sizes, low tuition and quality online and in-class instruction.
UA Cossatot has the third highest college graduation rate in the state of Arkansas and is proud to be the first and only Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSIs) in the state as a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
It has campuses in De Queen, Ashdown and Nashville, Arkansas.
■ Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas, has a mission to educate students for productive and fulfilling lives in a global environment by providing opportunities for intellectual growth, individual enrichment, skill development and meaningful career preparation.
The University believes in the worth of the individual and accepts its responsibility for developing in its students those values and competencies essential for effective citizenship in an ever-changing, free and democratic society.
Further, the University provides an environment conducive to excellence in teaching and learning, scholarship, creative endeavors and service.
SAU is a quality, comprehensive, regional University expanding accessible and transformational learning experiences and recruiting and retaining diverse, well-qualified faculty and staff that support an environment of collegiality and academic excellence.