Arkansas State University

Infobox University
name = Arkansas State University
native_name =


caption = The seal of Arkansas State university
latin_name =
motto = Powering Minds
tagline =
established = 1909
vision =
type = Public
affiliation =
calendar =
endowment = $33.1 million [ [http://advancement.astate.edu/foundation/ ASU Foundation] ]
debt =
rector =
chairman =
chancellor = Dr. Robert L. Potts
president = Les Wyatt
vice-president =
superintendent =
provost =
vice_chancellor =
principal =
dean =
director =
head_label =
head =
faculty = 469 [http://irp.astate.edu/PDF/factbook/2007-2008.pdf Arkansas State University Factbook for 2007-2008.] ]
staff = 965
students = 11,011 (17,795 system wide)
undergrad = 9,385 (16,311 system-wide)
postgrad = 1,484
doctoral = 142
divinity =
residents = 9,500
other =
profess =
alumni = 59,701
city = Jonesboro
state = Arkansas
province =
country = USA
address =
campus = Urban
free_label =
free =
sports =
colors = Scarlet and Black color box|#FF2400color box|black
colours =
mascot = Howl
nickname = Red Wolves
fightsong =
athletics = 16 teams
affiliations = Sun Belt Conference
website = http://www.astate.edu/

publictransit =
footnotes =

Arkansas State University (also known as ASU, ASTATE or "stAte") is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and fourth largest university by enrollment. It is located atop convert|800|acre|km2|1 on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA. The university will mark its centennial year in 2009.

Campuses

* Main campus, Jonesboro, Arkansas

* Arkansas State University Beebe and Arkansas State Technical Institute
** Arkansas State University Searcy, a technical campus of ASU-Beebe
** Arkansas State University Heber Springs, a technical campus of ASU-Beebe
** Arkansas State University Little Rock Air Force Base, a degree center of ASU-Beebe
* Arkansas State University Mountain Home
* Arkansas State University Newport
* Arkansas State University Technical Center, Marked Tree campus and Jonesboro campus
* Arkansas State University Paragould, an instructional site of the Jonesboro campus

History

ASU was founded in Jonesboro in 1909 by the Arkansas Legislature as a regional agricultural training school. It began offering a two-year college program in 1918, then became First District Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1925. A four-year degree program was begun in 1930, then A & M College became Arkansas State College in 1933. The Arkansas Legislature elevated the college to university status and changed the name to "Arkansas State University" in 1967.

Degree Programs

Master's degree graduate programs were initiated in 1955, and ASU began offering its first doctoral degree, in educational leadership, in the fall of 1992. A second doctoral program, in environmental science, was begun in the fall of 1997, and the doctoral program in heritage studies began in the fall of 2001. The doctoral program in the biomedical sciences kicked off in fall 2006.

Today, the institution has more than 55,000 alumni. Programs at the specialist's, master's, bachelor's and associate's degree levels are available through the various colleges: Agriculture, Business, Communications, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing and Health Professions, Sciences and Mathematics, and University College.

The ASU System

The ASU system includes campuses in Jonesboro (Craighead County), which offers degree programs through the doctoral level; Beebe (White County), Mountain Home (Baxter County), and Newport (Jackson County), where associate degree programs are offered; and at Heber Springs, Marked Tree, and Searcy. Arkansas State University-Beebe became part of the ASU system in 1955. It associated with White River Vo-Tech at Newport in 1992; that campus has attained stand-alone status and is now Arkansas State University-Newport. The Mountain Home campus officially became ASU-Mountain Home on July 1, 1995. Delta Technical Institute at Marked Tree merged with ASU and became Arkansas State University Technical Center on July 1, 2001. A new campus is being built for ASU-Heber Springs, which operates as a sister campus of ASU-Beebe. Foothills Technical Institute at Searcy was merged with ASU-Beebe on July 1, 2003, and is now ASU-Searcy, a technical institute of ASU-Beebe.

ASU offers bachelor's degree programs, master's degree programs and upper level courses through ASU degree centers at ASU-Beebe, ASU-Mountain Home, and three other cities -- Blytheville, Forrest City, and West Memphis -- where partnership agreements have been established in cooperation with the local community colleges. ASU also operates an instructional site at nearby Paragould in Greene County.

ASU has grown rapidly over the past 20 years. Current enrollment for the Jonesboro campus stands at about 12,000, and the system has an enrollment of greater than 17,000.

Athletics

Alumni

Well-known alumni of Arkansas State University include:
* Larry P. Arnn- President, Hillsdale College
* Mike Beebe - Governor of Arkansas
* Earl Bell - Olympic bronze medal pole vaulter and former world record holder
* Bill Bergey - NFL star linebacker
* Ray Brown - retired veteran NFL offensive lineman
* Rodger Bumpass - comedian and voice of Squidward on the popular TV show "SpongeBob SquarePants"
* Carlos Emmons - NFL linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Giants
* Maurice Carthon - NFL/USFL player and NFL coach
* Brad Franchione - college football coach
* Jeff Hartwig - former US record holder in pole vault
* Thomas Hill - Olympic silver medalist in 110-meter hurdles in 1972
* Ken Jones - 12 year NFL offensive lineman, primarily with the Buffalo Bills
* Al Joyner - Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump
* Cleo Lemon - quarterback for Miami Dolphins
* Dennis Meyer - former head coach for Toronto Argonauts of Canadian Football League
* David Nail - Mercury and MCA Nashville recording artist
* Jerry Mooney ('75) - Memphis entrepreneur, former President of VHA Long Term Care and former board member of Servicemaster
* Major General Bobby Porter - former commanding general of US Army's 82nd Airborne Division
* Major General James Simmons - a former deputy commander of the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq
*George K. Sisler - posthumous Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam War
* Major General Eugene Stillions - former commanding general of Army's Fort Lee, Virginia
* Kellie Suttle - two time Olympic pole vaulter and silver medalist at 2001 World Indoor Championships and 1999 Pan American Games
* Charley Thornton - sports figure
* Debbye Turner - Miss America, 1990
* Corey Williams - defensive tackle for Cleveland Browns
* Miller Williams - contemporary poet

Greek Life

Approximately 15% of ASU's students are members of one of the 21 Greek organizations located on the campus. Most other student organizations, including the Student Government Association, the Student Activities Board, and the Student Orientation Staff, are led by and comprised of mainly Greek students. Many in these groups are dedicated to academics, partying, and community service.Fact|date=July 2007 The organizations also devote thousands of man-hours and dollars to local charities each year.Fact|date=July 2007

Sororities

* Alpha Gamma Delta 1948
* Alpha Kappa Alpha
* Alpha Omicron Pi 1949
* Chi Omega 1961
* Delta Sigma Theta (suspended since 2006)
* Delta Zeta 1991
* Kappa Delta 1968
* Phi Mu 1951 (closed since 2007)
* Sigma Gamma Rho
* Zeta Phi Beta
* Zeta Tau Alpha 1968 (closed since 1991)

Fraternities

* Alpha Gamma Rho 1969
* Alpha Phi Alpha
* Alpha Tau Omega 1968
* Kappa Alpha Order 1967
* Kappa Alpha Psi 1975 (suspended in 2007)
* Lambda Chi Alpha 1959
* Phi Beta Sigma (suspended in 2006)
* Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
* Pi Kappa Alpha 1948
* Omega Psi Phi
* Sigma Chi 1987
* Sigma Phi Epsilon (closed in 2001)
* Sigma Pi 1948
* Tau Kappa Epsilon 1949 (closed in 2007)

References

External links

* [http://www.astate.edu Arkansas State University]
* [http://www.library.astate.edu Dean B. Ellis Library]
* [http://www.asuindians.com/ ASU Athletics]
* [http://museum.astate.edu/ ASU Museum]
* [http://comm.astate.edu/kasu.html KASU]
* [http://www.asuherald.com/ The Herald]
* [http://www.asutv.com/ ASU-TV]
* [http://www.astatebcm.com/ A-State Baptist Collegiate Ministry]
* [http://mensrugby.astate.edu Arkansas State University Rugby Club, first university in the United States to offer rugby scholarships]