Dear Red Wolves:
Congratulations to our Enrollment Management team and the faculty and staff who participated in our recruiting efforts for achieving our recent upturn in enrollment at Arkansas State. Enrollment at A-State is up to 14,109 students – our second-highest enrollment number ever – and just one or two class sections from the all-time mark. I am also excited to see the reported enrollment growth from the other colleges and universities in our state.
Why? Because it reaffirms something that everyone in higher education knows – going to college in America is one of the most significant life-changing decisions someone can make. For all the negativities we hear about what college costs or what going to college means, our future leaders, thinkers and entrepreneurs are choosing in record numbers to attend A-State. We know we are a great value, and almost 80% of our new students are from right here in Arkansas.
At the same time, we know there are students with the same ambitions as those on campus who can’t come to Jonesboro. For those who are place-bound, we continue to take our campus to them. Our enrollment growth at Campus Querétaro also shows the value of the U.S.-style higher education outside the States. We seek to expand our footprint through more remote locations that benefit students. To put it simply, whether you are at home, on campus or around the world, A-State is there for you.
From all these different places, they choose us. Now, it is our turn. In my first weeks here at A-State, I’ve confirmed what I was told and what I have seen for years. This is a place where students come first. As an R2 research university, we have all the resources for our student’s dreams, all the opportunities for students to engage in research, work with internationally known faculty, study abroad, and have experiences typically found at much larger campuses. The difference is that our students are not just a number or a statistic, they are individuals. Someone who our faculty and staff invest in tremendously.
As we start this academic year, I am certainly still learning a lot, but several things are clear as I’ve listened to the members of our Pack. A-State is a very special place, and we have the opportunity to share it with others. I am told we have an Arkansan from all 75 counties across the state and I know there are more Arkansans who will choose A-State. Let’s get two from every county, then three. And we should absolutely welcome our neighbors from other states to come, learn, and understand why Arkansas State will provide a great education and why they will fall in love with the state just like my wife Karen and I did decades ago.
To be clear – I don’t want A-State to be the largest. I want A-State to continue being what it has been for generations: one of the best overall options where Arkansans can achieve their academic goals.
I’d also like to issue an invitation and a challenge to the over 100,000 alumni across the globe. You don’t need to wait for a card or mailer to encourage students to apply at Arkansas State. You know who we are and we are counting on you. Please tell your children about your time at A-State. Tell your neighbors’ children how awesome it is here. Encourage them to visit Go.AState.edu to see more, and to take a campus visit to the place where you were #AStateMade.
Recently, I was asked by some students why I chose to become their chancellor. I told them it was because I wanted to be at a university where we can have such a positive influence on their lives. Nothing is more rewarding as a teacher than to challenge a student to achieve more than they think possible. We must strive to be a place that is not about how elite our students are when they arrive, but how elite they become while they are here. We don’t need to be the largest to be the best for our students, our Red Wolves. No mascot in America could be better suited for its student body – and our traditions of being a Pack, a family, set us apart. We are the Kipling poem: For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
With the greatest of pride in being your Chancellor . . .
