UALR: cutting edge
UALR today touts its recruiting success. No, we're not talking about the signing of a point guard or a soccer goalie. We're talking about academic all-stars.
The Arkansas School for Math, Science, and the Arts, the prestigious state boarding school in Hot Springs for the state's top scholars, graduated 121 students this spring and 21 of them are heading for UALR - the most of any university, either in-state or out-of-state.
Eighteen of the 21 ASMSA students are planning to enroll in programs at UALR's College of Information Science and Systems Engineering - the CyberCollege.ASMSA is a public residential high school for academically advanced juniors and seniors. This year, the high school's graduates earned more than $10.2 million in scholarships and grants - believed to be a record for any graduating class in the state of Arkansas.
"These students are among the most gifted in the state if not the nation. It is a testament to the strength of UALR's programs and faculty that so many of this year's ASMSA graduates are choosing UALR," said Dr. Robert Mock, UALR's director of Recruitment and Retention. "They could go anywhere, but they chose UALR for our top-flight faculty, cutting edge research, the excitement and opportunities that the Capitol city can offer, and our outstanding student services."
Comments
Did the UALR press release really capitalize "capitol" like that? Ugh.
Posted by: Scribblerus | May 30, 2006 10:37 AM
And do they spell "Capitol" like that? Somebody needs to inform the writer that "capitol" refers to the building itself, while "capital" refers to the city.
Posted by: English teacher | May 30, 2006 11:02 AM
Yeah, there were a LOT of cyber college kids at my graduation. (I graduated from ASMSA 2006.) Everyone at ASMSA has noticed that UALR is doing an amazing job recruiting.
UALR won almost all the computer science folks. I visited UALR in junior year and I was really impressed with the cyber college. Honestly, I was just looking to get out of school for a day....but they really entice kiddies with the goodies and virtual reality-type stuff. By the trip's end I was really had a respectable opinion of the place.
There are some really good computer science students going to UALR. The same ASMSA kids who won the Arkansas high school programming competitions AND the Acxiom Collegiate competition.
Automatic full tuition + probable stipend + state of the art college facilities go a long way. Having the Dean(s) and/or Chancellor greet you/tour you doesn't hurt either.
Now, I need to point a few things about this press release (other then the capitol/capital thing that irked me):
1) We graduated 112 seniors, not 121. I'm pretty certain.
2) The $10.2 million figure is a little bit misleading. At 112, we're the biggest class to graduate at ASMSA. Our junior class has less than 100 people.
3) ASMSA's students are not that much more (if any more at all) talented than students at top major high schools in the state. A bit more motivated, perhaps.
However, there is a key difference between the students at ASMSA and, say, Central or PA. The students at ASMSA majorly come from the boondocks. From Ash Flat to Ash Down, Brooklyn to Paris, and every little hamlet inbetween. These are the sons and daughters of factory workers and farmers--rarely, if ever, doctors or business execs. My dad noted this at graduation: the students for the most part seem to come from working class parents.
My teacher read a statistic in class: 62% of ASMSA students were on free and reduced lunch when they came to ASMSA. (I believe Central is somewhere in the 20s.) More than half of the students! That certainly shocked me. After thinking about it, it wasn't too riveting. I have close friends who are physics, chemistry, mathematics-geniuses with parents who work at Home Depot, the manafacturing clusters around Fort smith, and elsewhere.
There's one more thing to note about ASMSA. The majority will go to college in state. Surprising, yes? Like I mentioned before, these are not the fortunate sons and daughters of the elite; these are the sons and daughters, mostly, of the proletariat. A lot of the allure of ASMSA is a guaranteed full scholarship in state to UFS, UALR, or Henderson. Although a lot of the ASMSA students could be going to a top college, they must be prudent and take the most financially feasible route.
Ah! I need to catch a flight! Good day.
Posted by: JD | May 30, 2006 11:56 AM
ASMSA will surely be better when Director John Measel retires (isn't he out in a few days?). None of the faculty liked him, and he has as much political sense as a broken calculator.
Posted by: MAC | May 30, 2006 04:29 PM
lol. Do ASMSA faculty regularly read this?
Senor Mac?
.....hm....
Posted by: JD | May 30, 2006 11:45 PM