University of Central Arkansas
UCA.edu
University of Central Arkansas, with an enrollment of more than 11,000, is the fourth largest university by enrollment in Arkansas. Academic offerings include 80 undergraduate, 39 graduate and five doctoral degree programs. Faculty and students are involved in the larger community in a variety of ways beneficial to both Conway and the university.
The U.S. News & World Report ranks UCA 17th out of 69 public universities in the category of “Top Public Schools” among regional universities in the South. In addition, the Kaplan/Newsweek guide listed UCA among the top 25 “Most Desirable Large Schools” and the top 25 “Most Desirable Rural Schools.” The university’s College of Business is named among “The Best Business Schools” in The Princeton Review.
In 1982, UCA established the first Honors College in the nation, a community of learners practicing the arts of inquiry, conversation, collaboration and communication. Through interdisciplinary research and teaching, Honors College students seek to test themselves and their ideas in the public square and to embrace as partners others involved in the same quest.
The university’s Residential Colleges encompass both the social and academic aspects of a student’s first year in college. These programs – targeted at freshmen – make additional resources available to help students with that often difficult transition to university life. The new STEM Residential College, the first in the state, provides a living/learning environment that fosters the academic success of students pursuing studies in science, technology, computer science, pre-engineering and mathematics.
The Oxford American – “The Southern Magazine of Good Writing” – is published at UCA. Founded in 1992 with an editorial mission to “explore the American South,” it has published original writing by many of this country’s best writers.
UCA campus life outside academics includes:
- more than 200 student organizations;
- 15 intramural sports activities;
- a 72,000-square-foot Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Center;
- Division I athletics; and
- the hosting of nationally known performers and performances, minority and international student programs, theater and art productions, and much more.
Hendrix College
Hendrix.edu
Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. With nearly 1,500 students from more than 40 states and many foreign countries, Hendrix is nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum and opportunities for unique engaged learning experiences through Your Hendrix Odyssey: Engaging in Active Learning.
Hendrix recently completed a $100 million comprehensive campaign – the largest fundraising effort in the College’s 135-year history. Through the campaign, Hendrix significantly increased student financial assistance; endowed academic, co-curricular and student life programs that have become national models in American higher education; and completed state-of-the-art campus facilities, including a new Wellness and Athletics Center and Student Life and Technology Center.
In addition to the impact of its faculty, staff and students on the local economy, Hendrix has developed land adjacent to campus into The Village at Hendrix, a New Urbanist neighborhood featuring mixed-use (residential and commercial) spaces. The Village also provides public green space for community events and new dining, retail and employment opportunities. Hendrix Creek Preserve, a beautiful and one-of-a-kind ecological, educational and recreational public space, is currently under development at The Village.
All artistic, athletic and cultural entertainment events at Hendrix are open to the public at no cost on the beautiful campus in the center of Conway.
The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Central Baptist College
CBC.edu
Central Baptist College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college owned and operated by the Baptist Missionary Association of Arkansas. CBC set a record enrollment in the fall 2010 with 742 students. The College offers 24 bachelor’s degrees, 20 minors and Associate of Arts degrees in several emphases.
CBC recently opened a new Science Center to support three new bachelor’s degrees in biology, biotechnology and health sciences. The center includes two biology labs; two chemistry labs; a research lab; faculty offices; chemical storage; and a large, state-of-the-art classroom. The institution is also pursuing accreditation from NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) and will soon be offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.
PACE, a non-traditional program, is an accelerated associate and bachelor’s degree program that is designed for adults with busy lifestyles. The PACE program allows students to complete a degree by taking five-week classes – one night per week, one class at a time.
In 2010, CBC launched “Vision 2020: A Miracle in the Making,” a 10-year campus master plan. The goal of this plan is to complete 10 major construction projects over the next 10 years to accommodate a projected enrollment of 2,020 students. A three-story, 36,000-square-foot academic building is the first major project in this plan and construction is slated to begin in the fall 2011. The new academic building is intended to be the signature building for the campus and will set the standard for all future development.