BusIness GuIde

terstate 30 and Scott Hamilton Drive, nearthe Little Rock Industrial District. The centeris designed primarily to give high school studentseducation in the world of work and alsoto give specific vocational training in variousfields. About 450 high school students from severalschool districts attend an academic highschool for a half-day and then are transportedto the center for a half-day of training.The wide range of classes offered by the centerincludes advertising design and animation, architecturalcomputer-aided drafting and design,auto paint and body technology, automotivetechnology, aviation technology/aircraft installation,computer systems technology, cosmetology,culinary arts, diesel technology, geospatialtechnology, law enforcement fundamentals,medical professions, metal fabrication/welding,printing technology, radio broadcasting, residentialconstruction and visual productions.Faulkner CountySix school districts in Faulkner County operateseven senior high schools, two junior highschools, five middle schools, one intermediateschool, two primary schools, 16 elementaryschools and one charter school. Total enrollmentacross all districts was 15,977 students, with acountywide average teacher salary of $44,333.Lonoke CountyLonoke County’s four school districts operatefive senior high schools, two junior high schools,four middle schools, 11 elementary schools andone primary school. Total enrollment for all districtsis 12,037 students, with a countywideaverage teacher salary of $41,793.Saline CountySaline County’s four school districts operatefour senior high schools, two junior highschools, three middle schools and 14 elementaryschools. Recent total enrollment for all districtswas 13,565 students, with a countywide averageteacher salary of $43,293.Colleges, Universities andTechnical Schools.Arkansas Baptist CollegeArkansas Baptist College, a Historically BlackCollege (HBCU), was founded in 1884 with amission to “serve the underserved.”The college, located in the heart of downtownLittle Rock, is a four-year liberal arts Christianinstitution offering degrees in business administration,human services, criminal justice andreligious studies, as well as a two-year associateliberal arts degree. The college also offers certificateprograms and an athletic program. ThroughABC’s commitment to literacy development andan affordable tuition structure, students willfind a place where they can get a GED or theremediation they need to earn a certificate, atwo-year degree or a four-year degree.Arkansas State UniversityArkansas State University has a reputation as aquality regional institution of higher educationand is recognized for offering special services tothe people of the Arkansas Delta. Dedicated toteaching, research and service, the universityprovides students with the broad educationalfoundations that help develop critical thinkingand analytical skills, decision-making capabilitiesand communication skills.Philander Smith College is one of the oldest private,historically black institutions of higher learning inArkansas.Programs at the specialist’s, master’s, bachelor’sand associate’s degree levels are available throughthe various colleges: Agriculture, Business,Communications, Education, Engineering, FineArts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursingand Health Professions, Sciences and Mathematics,and University College. Classes alsoare offered through the Honors College and theindependent Department of Military Science.The ASU system includes campuses at Jonesboro(Craighead County), which offers degree programsthrough the doctoral level, Beebe (WhiteCounty), Mountain Home (Baxter County) andNewport (Jackson County), where associatedegree programs are offered, and at HeberEDUCATIONSprings, Marked Tree and Searcy. The Beebecampus in central Arkansas offers associate’s,bachelor’s and master’s degrees.Arkansas State University is accredited by theHigher Learning Commission of the NorthCentral Association, as well as 18 specializedaccrediting organizations.Harding UniversityHarding University is a private Christian institutionof higher education committed to thetradition of the liberal arts and sciences. It is locatedin Searcy, a community of 20,000 that is50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The enrollmentconsists of more than 6,000 students representing49 states and 53 foreign countries,although the primary constituency for studentsand financial support is the fellowship of theChurches of Christ. Harding employs 217 fulltimefaculty members, 69 percent of whomhold a Ph.D. or professional degree.It is composed of the following academic units:a College of Arts and Humanities, a Collegeof Bible and Religion, a College of BusinessAdministration, a College of Education, a Collegeof Nursing, a College of Sciences and graduateprograms in business, education, marriageand family therapy, physician assistant studiesand religion.The board of trustees, the administration andthe faculty believe that the freedom to pursuetruth and high academic achievement is compatiblewith the Christian principles to which theuniversity is committed. The faculty is dedicatedto excellence in teaching, scholarship and serviceand to their role as models of Christian living.The university community seeks to providean environment that both supports students andchallenges them to realize their full potential.Harding’s mission is to provide a quality educationthat will lead to an understanding and philosophyof life consistent with Christian ideals.U.S. News & World Report ranked Harding inthe annual Best Colleges issue as one of the bestregional universities in the South along withsuch prestigious institutions as James MadisonUniversity, Loyola University and The Citadel.Harding has been ranked for 13 consecutiveyears. Harding was the highest-ranked Arkansasschool in the category and was also named a“best value.”Hendrix CollegeHendrix College, founded in 1876, is one ofthe country’s leading undergraduate liberalarts colleges. The Princeton Review, a NewYork-based education services company,named Hendrix one of the nation’s best valuecolleges in its 2007 edition of “America’s BestValue Colleges” (Random House).With an enrollment of about 1,100 students,the four-year private college is quickly gainingLIFESTYLELittle Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Guide 33