GFPB helps city
Editor, The Commercial:
In 2016, I was pleased to join with a cross section of Pine Bluff citizens for a series of interactive discussions at the beginning of a strategic plan called “Go Forward Pine Bluff.”
Fast forward to 2023, and the community-driven change in the city is evident. In addition to the support provided by the Go Forward plan for mitigating neighborhood blight, improving education, law enforcement and economic development, our School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff formed an alliance with GFPB for test preparation, recruitment of teachers to Pine Bluff and overall retention.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Teach Pine Bluff, a program funded through GFPB, continues to work with UAPB and the Pine Bluff School District by offering the Test Preparation Institute (TPI) to increase the number of certified teachers in the area.
Moreover, GFPB awarded a grant to UAPB for $55,000 to hire a visiting professor in the School of Education to focus on curriculum changes that would assist teacher-education students in passing the Praxis test, which is the qualifying examination for obtaining an Arkansas teacher license.
In addition, UAPB has joined in partnership with GFPB on a vision to convert a little-used, university-owned building into a combination restaurant/culinary incubator to service entrepreneurs who aspire to own and operate a restaurant but do not have the business credit required for commercial loans. The cost of the project is $6.7 million, including $2.8 million in private funding raised by GFPB.
The project will enable our students in business, hospitality management and the Entrepreneurship Club to shadow entrepreneurs and learn to apply lessons in business analytics to improve profit margins.
Future plans with GFPB include funding to help grow enrollment and to support UAPB programs aimed at corporate workforce preparation, entrepreneurship and innovation.
I am pleased with the progress we are making with GFPB. I look forward to continuing our successful alliance for many years to come. Working together in support of Go Forward Pine Bluff and the local community, we can be assured that the future of Pine Bluff is bright.
Laurence B. Alexander,
Chancellor, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff