Associate of arts and associate of arts in teaching graduates from Southeast Arkansas College can transfer all of their credits to Reach University’s liberal studies degree program.
Representatives from the two institutions finalized an articulation agreement allowing for such transfers Wednesday at SEARK’s Welcome Center. Reach is an online-based university that allows students who work for one of its partner school systems, work with children in an academic setting for at least 15 hours per week, have a high school diploma or GED, or are at least 18 years old to obtain a bachelor of arts degree through job-embedded learning.
“We are really excited about this partnership because this will give the SEARK students a way to come into Reach University, and they can transfer all of their credits and not lose any credits they have already earned,” said Anastasia Wickham, Reach’s vice provost and dean of its College of Arts and Sciences. “They can go into a two-year pathway to get their bachelor’s degree with no debt.”
The most a Reach student pays in total tuition and fees is $75 per month, Wickham said. The Pine Bluff School District, she said, is among those that partner with Reach for the opportunity.
“We have a really close community where we try to get to know our students and help them remove as many barriers as we can to help them become teachers and get their degrees.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
How Reach charges for tuition and fees is different from most colleges, and it gives students flexibility, SEARK Interim President Stacy Pfluger said.
“Honestly, it gives students maximum opportunity to stay in their communities, get a job, earn that salary and still get credit for that work and knowledge they’re building while working that job,” Pfluger said.
Reach students take courses that prepare them for certification exams, Wickham said. Their assignments will be paired with their job duties at their school site, she added.
“We think of it like an apprenticeship,” Wickham said. “The whole time, they’ll have a lot of job-embedded tasks that end up being their homework. We have seminar-style classes on Zoom, and so what happens there is they get a chance to tell us how they pair what they see in schools with what they are reading, so it’s all theory in practice.”
SEARK TO HIRE TWO MORE STAFF MEMBERS
SEARK will hire a director for its physical therapy assistant program as well as a counselor for mental health issues.
The college was chosen for a federal Predominantly Black Institutions grant, which will go toward the funding of these positions. Pfluger said the grant was modified to include a physical therapy assistant program director.
“The counselor position is kind of reworking a previous version of that same concept as far as having someone on staff who can provide some mental health support to our students,” Pfluger said.
DOCTOR’S ORDERS DONATES TO ATHLETICS
SEARK on Wednesday also announced a $30,000 donation from Doctor’s Orders Pharmacy to the college’s Athletics Capital Campaign. The donation will play a pivotal role in bolstering the athletics program, which started competition this semester in baseball and softball and will launch men’s and women’s basketball competition in the fall.
“We are immensely grateful to Doctor’s Orders Pharmacy for their generous contribution to the SEARK Athletics Capital Campaign,” Pfluger said. “This support will have a profound impact on our student-athletes, providing them with the resources they need to excel both on the field and in the classroom.”