Student Abbye Millsap (L) was elected as elected as district president. Bobbi Yarbrough and Matt Herrman (R) each won awards for their roles as chapter advisors. Photos courtesy of the Beta Eta Sigma Chapter.  Before social distancing began, members of the UACCM Phi Theta Kappa, Beta Eta Sigma Chapter attended the PTK Oklahoma-Arkansas Regional Convention in Fayetteville. They were among community college students from across the region, who gathered at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville for competitions and award ceremonies.  The convention, held over the March 7-8 weekend, led to multiple individual and chapter awards for UACCM. It was an opportunity for students to network with their peers, celebrate community service, and develop leadership skills.  “It’s always encouraging and refreshing to attend these events,” said Sarah Anne Fulmer, a UACCM student. “I love meeting members of other chapters and hearing what they’re doing on their campuses.” Individua

Lisa Willenberg To the greater UACCM campus community:  For over 50 years, the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton has been a beacon of light during troubled times. From the closure of Crompton Mills, followed a few years later by the closures of Arrow Automotive and Levi Strauss within the same week, to the financial crisis of 2008, the college has been a source of strength for our community. We responded by offering retraining and preparing hundreds of displaced workers for new and improved job opportunities. As other economic development possibilities arose, we responded to industry-driven needs like the petroleum technology program during the Fayetteville Shale Play boon. Most recently, the construction of the 53,843-square-foot Workforce Training Center to meet the current and immediate demand for skilled technicians across the state and region is another example. Whatever the circumstance may dictate, people look to us for comfort and strength. W

A CNC Router produces visor bills at the UACCM Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology lab at the Workforce Training Center. When the call came from the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub to help protect health care professionals and stop the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton turned to its technical labs.  At the Workforce Training Center, a team of UACCM employees gathered in the Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology labs to make parts for face shields. This equipment, used to keep health care workers safe from the virus, is in critical need around the country, including the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. IMMT Instructor Brian Lum and Dean of Technical Studies Bobby Keeton worked through the day and night. They used CNC routers—computer-controlled machines used for cutting materials—to fabricate 587 acrylic rigid visor bills, a component to face shields. IMMT Instructor Lum breaks