UACCM Chancellor's Update
To the incredible UACCM community and constituents, it is my honor and privilege to share the following University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton campus report. Having recently completed the first five years as UACCM Chancellor, I felt a commitment to the campus community and constituents to share UACCM's progress that I hope you find relevant and meaningful.
We commonly refer to UACCM as not only a Community College, but also the Community’s College. This has never been more true. There are so many exciting initiatives, projects, opportunities, and pride points from which we draw our energies. While we always strive to be present in our communities sharing our story and successes, I appreciate the opportunity to share this campus update with everyone as we reflect over the past five years at UACCM and prepare for the next five.
Our mission is simple: UACCM is committed to excellence in learning and personal enrichment. As such, our vision too is simple. In 2019, my vision for UACCM, first and foremost, included removing barriers to education and training. Next was to provide greater access and support services to those looking to further their education and training or to simply participate in one of many campus enrichment activities. I also presented a vision to positively impact the UACCM culture and community engagement by developing a shared campus governance council and an increased presence in our neighboring communities. A welcomed by-product of this vision was enrollment increases and an overall bright outlook. To further aid in achieving our vision, a strategic plan and a campus master plan was developed with input from the campus and community to guide our growth. Both of these plans helped serve as a roadmap to achieving the above priorities and the College’s four strategic plan initiatives: Student Success, Strategic Connections, Campus Culture, and a Prepared Workforce.
Thousands of student graduates, events, and occurrences later, amazing progress and success stories have been written by our amazing students, faculty, and staff. Thanks are in order to the multiple individuals, communities, business and industry partners, elected officials, K-12 district and higher education partners. A special thank you also goes to the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, the UACCM Board of Visitors, and the UACCM Foundation Board. Your guidance and support of UACCM as a public community college is a testament to our success and continued growth.
The figures that follow provide a glimpse of UACCM’s progress toward both societal and economic contributions made through our faculty, staff, students, and ultimate graduates. Through these, we continue to promote continued vitality to the many communities we serve.
UACCM wishes to again thank the communities we serve for your tremendous support of our mission to commit to excellence in learning and personal enrichment. For additional information, please schedule a tour, call, email, visit our website uaccm.edu or follow UACCM on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Sincerely,
We commonly refer to UACCM as not only a Community College, but also the Community’s College. This has never been more true. There are so many exciting initiatives, projects, opportunities, and pride points from which we draw our energies. While we always strive to be present in our communities sharing our story and successes, I appreciate the opportunity to share this campus update with everyone as we reflect over the past five years at UACCM and prepare for the next five.
Our mission is simple: UACCM is committed to excellence in learning and personal enrichment. As such, our vision too is simple. In 2019, my vision for UACCM, first and foremost, included removing barriers to education and training. Next was to provide greater access and support services to those looking to further their education and training or to simply participate in one of many campus enrichment activities. I also presented a vision to positively impact the UACCM culture and community engagement by developing a shared campus governance council and an increased presence in our neighboring communities. A welcomed by-product of this vision was enrollment increases and an overall bright outlook. To further aid in achieving our vision, a strategic plan and a campus master plan was developed with input from the campus and community to guide our growth. Both of these plans helped serve as a roadmap to achieving the above priorities and the College’s four strategic plan initiatives: Student Success, Strategic Connections, Campus Culture, and a Prepared Workforce.
Thousands of student graduates, events, and occurrences later, amazing progress and success stories have been written by our amazing students, faculty, and staff. Thanks are in order to the multiple individuals, communities, business and industry partners, elected officials, K-12 district and higher education partners. A special thank you also goes to the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, the UACCM Board of Visitors, and the UACCM Foundation Board. Your guidance and support of UACCM as a public community college is a testament to our success and continued growth.
The figures that follow provide a glimpse of UACCM’s progress toward both societal and economic contributions made through our faculty, staff, students, and ultimate graduates. Through these, we continue to promote continued vitality to the many communities we serve.
UACCM wishes to again thank the communities we serve for your tremendous support of our mission to commit to excellence in learning and personal enrichment. For additional information, please schedule a tour, call, email, visit our website uaccm.edu or follow UACCM on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Sincerely,
Lisa Willenberg, UACCM Chancellor
Figure 1
UACCM Enrollment Fall 2019 - Fall 2024
Figure 1 shows, despite the COVID pandemic, UACCM, unlike many other colleges in the state and nation, did not experience an enrollment decline. Instead, UACCM recorded an overall 29.4% enrollment increase from the Fall of 2019 of 2,239 students to the Fall of 2024 recording 2,898 students. These numbers earn UACCM a rank of 4th of the State's 22 community colleges in terms of total enrollment. It is worth noting UACCM's recent enrollment increases come largely from High School concurrent students and short-tern Workforce programming.
Figure 2
Student Breakdown 2024
.png)
Figure 2 gives a breakdown of the three primary areas of study, which are general education transfer, workforce skilled trades, and nursing and health professions. Due to space constraints preventing growth, the construction of the new Nursing and Science Center will greatly expand these offerings. Over the past five years, UACCM reopened Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology, added Construction, Cybersecurity, Diesel Technology, Dietary Management, Health Science, Medication Assistant-Certified, Small Business Management, Agriculture Business, Teaching, Customized Business & Industry Training, Aptitude Testing for Advancement, Heavy Equipment Operator (Level I, II, III), Leadership Development (Multi-level), and Underground Directional Drilling/Fiber Broadband Training.
UACCM is also home to the State’s only American Welding Society- Accredited Test Facility (AWS-ATF). New programming is added regularly and as requested by community partners. UACCM currently offers 67 different workforce certifications and credentials in over 33 unique program areas. Additionally, the past five years UACCM has forged unique partnerships with over 30 business and industry partners in the state, providing customized training for their unique needs. These include enhanced pre-hire screenings, aptitude testing for advancement opportunities, leadership development, and perhaps most importantly the importance of employee retention. We also believe in the importance of providing many options for the workforce to on- and off-ramp during life to meet the personal needs of each individual, making short-term offerings pivotal.
Figure 3
Revenues & Expenses 2024
.png)
An overview of UACCM annual revenues and expenses are presented in Figure 3. During the previously mentioned five-year period of record enrollment growth near 30%, state revenue for UACCM grew by just 1.0% over the same time. UACCM ranks 4th of the state’s 22 community colleges in total enrollment while ranking 19th of the state’s 22 community colleges in state funding. For this reason, UACCM must supplement its operations with various state and federal grants, periodic tuition and fee increases, and a local ¼% Conway County sales tax. Thank you, Conway County!
Other federal and state grants directly assisting students are approximately $7,500,000 annually. In addition to those standard annual grants, the past five years UACCM was awarded multiple additional Federal and State grants equaling approximately $20,000,000 primarily in pandemic relief funding, approximately half of which was required distributions to students and the other half to supplement operational expenditures. UACCM was also awarded several state workforce training programming grants due to the advancement of Workforce Education and Training at UACCM. We jokingly say we were Workforce when Workforce wasn’t cool.
Figure 4
Breakdown of Full-Time Employees
.png)
UACCM also stimulates the local and neighboring economies by providing over $10,000,000 annually in salaries and benefits to UACCM employees. We employ 160 full-time employees and 45 part-time employees. We also proudly rank 4th and 5th among the state’s 22 community colleges for average salaries for 9-month and 12-month faculty, respectively. A breakdown of full-time employee salaries is represented in Figure 4.
Figure 5
Functional Breakdown of Expenses 2024
.png)
Figure 5 further breaks down expenses into functional categories of Instructional and Academic Support, Student Services, Administrative Support, Physical Plant, Scholarships, and Debt Service. As per our mission, it is intentional for Instructional expenditures to outpace other expense categories.
Figure 6
UACCM Accomplishments Since 2020
.png)
Finally, Figure 6 shares several of UACCM’s most notable accomplishments over the past five years in the areas of service expansion and support, each necessary to continuing the momentum and maintaining the reputation earned as one of the best community colleges in the State.
Figure 1
UACCM Enrollment Fall 2019 - Fall 2024
Figure 1 shows, despite the COVID pandemic, UACCM, unlike many other colleges in the state and nation, did not experience an enrollment decline. Instead, UACCM recorded an overall 29.4% enrollment increase from the Fall of 2019 of 2,239 students to the Fall of 2024 recording 2,898 students. These numbers earn UACCM a rank of 4th of the State's 22 community colleges in terms of total enrollment. It is worth noting UACCM's recent enrollment increases come largely from High School concurrent students and short-tern Workforce programming.
Figure 2
Student Breakdown 2024
.png)
Figure 2 gives a breakdown of the three primary areas of study, which are general education transfer, workforce skilled trades, and nursing and health professions. Due to space constraints preventing growth, the construction of the new Nursing and Science Center will greatly expand these offerings. Over the past five years, UACCM reopened Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology, added Construction, Cybersecurity, Diesel Technology, Dietary Management, Health Science, Medication Assistant-Certified, Small Business Management, Agriculture Business, Teaching, Customized Business & Industry Training, Aptitude Testing for Advancement, Heavy Equipment Operator (Level I, II, III), Leadership Development (Multi-level), and Underground Directional Drilling/Fiber Broadband Training.
UACCM is also home to the State’s only American Welding Society- Accredited Test Facility (AWS-ATF). New programming is added regularly and as requested by community partners. UACCM currently offers 67 different workforce certifications and credentials in over 33 unique program areas. Additionally, the past five years UACCM has forged unique partnerships with over 30 business and industry partners in the state, providing customized training for their unique needs. These include enhanced pre-hire screenings, aptitude testing for advancement opportunities, leadership development, and perhaps most importantly the importance of employee retention. We also believe in the importance of providing many options for the workforce to on- and off-ramp during life to meet the personal needs of each individual, making short-term offerings pivotal.
Figure 3
Revenues & Expenses 2024
.png)
An overview of UACCM annual revenues and expenses are presented in Figure 3. During the previously mentioned five-year period of record enrollment growth near 30%, state revenue for UACCM grew by just 1.0% over the same time. UACCM ranks 4th of the state’s 22 community colleges in total enrollment while ranking 19th of the state’s 22 community colleges in state funding. For this reason, UACCM must supplement its operations with various state and federal grants, periodic tuition and fee increases, and a local ¼% Conway County sales tax. Thank you, Conway County!
Other federal and state grants directly assisting students are approximately $7,500,000 annually. In addition to those standard annual grants, the past five years UACCM was awarded multiple additional Federal and State grants equaling approximately $20,000,000 primarily in pandemic relief funding, approximately half of which was required distributions to students and the other half to supplement operational expenditures. UACCM was also awarded several state workforce training programming grants due to the advancement of Workforce Education and Training at UACCM. We jokingly say we were Workforce when Workforce wasn’t cool.
Figure 4
Breakdown of Full-Time Employees
.png)
UACCM also stimulates the local and neighboring economies by providing over $10,000,000 annually in salaries and benefits to UACCM employees. We employ 160 full-time employees and 45 part-time employees. We also proudly rank 4th and 5th among the state’s 22 community colleges for average salaries for 9-month and 12-month faculty, respectively. A breakdown of full-time employee salaries is represented in Figure 4.
Figure 5
Functional Breakdown of Expenses 2024
.png)
Figure 5 further breaks down expenses into functional categories of Instructional and Academic Support, Student Services, Administrative Support, Physical Plant, Scholarships, and Debt Service. As per our mission, it is intentional for Instructional expenditures to outpace other expense categories.
Figure 6
UACCM Accomplishments Since 2020
.png)
Finally, Figure 6 shares several of UACCM’s most notable accomplishments over the past five years in the areas of service expansion and support, each necessary to continuing the momentum and maintaining the reputation earned as one of the best community colleges in the State.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thoughts on this blog entry? Bring 'em on!