04/24/2004

UAEDI Update - April 24, 2004

UAEDI Update
April 23, 2004
By Otto J. Loewer, Director

The following is an update on a number of the ongoing UAEDI activities. Please feel free to become involved if you have an interest in doing so, and feedback is welcomed!

1. Next Meeting: We will be having our next General Meeting of UAEDI on Tuesday May 4 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm in Rooms 507-509 of the Arkansas Union. An agenda will be posted during the week of April 26.

2. New UAEDI Staff Addition: I’m very pleased to announce that Carolyne Garcia has joined us as Assistant Director. She has a remarkable professional background ranging from engineering to business and journalism. Her primary responsibilities will be to focus on the UAEDI SEED (Student Efforts in Economic Development) program and helping with grant proposal preparation.

3. UA Capabilities Database (open to UA System employees only): This database is fully operational on our website. However, we are going to make a strong effort to enhance it further and to encourage others in the UA system to be part of it. Contact Cristina Scarlat (cscarla@uark.edu) or go to http://uaedi.cast.uark.edu for instructions about how UA System faculty, staff and administrators can be part of this database. Likewise, for those already in the database, Cristina can make updates and corrections.

4. Discussion Group - Enhancing and Promoting Entrepreneurial Activity and Education In Arkansas: This Discussion Group has met a number of times and is involved in the following Special Initiatives:
a. Creating “A database of various types of resources available to assist in promoting and enhancing entrepreneurial education and activities in Arkansas.” The database is functional and was made available this week on the UAEDI website. WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER BEING PART OF THIS DATABASE. Contact Cristina Scarlat (cscarla@uark.edu) or go to http://uaedi.cast.uark.edu for instructions.
b. Creating a Ph.D. program that has a heavy focus on entrepreneurship. This Special Initiative is being led by College of Engineering Dean Ashok Saxena.
c. Nanotechnology Workforce Development: This is taking shape from a number of different perspectives. Contact Barry Good (North Arkansas College, (bgood@northark.edu), Carolyne Garcia (cgarcia@uark.edu), Phil Stafford (psstaff@uark.edu) or Ajay Malshe (apm2@engr.uark.edu) for more information.

5. Discussion Group - Enhancing Pre-college Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education In Arkansas: This Discussion Group has met a number of times and is involved in the following Special Initiatives:
a. Creating “A database of various types of resources available to assist in enhancing pre-college science, technology, engineering and math education in Arkansas” WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER BEING PART OF THIS DATABASE. The database is functional, but we need a lot more entries before making it publicly available on our website. Contact Cristina Scarlat (cscarla@uark.edu) or go to http://uaedi.cast.uark.edu for instructions.
b. Preparation of a NSF Grant Proposal to link BEST, Project Lead the Way, and STEM education through involvement of UA Students. Bill Springer, MEEG, is leading this effort, and plans to submit a proposal this spring.
c. Nanotechnology Workforce Development: (See above for contact information. This was also an idea promoted by the STEM discussion group).

6. Special Initiative - Technology Center for the Delta: UAEDI continues to be heavily involved in development of this center in partnership with Cross County. Progress is being made on several fronts, and a presentation on this effort was made this spring at a national CIEC-ASEE conference held in Biloxi, MS. More details follow under “UAEDI SEED” below.

7. Special Initiative – Creation of the Crossroads Coalition: This initiative involves business and education leaders from nine counties in eastern Arkansas and includes representatives from Entergy and ADED. Susan Thomas, Director of the Delta Research and Design Center, an active UAEDI participant, is assisting with this group with planning and organization.

8. Special Initiative - Crossett and the Cornerstone Coalition: UAEDI is actively exploring opportunities for partnerships with Crossett (Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Crossett Economic Development Foundation) and Lynn Rogers (Chair of the Cornerstone Coalition). The possibilities are exciting!

9. Special Initiative – ATLAS Project: This is a partnership involving Cross County, St. Francis County, Washington County, Arkansas Department of Economic Development, a member of Congressman Boozman’s staff, and UA’s Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies and the Center for Business and Economic Research. One of the first products will be a series of GIS graphs designed to create a better understanding of our state, region, counties and communities.

10. UAEDI SEED (Student Efforts in Economic Development) Program
a. Graduate level Public Policy Class Project with Silas Hunt Community Development Center (SHCDC): Will Miller, UA’s Director of Public Policy, is working with Precious Williams and Althea Dixon of the SHCDC via his graduate class in Public Policy.
b. National CIEC-ASEE Presentation (same as Item 4 above): Betty Loewer, Bob Wardlow, Bill Thomas and Otto Loewer made a presentation about how Betty’s Interior Design Class developed conceptual space plans for the building purchased by Cross County.
c. Possible new opportunity for a SEED initiative: We have begun discussion with the mayor of Altheimer, Leo Rasberry, about a possible partnership involving some homes of historical significance near his town. Stay turned for this one!
d. Journalism Project: UAEDI is working to develop a program where high school journalism students could serve to inform the citizens of their communities about ongoing broad-based (economic, community, educational, leadership) development activities. Presently, the UAEDI partners include the Wynne Public Schools, the Crossett Economic Development Foundation, the Silas Hunt Community Development Center and faculty from the UA’s Journalism Department (Gerald Jordon) and Quality Writing Center ( Karen Clark). Hopefully, we’ll have something in place for all to see in a few months.
e. Future Plans: Carolyne Garcia will be actively promoting the SEED program. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting way to connect UA to Arkansas communities and businesses by involving UA students in making their state a better place to live while, at the same time, providing them with a quality “real world” experience.

11. UAEDI Student Survey: UAEDI, in partnership with the UA Survey Research Center, is conducting a survey of seniors and M.S. students who are about to graduate to determine their opinions about the communities they hope to live in after graduation. In addition, they are being asked to evaluate the area that is an hour’s drive from Fayetteville and their home communities. Furthermore, they are asked about the conditions under which they would want to live in Arkansas after graduation. The data collection phase should be completed this spring, and we are very excited to see the results.

12. UAEDI Website: Our website is our primary communications outlet and continues to be very active locally, nationally and internationally. The following are summary statistics since it officially opened on September 22, 2003, seven months ago:
a. 8900 visitors (2550 unique, 9.9% international)
b. 71 countries & 46 US States plus D.C.
c. 270,000 hits (6.5% international)
d. Leading states (CA, AR, VA, TX, UT)

UAEDI Update - April 24, 2004