Arkansas fort smith university

FORT SMITH -- The last of three juveniles charged in the January 2016 shooting death of a University of Arkansas at Fort Smith student pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison Tuesday. James Larail Sharp Jr., 18, was sentenced in Sebastian County Circuit Court to 20 years in prison with another 20 years suspended after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping and two counts of aggravated robbery. Circuit Judge Stephen Tabor, honoring a plea agreement between Sharp and the prosecuting attorney's office, sentenced Sharp to 20 years on each count but ordered them to be served concurrently, or all at the same time. Sharp, then 15, was charged with his brother Shakur Sharp, then 16, and Dionte Parks, then 15, in the Jan. 23, 2016, shooting death of Kaleb Watson, 22, an electrical engineering student at the university. Although they were juveniles, the three were charged as adults. Shakur Sharp, now 19, who fired the fatal shots, pleaded guilty to the four charges in October and … [Read more...] about 3rd teen in Fort Smith robbery gets 20 years for student’s death

Edward Serna Edward Serna, chief of staff and vice chancellor for strategic initiatives at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, will be interim chancellor of the campus. He will replace Chancellor Paul B. Beran, who had announced July 27 that he is leaving to become the executive director and chief executive officer of the South Dakota Higher Education Board of Regents. Beran’s resignation takes effect Aug. 31. Donald Bobbitt, University of Arkansas System President, selected Serna, citing his “institutional knowledge and skill set to help lead the campus during this time of transition.” The UA System will begin a national search to find a more permanent chancellor. Serna has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Winthrop University, a master’s degree in industrial management from Clemson University, a master’s degree in information systems from Auburn University and a doctorate from the University of Alabama. Read Friday's … [Read more...] about University of Arkansas at Fort Smith names interim chancellor

Paul Beran, top administrator since 2006 at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, will leave the university Aug. 31 for a new job in South Dakota. Beran is leaving to become the executive director and chief executive officer of the South Dakota Higher Education Board of Regents, UAFS announced Friday. University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt will appoint a search committee to find the school’s next chancellor. Bobbitt said an interim chancellor will be named and that he hopes a new chancellor will be hired by July 1 of next year after a national search. Bobbitt said it will be important for the next chancellor to have an interest in and experience in economic development, noting the university’s role in the Fort Smith community. … [Read more...] about UA-Fort Smith chancellor leaving for job in South Dakota

FORT SMITH -- A second medical school is being developed on the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education campus to offer degrees in occupational and physical therapy and a degree in physician assistance, the colleges' president has announced. The College of Health Sciences, a 66,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art medical school, will cost $25 million to build and equip, said President Kyle Parker. Of the total, $16 million was donated by an anonymous couple. The rest of the money will come from college coffers, he said. The college will require 30 faculty and staff members. Accreditation for the programs is still being sought. "We will always serve to provide relief to those seeking access to health care," Parker said. "In other words, the underserved." The underserved are those who are isolated geographically, those who seek training in their home region and patients who need access to health care from "well-trained, compassionate providers," said Benny Gooden, executive director of … [Read more...] about $25M therapy school coming to Fort Smith