UA announces Global Campus realignment

The University of Arkansas Global Campus is located at 2 East Center Street in downtown Fayetteville.

Dustin Bartholomew, Fayetteville Flyer

Earlier this week, we heard there were some changes coming to the University of Arkansas’ Global Campus that might effect the status of the center’s location on East Center Street in Fayetteville.

University of Arkansas Provost Sharon L. Gaber announced today that the Global Campus will indeed undergo administrative realignment, but that the location in the five-story building just off the Fayetteville square will remain unchanged.

UA Provost Sharon Gaber

Courtesy photo

The realigned Global Campus will focus its efforts on distance education, online education, and continuing education programs. Audio/video production, support services, and conference planning services, Gaber said, will be absorbed by other university units.

“Given the university’s teaching, research and outreach missions, we must always look for the most effective ways to serve the educational needs of our students and our state,” Gaber said in a news release. “Distance education and continuing education programs are growing rapidly as an attractive option for learners. This is especially true for those individuals whose family, employment or economic circumstances make it difficult to attend classes in Fayetteville.

“For that reason, we are increasing our emphasis on ways to serve that population of learners and to more fully integrate them into our academic community.”

Javier Arturo Reyes will serve as vice provost for distance education, while Pauline Rankin, who currently serves as the interim dean, will assume a senior leadership role at the Global Campus.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will be aligned with the university’s College of Education and Health Professions, the campus’ media services unit will be aligned with the office of university relations, and conference planning will be aligned with the Donald W. Reynolds Conference Center at Walton College.

All of the changes will take effect at the beginning of the unviersity’s fiscal year on July 1.