Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is a public university in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in various fields. The Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus, a two-year satellite campus in Ozark, primarily focuses on associate and certificate education.
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Former name
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Second District Agricultural School (1909–1925) Arkansas Polytechnic College (1925–1976) |
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| Type | Public university |
| Established | 1909 |
| President | Russell Jones |
| Students | 9,487 (fall 2023) |
| Undergraduates | 8,808 |
| Postgraduates | 679 |
| Location |
Russellville
, Arkansas
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| Campus | City, 516 acres (2.09 km2) |
| Colors | Green and gold |
| Nickname | Wonder Boys (men) Golden Suns (women) |
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Sporting affiliations
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NCAA Division II – GAC |
| Mascot | Wonder Boys & Golden Suns |
| Website | www |
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History
Arkansas Tech University is a public institution of higher education offering credentials at the certificate, associate, baccalaureate, master, educational specialist and doctoral levels. It was founded in 1909 as the Second District Agricultural School and its Russellville campus conducted its first day of classes on Oct. 26, 1910.
Early history (1909–76)
In 1909, Act 100, passed by the Arkansas General Assembly and signed by Governor George Donaghey, provided for the creation of one agricultural high school in each of four districts stipulated in the act, with what would eventually become Arkansas Tech University in the Second District.
The schools were to teach horticulture and textile making in addition to agriculture. The location for each of the four schools was to be chosen by that district’s five trustees, appointed by the Governor, taking into consideration “the nature of the soil, healthfulness of location, general desirability, and other material inducements offered, such as the donation of buildings, land or money.” The four schools eventually evolved into four present-day institutions of higher learning.
The First District Agricultural School at Jonesboro evolved into Arkansas State University; the Second District Agricultural School in Russellville is today’s Arkansas Tech University; the Third District Agricultural School in Magnolia became Southern Arkansas University; and the University of Arkansas Monticello began as the Fourth District Agricultural School.
After evaluating proposals from Fort Smith, Morrilton, Ozark, and Russellville, on February 10, 1910, Second District Agricultural School trustees announced that the school would be located in Russellville. Construction of the school’s Main Building began on April 10, 1910, with contracts for additional buildings let in June 1910. On October 26, 1910, the first classes were held in Russellville.
The original purpose of the school was to offer a secondary (or high school) education in agricultural and technical subjects. Later, the school took on the first two years of college instruction, and the school’s name was changed to Arkansas Polytechnic College by the General Assembly in 1925 to reflect this change in purpose. The school became a two-year junior college in 1927 and, at the end of the 1929–1930 academic year, stopped offering high school classes.
Recent history (1976–present)
The school took on its current name of Arkansas Tech University on July 9, 1976.
In the fall of 2003, Arkansas Tech University announced it intended to take over the state vocational school, Arkansas Valley Technical Institute, in Ozark, the seat of Franklin County. As of July 1, 2004, the Ozark campus has acted as a satellite campus of Arkansas Tech and has begun offering coursework leading toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in various subjects.
From 1997 to 2015, enrollment at Arkansas Tech increased by 183 percent. The fall of 2015 marked the 17th consecutive year that Arkansas Tech established a new institutional record for largest enrollment, then 12,054 students, making ATU the third largest institution of higher learning in the state.
| Term | Total students |
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| Fall 2009 | 8,814 |
| Fall 2010 | 9,815 |
| Fall 2011 | 10,464 |
| Fall 2012 | 10,950 |
| Fall 2013 | 11,369 |
| Fall 2014 | 12,002 |
| Fall 2015 | 12,054 |
| Fall 2016 | 11,894 |
| Fall 2017 | 11,830 |
| Fall 2018 | 12,101 |
| Fall 2019 | 11,829 |
| Fall 2020 | 10,829 |
| Fall 2021 | 9,640 |
| Fall 2022 | 9,445 |
| Fall 2023 | 9,487 |
Arkansas Tech has invested $180 million in upgrades to its infrastructure since 1995 and the university has added more than 40 new academic programs of study under the leadership of Robert C. Brown, who has served as president of Arkansas Tech since 1993. In April 2014, Robin E. Bowen was selected by the university trustees to succeed Brown. When she took office on July 1, 2014, she became the first woman to lead a four-year, public Arkansas university. Russell Jones was named interim president at Arkansas Tech by the ATU Board of Trustees on August 17, 2023. The board elected him president on June 20, 2024, and he officially took office on July 1, 2024.
Facilities on National Register of Historic Places
Several Tech buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Caraway Hall — residence hall, renovated in 2024
- Old Art Building — retired academic building, now known as Browning Hall, renovated in 2013 to house administrative offices
- Hughes Hall — residence hall, renovated in 2010
- Techionery — academic building, mainly used as a theatre shop and performance space by the ATU Theatre Department
- Williamson Hall — academic building, renovated in 2003 to include kitchen facilities
- Wilson Hall — residence hall
Academics
College of Applied Sciences
College of Arts & Humanities
College of Business
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College of Natural & Health Sciences
College of Education
College of Professional Studies and Community Outreach
Academic Centers
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Education
ATU curriculum is approved by the ATU Board of Trustees and the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Together, the ATU faculty, staff, Board of Trustees and Coordinating board work to ensure Arkansas Tech fosters an environment where students succeed, innovation thrives and communities flourish.
Athletics
Arkansas Tech participates in NCAA Division II athletics as a charter member of the Great American Conference. Tech was a member of the Gulf South Conference from 1995 to 2011. Previously, Tech was a member of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The university fields four men’s and six women’s varsity sports, as well as a club sports program:
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Research
The Center for Undergraduate Research at ATU serves the student population by providing information about research opportunities, funding of student research, and developing research skills for the future. In line with the ATU Strategic Plan, the Center for Undergraduate Research strives to achieve the goals outlined under Goal 1 (1.9 and 1.10). Ultimately, our goal is to empower and enable students to gain valuable research experience and skills that can be equipped for a meaningful and satisfying future upon graduation
Career
Built in 1972, the Career Center has undergone extensive remodeling and additions to become one of the largest secondary career and technical centers in Arkansas. The Career Center draws students from 11 area high schools in Pope, Yell and Johnson counties, including Russellville, Dover, Pottsville, Hector, Atkins, Dardanelle, Danville, Two Rivers, Western Yell County, Lamar and Clarksville high schools.
Facilities
Arkansas Tech University has dual nicknames: men’s athletic teams are called the Wonder Boys, while the women’s teams are called the Golden Suns.
- Chartwells Women’s Sports Complex (tennis, softball)
- Hull Building (Athletic Training, Athletic Performance Development, intramurals)
- Tech Field (baseball, capacity 600)
- Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field (football, capacity 6,500)
- Tucker Coliseum (basketball/volleyball, capacity 3,500)
Nicknames
On November 15, 1919, John Tucker, a 17-year-old freshman from Russellville, scored two touchdowns and kicks two extra points to lead the Second District Agricultural School Aggies to a 14–0 upset win over Jonesboro. In newspaper accounts following the game, Tucker and his teammates were referred to as “Wonder Boys,” and the nickname remains to this day.
Tucker was labeled as “The Original Wonder Boy” and was associated with the school for the rest of his life. He went on to play on the University of Alabama’s Rose Bowl team in 1931 and served Arkansas Tech in a variety of roles – including coach, athletic director and chemistry professor – between 1925 and 1972. Two buildings on the Tech campus – Tucker Coliseum and Tucker Hall – are named in his honor.[13]
Tired of being referred to as the Wonder Girls or Wonderettes, the female athletes of Arkansas Tech held a contest in the spring of 1975 to determine what their new mascot would be. Several names were nominated, but in the end, the athletes selected Golden Suns as their new nickname.[14]
Notable alumni
- Denny Altes (Bachelor of Business Administration), clergyman and Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 63; former member of the Arkansas State Senate and former Senate Minority Leader
- Stan Berry, politician
- Leon L. “Doc” Bryan (Class of 1942), U.S. Navy veteran, Arkansas Hall of Distinction member,[15] Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives (1965–1995), Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives (1993–1995), honored with the naming the Doc Bryan Student Services Center by the ATU Board of Trustees in 1998
- John Burris, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Boone County
- Robert E. Dale (bachelor’s degree in mathematics), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 68 in Pope and Van Buren counties; former member of the Dover School Board in Dover
- Eliah Drinkwitz (B.A. social studies education, 2004), Head Football Coach, University of Missouri.
- Trevor Drown (Class of 2001), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Pope and Van Buren counties since 2015; Libertarian Party U.S. Senate nominee in 2010
- Jane English (Class of 1981, economics/finance), Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate from District 34 in Pulaski County
- Jon Eubanks (B.S. in accounting, 1990), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Logan County
- Elizabeth Gracen (attended), former Miss America in 1982; won the contest when she was a junior accounting major at Arkansas Tech
- Kevin Hern (B.S. 1986), Republican U.S. representative for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, 2018–present
- Michael Lamoureux, Republican; former Arkansas State Representative from District 68 (Pope County) 2005–2009; former Arkansas State Senator from District 4, 2009–2013; former Arkansas State Senator from District 16 (Newton and Pope counties and parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties) 2013–2014; chief of staff to the governor of Arkansas 2015–present
- Andrea Lea (B.S. in emergency administration and management), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Russellville since 2009; candidate for state auditor in 2014
- Kelley Linck (B.S. in business administration, 1986), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Marion County since 2011
- Tanner Marsh, Montreal Alouettes quarterback of the Canadian Football League.
- Eddie Meador, Los Angeles Rams safety (1959-70); six-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro selection who intercepted a Rams franchise record 46 passes.
- Rebecca Petty (B.S. in criminal justice, 2013), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Benton County since 2015; advocate of child crime victims, resident of Rogers, Arkansas
- Scott Richardson (bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences, master’s degree in information technology), member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
- Marcus Richmond (B.S. in physical education), Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from multi-county District 21 in western Arkansas
- Tray Scott (Class of 2008), defensive line coach at the University of Georgia
- Greg Standridge (B.S. in business, 1987), Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate for Pope, Newton, Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties since 2015; insurance agent in Russellville
- Boyd Anderson Tackett, Democratic U.S. representative from Arkansas’s 4th congressional district, 1949–1953
- Steve Womack (B.A., 1979), Republican U.S. representative from Arkansas’s 3rd congressional district, 2010–present