Arkansas State University System

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The Arkansas State University System was created in 1909 with the establishment of what would become Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. A four-year degree program was introduced in 1930, and the system expanded beyond Jonesboro in 1955 with the addition of what is now ASU-Beebe.

Since then, the ASU system has grown to encompass more than 22,000 students on four campuses with two degree centers, two technical centers and two instructional sites spread throughout northeast and central Arkansas.

The flagship campus in Jonesboro, with an endowment of more than $9 million, is joined by two-year campuses in Beebe, Mountain Home and Newport.

Degree centers located at Heber Springs and Searcy operate as part of ASU-Beebe. ASU technical centers are located in Marked Tree and Jonesboro. The system also operates instructional sites in Paragould and at Little Rock Air Force Base. Its degree programs operate through partnerships with community colleges in Blytheville, Forrest City and West Memphis.

ASU's Jonesboro campus is home of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, an agricultural and medical research consortium dedicated to improving Arkansans' health. The institute was founded with Arkansas' share of the 1998 nationwide tobacco settlement.

Charles Welch is the system president, hired in 2011 from Henderson State University.

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Charles Welch

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Arkansas Business