The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to move forward with the development of a new Innovation Campus, an interdisciplinary initiative aiming to strengthen workforce readiness, expand applied research and support economic growth.
The board of trustees approved a lease agreement with the Conway Development Corporation for approximately 70,800 SF of space at 355 Ledgelawn Drive, which will serve as the home of the UCA Innovation Campus and the expansion needs of the UCA College of Science & Engineering. The initial lease term runs from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2029, with options for renewal.
The effort is a collaboration between UCA, Conway Development Corporation and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM), and will feature co-located academic and workforce training spaces.
Plans include engineering faculty offices and laboratories, open project areas for student-led engineering work, and administrative and instructional space for the Arkansas Coding Academy.
UCA will lease approximately half of the office complex, with the other half being occupied by regional businesses and employers actively hiring UCA students, creating pathways for internships, applied learning and job placement.
The project is designed to support workforce needs in engineering, technology, health informatics and skilled trades, while also providing space for research, innovation and reskilling initiatives.
A press release from the university stated the model is scalable and positions UCA to respond quickly to evolving industry demands. And UCA President Houston Davis said in the release that the Innovation Campus represents a strategic shift in how the university prepares students for the workforce.
“This is not just another building – it is a new and dynamic model for how UCA connects education to opportunity,” Davis said in the release. “The Innovation Campus will bring students closer to the industries they are preparing to enter, give employers a direct role in shaping talent development and create real value to Arkansas’s workforce and economy.”
Under the public-private partnership, the Conway Development Corporation will oversee facility infrastructure, maintenance, custodial services and security, with all property-related investments remaining with the site.
UCA will be responsible for interior instructional and technology build-outs, including modular classrooms, audiovisual systems and flexible learning spaces. With the completion of the limited renovations and improvements in spring and summer of 2026, classes and lab activities will begin in August 2026.
“This collaboration represents a commitment of both institutions to combine efforts ensuring students and business/industry in the North Metro and the River Valley region have expanded access and training opportunities in both the engineering and advanced manufacturing sectors,” UACCM Chancellor Lisa Willenberg said in the release.
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