Legacy 2020 seeks to assist students at UA Cossatot

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    UA-Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole discusses the Legacy 2020 program Jan. 10 with Nashville Rotarians.

    By Louie Graves
    News-Leader Staff

    A new fund-raising project is aimed at scholarships and programs for UA-Cossatot students, the school’s chancellor, Dr. Steve Cole, told his fellow Nashville Rotarians, last Wednesday.

    Cole said that the Legacy 2020 campaign goal was $1 million in commitments by 2020. None of the funds will be used for buildings, he said. Some of the pledges will result in naming rooms for donors, and commitments can be made in honor or memory of friends or family members

    The chancellor bragged on UA Cossatot, saying that the school had the third-smallest budget of comparable Arkansas schools, and was among the highest in student success.

    Although up to 95% of incoming students require remediation, the school still manages to have the fifth-highest graduation rate. The UA Cossatot graduation rate is 37% compared to the state average of 22%. “That’s unheard of for a two-year college.”

    Cole said he wanted potential donors to know more about the school and students they were assisting. He said that for seven consecutive years the graduation rate had increased.

    UA Cossatot spends more for students and less for administration, he said. “We are good stewards for that money.”

    Among future possibilities for the Nashville campus, he said, is a medical simulation lab. He said that the school had many LPN and RN students, and the new feature would eliminate them having to travel to Hot Springs or Little Rock for hands-on time with a simulator.

    Even though many students transfer to four-year colleges, more than half of UA Cossatot’s enrollment is on campus for technical training. “I feel we’re doing the right things in the classroom.”

    With Cole from the college, Wednesday, were Alisha Lewis, Director of Achievement, and Dustin Roberts, Coordinator of Development. Lewis is a visiting Rotarian from the De Queen chapter.

    Carol Murray presided at the meeting. Rotarians learned that the annual Scrapper Football Banquet would be Saturday, Jan. 28, in the NHS cafeteria. Among awards to be presented is the Rotary MVP award which has been given since the football banquet of 1960. The club has sponsored the banquet for more than a half-century.

    Persons interested in the Legacy 2020 Campaign may contact Dustin Roberts at 870-584-1172.