CONWAY, Ark. — The University of Central Arkansas announced the establishment of a College of Science and Engineering during Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Additionally, the college renamed one of its seven departments from the Department of Physics and Astronomy to the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Engineering.
“For our students, it means that they can see UCA continues to offer the programs and develop new programs that are going to be the programs of the future,” said Stephen Addison, dean of the College of Science and Engineering. “We want to have agile programs that meet the needs of today’s students but are continuously changing so we are not just meeting the needs of today but creating new opportunities as new demands come up.”
These new upgrades follow the university’s most recent ABET accreditation for the engineering physics program, which was first introduced in the fall of 2019 at UCA.
“Our campus works to cultivate a culture of innovation and ensure programmatic distinction. This ABET accreditation is a testament to our faculty and staff and the overall excellence in the College of Science and Engineering,” said UCA President Houston Davis.
The college is made up of seven departments in total. The other departments include Biology; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Computer Science and Engineering; Environmental Science; Geography; and Mathematics.
“We are seeing more and more students seeking out UCA to pursue an engineering education,” said Addison. “We have these programs. It makes sense to tell people that we have them, and the best way of doing that is if engineering appears in the name of the college. The goal is to contribute to the state’s economic development, and our region’s economic development and to provide opportunities for people to live and work in Arkansas."