Southern Arkansas University Tech (SAU Tech) is a public community college in

Calhoun County, Arkansas Calhoun County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,368, making it the least populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Hampton. Calhoun County is Arkansas ...

History

SAU Tech was created on April 5, 1967, as Southwest Technical Institute by Act 534 of the Arkansas Legislature. The purpose of the institute was to provide a technically trained workforce for the growing Highland Industrial Park where it was located. Seventy acres of land and six buildings at the Park were donated by the Brown Foundation of

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

which had purchased the former

Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot The Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot was a munitions manufacturing facility of the United States Navy located in Calhoun and Ouachita counties in southern Arkansas. It operated from 1945 until 1957, producing Sidewinder missiles and other weapon ...

for redevelopment. Financing for renovation and equipping the facility was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Arkansas State Board of Education operated the school until 1975 when, by an Act of the Arkansas Legislature, Southwest Technical Institute became Southern Arkansas University Tech under the governance of the Board of Trustees of Southern Arkansas University. With this change, the college came under the jurisdiction of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to grant the associate of arts and associate of science degrees as well as the associate of applied science degree. Today, SAU Tech is a two-year college specializing in technical training and offers the first two years of a university transfer program in General Education, Teacher Education, and Business Administration. Technical programs are offered in Aviation Maintenance, Computer Information Technology, Technology, with the option of an emphasis in Industrial Maintenance and Engineering, Office Systems Technology, with the option of an emphasis in Medical Transcription, and Multimedia Technology, which includes either an emphasis in Film & Video Production, Graphic Design, or Game Design and Development.

Roger L. Worsley Roger Lewis Worsley (born March 22, 1937) is a retired college administrator, who from 1985 to 1995 was the president of Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas. He also from 1996 to 2005 served as the chancellor of Southern Arkansas Universit ...

, former president of Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas, became chancellor of SAU Tech in 1996. The specialty schools are the SAU Tech Career Academy, the

Ouachita County Adult Education Center Ouachita may refer to: Places In the United States: * Ouachita, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Ouachita City, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * The Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma * The Ouachita orogeny, the geologic ...

, the

Arkansas Fire Training Academy The Arkansas Fire Training Academy is the official fire training institution for the state of Arkansas. The main campus is located on the grounds of Southern Arkansas University Tech in Camden, Arkansas, alongside the Arkansas Law Enforcement Tra ...

, and the

Arkansas Environmental Training Academy Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

. The Columbia and Dallas County adult education centers have joined the SAU Tech list of programs and facilities.

Governance

SAU Tech is governed by the Board of Trustees of Southern Arkansas University in nearby Magnolia. The SAU Tech Chancellor reports directly to the SAU President in Magnolia.

Accreditation

SAU Tech is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. SAU Tech's overall accreditation, and those of its individual programs, are independent of SAU's accreditations. The following programs have received additional accreditation or approval as shown below:

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Southern Arkansas University Educational institutions established in 1967 Buildings and structures in Camden, Arkansas Education in Ouachita County, Arkansas Community colleges in Arkansas 1967 establishments in Arkansas Education in Calhoun County, Arkansas