College of Engineering Reaches Out to Underserved Communities

Michael Rodriguez, the counselor at Lee Senior High School in Marianna, Ark., was surprised at the number of his students among Lee's 80 seniors who chose to attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2011. “Out of my senior class top ten, I had four seniors end up at the University of Arkansas,” he explained. “Historically, I haven’t exceeded that number even when we were graduating 200.”

Rodriguez explained that in past years, seniors at Lee usually elected to attend college closer to home, and they didn't think about the opportunities available at the University of Arkansas. He credits this change in attitude to several factors, including an opportunity his seniors had to tour campus and three visits from T.A. Walton, the managing director of the university’s National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission.

Walton, who is originally from the Delta area, is part of a team that includes staff from the College of Engineering and the College Access Initiative program in the office of diversity. One of their goals is to engage students in this and other under-represented parts of the state.

“T.A.’s contacts in the Delta have been invaluable to us,” explained Leslie Yingling, co-director of the College Access Initiative program. “We wouldn’t be able to reach so many students in this area without him.”

Yingling routinely works with Walton and others in the College of Engineering, visiting schools and bringing students for tours of campus, which usually include trips to the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission and other engineering activities.