Maribeth Lynes, assistant dean and director of recruitment for the Honors College, has been appointed chair of the Southwest Regional Council of the College Board. As chair, she is charged with planning and organizing the regional College Board Forum, an annual event that brings together more than 700 Advanced Placement teachers and coordinators; high school counselors, superintendents and principals; and higher education enrollment professionals to discuss educational trends. Sessions at this year’s forum ranged from specific changes in AP course curricula to a session led by Lynes that explored how best to reach out to students from underrepresented populations.

“Expanding access to rigor – I’d say that’s my passion,” Maribeth Lynes said. “In my job with the Honors College, I’m focused on high-achieving students, but my goal is to build a larger pool of college-ready students drawn from all backgrounds, especially groups who have traditionally been underrepresented on campus.”

Lynes has been working to expand access to higher education throughout her 34 years at the University of Arkansas. As director of the Honors College’s annual AP Summer Institute, a weeklong workshop focused on training AP teachers, she has worked hard to increase the number of AP-certified teachers and expand AP course offerings throughout the southwest region. 

In her new role as chair, Lynes plans to further develop partnerships with College Board member institutions and to identify “rising star” AP teachers and start them on the path to becoming AP consultants.

“More than 300 teachers attend our AP Summer Institute each year, and each of these teachers prepare and influence an average of 150 students in their classrooms each year,” Lynes said. “AP courses are one of the best ways to prepare students for university studies, but we need more AP teachers and consultants to grow the program in our region.”