U of A, NWACC Partner to Develop Data Science Workforce

Whit Pruitt

Front row from left: Provost Terry Martin, NWACC President Dennis Rittle and Dean Kim Needy; Back row: Jennifer Swartout, Karl Schubert, Jehiah Burchfield, Shane Carroll May and Christine Davis.

The U of A and NorthWest Arkansas Community College signed a memorandum of agreement on May 8 to align the schools' data science curriculum and allow NWACC graduates who earn an associate degree in data science to seamlessly transfer to the U of A to complete their bachelor's degree in data science.

"Data science is one of the fastest growing career fields in the nation, and creating a multi-disciplinary data science program with NWACC will contribute to the data science workforce in our state," said Provost Terry Martin. "Our partnership with NWACC also helps fulfill our land-grant mission of service and expands access to higher education for Arkansans."

"Our main priority is the students at NWACC, which is why we value and focus on elevating education and workforce opportunities," said Dennis C. Rittle, president of NWACC. "We're honored to partner with the University of Arkansas to strengthen the data science field in our natural state. As technology rapidly changes, community colleges must advance by offering the tools and skills needed to thrive in the workforce. Through this partnership, we hope to develop the world's leading STEM professionals."

The agreement between the two schools is part of a statewide, multi-institution effort to bolster Arkansas' data science workforce. The Data Analytics That are Robust and Trusted (DART) program is funded by a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)* and $4 million in support from the State of Arkansas.

"Data science is crucial for Arkansas to stay competitive in today's technology-driven economy," said Christine Davis, NWACC dean of business and computer information. "The dynamic growth of Northwest Arkansas, home to major corporations like Walmart, Tyson and J.B. Hunt, underscores this point. The multitude of businesses supporting this growth will require a workforce with strong data analysis skills. NWACC is committed to equipping our students with the skills needed to fill these roles, which continue to grow."

The U of A — which in 2020 launched a first-of-its-kind data science program involving the College of Engineering, the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the Sam M. Walton College of Business — will serve as one of the DART program's three "hub schools," alongside the University of Central Arkansas and Arkansas State University. Those four-year hub schools will partner with Arkansas community colleges to establish a common data science curriculum and create affordable pathways for Arkansans to enter a cutting-edge, high demand field with a rate of growth that is expected to far outpace most other careers by 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Martin and Dean of the College of Engineering Kim Needy signed the memorandum of agreement on behalf of the U of A. Rittle signed on behalf of NWACC.

The event was attended by representatives of the Arkansas Economic Development Council, the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences, the Arkansas Department of Education, NWACC and the U of A.      

Arkansas Economic Development Council

• Jennifer Fowler, NSF EPSCoR DART Program manager

Arkansas Center for Data Sciences

• Bill Yoder, executive director

Arkansas Department of Education

• Tina Moore, director of workforce development

NorthWest Arkansas Community College

• Jehiah Burchfield, data science program coordinator
• Christine Davis, dean of business and computer information systems
• Shane May, department chair of Computer and Information Systems
• Jennifer Swartout, associate vice president for general education

University of Arkansas

• Karen Boston, senior assistant dean, Walton College
• Jack Cothren, director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, NSF EPSCoR DART Science principal investigator
• Alan Ellstrand, associate dean, Walton College
• Kristy Fink, assistant to the dean, College of Engineering
• Kevin Hall, associate dean, College of Engineering
• Bryan Hill, associate dean of student success, College of Engineering
• Mike Malone, vice chancellor for economic development
• David McNabb, associate dean, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
• Manuel Rossetti, director of the data science program
• Shantel Romer, graduate research assistant of DART Education Theme, student in the Master of Science in Industrial Engineering program
• Karl Schubert, associate director of data science and co-lead of NSF EPSCoR DART Education Theme
• Lee Shoultz, assistant director of the undergraduate data science program, DART Education Theme program manager
• Kathryn Sloan, interim dean, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

*This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. OIA-1946391. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.