Faculty Bus Tour Sets Out To Learn About Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - For the second consecutive year, University of Arkansas faculty and staff will tour the state of Arkansas to become better informed about the state and the people in it. The three-day tour dubbed "Learn About Arkansas" is coordinated by the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and will take place from Monday, May 15 through Wednesday, May 17.

The trip will encompass three main locations this year: Eureka Springs, Helena, and Little Rock. Last year the tour included mainly Hot Springs, Stuttgart, and Little Rock with some stops in Springdale, Fort Smith, and elsewhere.

The bus tour was begun last year to provide faculty and staff the opportunity to meet with potential students, political leaders and to learn more about the overall culture throughout Arkansas. "We hear from decision makers and visit schools where our students come from," said, Richard Lee, co-director of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center.

"Late in the planning for last year's trip we heard from various people that we ought to visit the delta, and in particular, ought to get to Helena. So even before we went on the trip last year we had in mind that this year we should get to Helena. The Delta Cultural Center was mentioned

as a place we should visit. It was felt, also, that the delta region was sufficiently different from Northwest Arkansas that visiting there would be an eye opener for our faculty," Lee said.

The trip is particularly informative for newer members of the faculty, especially those who are from out-of-state.

Janine Parry, an assistant professor in political science and director for the Arkansas Poll went on the tour last year and looks forward to this year’s trip to even further reaches of the state. "The best part about attending last year was the opportunity to explore different regional, cultural, political and economic aspects of Arkansas," Parry said. "As a new faculty member, you’re busy and in the far corner of state, so an opportunity to see more of the state is very meaningful. It’s an incredible opportunity that I might not of otherwise have had.

"The direct benefit of the tour is that is allows us to make direct associations with where our students are from and to better identify with their backgrounds. This allows us to connect with them better as individuals and to improve communication."

Parry is going this year as one of several faculty experts who will share information with both fellow faculty on the trip and those that the faculty will meet with along the tour. She will be to discussing aspects of the Arkansas Poll, now in its second year.

The tour will leave Fayetteville at 8:15 a.m. Monday, May 15th from lot 56 on campus and return there on Wednesday, May 17^th. The tour will begin in Eureka Springs then go on to West Helena, Helena, and Little Rock. Main stops along the tour include: Thorn Crown Chapel and Eureka Springs High School, the Delta Cultural Center, Pillow Thompson house, Phillips County Community College, Central High School in Helena, Dinner with UA System President B. Alan Sugg, Central High School in Little Rock, and the Arkansas State Capitol.