Exploring the Programs and Opportunities at South Arkansas College
South Arkansas College, formerly South Arkansas Community College, is a comprehensive two-year public college located in El Dorado, Union County. Commonly referred to as SouthArk, the college has a rich history and offers a wide array of programs and opportunities for its students.
A Legacy of Education and Growth
The current site of the West Campus has been used continuously for educational purposes in El Dorado since 1858. South Arkansas Community College was approved by a 62 percent majority vote in Union County in March 1992. Formed from a merger of the El Dorado branch of Southern Arkansas University and Oil Belt Technical College. Then Governor Bill Clinton appointed a nine-member Board of Trustees, and all assets and liabilities of Oil Belt and SAU-El Dorado were transferred by June 30, 1992, to SouthArk. The college opened in 1992 when Governor Bill Clinton signed legislation merging the El Dorado branch of Southern Arkansas University (SAU) and Oil Belt Technical College into one college: South Arkansas Community College. Oil Belt had opened as Oil Belt Vocational-Technical School in 1967 just east of El Dorado, and it now serves as the East Campus of SouthArk. Southern Arkansas College-El Dorado Branch (the West Campus) opened in 1975 as an extension campus of what was then Southern State College in Magnolia (Columbia County). The college's name was changed legally to South Arkansas College on July 1, 2023.
When the two colleges merged, the new college embarked on a renovation and building program. A new library was completed in 1996, followed by completion of the Computer Technology Building in 2000, a Workforce Development Building on the East Campus in 2002, and a satellite campus also added in 2003 in Warren (Bradley County). The college had grown from 1,004 students in the fall 1995 semester to 1,380 students by the fall of 2005.
The administrative facilities for SouthArk are in what is also called the Junior College Building, constructed as a high school in 1905 and once the home of the now defunct El Dorado Junior College (1928-1942); it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Academics and Programs
South Arkansas College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is affiliated with the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges. The highest degree offered at South Arkansas Community College is an associate degree. The school has an open admissions policy and offers credit for life experiences. Students can earn degrees and certificates in 33 different fields. The school utilizes a semester-based academic year. The student-faculty ratio is 13-to-1.
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Popular programs include:
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
- General Studies
- Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (Emt Paramedic)
A wide variety of other medical programs have steadily been added: physical therapy, occupational therapy, a registered nurse degree program, radiologic technology, health information technology, medical coding and medical transcription, and medical laboratory technology. The Betty Owen School of Practical Nursing has operated at the college since the 1960s, starting with a class of twenty graduating licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and since named for one of the original instructors of the program. By 2006, the sixtieth LPN class of the Owen School had forty-seven graduates at both the West Campus and the Warren Campus.
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid
The in-district tuition and fees for 2020-2021 were $2,700, in-state tuition and fees were $3,012, and out-of-state tuition and fees were $4,812. There is no application fee. At South Arkansas Community College, 59 percent of undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid and the average scholarship or grant award is $4,233.
In 2023, the median undergraduate tuition at South Arkansas Community College is $2,136, which is $−6,117 less than the national average for Associates Colleges ($8,253). After taking grants and loans into account, the average net price for students is $5,897. In 2023, 74% of undergraduate students attending South Arkansas Community College received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 18% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans.
Student Life and Athletics
In the 2019-2020 academic year, the college began intercollegiate athletics, starting men's and women's basketball programs. The 2023 South Arkansas College Stars baseball team won the NJCAA DII Region 2 regular season championship and the NJCAA DII Plains District championship. The Stars went on to the 2023 NJCAA DII World Series and finished in the top five teams, with a 47-18 final record.
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Campus and Resources
SouthArk operates the South Arkansas Arboretum, a thirteen-acre state park in El Dorado.
Campus Info and Services (Fall 2022):
- Credit for life experiences: Yes
- Academic/career counseling service: Yes
Enrollment and Demographics
South Arkansas Community College. Its campus is located in a town with a total enrollment of 1,253. Applying (Fall 2023) Total Entering Students 487. South Arkansas Community College had a total enrollment of 1,190 students in 2023. The full-time enrollment at South Arkansas Community College is 479 students and the part-time enrollment is 711. This means that 40.3% of students enrolled at South Arkansas Community College are enrolled full-time.
Student Life (Fall 2022) Ethnicity Distribution Black or African American American Indian or Alaska Native Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Gender Distribution Age Distribution Under 18 20% 18-24 44% 25-64 36% Over 65 0%. The enrolled student population at South Arkansas Community College, both undergraduate and graduate, is 52.8% White, 35% Black or African American, 7.14% Hispanic or Latino, 2.94% Two or More Races, 0.588% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.42% Asian, and 0.084% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders. Students enrolled at South Arkansas Community College in full-time Undergraduate programs are most commonly White Female (29%), followed by Black or African American Female (26.9%) and White Male (21.5%). The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients was white (418 degrees), 1.67 times more than then the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (250 degrees).
Graduation and Career Paths
In 2023, 754 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs at South Arkansas Community College. 53.7% of these degrees were awarded to women, and 46.3% awarded men. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients at South Arkansas Community College is white (418 degrees awarded). There were 1.67 times more white recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, black or african american (250 degrees).
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The most common jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at South Arkansas Community College are Registered nurses (1,464,190 people), Medical & health services managers (165,094 people), Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives (153,069 people), Other managers (145,573 people), and Police officers (138,001 people). The most common industries for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at South Arkansas Community College are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (1,578,560 people), uninformed (361,355 people), Justice, public order, & safety activities (339,653 people), Elementary & secondary schools (296,915 people), and Outpatient care centers (274,945 people).
Financial Stability
South Arkansas Community College has an endowment valued at nearly $3.23M, as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year. In 2023, South Arkansas Community College had a total salary expenditure of 18.5M.
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