The Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees authorized the sale of two ATU-owned properties on North Arkansas Avenue in Russellville during its regular meeting at Chambers Cafeteria West Dining Room on Thursday, Aug. 15.
Under the terms of the approved agenda items, the properties at 1111 N. Arkansas Ave. and 1019 N. Arkansas Ave. will be listed through a real estate professional and made available for purchase.
The property at 1111 N. Arkansas Avenue includes a two-story building that was partially renovated in 2016 to provide lab space for ATU’s game and interactive media design academic program.
Suzanne McCall, ATU interim vice president for administration and finance, reported that the ATU Department of Art has been notified that the building may be sold and contingency plans to ensure the continued delivery of the game and interactive media design program are being developed. Additional lab space for the program already exists in Norman Hall room 214.
The property at 1019 N. Arkansas Ave. previously housed a food pantry for members of the ATU community. The pantry ceased operations in 2020.
In other business on Thursday, Aug. 15, the ATU Board of Trustees approved:
*a private placement issuance of $10,093,217 with Regions Bank to fund the heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure projects, elevator replacement and renovations that were approved by the ATU Board of Trustees during its Dec. 14, 2023, meeting;
*a request to assign authority to the ATU president to sign contracts after review and calculation of request for proposal submissions for health, dental and vision insurance benefit coverage for ATU faculty and staff in 2025;
*an annual certification of individuals to conduct and/or approve all necessary and proper banking transactions for ATU;
*changes to the ATU faculty and adjunct faculty handbooks for 2024-25, including an update to the timeline for nominating retired faculty for emeritus status and an update to the ATU code of academic integrity relative to generative artificial intelligence;
*a retrenchment policy developed by the ATU Faculty Senate and ATU administrators that creates a policy in the event that faculty positions are ever eliminated at the institution due to academic program closure or reduction;
*a letter of notification stating ATU’s intention to offer a fully online option for its Master of Science degree in higher education and student affairs;
*establishment of a $40 per credit hour fee for credit for prior learning institutional assessments;
*updates to the 2024-25 ATU student handbook, including revisions to procedures and sanctions for violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and revisions to the equal opportunity, harassment (sexual misconduct) and non-discrimination policy and procedures to ensure ATU’s continued compliance with Title IX regulations adopted in 2020;
*and the ATU Board of Trustees meeting calendar for the next 12 months, to include meetings on Oct. 24, 2024, Dec. 19, 2024, Feb. 20, 2025, April 17, 2025, June 19, 2025, and Aug. 21, 2025.
In personnel matters, the ATU Board of Trustees approved hiring the following full-time employees:
*Erin Callahan, visiting instructor of accounting, for the 2024-25 academic year; Justin Cook, skilled trades foreman, effective July 1, 2024; Eli Cranor, writer in residence and visiting instructor of English, for the 2024-25 academic year; Amanda Dunn, visiting instructor of biology, for the 2024-25 academic year; Paul S. Edwards, vice president for administration and finance, effective Oct. 1, 2024; Cole Gray, landscape supervisor, effective June 7, 2024; Joanne Heffley, student support services advisor, for the 2024-25 fiscal year; Lauren Hightower, visiting instructor of nursing, for the 2024-25 academic year; Kailey Hilderbrand, assistant softball coach, effective Aug. 2, 2024; Christopher Hubbard, skilled tradesman, effective June 6, 2024; Caleb Hull, maintenance assistant, effective July 1, 2024; Mark Kessler, webmaster and digital strategist, effective July 8, 2024; Anson Lindsey, assistant volleyball coach, effective July 15, 2024; Aleshia Maxwell, ATU-Ozark Campus licensed practical nursing instructor, effective Aug. 14, 2024; Fredrick Mears, maintenance assistant, effective July 1, 2024; Charles Metz, visiting instructor of agriculture, for the 2024-25 academic year; Hunter Newsom, assistant farm manager, for the 2024-25 fiscal year; Scott Pullen, Arkansas Tech Career Center (ATCC) visiting workforce education faculty of construction technology, effective Aug. 16, 2024; Edward Sherrill, ATCC workforce education faculty of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, effective Aug. 5, 2024; Lowell Stephens, head men’s and women’s golf coach, effective July 1, 2024; Mario Varela-Pecina, ATU-Ozark Campus coordinator of student recruitment, effective July 10, 2024; Sophie Ward, fiscal support analyst, effective July 17, 2024; and Blake Williamson, general maintenance worker, effective July 1, 2024.
The following ATU employees received a change in assignment from institutional services assistant to general maintenance worker as of July 1, 2024: Beatriz Avila, Courtney Barns, Amber Bendrick, Elida Brown, Lilyann Copeland, Andrea Donner, Cindy Ford, Mozell Ford, Tiffany Ford, Bonnie Freeman, Jeana Freeman, Anthony Gamarro, Jolene Geeo, Glen Gramstad, Amanda Shelly Handley, Craig Heard, Ashley Hull, Paula Hull, Randy Leggett, Dylan McCurrie, Lori Metz, Crystal Morrison, Lisa Nufer, Isaac Owens, Rebecca Reynolds, Peggy Shoop, Brittany Stewart, William Stone, Julianna Tomczak, Roger Trusty and Bennie Washington.
Trustees approved these additional changes in assignment:
*Joceline Argueta, from financial aid analyst to assistant dean for multicultural student services, effective Aug. 1, 2024; Marcia Brown, from administrative assistant III to executive assistant to the vice president for student affairs, effective Aug. 1, 2024; Lance Byrum, from campus support representative to desktop support specialist, effective July 1, 2024; Joshua Carey, from energy manager to assistant director of facilities management for maintenance and operations, effective July 1, 2024; Robert Condley, from construction manager to assistant director of facilities management for construction management, effective July 1, 2024; Stacey Cox, from coordinator of housekeeping to general maintenance work lead, effective July 1, 2024; Dr. Michael Davis, from associate professor of geology to head of the ATU Department of Biological and Earth Sciences and associate professor of geology, effective Aug. 1, 2024; Christopher Ross Duncan, from occupational safety coordinator to safety officer, effective July 1, 2024; Julie Ennis, from campus maintenance supervisor to head of campus custodial service, effective July 1, 2024; Micah Fenton, from skilled tradesman carpenter to skilled tradesman plumber, effective July 1, 2024; Austin Norman, from computer support specialist to systems analyst, effective July 1, 2024; Tommy Jennen, from equipment mechanic to skilled tradesman carpenter, effective July 1, 2024; Edward Marin, from maintenance assistant to general maintenance worker, effective July 1, 2024; Cody Neal, from maintenance coordinator for student housing to service and maintenance supervisor for student housing, effective July 1, 2024; Kacy Reed, from institutional services supervisor to general maintenance worker lead, effective July 1, 2024; Jaime Sowers, from public safety officer to public safety supervisor, effective Aug. 1, 2024; Rosendo Trapala, from public safety officer to coordinator of disability services, effective July 1, 2024; and Zach Turney, from general maintenance worker to skilled tradesman housing plumbing, effective Aug. 1, 2024.
The board accepted resignations from the following ATU employees:
*Debbie Blalock, ATCC fiscal support analyst, effective Aug. 16, 2024; George Brooks, admissions officer, effective July 18, 2024; Caliese Cain, ATCC-Danville health science technology faculty, effective June 20, 2024; Dr. Shahedur Chowdhury, assistant professor of finance, effective July 18, 2024; Abbygayle Cook, area coordinator, effective July 31, 2024; Bryan Cook, area coordinator, effective July 19, 2024; Dr. Sarah Gordon, dean of the ATU Graduate College and professor of educational leadership, effective July 8, 2024; Stacie Harden, director of scholarship management, effective July 23, 2024; Sarah Hickman, student support services advisor, effective July 30, 2024; Addie Jensen, assistant softball coach, effective June 18, 2024; Cory Kendall, ATCC construction technology faculty, effective June 7, 2024; Hailey Kendrick, student support services advisor, effective July 31, 2024; Tomas Metz, institutional services assistant, effective May 31, 2024; Ma De La Luz Montelongo, ATU-Ozark adult education visiting industry training specialist, effective July 5, 2024; Dr. Scott O’Neil, assistant professor of English, effective July 8, 2024; Lauren Pipkin, Upward Bound target school liaison, effective July 31, 2024; Dr. Seyedeh Sanjari, assistant professor of mathematics, effective July 19, 2024; Haley Thomas, research assistant, effective Aug. 9, 2024; Angela Westbrook, assistant director of human resources, effective July 18, 2024; Tonya Willis, institutional services assistant, effective May 31, 2024; and Dr. Matthew Wilson, associate professor of agriculture, effective July 16, 2024.
Trustees granted a request for retirement from Ken Teutsch, multimedia coordinator in the ATU Division of Academic Affairs, effective July 31, 2024.
