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UAFS Centers of Excellence

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is committed to creating and sustaining exceptional academic programs that educate the people of Arkansas and beyond. Several university units have or will achieve "Center of Excellence" recognition because they are focused on driving and optimizing initiatives. 

What is a Center of Excellence?

A Center of Excellence refers to a department, office, or unit with specialized expertise in a particular area that brings special recognition to the university. A UAFS Center of Excellence will accomplish one or more of the following:

  1. Align with regional industry goals and workforce needs
  2. Align with best practices and, when available, achieve separate programmatic level accreditation, 
  3. Expand, or have the potential to expand, the reach or scope of the university beyond the Arkansas River Valley,
  4. Offer programs and/or spaces where subject matter experts and industry leaders work together to create innovative solutions


What are the Five Centers of Excellence at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith?

  1. Advanced Manufacturing
  2. Art and Design
  3. The UAFS Center for Economic Development
  4. Computer and Data Science
  5. Health Sciences

 

How does the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith support Centers of Excellence?

UAFS leadership supports the Centers of Excellence in the following ways:

  1. Employing exceptionally qualified faculty and staff,
  2. Creating individualized marketing and communication plans,
  3. Targeting fundraising efforts to fund strategic initiatives, 
  4. Dedicating spaces and equipment to advance the goals of the Centers, 
  5. Investing in necessary resources with institutional funds, 
  6. Providing administrative support for the work of each Center

 

Advanced Manufacturing

Employing nearly 18,000 people, manufacturing is the largest employer in the Fort Smith metropolitan region. A 2023 study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that “attracting and retaining a quality workforce” is one of the top business challenges facing manufacturers." U.S. manufacturing is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030.

UAFS is actively working with advanced manufacturing leaders — including Glatfelter, Walther Arms, Hytrol, ABB, Weldon, Williams and Lick, and Rheem — to develop solutions to fill the skilled workforce gap within the River Valley. One solution currently in development is the creation of a first-of-its-kind Bachelor of Science in advanced manufacturing engineering. The curriculum will focus on advanced manufacturing but also include supporting programming in traditional engineering, project management, data analytics, and operations/supply chain management.

 

Art and Design

UAFS understands the importance of the creative economy in the life of a community. According to the 2023 Arts & Economic Prosperity (AEP6) study, Arkansas's arts and culture industry generated $306.4 million in economic activity throughout the state during 2022. This activity supported 4,800 jobs, provided $182.6 million in personal income, and generated $49.4 million in local, state, and federal government tax revenue. Arts and culture strengthen the visitor economy, keep residents and their discretionary dollars in the community, and contribute to community pride.

Identifying this Center of Excellence ensures the university will continue proactively working with national and regional partners to secure resources that make UAFS’s Art and Design program a national destination for students and visitors. A recent example of this is the $8.8 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to support the visual arts by expanding the Windgate Art and Design building. The expansion will enable a more immersive, welcoming public experience of the space and holistic studios for students and faculty.

 

The UAFS Center for Economic Development

Since opening its doors in 2022, the UAFS Center for Economic Development has grown into a nationally recognized economic and workforce development destination for employers and employees.

The CED houses three distinct offices: the Center for Business and Professional Development, the Family Enterprise Center, and the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. Leadership within each office provides clients with customized options, including non-credit standardized training, advanced on-site industry training, efficiency consultation, entrepreneurial and family business guidance and support, and more.

The U.S. Economic Development Authority recognizes the CED as one of only two official University Center Programs in Arkansas. It also partners with Talk Business and Politics to produce The Compass Regional Economic Report, the only independent economic analysis of Arkansas’s top four metro areas.

 

Computer and Data Science

A 2017 report commissioned by then Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson detailed a growing gap recorded in Arkansas’s data analytics and computing workforce. As a result, Arkansas had to import talent to meet industry needs in a field where jobs were expected to grow at a level above other occupations. Data drives innovation, and perhaps nowhere is this truer than in the field of advanced manufacturing. In collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, a 2021 white paper from the World Economic Forumstates, “Manufacturing industries are on the verge of a data-driven revolution. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of manufacturing executives consider advanced analytics to be more important now than they were three years ago.”

UAFS understands the vital role of computer and data science in the River Valley’s top three industries (manufacturing, healthcare, and retail). This recognition is why UAFS has identified Computer and Data Science as one of five Centers of Excellence. Through a strategic investment of resources and proactive collaboration with industry partners, UAFS will continue to ensure curriculum and laboratories meet the region's current and future needs.

 

Health Sciences

The healthcare industry employs nearly 15,000 people in the Fort Smith Metropolitan Region,making it the area's second-largest employer. A 2023 study commissioned by the Arkansas Hospital Associationfound that the supply of nurses in Arkansas is approximately 76 percent of the number required to provide the national average level of care demand. By 2035 the supply of qualified nurses is expected to meet only 88 percent of that demand, leaving the state with a shortfall of 4,700 FTE registered nurses.

UAFS works with regional healthcare providers and statewide partners to reduce this shortfall. In 2022 the university received a $9.9 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to hire additional nursing faculty, upgrade on-campus simulation labs, and expand nursing programs and tracks. A two-year associate degree in nursing (ADN) program, which includes a LPN transition track, launched in the fall of 2024 and will simultaneously reduce the length of time students need before they can sit for the NCLEX-RN exam and increase program access through financial support from private and public partners. Once the multi-phase expansion is complete, UAFS expects to annually serve up to 200 additional nursing students.