# Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second largest university in the state. The university was founded in 1909 and is located atop 1,376 acres (557 hectares) on Crowley's Ridge.
Arkansas State University is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

## History

A-State was founded as the First District Agricultural School in Jonesboro in 1909 by the Arkansas Legislature as a regional agricultural training school. Robert W. Glover, a Missionary Baptist pastor who served in both houses of the Arkansas Legislature from Sheridan (1905–1912), introduced in 1909 the resolution calling for the establishment of four state agricultural colleges, including the future ASU.
In 1918, ASU began offering a two-year college program. In 1925, it became First District Agricultural and Mechanical College. A four-year degree program was begun in 1930. A & M College became Arkansas State College in 1933. In 1967, the Arkansas Legislature elevated the college to university status and changed the name to Arkansas State University.
In the fall of 2014, A-State welcomed its most academically prepared freshman class. The result of several years of growing both admission standards and increasing on-campus housing, A-State's incoming first-year first-time student composite ACT was 23.9 with an average high school GPA of 3.47 (Current freshman ACTs are 20-26 and the average high school GPA is 3.7). This was the third consecutive year of improvement for the ACT/GPA freshman classes for Arkansas State. The Arkansas State Honors College has grown 59% since 2009. The university also posted back-to-back high graduate counts in spring 2012 and spring 2013, producing the most graduates in a two-year period in school history. The university contains the largest library in the state of Arkansas, the Dean B. Ellis Library.

## Academics

The university has more than 100,000 alumni and offers programs at the doctoral, specialist's, master's, bachelor's, and associate degree levels. They are organized into several colleges: Agriculture, Engineering & Technology, Business, Education & Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts & Communication, Nursing & Health Professions, Sciences & Mathematics, and Undergraduate Studies.
In 2018, Arkansas State was classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university nevertheless maintains a focus on undergraduate instruction and small class sizes, with a student-faculty ratio of 16:1, ranked #76 in undergraduate teaching nationwide as of 2020. The university is ranked #1013 (UniRank 2024-2025), #1119 (SCImago Rankings 2018), and #1645 (URAP Rankings 2020-2021) in the global university rankings.
Master's degree graduate programs were initiated in 1955 and ASU began offering its first doctoral degree, in educational leadership, in the fall of 1992. A second doctoral program, in environmental science, was begun in the fall of 1997 and the doctoral program in heritage studies began in the fall of 2001. Newer doctoral programs are in environmental science, molecular biosciences, and physical therapy. In the fall of 2016, Arkansas State enrolled the first class of approximately 115 students to its branch of the New York Institute of Technology's medical school. The medical school is located on campus in the historic Wilson Hall.
* World University Rankings
* UniRank 1013
* SCImago 1119
* URAP 1645

## Media

A-State's journalism program reorganized into the College of Media and Communication for fall 2013. The College of Media and Communication is home to three student-led media outlets and a NPR affiliate radio station. The Herald, a weekly student newspaper, was founded in 1921 and has a circulation of 5,000. ASU-TV, a program under the Department of Radio-Television, gives students hands-on experience in the field of television broadcasting. Starting in fall 2013, an Internet-based student radio station, Red Wolf Radio, was added to the student media. Arkansas State is also home to KASU, a 100,000-watt FM station, which is the oldest NPR affiliate west of the Mississippi River.

## Athletics

Arkansas State participates as a member of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. The athletic teams, previously known as the Indians, are now known as the Red Wolves.
In 2012, the Red Wolves football team became Sun Belt Conference champions for a second straight year, finishing the regular season with a 9–3 record, and capped off its successful season with its first bowl game victory since becoming a Division I-A (FBS) program with a 17–13 victory over Kent State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl, as well as earning its first win over a ranked opponent since joining the FBS in 1992.
In 2013, the football team became the Sun Belt Conference champions for a third straight year, finishing with a 7–5 regular season record and won a second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl with a 23–20 victory over then 10-2 Ball State.

## Greek life

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022 :
| Race and ethnicity | Total | Total |
| White | 73% | 73 |
| Black | 14% | 14 |
| Hispanic | 4% | 4 |
| Foreign national | 4% | 4 |
| Other | 3% | 3 |
| Asian | 1% | 1 |
| Economic diversity |||
| Low-income | 42% | 42 |
| Affluent | 58% | 58 |
Approximately 15% of ASU's undergraduate students are members of one of the 21 Greek organizations located on the campus.

## Notable alumni

* Joey L. Carr - American politician
* Ann Clemmer - Republican former member of the Arkansas State House of Representatives from Saline County
* Adrian Banks -American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Super League
* Bill Bergey - NFL player
* Larry P. Arnn – president, Hillsdale College
* Fred Barnett – NFL player
* Mike Beebe – governor of Arkansas (2006–2014)
* Earl Bell – Olympic bronze medalist in pole vaulting (1984) and former world record holder
* Darren Benson – NFL player
* Lonnie D. Bentley – professor and the department head of computer and information technology at Purdue University
* Ty Bodden, Wisconsin State Assembly Representative
* Gene Bradley – USFL player and NFL draftee
* Ray Brown – NFL player
* Rodger Bumpass – comedian and voice of Squidward on the popular TV show SpongeBob SquarePants
* Ronald R. Caldwell – Arkansas state senator from District 23; real estate businessman in Wynne
* Davy Carter – former Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, banker and attorney
* Maurice Carthon – NFL player and coach
* Rick Crawford – U.S. Representative for the First District of Arkansas.
* Demario Davis – NFL player
* John Dickson- former ABA player
* Patrick Eddie – NBA player
* Carlos Emmons – NFL player
* Jake Files (bachelor's degree in accounting) – former state senator from District 8 in Fort Smith
* Brad Franchione – two-time NJCAA National Championship head football coach
* Jeremy Gillam – farmer and former Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives from White County
* Zachary Gramlich, American politician
* Michael John Gray (B.S. marketing) – former Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Woodruff County; a farmer with a Juris Doctor degree
* Michelle Gray (Class of 1999, B.S. accounting) – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Melbourne in Izard County
* Leroy Harris – NFL player
* Jeff Hartwig – former U.S. record holder in pole vault
* Julia Butterfly Hill – environmental activist
* Thomas Hill – Olympic bronze medalist in 110-meter hurdles (1972)
* Robert C. Hinson – U.S. Air Force lieutenant general
* Beth Holloway – speech pathologist and motivational speaker, mother of Natalee Holloway
* V. E. Howard, Church of Christ clergyman who started the radio International Gospel Hour, based originally in Texarkana, Texas
* John K. Hutchison, former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015; farmer in Harrisburg
* Buddy Jewell, country music singer
* Blake Johnson (exercise science) – Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate from Clay County; rice and soybean farmer in Corning
* David Johnson – NFL player
* Tyrell Johnson – NFL player, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions
* Ken Jones – NFL player
* Russell Jones - President of Arkansas Tech University
* Al Joyner – Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump (1984)
* George Kell – broadcaster and Hall of Fame baseball player
* Koby Arthur Koomson – Ghanaian diplomat
* Cleo Lemon – NFL player
* D. Price Marshall – federal judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
* J. D. McKissic – NFL player
* Ron Meeks – NFL and CFL player
* Dennis Meyer – CFL coach
* Josh Miller – member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Heber Springs; obtained associate degree from ASU campus in Heber Springs
* Jerry Muckensturm – NFL player
* David Nail – Mercury and MCA Nashville recording artist
* Chris Odom – NFL player
* Stetson Painter -Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
* Chad Puryear -Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
* Jordan Richard - Professional bowler; 2023 PWBA Player of the Year; three-time All-American at Arkansas State (2016, 2017, 2018)
* Kyle Richardson – NFL player
* Jerry Rook – former American Basketball Association player
* Elbert Shelley – NFL player
* George K. Sisler – posthumous Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam War
* Edward J. Steimel – Louisiana business lobbyist and columnist
* Dan A. Sullivan – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Craighead and Greene counties since 2015; played basketball for ASU
* Kellie Suttle – Two-time Olympic pole vaulter and silver medalist at 2001 World Indoor Championships and 1999 Pan American Games
* Charley Thornton – sports figure
* Debbye Turner – Miss America, 1990
* Frederick C. Turner, Jr., one of first 3 Black students, first Black faculty member at ASU, Commander of SHAPE
* Dave Wallace (Class of 1970) – member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Mississippi County; inductee of the ASU Hall of Heroes for his military service in the Vietnam War
* Steven Walker, American politician
* Corey Williams – NFL player
* Miller Williams – poet