Programs such as public administration, criminal justice, and social work have engaged with their professional communities in ways that keep them visible to their constituents. For example, UALR s post-baccalaureate certificate program in marriage and family therapy was the first to be developed by a public institution after a change in licensure was enacted by the legislature. Other programs, such as those in education and business, work closely with their external partners not only to prepare entry-level professionals but also to offer continuing education. Programs like those in the sciences have more traditional research and service agendas. The administrative functions of both the Graduate School and ORSP serve constituents whose administrative, professional, and intellectual attachments are closely aligned with other units within the University.
Students identify with the graduate program where they study.
Both the Graduate School and the ORSP succeed only when they serve. The conversion to the new administrative database and information management system, Banner, has been more difficult than the campus anticipated, yet most people are working in a spirit of cooperation and learning a lesson in interdependency. By working as an integral part of the whole, both units have helped other units and programs reach their goals. As a result, graduate enrollment has increased so that now graduate and professional enrollment accounts for around 20 percent of the total enrollment. The amount of money secured through grants and contracts has increased significantly so that now approximately 20 percent of the expenditures comes from this source.