• Mission
• Role and Scope
• Vision
• Values

Mission

The mission of the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is to raise the higher education achievement level of the residents of the Western Arkansas service area to meet or exceed the national averages.

The UA Fort Smith mission is about positively changing lives through education and training, and improving the civic and economic health of the region by means of a more educated populace. Specifically, the education level of the adult citizenry of our region, as measured by the percentage of those 25 years and older who hold a bachelor’s degree, is well below that of the state, which lags the nation. We are charged with changing those facts.

UA Fort Smith addresses the mission by providing high-quality baccalaureate, associate, and certificate programs and a wide range of credit and noncredit educational services for the region. Education and training services, designed to meet the workforce education and retraining needs of business, industry, and healthcare throughout the region, are a direct support responsibility of the institution.

Student learning and growth are priorities for all of us at UA Fort Smith. The University will strengthen the educational, cultural, and economic development of the communities in Western Arkansas.

Role and Scope

Founded in 1928, UA Fort Smith has grown in stature, role, and scope over the years into a singularly distinctive, hybrid institution. Organized and focused on teaching and learning, UA Fort Smith offers multifaceted academic and technical educational opportunities. The University provides these learning opportunities at times and places convenient to students and clients. Programs include single courses of instruction, certificates of proficiency, technical certificates, and associate and baccalaureate degrees designed to meet a demonstrated demand of the region. Additional upper-division and graduate programs of study leading to select baccalaureate and master’s degrees are offered on campus by other universities through the UA Fort Smith University Center.

In addition to certificate and degree programs, UA Fort Smith provides a wide range of customized, on-site education and training services – both pre- and post-employment – designed to meet the workforce education and retraining needs of business and service organizations.

UA Fort Smith provides a variety of public service activities for the people and organizations within its service area. Included are noncredit courses, seminars, workshops, lectures, travel, telecourses, and teleconferences organized by the University’s Center for Business and Professional Development. UA Fort Smith makes campus facilities and resources available to community organizations and enriches the quality of life of the community through sponsored cultural activities and events.

Vision

UA Fort Smith will be a distinctive institution that truly serves as a leader and a model in the learning enterprise. With a primary focus on five areas that produce highly qualified graduates for identified areas of employment need, the University will build vibrant colleges of education, business, health sciences, technology, and arts and sciences. A strong general education/liberal arts foundation will be the core of each program. In addition to a strong theoretical base, each UA Fort Smith student will have applied learning opportunities in the community relevant to his/her field of study, through apprenticeships, internships, mentoring programs, service learning, student-work positions, and other experiential opportunities. The result will be well-educated graduates armed with a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in their fields. They will be widely sought for well-paid employment.

UA Fort Smith will continue to be distinguished from other public regional universities by the focus on what the institution does best-—preparation for real life in a real-life place. Since learning happens both inside and outside the classroom, students will be encouraged to see the Fort Smith region as an extension of the campus.

UA Fort Smith will be a catalyst for enhanced economic development, as well as cultural and educational development. The aim is to participate actively in building a thriving region with job opportunities for young adults, new families, and continued growth of existing area service, business, and industrial enterprises. The institution will continue to be committed to serving the public and will work closely with community organizations to do so. The overarching goal will be community and regional development and growth.

UA Fort Smith will foster a community of learners with shared aspirations, values, and goals, with a unifying theme of enhanced quality. Whatever we do, we will do well. UA Fort Smith will be recognized as one of the most effective institutions in higher education in every way. As a result, faculty and staff, the community, the region and, most importantly, students will benefit.

Values

UA Fort Smith holds a set of core values based on the belief that we can and should be the best of learning organizations, by centering our focus and efforts on the learner and learning, and by practicing and modeling integrity and ethical behavior, responsibility for results, service to our fellow citizens and the communities we serve, and cooperation and collaboration with others in the betterment of the world in which we live.