Arkansas State University

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.[6]

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. 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.

Dean B. Ellis Library

For other Arkansas State University campuses, see Arkansas State University System.

• Main campus, Jonesboro, Arkansas.
• Arkansas State University-Paragould, an instructional site of the Jonesboro campus.
• Arkansas State University-Querétaro, a campus in Querétaro, Mexico, inaugurated on September 21, 2017.

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.

In 2018, Arkansas State was classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[9][10] 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.[11]

Today, the institution has more than 100,000 alumni. Programs at the doctorate, specialist's, master's, bachelor's, and associate degree levels are available through the various colleges: Agriculture, Engineering & Technology, Business, Education & Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts & Communication, Nursing & Health Professions, Sciences & Mathematics, and Undergraduate Studies.

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.

Centennial Bank Stadium (formerly known as Indian Stadium)

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.

Approximately 15% of ASU's undergraduate students are members of one of the 21 Greek organizations located on the campus.

Mike Beebe
– Governor of Arkansas (2007-2015)

Rodger Bumpass
– Voice Actor

Rick Crawford – Congressman

George K. Sisler –
Medal of Honor recipient

Debbye Turner –
1990 Miss America

• Larry P. Arnn – president, Hillsdale College[12]
• Adrian Banks – American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Super League
• Fred Barnett – NFL player[13]
• Mike Beebe – governor of Arkansas (2006–2014)[14]
• Earl Bell – Olympic bronze medalist in pole vaulting (1984) and former world record holder
• Darren Benson – NFL player[15]
• Lonnie D. Bentley – professor and the department head of computer and information technology at Purdue University[16]
• Bill Bergey – NFL player[17]
• Gene Bradley – USFL player and NFL draftee[18]
• Ray Brown – NFL player[19]
• 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[20]
• Davy Carter – former Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, banker and attorney[21]
• Maurice Carthon – NFL player and coach[22]
• Ann Clemmer – Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Saline County
• Rick Crawford – U.S. Representative for the First District of Arkansas.[23]
• Demario Davis – NFL player[24]
• John Dickson- former ABA player[25]
• Patrick Eddie – NBA player[26]
• Carlos Emmons – NFL player[27]
• Jake Files (bachelor's degree in accounting) – former state senator from District 8 in Fort Smith[28]
• Brad Franchione – two-time NJCAA National Championship head football coach[29]
• Jeremy Gillam – farmer and former Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives from White County[30]
• Michael John Gray (B.S. marketing) – former Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Woodruff County; a farmer with a law degree[31]
• Michelle Gray (Class of 1999, B.S. accounting) – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Melbourne in Izard County[32]
• Leroy Harris – NFL player[33]
• Jeff Hartwig – former U.S. record holder in pole vault[34]
• Julia Butterfly Hill – environmental activist[35]
• Thomas Hill – Olympic bronze medalist in 110-meter hurdles (1972)[36]
• Robert C. Hinson – U.S. Air Force lieutenant general[37]
• Beth Holloway – speech pathologist and motivational speaker, mother of Natalee Holloway[38]
• V. E. Howard, Church of Christ clergyman who started the radio International Gospel Hour, based originally in Texarkana, Texas[39]
• 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[40]
• David Johnson – NFL player[41]
• Tyrell Johnson – NFL player, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions[42]
• Ken Jones – NFL player[43]
• Koby Arthur Koomson G hanaian diplomat
• 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[44]
• D. Price Marshall – federal judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas[45]
• JD McKissic – NFL player[46]
• Ron Meeks – NFL and CFL player[47]
• Dennis Meyer – CFL coach[48]
• Josh Miller – member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Heber Springs; obtained associate degree from ASU campus in Heber Springs[49]
• Jerry Muckensturm – NFL player[50]
• David Nail – Mercury and MCA Nashville recording artist[51]
• Chris Odom – NFL player[52]
• Kyle Richardson – NFL player[53]
• Jerry Rook – former American Basketball Association player[54]
• Elbert Shelley – NFL player[55]
• George K. Sisler – posthumous Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam War[56]
• Edward J. Steimel – Louisiana business lobbyist and columnist[57]
• Dan A. Sullivan – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Craighead and Greene counties since 2015; played basketball for ASU[58]
• Kellie Suttle – Two-time Olympic pole vaulter and silver medalist at 2001 World Indoor Championships and 1999 Pan American Games[59]
• Charley Thornton – sports figure[60]
• Debbye Turner – Miss America, 1990
• 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[61]
• Corey Williams – NFL player[62]
• Miller Williams – poet[63]

• Karen Hopper, associate vice chancellor for research, special projects, and distance learning at the Mountain Home campus of ASU; former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 100 in Baxter County[64]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arkansas State University.

• Official website
• Arkansas State Athletics website