News
Major Gifts Announced
At the 2010 ASUMH commencement ceremony, two major gifts to the university were announced by Chancellor Ed Coulter. The Cole Family Trust presented a check in the amount of $35,000 to honor Richard S. and Marjorie P. Cole.The bequest will name the Richard S. and Marjorie P. Cole Office Suite in First National Hall.
Another gift to ASUMH was made from the estate of Anna Mae Wright who died in August of 2009 at the age of 99. Mrs. Wright was a master weaver and a frequent visitor to ASUMH. Mrs. Wright left the college $180,000 which will be honored with the naming of the Anna Mae Wright Student Services Wing in McClain Hall. Making the presentation was Sandy Irby of First National Bank and Trust, pictured above with Coulter.
Gifts from friends like these allow the great work and growth of ASUMH to continue," said Ed Coulter, Chancellor of ASUMH. "We will honor these two families for their contributions to ASUMH in way that will forever remind us of their support and generosity. They will truly help ASUMH fulfill our mission to Create Opportunities and Changing Lives."
Newth Scholarship Established
Student learning experiences extend far beyond the classroom and the Newth family sees that first hand at their restaurants where many students are employed.
A generous gift from Laura and Kenny Newth has endowed a scholarship for students at ASUMH who are 
gainfully employed while attending the university. Applicants must be a high school graduate with a 2.5 overall grade point average and must be enrolled at ASUMH with a minimum of 9 semester hours while working no less than 20 hours per week.
The Newth family owns Twin Lakes McDonald’s which includes two restaurants in Mountain Home and one in Gassville. Both Laura and Kenny Newth attended community colleges themselves and see the value of having a community college in a small town from the perspective of both students and employers. ASUMH is grateful for this generous scholarship made possible by Laura and Kenny Newth.
Photo: Ed Coulter, Chancellor; Laura and Kenny Newth; Carol Gresham, Vice Chancellor for Development
Ten Years on the ASUMH Campus - Birthday Celebration & Campus Open House
On a university campus, we measure everything in numbers: Number of weeks in a semester, number of students enrolled, number of student semester credit hours, number of completers, number of graduates. One 
number that has been crossing my mind a lot lately is the number 10. This year, we celebrate 10 years on our campus. It was fifteen years ago that we first started offering an education downtown, but when we dedicated this campus on April 22, 2000, something changed and the community took pride in "their" new university. Join us on our campus from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on April 22 as we celebrate the dream that became a reality when this campus was dedicated. Many of you took part in the march to the new campus and many of you have been a part of the growth of our campus through the years. We look forward to seeing you on Keller Green as we say Happy Birthday ASUMH!
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Grant Targets Poverty in North Central Arkansas
Over 35,000 individuals in area live 200% below federal poverty line.
Helping community organizations reduce poverty in Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Marion, Searcy and Stone counties is the aim of a new grant awarded to Arkansas State University-Mountain Home by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.
The $84,168 grant will support a consortium of local organizations led by ASUMH. The consortium will create a strategic plan to help unemployed and underemployed residents in these counties. Among the plan's goals are:
- To help adults and families who are living below 200 percent of the federal poverty line to find, enroll in and complete job training programs
- To increase the rate of completion of associate degree and certificate programs or technical certifications
- To "Move the Needle" toward reducing poverty in north central Arkansas.
The needs in this area are critical, with more than 35,000 individuals under the age of 65 who live 200 percent below the federal poverty line," said Dr. Sherece West, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation president and CEO. "The challenges of geography and the lack of new industry call for a more efficient and coordinated system of delivering existing services and support. This grant fits the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation's mission because it will help mover these individuals out of poverty and toward increased employment and earnings."
ASUMHJ will partner with representatives of local public agencies, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations that have direct interaction with unemployed and underemployed workers in the area. The project duration is 18 months, beginning October 1, with a total project cost of approximately $241,000.
For 35 years, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has worked to make a difference by helping to build and sustain the organizations that serve and strengthen Arkansas. Through grantmaking and strategic partnerships, we are working even harder to help close the economic and educational gaps that leave too many Arkansas families in persistent poverty. Working together, the needle can and must move from poverty to prosperity for all Arkansans. For more information on the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, go to http://www.wrfoundation.org/.
Twin Lakes Veterans Members Donate $25,000 to ASUMH
Two anonymous Army veterans who are members of the local Twin Lakes Veterans organization donated $25,000 to Arkansas State University-Mountain Home recently. The donation will fund an elevator in the new Sheid Community Development Center on the ASUMH campus. The donors felt it was important that the new facility be readily accessible for all, especially the disabled citizens of the community. In making the presentation to Dr. Ed Coulter, Twin Lakes Veterans association President Jimmy Bradley commented, All of us veterans hope that others will step forward and commemorate seats in the Veterans section of the Auditorium in the Vada Sheid Community Development Center to their lost loved ones who have served our country in times of both peace and war.
Pictured left to right: Martha Grant, Twin Lakes Veterans Treasurer; Jimmy Bradley, Twin Lakes Veterans President; Ed Coulter, Chancellor of ASUMH; Gary Lee, Twin Lakes Veterans Vice President and Martha Lee, Twin Lakes Veterans Secretary.