Partners in Progress

Institutional momentum stalls the moment academic leadership loses sight of its core identity. With regional universities facing shifting demographic cliffs and intense competition for resources, understanding how to scale infrastructure while serving local communities is critical right now, especially as institutions prepare for massive fall enrollment shifts and infrastructure launches. We sit down with Dr. Will McLean, A-State a...

Navigating the transition from high school to college, or from a familiar hometown to a brand-new state, can be an isolating and overwhelming experience without the right support system. With higher education evolving rapidly and students facing entirely new academic and social pressures, understanding how to find mentorship and build a supportive community is critical for long-term success. Today, we sit down with Dr. Carlitta M. ...

Measuring the value of higher education purely through entry-level salary statistics is a shortsighted strategy that compromises long-term workforce capability. As regional economies face severe structural shortages in critical sectors like healthcare and education, institutions must rapidly optimize how they train mid-level managers and expert personnel to drive real-world economic expansion. We sit down with Dr. Steven Beaupre, D...

You can hear it in Harrison Herget’s voice: he’s busy on purpose. Harrison is an Arkansas State University business administration student with a theater minor who also leads Phi Delta Theta and has served in IFC, all while building real ventures in construction, real estate work, and vending. We talk honestly about what it looks like to juggle leadership and entrepreneurship without pretending it’s effortless and...

Transferring colleges sounds like a clean new start until you’re living it. The credits have to line up, the social circles feel sealed, and you’re trying to make big career decisions on a shorter clock. We sit down with Logan Locke, a senior finance student in the Honors College at Arkansas State University, to talk honestly about what it takes to regain your footing and build momentum fast.

Logan shares what pu...

A perfect GPA looks great on paper, but it’s not the thing that opens the biggest doors. We’re talking with Braden Deese, a senior accounting student from Walnut Ridge and a standout in A-State’s College of Business, about what actually moves a career forward: mentors who advocate for you, clubs that put you in the right rooms, and the courage to start conversations before you feel fully “ready.” From ...

Cori Keller’s career story is proof that the “straight line” is overrated. She starts with Arkansas State University, stacks credentials in exercise science, communication, and a doctorate in healthcare administration, and then builds a real-world path that moves from marketing and ESPN freelance sports reporting to healthcare leadership as a physician liaison with the Baptist Health System.

We talk about w...