University of Arkansas System

The University of Arkansas System is a statewide public higher education network founded in 1871 as Arkansas's first land-grant institution. It operates 22 campuses, divisions and units - including six universities, eight community colleges and two law schools - serving more than 70,000 students with a workforce of over 28,000 employees and a total budget exceeding $4 billion. Recent federal appropriations across the system topped $105 million.

Technical work within the system spans medicine, law, agriculture, technology and research. Its units include the flagship University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, ranked by the Carnegie Foundation among the top 2 percent of U.S. universities for highest research activity, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the state's premier medical education and research facility. The eight community colleges serve regional workforce needs through two-year programmes, while the system's medical and law schools provide professional training in those fields.

The system is rooted in the land-grant tradition, with a mission centred on education, scholarship and service and on the economic, educational and cultural advancement of Arkansas. Its entities maintain cooperative strength while offering diverse programmes, with an emphasis on access to academic, practical and professional opportunities and on applying knowledge and research skills to a changing society.