Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro () is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, Craighead County. In 2023, the city had an estimated population of ...

, United States. It is the flagship campus of the

Arkansas State University System The Arkansas State University System, based in Little Rock, serves almost 40,000 students annually on campuses in Arkansas and Querétaro, Queretaro, Mexico, and globally online. The Arkansas State University System includes Arkansas State Unive ...

and the second-largest university in the state. The university was founded in 1909 and is located atop on

Crowley's Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most p ...

. Arkansas State University is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

History

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 The Missionary Baptist church is a Christian denomination that emerged in the American South during the late 19th century. Missionary Baptists separated from the Southern Baptist Convention due to theological differences. Missionary Baptists ...

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. 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.

Academics

The university has more than 100,000 alumni and offers programs at the doctoral, specialist's, master's, bachelor's, and associate degree levels. They are organized into several colleges: Agriculture, Engineering & Technology, Business, Education & Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts & Communication, Nursing & Health Professions, Sciences & Mathematics, and Undergraduate Studies. In 2018, Arkansas State was

among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". 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 . The university was ranked #1013 (UniRank 2024-2025), #1119 (SCImago Rankings 2018), and #1645 (URAP Rankings 2020-2021) in the global university rankings.

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

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 The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a Private university, private research university, research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York (state), New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long I ...

's medical school. The medical school is located on campus in the historic Wilson Hall.

Media

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 National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

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. ArkSt

Athletics

Arkansas State participates as a member of the NCAA Division I

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...

. The athletic teams, previously known as the Indians, are now known as the

Red Wolves The red wolf (''Canis rufus'') is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (''Canis latrans'') and gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being a separate ...

. 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 The 68 Ventures Bowl is a postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that has been played annually in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. In 2021, the game was moved from Ladd–Peebles Stadium to Hancock Whitney Stadium, on th ...

with a 23–20 victory over then 10-2 Ball State.

Notable alumni

* Joey L. Carr - state representative * Ann Clemmer - Republican former member of the Arkansas State House of Representatives from Saline County *

Adrian Banks Adrian Gerard Banks (; born February 9, 1986) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for Northwest Mississippi Community College and Arkansa ...

American-Israeli Israeli Americans () are Americans who are of full or partial Israeli descent. The Israeli-American community, while predominantly Jewish, also includes various ethnic and religious minorities reflective of Israel's diverse demographics. This c ...

professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the

Israeli Basketball Super League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Bill Bergey William Earl Bergey (February 9, 1945 – December 25, 2024) was an American professional football linebacker who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football ...

- NFL player * Larry P. Arnn – president,

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

* Fred Barnett – NFL player *

Mike Beebe Mickey Dale Beebe (; born December 28, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the List of governors of Arkansas, 45th governor of Arkansas from 2007 to 2015. He is to date the last Democrat to hold that office. Born in Amagon ...

– governor of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

(2006–2014) * Earl Bell – Olympic bronze medalist in pole vaulting (1984) and former world record holder * Darren Benson – NFL player * Lonnie D. Bentley – professor and the department head of computer and information technology at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

* Ty Bodden, Wisconsin State Assembly Representative * Gene Bradley – USFL player and NFL draftee * Ray Brown – NFL player *

Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...

– comedian and voice of Squidward on the popular TV show ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...

'' * Ronald R. Caldwell – Arkansas state senator from District 23; real estate businessman in Wynne * Davy Carter – former

Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives The Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives is the speaker (presiding officer) of the Arkansas House of Representatives, the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly. They serve as the leader and head of the Arkansas House, and can ...

, banker and attorney * Maurice Carthon – NFL player and coach * Rick Crawford – U.S. Representative for the First District of Arkansas. * Demario Davis – NFL player * John Dickson- former ABA player * Patrick Eddie – NBA player * Carlos Emmons – NFL player *

Jake Files Jake C. Files (born March 27, 1972) is a Republican politician from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Files represented portions of the Arkansas River Valley in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, and in the Arkansas Senate from 2011 ...

- former

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

convicted of fraud * Brad Franchione – two-time NJCAA National Championship head football coach *

Jeremy Gillam Jeremy Gillam (born August 2, 1976) is an American politician and lobbyist. A Republican, he was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives before resigning to work for the University of Central Arkansas. He serves as the university's Dir ...

– farmer and former Speaker of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

from White County * Zachary Gramlich, state representative * Michael John Gray – former Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives * Michelle Gray (Class of 1999, B.S. accounting) – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in Izard County * Leroy Harris – NFL player * Jeff Hartwig – former U.S. record holder in pole vault * Ronald Heard – Professional wrestler known as "Outlaw" Ron Bass *

Julia Butterfly Hill Julia Lorraine Hill (born February 18, 1974), best known as Julia Butterfly Hill, is an American environmental activist and tax redirection advocate. She lived in a -tall, approximately 1,000-year-old Sequoia sempervirens, California redwood tre ...

– environmental activist * Thomas Hill – Olympic bronze medalist in 110-meter hurdles (1972) * Robert C. Hinson –

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

lieutenant general * Beth Holloway – speech pathologist and motivational speaker, mother of

Natalee Holloway Natalee is a female given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other me ...

* V. E. Howard,

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...

clergyman who started the radio ''International Gospel Hour'', based originally in

Texarkana The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin cities of Texarkana, Texas (population 37,33 ...

, Texas * Buddy Jewell,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer * David Johnson – NFL player * Tyrell Johnson – NFL player, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions * Ken Jones – NFL player * Al Joyner – Olympic gold medalist in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

(1984) *

George Kell George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1943 to 1957, most prominently as a member of the D ...

– broadcaster and Hall of Fame baseball player *

Koby Arthur Koomson Koby Arthur Koomson is a Ghanaian diplomat. He served as Ghana's Ambassador to the United States of America from 1997 to 2001. Biography Koomson was born in May 1951 in Gold Coast (now Ghana). He had his secondary education at Ghana National ...

– Ghanaian diplomat * Cleo Lemon – NFL player * D. Price Marshall – federal judge,

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (in case citations, E.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appea ...

* J. D. McKissic – NFL player *

Ron Meeks Ron Meeks (born August 27, 1954) is a former gridiron football player and coach. His son is former Stanford cornerback Quenton Meeks. Meeks played high school football for the Robert E. Lee Generals in Jacksonville, Florida. Meeks played coll ...

– NFL and CFL player * Dennis Meyer – CFL coach * Josh Miller – member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Heber Springs; obtained associate degree from ASU campus in Heber Springs * Jerry Muckensturm – NFL player *

David Nail David Brent Nail (born May 18, 1979) is an American singer/songwriter and country music artist. In 2002, he debuted the single "Memphis" from an unreleased album for Mercury Records Nashville. Five years later, he signed with MCA Nashville, fo ...

– Mercury and MCA Nashville recording artist * Chris Odom – NFL player * Stetson Painter -Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives * Chad Puryear -Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives *

Jordan Richard Jordan Richard (born June 3, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for Soles de Santo Domingo Este of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto (LNB). He played two years of college basketball for Cal State Los Angeles Go ...

- Professional bowler; 2023 PWBA Player of the Year; three-time All-American at Arkansas State (2016, 2017, 2018) *

Kyle Richardson Kyle Davis Richardson (born March 2, 1973) is a former National Football League (NFL) punter. He played college football at Arkansas State University and went on to have a ten-year professional career. He played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Eur ...

– NFL player * Jerry Rook – former

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

player * Elbert Shelley – NFL player * George K. Sisler – posthumous

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient from

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

* Dan A. Sullivan – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Craighead and Greene counties since 2015; played basketball for ASU *

Kellie Suttle Kellie Suttle (born May 9, 1973, in Saint Peters, Missouri) is a retired female track and field athlete from the United States, who competed in the pole vault event. A two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004), she won the silver medal at the 1999 Pan A ...

– Two-time Olympic pole vaulter and silver medalist at 2001 World Indoor Championships and 1999

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

* Charley Thornton – sports figure * Debbye Turner –

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

, 1990 * Frederick C. Turner, Jr., one of first 3 Black students, first Black faculty member at ASU, Commander of

SHAPE A shape is a graphics, graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface. It is distinct from other object properties, such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material ...

* 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

* Steven Walker, American politician * Corey Williams – NFL player *

Miller Williams Stanley Miller Williams (April 8, 1930January 1, 2015) was an American contemporary poet, as well as a university professor, translator and editor. He produced over 25 books and won several awards for his poetry. His accomplishments were chronic ...

– poet

Notes

References

External links

*
Arkansas State Athletics website
{{Coord, 35.841082, -90.679586, format=dms, display=title, type:edu Arkansas State University System campuses Buildings and structures in Jonesboro, Arkansas Crowley's Ridge Education in Craighead County, Arkansas Natural Science Collections Alliance members Universities and colleges established in 1909 1909 establishments in Arkansas Tourist attractions in Craighead County, Arkansas Public universities and colleges in Arkansas