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American Electric Power Co./Southwestern Electric Power Co. President/COO Venita McCellon-Allen presents a check for $1 million to the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope to UACCH Chancellor Dr. Charles Welch. Photo by Ken McLemore
The 300-plus local, county and area residents packed into the Purtle Meeting Rooms at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope gave American Electric Power Co./Southwestern Electric Power Co. President/COO Venita McCellon-Allen a standing ovation here Monday as she announced a $1 million gift to the UACCH Foundation to fund technical/industrial skills scholarships.
The largest single private gift ever made to the Hope-based two-year college will directly benefit the technical and industrial studies division of UACCH, regardless of whether student beneficiaries apply their education as SWEPCO employees or not, McCellon-Allen stated.
Speaking to the needs SWEPCO is addressing in the construction of the proposed John W. Turk, Jr., Power Plant between Fulton and McNab, McCellon-Allen said the $1.3 billion project will create some 1,400 construction phase jobs and 110 permanent jobs.
“These are going to be good SWEPCO jobs; that's how we like to see them, good SWEPCO jobs; they're going to be good jobs for folks who want to work near their home and have the opportunity to stay close to home and drive to their work location right up the highway off Highway 355,” McCellon-Allen said.
She said speculation about whether SWEPCO would support local hiring for construction and operation of the proposed plant is part of the reason for the UACCH gift.
“Some people have said, ‘They'll never hire local folks,' you heard some of that, didn't you?,” McCellon-Allen posed. “It is true that those 110 jobs will require what we call skilled labor jobs; they're going to require a certain amount of training and education.
“And, that's an absolute necessity; we have to have the skills and the training in our candidates so we're able to operate the plant in a way that's appropriate to serve our customers,” she said. “The training may be an absolute requirement, but that doesn't mean the jobs are off-limits to the citizens of Southwest Arkansas. That doesn't have to mean that the folks at Fulton and McNab and Hope, and the surrounding communities don't have opportunities to compete for these jobs.”
McCellon-Allen received sustained applause as she summarized the point of the gift by saying, “SWEPCO wants to hire from home; that's our message.”
She said the company wanted to “process job applications with local addresses on them.”
But, hiring locally for the construction and operation of the proposed plant is not the only reason for the gift, she said.
“We know that hiring from wasn't possible without training and education; and, to make hiring from home possible, the citizens of Hempstead County must have access to the required training and education, and it's not going to be easy for them to get that, because not everyone is able to plan for the future,” McCellon-Allen said. “It's not always easy to plan for tommorrow when you're trying to make ends meet today. It's not always timely to take off and go to school when you have to get a paycheck today.”
She said the gift will be administered by UACCH in conjunction with Texarkana College, and Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas.
“Some might say, ‘What will a million dollars buy?,'” McCellon-Allen asked. “Well, I hope it buys a lot of training. I hope it buys more than 110 employees. And, if it does buy more than 110 welders or 110 electrical workers, more than 110 skilled employees, it won't be necessary that they all go to work for SWEPCO. They can go to work elsewhere in this economy and help support the growth of Southwest Arkansas.
“We're here to be your partner and your good neighbor; and, we're going to hire from home and support home, and that means we're here to stay,” she said.
She said the success of current non-traditional education programs at UACCH was a key factor in the decision to fund the gift.
“We've seen single parents who were recently divorced, trying to support a family, come here to the university to get an associate's degree and finish with a masters degree, and are teaching here in our community schools,” she said. “We've seen people come here to get retraining for a second career; and, that's why this is such a good opportunity for SWEPCO.”
Asked in an interview after the ceremony how Hempstead County residents might apply for either construction or permanent jobs, McCellon-Allen referred those inquiries to the company's website: www.swepco.com, then link to news and issues, then to Turk Power Plant, then to jobs, then to Shaw Group or AEP human resources.
The Shaw Group is the general construction contractor for the project.
University of Arkansas System President Dr. B. Alan Sugg said the gift reflects the committment of Hope and Hempstead County to UACCH in pursuing growth for the college and the community.
“I don't ever remember a million dollar scholarship given to colleges for technical training,” Sugg said. “This is what community colleges really do. The University of Arkansas System is a great supporter of community colleges, because it's happening right here on the ground.
“Texarkana College; you know when it was founded? 1927,” he said. “Think; if the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope or Cossatot Community College had been established in 1927, what would be happening in this community today?”
Sugg said the local support given UACCH's entrance into the UA System exemplified the point, with more than 75 percent community support for the sales tax needed to make the conversion from a two-year technical college.
He was confident of the same kind of support being shown toward the March 11 bond issue election to finance construction of an audtorium/conference center complex on the UACCH campus.
“We could have 1,800 or 2,000 people in this room - if we just had a place to be,” Sugg quipped to laughter.
UACCH Chancellor Dr. Charles Welch called the gift “historic.”
“This is a special place, where individual lives, families, and entire communities are changed forever because of the life-altering impact of a higher education,” Welch said.
He reviewed briefly the history of the college, then pointed out the impact of its community and regional partnership as it became UACCH.
“Within all of those transitions, we have had a rich history of fine technical programs of which we are very proud of the students that enroll in our classes and go out into the workforce to make a stronger skilled workforce and in other economic development activities in working with out local businesses and industries,” Welch said.
As student enrollment in workforce education has grown to be the largest percentage increase in such enrollment across Arkansas, Welch said, “Just within the last few years, alone, we've increased our institutional scholarships by 100 percent; we've increased our traditional awards by 63 percent; we've seen our partnerships expanded with high schools, and we've expanded our partnerships with other universities.”
He credited much of the growth with community support.
“I can say, unequivocally, that I think the community support of this institution is unrivaled in the state of Arkansas,” Welch added. “I think that is illustrated by the attendance in this room today.”
U.S. Representative Mike Ross, D-Ar., said the committment by SWEPCO posed the potential for “a happy ending” to the story of the man from El Dorado who, not being qualified for special retraining aid, had to give up his quest to change careers.
“He had a job, he's an older guy, and a single parent,” Ross said. “He's trying to work a job and trying to get a degree in radiology to provide a better life for this family. He's tried, but, he's given up. He said, ‘I can't be a single parent and be there for my kids and work a night job and go to school during the day.'
“What SWEPCO is doing here today, instead of hearing more stories like that, we'll hear stories like that with a happier ending,” he said. “That is happening here, today, with this announcement.”
Welch said monies from the gift have already been “put to work” through investments in local banks to generate interest funds which will provide scholarship financing.
Business leaders in Hempstead County have begun to offer public support for a proposed auditorium/conference center project to be built at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope.
In a letter of endorsement to UACCH Chancellor Dr. Charles Welch, the Hempstead County Economic Development Corp. expressed its unanimous support for construction of the state-of-the-art facility.
The letter addresses four points of benefit to the county as a whole, including direct economic benefit to the county “...through the attraction of conferences and conventions, which benefit the area economy via the increased utilization of local motels, restaurants, and retail establishments;” enhanced benefits to workforce education and continuing education programs at UACCH which will benefit local and regional employers; enhanced business and industrial recruitment capability for Hempstead County; and, as “a unique venue for community and cultural events for all of Southwest Arkansas.”
HCEDC President Wesley Woodard said the proposed 2,100-seat complex including main auditorium, banquet facilities, fixed kitchen, offices, six conference rooms, and outdoor amphitheater makes sense for UACCH.
“From an economic viewpoint, I fully support the proposed UACCH auditorium and community conference center,” Woodard said. “I believe that this is a wonderful opportunity for the citizens of Hempstead County to have a say in the economic growth of our area, by continuing to develop UACCH into a regional asset for Southwest Arkansas.”
Woodard said the HCEDC governong board not only supports the project, but the proposed one cent sales tax which will be put on the ballot March 11 for voters to approve.
“The board of directors is excited about this community development opportunity and encourages the citizens of Hempstead County to support this project,” he said.
Welch welcomed the support for what he characterized as a needed project for UACCH and Hempstead County's partnership.
“I appreciate the HCEDC for recognizing the economic benefit to Hempstead County the proposed auditorium and community conference center will provide and confirming their support publicly,” Welch said in a statement. “I am particularly grateful that the HCEDC, whose sole purpose is to pursue economic development and prosperity for the county, has taken the lead in becoming the first organization to publicly endorse the project just days after the project was announced. I am hopeful that this is the first of many corporate and private endorsements from across the county for the project.”
Construction of the proposed 50,000-square foot facility is to be financed through the sale of some $10 million in revenue bonds to be supported by a temporary 3/4-cent construction sales tax coupled with a continuing 1/4-cent maintenance and operations sales tax.
Welch said the facility would be the first of its kind in Southwest Arkansas and would provide Hempstead County with a cultural, artistic, and workforce advantage unequaled in the region. He said the conceptual design of the facility will provide for large and small group use configurations, a full production stage, banquet space for 800, and multiple, simultaneous conference/meeting capabilities.
The Hempstead County Quorum Court in December set the March 11 date for the ballot initiative in Hempstead County.
Welch said information concerning the project, including floor plans, architectural renderings, and answers to frequently asked questions can be obtained through UACCH's website at www.uach.edu on the internet.
