New Outdoor Learning Hub Opens for Arkansas Tech Students

Arkansas Tech University is enhancing its hands-on teaching options with a new outdoor program. A generous donation from a former graduate has established a fund to support student trips to Crooked Creek Ranch, a 500-acre site near Yellville.

A Unique Learning Environment

The ranch, adjacent to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center, offers a diverse ecosystem of oak-hickory forests, pastures, and culturally significant areas. This environment provides students from various fields—agriculture, fisheries, wildlife science, geography, history, tourism, and more—the opportunity to study real ecosystems firsthand.

Supporting Student Experiences

The ranch is managed by Tom Dumas, a 1969 alumnus who aims to give back to his alma mater. His $50,000 donation has established the Crooked Creek Ranch LLC Student Experiential Education Fund, which will help cover travel costs for students wishing to study at the ranch.

For more information on supporting the fund, contact the ATU Foundation by phone or email.

Community Event: Jason Aldean Concert

In a separate but equally exciting development, country star Jason Aldean will perform at the University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College (UA-EACC) next month. The concert is part of an 8th-year fundraiser organized by the college and Greenway Equipment, a local farm-machinery dealer.

Supporting Local Food Banks

Tickets for the concert are available online or by phone. Proceeds will benefit three food banks: Northeast Arkansas, Southeast Missouri, and Arkansas. The goal is to assist families struggling with food insecurity, a problem affecting nearly one in five Arkansas households.

The concert aims to bring the community together, with proceeds directly supporting local food banks and the college’s own food pantry. This initiative reflects a broader effort to combat hunger among students and families across the state.