New Outdoor Learning Hub Opens for Arkansas Tech Students

Arkansas Tech University is expanding its hands‑on teaching options with a fresh outdoor program. A former graduate has donated $50, 000 to create a fund that will help students pay for trips to Crooked Creek Ranch, a 500‑acre site near Yellville. The ranch sits next to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center, offering a mix of oak‑hickory forests, pastures and culturally important areas. Students from agriculture, fisheries, wildlife science, geography, history, tourism and other fields can now study real ecosystems on the ground. The diversity of habitats lets them observe plant and animal life while also exploring historic sites, giving both science and social‑science students practical experience. The ranch is run by Tom Dumas, a 1969 alumnus who wants to give back. His donation set up the Crooked Creek Ranch LLC Student Experiential Education Fund, which will lower travel costs for students who want to study there.

Anyone interested in supporting the fund can contact the ATU Foundation by phone or email for more details. In a separate event, 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. Tickets are available online or by phone, and the event will raise money for three food banks: Northeast Arkansas, Southeast Missouri and Arkansas. The goal is to help families in the area who struggle with food insecurity—a problem that affects nearly one in five Arkansas households. The concert aims to bring the community together, with proceeds going directly to food banks that support both local residents and the college’s own food pantry. This partnership reflects a broader effort to tackle hunger among students and families across the state.

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