The Arkansas Tech University Board of Directors approved the sale of two ATU-owned properties on North Arkansas Avenue in Russellville during its regular meeting in the Chambers Cafeteria West dining room on Thursday, August 15.

Pursuant to the terms of the approved agenda items, the properties at 1111 N. Arkansas Ave. and 1019 N. Arkansas Ave. will be listed and offered for sale through a real estate broker.

The property at 1111 N. Arkansas Avenue includes a two-story building that was partially renovated in 2016 to provide laboratory space for ATU’s academic program in game and interactive media design.

Suzanne McCall, ATU’s interim vice president for administration and finance, reported that ATU’s art department has been informed that the building may be sold and that contingency plans are being developed to ensure continued delivery of the game and interactive media design program. Additional lab space is already available for the program in Room 214 of Norman Hall.

The property at 1019 N. Arkansas Ave. was formerly home to a food distribution for members of the ATU community. The distribution was discontinued in 2020.

In other business, the ATU Board of Directors approved on Thursday, August 15:

*a private placement of US$10,093,217 with Regions Bank to finance the heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure projects and elevator replacement and renovation approved by the ATU Board of Trustees during its meeting on December 14, 2023;

*a motion to authorize the ATU President, after reviewing and calculating the submitted requests for proposals, to sign contracts for health, dental and vision insurance for ATU faculty and staff in 2025;

*an annual certification of persons who perform and/or authorize all necessary and proper banking transactions for ATU;

*Changes to the ATU Lecturer and Adjunct Lecturer Handbooks for 2024–25, including an update to the schedule for nominating retired lecturers for emeritus status and an update to the ATU Code of Academic Integrity with respect to generative artificial intelligence;

*a layoff policy developed by the ATU Faculty Senate and the ATU administration that creates a policy in the event that faculty positions are ever eliminated at the institution due to the closure or reduction of academic programs;

* a notification letter declaring ATU’s intent to offer a fully online option for the Master of Science in Higher Education and Student Affairs degree;

*Introduce a fee of $40 per credit hour for transferring institutional assessments of prior learning;

*Updates to the 2024–25 ATU Student Handbook, including revisions to procedures and sanctions for violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and revisions to policies and procedures related to equal opportunity, harassment (sexual misconduct), and antidiscrimination to ensure ATU’s ongoing compliance with the Title IX regulations adopted in 2020;

*and the ATU Board of Trustees meeting calendar for the next 12 months, including meetings on October 24, 2024, December 19, 2024, February 20, 2025, April 17, 2025, June 19, 2025 and August 21, 2025.

In personnel matters, the ATU Board of Trustees has approved the hiring of the following full-time employees:

*Erin Callahan, visiting assistant professor of accounting, for the 2024–25 academic year; Justin Cook, skilled trades foreman, effective July 1, 2024; Eli Cranor, writer and visiting assistant professor of English, for the 2024–25 academic year; Amanda Dunn, visiting assistant professor of biology, for the 2024–25 academic year; Paul S. Edwards, vice president for administration and finance, effective October 1, 2024; Cole Gray, landscape gardener, effective June 7, 2024; Joanne Heffley, student support services advisor, for the 2024–25 fiscal year; Lauren Hightower, visiting assistant professor of nursing, for the 2024–25 academic year; Kailey Hilderbrand, assistant softball coach, effective August 2, 2024; Christopher Hubbard, handyman, effective June 6, 2024; Caleb Hull, maintenance assistant, effective July 1, 2024; Mark Kessler, webmaster and digital strategist, effective July 8, 2024; Anson Lindsey, assistant volleyball coach, effective July 15, 2024; Aleshia Maxwell, certified nursing instructor at ATU-Ozark Campus, effective August 14, 2024; Fredrick Mears, maintenance assistant, effective July 1, 2024; Charles Metz, visiting assistant professor of agriculture, for the 2024–25 academic year; Hunter Newsom, assistant farm manager, for the 2024–25 fiscal year; Scott Pullen, visiting assistant professor of construction technology career education at Arkansas Tech Career Center (ATCC), effective August 16, 2024; Edward Sherrill, ATCC heating, ventilation and air conditioning career education instructor, effective August 5, 2024; Lowell Stephens, men’s and women’s golf head coach, effective July 1, 2024; Mario Varela-Pecina, ATU-Ozark Campus student recruitment coordinator, effective July 10, 2024; Sophie Ward, financial analyst, effective July 17, 2024; and Blake Williamson, general maintenance worker, effective July 1, 2024.

The following ATU employees were relocated from institutional services assistant to general maintenance worker effective July 1, 2024: Beatriz Avila, Courtney Barns, Amber Bendrick, Elida Brown, Lilyann Copeland, Andrea Donner, Cindy Ford, Mozell Ford, Tiffany Ford, Bonnie Freeman, Jeana Freeman, Anthony Gamarro, Jolene Geeo, Glen Gramstad, Amanda Shelly Handley, Craig Heard, Ashley Hull, Paula Hull, Randy Leggett, Dylan McCurrie, Lori Metz, Crystal Morrison, Lisa Nufer, Isaac Owens, Rebecca Reynolds, Peggy Shoop, Brittany Stewart, William Stone, Julianna Tomczak, Roger Trusty, and Bennie Washington.

The Trustees approved these additional changes in the allocation:

*Joceline Argueta, from financial aid analyst to assistant dean for multicultural student services, effective August 1, 2024; Marcia Brown, from administrative assistant III to senior assistant to the vice president for student affairs, effective August 1, 2024; Lance Byrum, from campus support representative to desktop support specialist, effective July 1, 2024; Joshua Carey, from energy manager to assistant director of facilities management for maintenance and operations, effective July 1, 2024; Robert Condley, from construction manager to assistant director of facilities management for construction management, effective July 1, 2024; Stacey Cox, from housekeeping coordinator to general maintenance director, effective July 1, 2024; Dr. Michael Davis, from associate professor of geology to head of ATU’s Department of Biological and Earth Sciences and associate professor of geology, effective August 1, 2024; Christopher Ross Duncan – from occupational safety coordinator to safety officer, effective July 1, 2024; Julie Ennis – from campus maintenance manager to director of campus janitorial services, effective July 1, 2024; Micah Fenton – from carpenter to plumber, effective July 1, 2024; Austin Norman – from computer support specialist to systems analyst, effective July 1, 2024; Tommy Jennen – from equipment mechanic to carpenter, effective July 1, 2024; Edward Marin – from maintenance assistant to general maintenance worker, effective July 1, 2024; Cody Neal – from student housing maintenance coordinator to student housing service and maintenance manager, effective July 1, 2024; Kacy Reed – from director of institutional services to general maintenance worker, effective July 1, 2024; Jaime Sowers – from public safety officer to public safety supervisor, effective August 1, 2024; Rosendo Trapala – from public safety officer to disability services coordinator, effective July 1, 2024; and Zach Turney – from general maintenance worker to residential plumbing skilled tradesman, effective August 1, 2024.

The Board of Directors accepted the resignations of the following ATU employees:

*Debbie Blalock, ATCC Financial Aid Analyst, effective August 16, 2024; George Brooks, Admissions Officer, effective July 18, 2024; Caliese Cain, ATCC-Danville Health Sciences Technology Faculty, effective June 20, 2024; Dr. Shahedur Chowdhury, Assistant Professor of Finance, effective July 18, 2024; Abbygayle Cook, Area Coordinator, effective July 31, 2024; Bryan Cook, Area Coordinator, effective July 19, 2024; Dr. Sarah Gordon, Dean of the ATU Graduate College and Professor of Educational Leadership, effective July 8, 2024; Stacie Harden, Director of Scholarship Administration, effective July 23, 2024; Sarah Hickman, student support services advisor, effective July 30, 2024; Addie Jensen, assistant softball coach, effective June 18, 2024; Cory Kendall, ATCC construction technology faculty, effective June 7, 2024; Hailey Kendrick, student support services advisor, effective July 31, 2024; Tomas Metz, institutional services assistant, effective May 31, 2024; Ma De La Luz Montelongo, ATU-Ozark adult education industry training specialist, effective July 5, 2024; Dr. Scott O’Neil, assistant professor of English, effective July 8, 2024; Lauren Pipkin, Upward Bound target school liaison, effective July 31, 2024; Dr. Seyedeh Sanjari, assistant professor of mathematics, effective July 19, 2024; Haley Thomas, research associate, effective August 9, 2024; Angela Westbrook, assistant director of human resources, effective July 18, 2024; Tonya Willis, assistant director of institutional services, effective May 31, 2024; and Dr. Matthew Wilson, associate professor of agriculture, effective July 16, 2024.

The Trustees have approved the request of Ken Teutsch, multimedia coordinator in ATU’s Division of Academic Affairs, to retire effective July 31, 2024.