Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the state. The university was founded in 1909 and is located atop 1,376 acres (557 hectares) on Crowley's Ridge.
Arkansas State University is classified 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 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 classified 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 as of 2020. 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 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's medical school. The medical school is located on campus in the historic Wilson Hall.
Since the late 2010s, the university has actively expanded degree programs that can be completed entirely online. These online programs have rapidly grown at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the 2019 U.S. News & World Report rankings of online education, the university's online bachelor's programs rose to 114th nationally, a significant improvement from 259th place in the previous year. Its online graduate programs were also ranked 115th in the United States. The university's online MBA program was also ranked within the top 15 nationwide in the U.S. News rankings.
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 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.
Athletics
Arkansas State participates as a member of the NCAA Division I, competing in the Sun Belt Conference. The athletic teams, previously known as the Indians, are now known as the Red Wolves.
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 with a 23–20 victory over then 10-2 Ball State.
Notable alumni
Activism
Arts and Entertainment
Ronald Heard – Professional wrestler known as "Outlaw" Ron Bass
David Nail – Mercury and MCA Nashville recording artist
Miller Williams – poet
Athletics
Education
Larry P. Arnn – president, Hillsdale College
Lonnie D. Bentley – professor and the department head of computer and information technology at Purdue University
Frederick C. Turner, Jr., one of first 3 Black students, first Black faculty member at ASU, Commander of SHAPE
Government
Law
D. Price Marshall – federal judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Military
Robert C. Hinson – U.S. Air Force lieutenant general
George K. Sisler – posthumous Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam War
Health care
Beth Holloway – speech pathologist and motivational speaker, mother of Natalee Holloway
Religious
V. E. Howard, Church of Christ clergyman who started the radio International Gospel Hour, based originally in Texarkana, Texas