JONESBORO, Ark. – The long-awaited grand opening for the new Barnes & Noble bookstore was held in Jonesboro on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jonesboro has been without the chain bookstore for four years, ever since the former Barnes & Noble in the Turtle Creek Mall was destroyed by a tornado in March 2020.
In 2020, Barnes & Noble announced that it wouldn’t be returning anytime soon to Jonesboro because of the unfavorable economic climate. Store business was destroyed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company stated that they would search for alternative locations when “normal retail conditions return.”
A few small locally owned bookstores such as Verb Bookstore in Jonesboro, Weber’s Book House in Paragould, and Eclectic Geekery in Walnut Ridge popped up during Barnes & Noble absence. While many people missed Barnes & Noble with its large selection and variety, Northeast Arkansas didn’t suffer a lack for literature.
Haag Brown Commercial stated in January 2023 that Barnes & Noble was slated to return soon. They had closed a deal on the former Pier 1 building. Originally, the opening was planned for November 2023. However, due to delays in construction, it was pushed back until February.
Hundreds of customers packed the store during the grand opening. The new venue possess many of the features of big box stores are known for including signature coffee shops such as Starbucks.
Ella McMasters, 13, Barnes & Noble patron
Thirteen-year-old Ella McMasters, a book lover who used to shop at the Barnes & Noble in the Turtle Creek Mall, was enthusiastic about the bookstore opening again. When the bookstore wasn’t around, she would go to the library for books.
“I’m super excited because there’s some books here that wouldn’t normally be at the library…” McMasters said.
“I’m super excited because there’s some books here that wouldn’t normally be at the library…”
Ella McMaster, Barnes & Noble shopper
Another shopper, Solicia Little, was there with her son Jordan Wilson. She said they had missed Barnes & Noble and had been waiting for a while for its return. When it was gone, they mainly shopped at Target for their books.
Solicia Little (right) and Jordan Wilson (left), patrons
“We’ve been waiting, we’d drive by every so often and kind of peep. When I saw all the cars today, I was like, Yes, they’re open, we’ve got to go!” Little said.
Linda Vinson, a frequent patron of the former Barnes & Noble before it closed, also missed the bookstore. She shopped at Target for her books as well after Barnes & Noble closed. She also went to the Barnes & Noble in Little Rock sometimes.
“That’s why everybody’s here today,” Vinson said. “We all missed it. A college town without a bookstore, I mean, what’s up with that?”
Chris Bolick, the store manager, has worked with Barnes & Noble for six years. According to him, the process of getting the store ready was a year in the making and took about three weeks after the store was ready to prepare it for opening.
“Once COVID passed, they had always wanted to come back to this community ever since the tornado, so when the opportunity came up, Barnes and Noble jumped on it,” Bolick said.
Avery Jonesis a junior in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu
JONESBORO, Ark. – Faculty Senate met with Chancellor Todd Shields, Ph.D., and other faculty to discuss the deletion of the bachelor of science in multimedia journalism (MMJ) degree and how to prevent similar situations in the future.
“I will not be here and not have a journalism program,” Shields said.
Todd Shields, Arkansas State University Chancellor
“I will not be here and not have a journalism program,” Shields said.
Todd Shields, Arkansas State University Chancellor
The Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) decided to discontinue the MMJ program at an April 28 meeting. Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication Brad Rawlins, Ph.D., sent an email to students informing them about the decision Oct. 24.
Gary Edwards, Ph.D., associate professor of history, prepared a document regarding the circumstances of the discontinuation of the MMJ program to be reviewed during the meeting last Friday.
“We failed multimedia journalism,” Edwards said.
Gary Edwards, Ph.D, Associate Professor of History
“We failed multimedia journalism,” Edwards said.
Gary Edwards, Ph.D, Associate Professor of History
Those in attendance discussed what led to the end of the MMJ program, including ADHE policy, communication issues, internal strife between MMJ and creative media production (CMP) faculty and curriculum issues.
ADHE POLICY
According to Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board (AHECB) policy, a bachelor’s degree program must have an average of six graduates per year for three years to meet viability standards. Otherwise, the program will be cut. Only 4.3 MMJ students graduated during the review period.
Shields said he prepared to defend the MMJ program to the AHECB, but the board would not hear arguments.
“I went ‘What the hell was that?’ That had never happened since I’ve been doing that since 1994,” Shields said.
COMMUNICATION ISSUES
In addition to declining numbers, Rawlins, who formerly served as the director of the School of Media and Journalism, said the MMJ department was not properly informed about the possible cut of the program. He said if the department had been made aware, they would have addressed the issue much quicker and more vigorously.
“I’ve done a deep search with all my emails and talked to people, it’s just not there,” Rawlins said.
Brad Rawlins, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
“I’ve done a deep search with all my emails and talked to people, it’s just not there,” Rawlins said.
Brad Rawlins, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
Shields said he does not know why the department was not notified. He said communication should be improved, but each department should monitor its own enrollment and address issues before the ADHE notifies them.
“ADHE is no longer the one we talk to,” Shields said. “They’re the ones that dictate to us.”
INTERNAL STRIFE
Calvin White, Ph.D, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
The chancellor and provost, Calvin White, Ph.D., met with MMJ and CMP faculty July 13 and proposed the two programs combine to keep journalism at A-State. Shields said he hoped the programs would be revised over the fall semester.
“That did not happen. In fact, I was told ‘We’re not working together,’” Shields said,
After that meeting, Mary Jackson-Pitts, Ph.D., program coordinator of CMP, sent an email to Gina Hogue, Ph.D., interim director of the School of Media and Journalism saying, “We are not willing to reimagine or launch a new journalism curriculum with the existing MMJ faculty. We have a proposal to establish a broadcast journalism emphasis under the creative media production program.”
“We are not willing to reimagine or launch a new journalism curriculum with the existing MMJ faculty. We have a proposal to establish a broadcast journalism emphasis under the creative media production program.”
Mary Jackson-Pitts, Creative Media Program Coordinator
The cause of the issues between the departments was not discussed at the senate meeting.
“I don’t know the history,” Shields said. “I don’t necessarily want to relive all that, whatever it is. I kind of don’t care. It’s ‘Do you want to work together and have jobs or do you not?’ Do you pull together for the benefit of the students and the campus, or do you not?”
Shields said he still hopes the MMJ and CMP faculty will work things out and revise the programs to be combined.
“It surprises me, in fact almost maybe hurts me in a way that is hard to describe. That’s not the A-State that I’ve seen anyplace else,” Shields said. “If people are being uncollegial to the point of hurting students in the program, that has to be dealt with.”
Shields said if the MMJ and CMP programs cannot work together, he will consider removing the program from faculty control and giving control to someone with experience in revising programs.
CURRICULUM ISSUES
Pitts, a professor of creative media production, formerly taught journalism for 27 years. She said she finds issues with the current curriculum MMJ teaches.
She said the curriculum focuses on writing, but students need to learn other skills such as coding, web design and audio and video production.
“To prepare that student to only work in print journalism is not fair,” Pitts said. “It is imperative that we look to what happens in the future for journalism and the best way to prepare them. It is not just about writing, it is about all the ways that you guys consume news now and how you will consume it in the next few years.”
According to the MMJ description on the A-State website, the program prepares students to work in broadcast, digital, print and photojournalism.
“Through hands-on instruction, practical workplace experience and conceptual coursework, students learn how to create and distribute content for print, radio, television, digital, interactive, social and mobile media,” the description read.
Sandra Combs, associate professor of multimedia journalism and adviser to The Herald, said in the meeting she does not expect any reconciliation between the departments.
“The four of us in MMJ have been working since summer of 2023 to come up with a minor for MMJ, to come up with core curriculum ideas for MMJ. Aside from that, we are met with opposition that has been in writing from those who do not support journalism because it’s not creative,” Combs said.
Sandra Combs, Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism
“The four of us in MMJ have been working since summer of 2023 to come up with a minor for MMJ, to come up with core curriculum ideas for MMJ. Aside from that, we are met with opposition that has been in writing from those who do not support journalism because it’s not creative,”
Sandra Combs, Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism
The CMP program coordinator said journalists should have skills in audio and video production to succeed in the industry today. She said the current MMJ curriculum does not meet these standards.
Lillie Fears, Ph.D, Professor of Multimedia Journalism & Multimedia Journalism Program Coordinator
Lillie Fears, Ph.D., MMJ program coordinator, said she thinks the MMJ curriculum provides students with multimedia skills, especially in classes such as multimedia reporting and digital media production.
She said the MMJ program previously taught broadcast journalism but has not offered any courses since the previous instructor, Larz Roberts, left A-State.
Roberts left after the 2021/2022 academic year to teach at the University of Mississippi, with the position unfilled since his departure.
“The year that Larz Roberts left, I was in a position to hire an adjunct faculty that teaches in those broadcast journalism areas. I went to every journalism class and tried to recruit students to register for those classes and the enrollment was so low that I could not justify hiring an adjunct faculty member to teach those classes,” Rawlins said.
Rawlins said he is unsure if the position will be filled in the future, due to uncertainty with the curriculum.
“It would be a position that would teach both in creative media production and in journalism. But in order to make that position work, it needed to have a curriculum that matched the needs of that particular position”
EFFECTS ON OTHER PROGRAMS
William McLean, Ph.D, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & Associate Professor of Political Science
William McLean, senior vice provost for academic affairs, said emphasizing how good a program is for the community does not work when defending low viability programs to the AHECB. He said the AHECB is not interested in why a program cannot reach viability standards, they only look at the numbers.
Pitts said the Faculty Senate should ask for transparency from the administration regarding program viability and specific data required to stay viable.
“If we are not, as faculty, supplied with the exact number that is being submitted to somewhere at ADHE related to graduation numbers, then everybody will be surprised when it happens to any of your programs,” Pitts said.
Pitts said there are inconsistencies regarding the data available to her and the data used to determine program viability.
Faculty Senate president Ed Salo said communication was lost somewhere along the way. He said he wanted faculty to write a resolution to ensure “the ball doesn’t get dropped again.”
Associate professor of chemistry John Hershberger, associate professor of English Khem Aryal and Edwards volunteered to write the resolution that will be presented at the next Faculty Senate meeting, Feb. 16.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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NOTE: Feature image shows a timeline of the MMJ program deletion process at A-State. (Graphic by Caroline Averitt | The Herald Life Editor)
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Jonesboro City Council passed a resolution for data tracking on Tuesday that may concern citizens.
The resolution entered a contract with Placer Labs Inc. for data compiling software to provide vital information for grant writing efforts.
The data will be valuable for community development, advertising and promotion in the city. The contract will begin in February 2024 and terminate in February 2025.
Dr. Anthony Coleman, councilman for Ward 6, Position 1, wanted clarity on citizens having their phones tracked without their consent.
Dr. Charles Coleman Ward 2, Position 1
“This software potentially gathers information from our citizens to know where they are and their location. Is this a violation of the rights of a citizen to know where they are and what they are doing? I’d like someone to address the questioning regarding the concern to have a person’s phone tracked without their consent,” Coleman said.
“This software potentially gathers information from our citizens to know where they are and their location. Is this a violation of the rights of a citizen to know where they are and what they are doing? I’d like someone to address the questioning regarding the concern to have a person’s phone tracked without their consent,”
Turns out, the software does not track personal data. Placer Labs Inc. cannot gather any personal information. The company uses third party apps on mobile devices that have been given permission to utilize.
The contract is $20,000 annually for five users that is 12 months long and renewable.
City Attorney Carol Duncan responded to a city chamber’s concern of the data and tracking within the city.
“If you’re on Facebook, you’ve agreed to let them collect your data. They already track you and everywhere you go. All this does is collect the data. It won’t tell me it’s you, but it’ll say you went to the park. We can use that data to say look at all of the people who came to the park and we should deserve this grant,” Duncan said.
“…All this does is collect the data. It won’t tell me it’s you, but it’ll say you went to the park. We can use that data to say look at all of the people who came to the park and we should deserve this grant,” Duncan said.
The zoning ordinance provides changes in zoning boundaries from residential and commercial to commercial for property located at 915 Southwest Drive as requested by G.S. Brant Perkins.
Chris Gibson, councilman for Ward 3, Position 2, shared his concerns on the rezoning for the property.
“Safety is a big concern of mine. That is the worst area in Jonesboro in terms of traffic control, as we all know. I don’t know where my head is on this one, but that’s my biggest concern,” Gibson said.
“Safety is a big concern of mine. That is the worst area in Jonesboro in terms of traffic control, as we all know. I don’t know where my head is on this one, but that’s my biggest concern,”
According to the Jonesboro Police Department, 53 motor vehicle accidents off 915 Southwest Drive occurred in 2023. Even though the accident total was provided, the council approved of the ordinance.
The council approved four ordinances for permits as well. A microbrewery restaurant private club permit for Defending Advancement Inc. and Lebowski’s Inc. will be located at 1514 Southern Ridge Blvd.
The Arts Annex, Inc. will relocate to 330 S. Main, as well as 1812 Pizza Company with no location set yet. The council also approved Southern BBQ Hilltop for a private club permit.
Four resolutions for properties located at 315 Welch, 405/411 McDaniel, 812 Creath and 1025/1029 Hope from Redbird Investments LLC were passed with only one discussion from the council regarding the purpose of attaining the properties.
Redbird Investments LLC will be used as inventory. If anyone in the area is interested in developing, the company will look into it.
The Jonesboro City Council will meet again February 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Brayden Morse is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.
Delta Digital News Service 