Author Archives: Ron Sitton, Ph.D.

BAM Provides More than Art

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by Shawna Whitehurst
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, ARK – The Bradbury Art Museum is working to expand its connection with the Jonesboro community through outreach, partnerships and access to free art.

BAM Education coordinator Paden DeVita said building trust in a largely rural community has been key to the museum’s growth.

“We’ve built a lot of trust with the community. We hope to continue expanding programs while strengthening relationships we already have,” DeVita said.

The museum started as a gallery in 2001 and became a museum in 2007. It serves both Arkansas State University and the surrounding community.

The museum increased its outreach and programming in recent years, including partnering with the fine arts department on campus to showcase art, as well as expanding its reach to other colleges on the university campus. Outreach efforts expanded through summer workshops and partnerships with local organizations such as the Craighead County Public Library, offering programs and activities for students.

Attendees listen to a presentation at An Evening At The Museum, an event hosted by BAM and the Northeast Arkansas Hispanic Professional Network. The event, held April 23, 2026, represented a partnership between BAM and local organizations. Photo Courtesy of BAM Facebook page.

One recent workshop focused on linocut printmaking, a hands-on art form that allows students to carve designs and create prints. Museum photographer and outreach assistant Savannah Sifford said programs like these help introduce different types of art to the community.

“These workshops give people the chance to experience art in a hands-on way,” Sifford said.

Being located on a college campus, the museum draws a mix of students and local residents. Front desk manager and Graphic Designer AnnEllise Jarrett said recent visitors have included students and adults in their 20s and 30s.

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“Recently, many have said they have found the museum through social media and online searches,” Jarrett said.

Even with increased engagement, visibility remains a challenge as the museum is tucked away on the side of the Fowler Center.

“Getting people through the door is one of the biggest challenges. We’re always trying to increase engagement,” DeVita said.

Jarret said having a museum like BAM is important, especially in rural communities, for allowing students and adults the opportunity to engage with art.

The museum plans to continue expanding its programming with additional gallery activities and partnerships aimed at increasing community engagement.

Theater Needs Community Audience

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by Jaden Haly
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. — At Arkansas State University, theater productions like “Leading Ladies” depend greatly on the presence of a live audience, many of whom come from the surrounding Jonesboro community.

(Left) Garrett Veal, Zane Brewer, Zoey Newcomb and Donovan Walters playing Duncan, Leo, Meg and Jack, respectively, in A-State Theater’s production of “Leading Ladies.” Photo courtesy of Arkansas State University

While the Department of Theatre produces the show, students alone cannot complete the experience without a live audience. Performing in front of live audiences night after night gives the students the most authentic acting experience possible.

Assistant stage manager and A-State student Emalee Gillean said the difference is noticeable.

“When audiences are reactive, laughing and engaged, our actors can feed off of that energy and put it into our show. Without a real audience, the feel of the show is very different,” Gillean said.

Because theater is performed live, each audience brings something new to the experience.

“Each audience has their own personality,” Gillean said. “Each day, our audiences are entirely different because of the energy they bring to the performance.”

For students who are involved in the production, that interaction is part of what makes theater different from regular classroom experiences. Director DayDay Robinson said students gain valuable insights through productions like this.

“Students gain real, hands-on experience that you just can’t replicate in a classroom,” Robinson said.

That experience is not only about rehearsals, but also performing in front of others and responding to audience reactions in real time. Gillean said audiences include more than just students.

“We see a wide variety of students, professors, family members and Jonesboro community members in our audiences,” Gillean said.

That mix of audience members shows how productions bring the Jonesboro community onto campus while also giving the students a chance to perform for a wider audience. In addition to performance, visual elements also contribute to the audience’s experience. Costume designer Claire Abernathy said actors bring those elements to life on stage.

“The two actors wear the costumes with such confidence and really embrace the fun, absurd playfulness of the moment,” Abernathy said.

For many students, the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience is one of the most important parts of the process.

“We spend months building a show and creating a special experience. Getting to showcase it is the highlight of the process for many,” Gillean said.

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For performers, that connection between the stage and the audience is what makes live theater special. Donovan Walters, a student actor who performed in the A-State Theater production, “Leading Ladies,” said theater is a communal experience.

“Theater is a shared experience that connects a tie between all the people on stage and everybody in every seat,” Walters said.

For a city like Jonesboro, this connection between community and school is valuable.

The university’s theater program depends on community members to attend performances, while those same community members benefit from access to live theater and creative work produced by the students. Both sides have an important role in the success of the school and the community.

NEARK Helped by Recent Grads

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by Ali Lara
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. — The College of Education & Behavioral Sciences’ interconnection with the Northeast Arkansas community benefits education majors, NEA school districts and Arkansas State University.

Makenzi Davis graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. A-State awarded her the Chancellor’s Scholar at the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences Convocation of Scholars Ceremony.

She was also one of the first students at the college to be accepted into the new Aspiring Teacher Program. The program allows students who make a high enough score on their exam to waive their year of residency and become full-time teachers immediately.

“Before, I was just a college kid who stuck to their inner circle and this really stretched me as a person. It’s made me a lot more connections than what I had before I got here,” Davis said.

Davis now teaches physical education at the Nettleton Intermediate School and serves as the junior high girls’ head basketball coach. She said this position has made her feel a lot closer to the NEA community.

Lacy Baker, the Nettleton School District Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Assessment, has been involved in the district’s hiring process for many years. She said at least half of the Nettleton School District teaching staff working there currently has some sort of certification degree from A-State.

The school district also takes in as many A-State residency placements as possible. For the 2026 fall semester, the district had 27 placement requests and she predicts they’ll be able to take in all of them.

“Anything we can do here at Nettleton to reinforce what A-State is doing there and, of course, keep up our numbers of teachers,” Baker said.

Baker said she’s a big fan of the Aspiring Teacher Program because it’s good for the students. It gives college students early access to teacher benefits and salary. She said A-State graduates come to the workplace very well prepared.

“Arkansas State is doing beautifully by preparing their students. I think it’s such a wonderful opportunity for student that are already ready to go ahead and go on into that third year,” Baker said.

Baker said student-athlete visits, professor presentations and staff meetings are some other ways A-State stays involved in the Nettleton School District.

Valarie Hilson, an assistant professor and program coordinator of Physical Education Teacher Education at A-State, said the Aspiring Teacher Program strengthens collaboration with the NEA school districts.

Faculty from Community Care & Miracle Kids volunteer at the Area Seven Special Olympics Track Meet, held April 10 at Jonesboro High School. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Arkansas Area Seven
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Hilson, who coaches the Special Olympics of Arkansas and serves as the Area Seven training director, has served as a Special Olympics coach for over 20 years. An A-State colleague introduced her to the nonprofit organization. The organization hosts regular sporting events across the state.

Jonesboro High School hosted the last event April 10, which included 565 athletes ranging in ages from 2 to 60 participating. The Nettleton High School track team, local businesses and A-State faculty and students were all involved in the event.

The commitment to helping one another succeed is vital in maintaining the relationship between the education majors, NEA school districts and A-State.

Aggie Market Helps Feed NEARK

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by Levi Collins
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — The Arkansas State University Aggie Market is doing more than selling locally processed meat. The market to many students and community members provides a visible connection between A-State and the larger city.

View of the front of the Arkansas State University Aggie Market. Photo courtesy of Arkansas State University


Part of the College of Agriculture, the Aggie Market serves as both a student learning facility and a public retail space. Students help process, market and sell products while interacting directly with Jonesboro residents during weekly retail hours and community events.

Richard Readnour, meat laboratory manager, said the market’s role extends beyond education by creating direct interaction between students and the Jonesboro community.

“The Aggie Market’s target audience is anyone within the Jonesboro community, or surrounding areas. We seek to build relationships with students, staff, faculty, and strengthen our community ties,” Readnour said.

The Aggie Market first opened in 1971 as the ASU Meat Lab under the leadership of Raymond Hostetler. The meat lab originally focused primarily on teaching and USDA-inspected processing.

In 2021, the College of Agriculture received grant funding from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture that allowed the facility to undergo major renovations. The market reopened in 2023 under the new name A-State Aggie Market as the first state-inspected facility in Arkansas.

The renovation also expanded opportunities for students beyond meat processing. Students can now participate in nearly every step of production, from raising livestock at the university farm to developing and marketing retail products sold to the public. Students working inside the market are often the face of those interactions.

Hannah Johns, a student employee at the Aggie Market, said they provide hands-on learning opportunities and even employment for students.

“We are committed to producing products handmade by students and being engaged with the community,” Johns said.

The market opens weekly to the public, allowing residents to purchase products directly from students working in the facility. Readnour said those face-to-face interactions help students gain experience while also giving customers a better understanding of agriculture and food production.

According to Readnour, the market isn’t a one-time stop.

“We have several repeat customers who come back often to pick up their favorite products. We use this as an opportunity to tell them about the importance of agriculture, and our students who help us through every stage of
production,” Readnour said.

Still, awareness of the Aggie Market itself may not be widespread throughout Jonesboro.

Craig Rickert of the Jonesboro Advertising and Promotion Commission said he was more familiar with the broader Judd Hill Farmers’ Market than the Aggie Market specifically. Rickert said community-centered agriculture events hosted through A-State play an important role in connecting the university with Jonesboro residents.

“The great appeal of the Judd Hill Farmers’ Market is that it brings people to campus,” Rickert said. “Those Saturday morning and Tuesday afternoon trips can be as much about being social as shopping. You can get great local products in a lot of places. But the farmers’ market gives you community on top of that.”

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Rickert said the Aggie Market should be viewed as a community resource and not exclusive to the university.

“When you see the full parking lot, the families, the kids running around snagging a free taste of something, that’s special,” Rickert said. This most definitely strengthens the connection between the city and the university. A-State is the heart of our city.”

While the Aggie Market operates on a relatively small scale compared to other university outreach efforts, it continues to provide one of the few spaces where students and Jonesboro residents regularly interact through a shared local experience.

“We need to drop the sentiment that something is only A-State or only Jonesboro. The city and the university live together hand-in-hand,” Rickert said.

A-State Ties Into NEARK Community

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(left) Arkansas State University Chancellor Todd Shields and Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver shake hands during the 2025 Paint the Town Red block party, held in downtown Jonesboro. Cody Slater, vice president of chamber programs, said the event emphasized the importance of A-State’s connection with the Jonesboro community. Photo courtesy of Allie Carson.

Arkansas State University provides many connections to Northeast Arkansas and the Jonesboro community. Students in the Civic Reporting and Media Writing courses investigated those as the spring 2026 semester ended.

Benjamin McDowell explores student involvement in Jonesboro.

Amelia Young examines the partnership between Arkansas State and Nettleton Junior High School.

Levi Collins inspects associations between A-State Market and the Jonesboro community.

Jaden Haley emphasizes the relationship between A-State theater and the NEARK community.

Ali Lara details affiliations between Northeast Arkansas and A-State’s College of Education & Behavioral Science.

Shawna Whitehurst explains how the Bradbury Art Museum provides more than art to the region.

Special thanks to project editor Jerry Don Burton.

Farm Bureau Concerned Over Tariffs

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Press release courtesy of the American Farm Bureau
photo credit: AFBF Photo, Mike Tomko

The American Farm Bureau sent President Donald Trump a letter Jan. 31 expressing concern that new tariffs levied against Canada, Mexico and China may inadvertently create financial hardships on U.S. farmers and ranchers. Historically, retaliatory actions often target U.S. agriculture but then ripple throughout the U.S. economy. 

“Last year, the U.S. exported over $30 billion in agricultural products to Mexico, $29 billion to Canada and $26 billion to China – our top three markets by value combined for half of total agricultural exports,” the letter states. “Any effort to impose additional tariffs on these nations’ imports runs the risk of significant retaliatory measures against U.S. agricultural exports. We ask that you carefully consider the impact on American farmers and ranchers, associated businesses and rural communities when determining potential trade actions. For decades, American agriculture has strongly supported efforts to open the world to our agricultural and other trade products.” 

The letter also provides broader context about the importance of international markets to U.S. farmers and ranchers, stating, “Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside the borders of the United States and over twenty percent of U.S. farm income is based on agricultural exports. Expanding opportunities for U.S. crop and livestock producers to access international markets will boost farm income in the United States, while preserving existing access is critical to maintaining farm income. U.S. agricultural exports amounted to $174.5 billion in FY2024, and – historically – every $1 of U.S. agricultural exports results in over $2 in additional domestic economic activity.” 

Over 20% of U.S. agricultural products are exported. For many commodities, the percentage is significantly higher. U.S. actions, including implementing tariffs, that ultimately increase costs and drive down prices for farmers and ranchers would be especially difficult at a moment when so many are already facing insolvency.

The letter continues, “We urge your Administration to make certain that any action taken in the near- or long-term with Canada, Mexico and China does not make it more difficult for American farm families to raise a safe and affordable crop on domestic soil.”

Read the full letter here.