How Does Walton College Contribute to the Flagship and Land-Grant Status of the University of Arkansas?

A flagship university is a public university that is the most well-known and influential in a state.

Land-grant universities are a little different. They were established by the Morrill Act of 1862 to address the effects of industrialization, focusing on teaching agriculture, engineering and military science.

The needs of society have changed, so the role of land-grant universities has changed. Chancellor Joe Steinmetz has made this land-grant status a priority for the University of Arkansas, and so it is a priority of the Walton College.

Here is what is said about it in the University of Arkansas Guiding Priorities:

"The University of Arkansas is unique in that it is both the state's flagship university and a land-grant institution. With this unique status comes a responsibility to engage, collaborate, and provide outreach to the citizens, businesses, governmental and civic entities of the state to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow."

Researcher University

Academic departments in the Walton College are a key contributor to the flagship mission. These departments produce high quality and high volumes of research both in comparison to other universities in Arkansas and to other top public business schools.

We have researchers making discoveries in digital technology innovation, financial capital structures, costs and benefits of Sarbanes-Oxley, economic development, financial networks, use of technology for health and well-being, gamification, and many other topics.

These are a small fraction of the research going on in the Walton College. It makes us the flagship university in Arkansas and one of the leaders in business research in the United States.

Walton College departments also are critical contributors to our land-grant mission through teaching and the impact on the lives of our students in many ways.

Our faculty teaches our students how to manage portfolios and how to design and implement information systems, provides them with a global perspective, mentors them, educates our master's students and doctoral students, and shows them how business can change the world for the better.

That is just a glimpse of the education and teaching occurring in the Walton College.

Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship

We also promote our land-grant mission through outreach and executive education. I asked one of my associate deans, Brent Williams, to ensure we put sufficient emphasis on our land-grant and flagship responsibilities since he heads up outreach and executive education.

Examples of ways the Walton College is advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in Arkansas include the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, the McMillon Innovation Studio, the New Venture Development program and the Blockchain Center of Excellence.

We provide executive education in Northwest Arkansas, Little Rock and beyond. One of our most well-known outreach efforts is through the Center for Business and Economic Research.

Yes, the Walton College is a key contributor to the flagship and land-grant status of the University of Arkansas.