Arkansas
‘A forward-thinking program’: You can now study to be an influencer at Arkansas Tech University
With social media and influencers dominating the world, it comes as no surprise that Arkansas Tech University in Russellville has introduced a new major focused on digital media and content creation.
The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Content Creation degree was approved in the summer and rolled out this fall at the university, department head for Communication and Journalism, Dr. David Eshelman, told USA TODAY.
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What is the program about?
The program, being offered under the department of Communication and Media Studies, will prepare students to work in the “fast-changing world of media production,” according to its official description.
“It gives students experience with filmmaking, public relations, social media, and communication ethics,” the program description states. “Students will leave with the ability to coordinate and create content for social media efforts – either their own or for employers.”
Dr. Eshelman told Fox5 News that the education landscape is changing to keep up with the technological revolution, and that social media experts are in high demand. This degree helps the university tackle that market more directly.
“I don’t think any of us predicted our entire lives would be contained in our pockets,” Dr. Eshelman shared. “Every company needs social media.”
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Making of the major
The idea for this major was actually born in the theatre department, Director of Theatre and Film Production Professor Frances Roberson told USA TODAY.
“This concept started in the theatre program with the realization that we are educating students to enter a field that they are almost guaranteed to have to leave Arkansas to pursue,” Roberson told USA TODAY. “In reality, performance students in Arkansas are at a disadvantage compared to students in New York or Los Angeles when considering traditional outlets. However, social media allows for an equitable performance space.”
Roberson explained that along with equipping students with performance and filmmaking skills, the department began to teach students social media strategies and business practices to give them a “considerable edge over others”.
“I believe that to be why our program is so unique. We are approaching it from the perspective of the performer/creator,” said Roberson.
A single class called “Social Media Influencing” taught within the theatre program in 2020 garnered a lot of interest among students, so the department began to offer other related classes. And soon enough, those classes blossomed into their own program that offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Certificate of Proficiency in Digital Content Creation, said Roberson.
Unique program
Professor Roberson said that during their research, they did not come across any other program quite like the one they had in mind.
“There are several programs that tackle social media management but none that combine the creative/performance aspect with the business/strategic component,” Roberson shared. “A small town in Arkansas may seem like an unexpected place to yield such a forward-thinking program; however, we found this to be the best way to serve our students.”
According to Roberson, the program generated a lot of positive response and received interest from people of all generations and backgrounds who understand the importance of this skillset.
More than 50 million people identify themselves as “creators,” according to a Forbes article from August 2023, with Goldman Sachs valuing the content creator economy at $250 billion in April 2023. The investment management firm predicts that the content creator economy will reach half a trillion dollars by 2027.
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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
The No. 21 Missouri Tigers enter their final regular season game with the least injury questions than they have had for most other games since the beginning of November.
But, there was a few new additions to the team’s availability report ahead of the Week 14 game against Arkansas. Below is the full availability report for the Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
This post will be updated throughout the week with new availability reports posted Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before the 3:15 p.m. kick off.
Missouri Initial Availability Report:
Note: Missouri players with injuries previously reported to be season-ending are not listed on this post.
• DB Shamar McNeil – OUT
• LS Brett Le Blanc – OUT
• OL Logan Reichert – OUT
• RB Kewan Lacy – QUESTIONABLE
True freshman running back Kewan Lacy took one carry against Mississippi State in Week 13 before exiting the game with injury. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in the week leading up to that game that he would expect Lacy to see more opportunities going forward.
Le Blanc handles punting long snapping duties for Missouri, while Trey Flint takes care of field goals and extra points. Expect Flint to slide in for Le Blanc Saturday.
Arkansas Initial Availability Report:
• DL Nico Dalliver – OUT
• DB Jaylon Braxton – OUT
• K Kyle Ramsey – OUT
• DL Anton Juncaj – DOUBTFUL
• RB Braylen Russel – QUESTIONABLE
• DB Anthony Switzer – QUESTIONABLE
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Arkansas Children’s, a private, non-profit paediatric care organisation, has partnered with Press Ganey to improve paediatric patient experience.
Beginning 1 January 2025, this collaboration is aimed at bolstering the paediatric care organisation’s commitment to improving service and care for patients and their families.
Arkansas Children’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer Jamie Wiggins said: “We believe that every interaction with our patients is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
“By leveraging Press Ganey’s expertise and industry-leading pediatric benchmarks, we will gain valuable insights that will empower our teams to continuously improve and innovate in delivering compassionate care.”
Press Ganey will offer its patient experience and provider star-rating solutions to help Arkansas Children’s monitor feedback and enhance care quality.
The partnership will enable Arkansas Children’s to leverage Press Ganey’s AI-powered text analytics.
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This will help analyse open-ended feedback from online reviews and post-visit surveys, providing an understanding of patient and family perspectives.
The goal is to gain actionable insights that can further improve the patient experience.
Press Ganey provides experience measurement, data analytics and insights to health systems and caters to more than 65% of all freestanding paediatric hospitals.
This partnership will allow Arkansas Children’s to benefit from shared learning and innovation within Press Ganey’s network of institutions.
Press Ganey CEO and chairman Patrick Ryan said: “Families trust Arkansas Children’s to provide the highest quality care for their children.
“This partnership reflects their dedication to listening to families, responding to their needs, and innovating to create a world-class paediatric healthcare experience.”
Arkansas Children’s network includes two paediatric hospitals, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, a research institute, a USDA nutrition centre, and numerous education and outreach programmes.
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PHILLIPS COUNTY, Ark. — A suspect in a Helena-West Helena homicide caused a barricade situation Tuesday as he was being processed in the Phillips County Detention Center.
Authorities said a prisoner who was being processed at the jail was able to get hold of some type of instrument and cause harm to himself.
He barricaded himself in the processing area and pepper spray was used to subdue him.
The prisoner was taken to the local emergency room for treatment. No one else was injured.
Helena-West Helena Police Chief Vincent Bell said he doesn’t know much more about what happened at the jail, but said the inmate is connected to a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon.
The suspect was being held in connection to an incident where a man was shot dead in the doorway of O’Reilly Auto Parts in West Helena.
The shooting was the result of a disagreement that started in front of a motel, and the victim ran to the front of O’Reilly’s where he was fatally shot.
Chief Bell offered no details on a motive or the name of the victim.
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