Arkansas Forest Resources Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
* UAM Student Awarded Rising Junior Scholarship
* Star City student hopes to make Farm Loans to help careers
* Farm Bureau Presents check to support agriculture student
MONTICELLO, Arkansas- The “Rising Junior Scholarship” given by the Drew County Farm Bureau Board has been awarded to Ag Business and Finance major Samantha Minton of Star City. The $1000 award is given to an agriculture student at UAM that has shown dramatic improvement in academic achievement, high potential for success, and needs financial assistance. The check was presented Wednesday at the Monticello Farm Bureau office by Drew County Farm Bureau President Kerry Hartness.
According to UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and National Resources professor Paul Francis the board chose Minton because she meets and exceeds all these criteria. She has a strong work ethic. Minton is a former member of the UAM Rodeo Team. Tight finances made staying on the team difficult, said Francis. Francis added, “she now works long hours at Mazzio’s Pizza in Monticello to help defray her college expenses.”
According to Francis, the award was created to help students who might have had a rough academic start with adapting to college life. He says somewhere around their junior year, they catch on and improve their grades. He says he and the Farm Bureau Board thought it would be good to recognize those students. Francis said, “there are lots of scholarships for first-year students and sophomores but fewer for juniors and seniors.”
“We try to identify a student who comes in, and maybe their ACT scores weren’t quite where they needed to be when they started college to qualify for those scholarships. Year after year, they improve their grades, work hard, get better with B’s and A’s, and need financial assistance. This award fills that gap,” said Francis. “We want the potential for student success,” said Francis. He adds, “We want to make sure we give the award to somebody who will get their degree and is employable,” said Francis.
Minton says she hasn’t started a job search yet, but when she does, Minton said, ’I’ll be looking for a job that allows me to make farm loans to ranchers and farmers who want to get their careers started and do a job they love.” Minton added, “I’ll use the $1000 award to buy a new computer to help me with my schoolwork.” Francis, along with retired UAM professor Robert Stark, were instrumental in helping the Arkansas Farm Bureau set up the scholarship.
About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
# # #
