Dr. Mikki Curtis, Dean of Secondary Programs at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT), was named the 2024 Hempstead County Educator of the Year tonight at the annual Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

In her role at UAHT, Dr. Curtis supervises three of the college's most successful and innovative programs: the Hope and Arkansas High Collegiate Academies and the Secondary Career and Technical Education Center. These programs are essential to the success of the college, have increased enrollment at UAHT, and provide educational opportunities to a diverse group of students who may not have otherwise had them.

Many people may not know, but Dr. Curtis began donating her time to help establish the Hope Collegiate Academy for a full two months before starting her new position at the college over five years ago. That dedication shows how strongly she desired to provide this wonderful opportunity for Hope area students. She played an instrumental role in partnering with Hope Public School District to create the academy. Since then, she has spearheaded the establishment of the Arkansas High School Collegiate Academy as well. The collegiate academy provides a diverse group of students with the opportunity to earn their college degrees while still in high school. Most of these students come from low socio-economic statuses and may never have gone to college without this opportunity. The academy is the first program of its kind in the State of Arkansas and something Hempstead County is proud of.

The collegiate academy has certainly brought credit to the College and Hope High School by drawing statewide and national attention to the program. Several other colleges and high schools have visited the academy and worked with Dr. Curtis to model their own programs after the Hope Collegiate Academy. In 2022, the academy was recognized as a top 10 national finalist for the coveted Bellwether Consortium Awards. The program was one of only ten across the county to be nominated in the instructional programs and services category and the only program in Arkansas to be nominated.

Since the inception of the Hope Collegiate Academy in 2018, there have been 52 Hope High School students who graduated with a high school diploma and an associate of arts degree simultaneously through the academy, saving these students hundreds of thousands of dollars and preparing them for a four-year university or the workforce. Because of the collegiate academy, Hope High School had the highest number of students in the state of Arkansas who graduated with an associate of arts degree last year (tied with Greenbrier High School). In fact, the UAHT collegiate academies were responsible for a staggering 22% of all students in Arkansas who graduated high school with an associate of arts degree. This accomplishment has drawn high praise from Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva.

Dr. Curtis’ work with students in Hempstead County schools through the Secondary Career and Technical Education Center has provided numerous students with the opportunity to earn work credentials before graduating high school. These programs offer students the opportunity to graduate high school and enter the workforce immediately with the expertise they need to earn high wages. This puts them on a trajectory to help our economy and improve their quality of life.

In addition, Dr. Curtis is a member and former president of Hope Junior Auxiliary, where she works to raise scholarship money for students in Hempstead County and serves as a member of the Beads, Bags, and Bangles Committee to raise funds for Kids’ College in Hempstead County. Dr. Curtis also serves as the Vice President of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), where she works to ensure college opportunities for high school students.

Dr. Curtis works tirelessly to help students from Hempstead and other counties succeed. Most of the students in these programs come from lower-income families and cannot always afford the necessary supplies. She would never tell anyone, but she has spent hundreds of dollars out of her own pocket to purchase supplies for her students to help give them every advantage to succeed. Many of these students are not used to the rigor of college work when they arrive at the academy, and many do not qualify for on-campus tutoring. In light of that, Dr. Curtis has often used her own personal time to help tutor students herself. She also takes time to advise and simply talk to her students about their future educational plans. She has spent many hours outside of regular work hours helping her students and their parents talk to other colleges about transfer opportunities, helping them fill out college transfer and scholarship applications and the FAFSA. At UAHT, we say we are student-focused. Well, Dr. Curtis is the epitome of that motto with her students. She has cried with her students, shed tears for her students, prayed for her students, and helped them with just about everything you can imagine. She does whatever she possibly can to help them succeed in school and life.

Not only does Dr. Curtis work hard to make her programs as successful as possible to benefit students, but she also volunteers to help in other areas on campus and in the community. Anytime the college needs volunteers for events or the community has a need, she is there to help. Dr. Curtis believes every student deserves a quality education, and she works hard to provide those opportunities. Dr. Curtis’ dedication to students in Hempstead County is unquestionable!

Please join us in congratutulating Dr. Mikki Curtis on her award.