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Published on swtimes.com on February 12, 2020

Arkansas Colleges of Health Education in Fort Smith has signed an affiliation agreement with Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, intended to streamline the admission process for Ouachita’s highest academic performers.

ACHE President Brian Kim on Monday welcomed four Ouachita Baptist University representatives to the ACHE campus for a tour, meeting of key ACHE stakeholders, and the official signing of an Affiliation Agreement. The agreement was signed by Kim and Ouachita Baptist University Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Chief of Staff, Stan Poole, Ph.D.

Ouachita Baptist University is a private, nonprofit undergraduate institution in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Of the university’s 1,500 total students, approximately 26% are interested in science degree programs and 65% are Arkansas residents. These statistics, paired with Ouachita’s commitment to serving others, support the ACHE mission.

Tim Knight, Ph.D, dean of the Patterson School of Natural Sciences stated “We’re excited about the opportunity that the agreement with ACHE will provide for Ouachita students. This will affect a wide range of students seeking to become physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and physician assistants. I’m confident we will send them the brightest and best prepared students in the region.”

The affiliation agreement will streamline the admission process for Ouachita’s highest academic achievers who are interested in pursuing a degree at ACHE. While there is no guarantee of admission, the admission process will be simplified. This agreement is recognized for the ACHE Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Master of Science in Biomedicine, and the developing programs: Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. As additional programs are brought to the ACHE campus, they will have the opportunity to participate in the agreement as well. Both institutions look forward to this mutually beneficial relationship.

“We welcome this relationship with Ouachita Baptist University, and look forward to this mutually beneficial relationship,” stated Kim. “We see this as a win for Arkansas as we continue to educate and train students in Arkansas to help fill the health care void this state is experiencing.”

ACHE is located on 430 acres in Fort Smith with its first college, the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM) welcoming its inaugural class of 150 osteopathic medical students in August 2017. Construction is now complete on the new 66,000-square-foot facility that will be the home to Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physician Assistant degree programs.

ACHE is the first and only private institution in Arkansas that is dedicated solely to healthcare and wellness, a news release states. For more information about the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education and its programs, visit www.achehealth.edu.