BY SIERRA MURPHY
Arkansas Tech expanded its reach during the Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 19 when it voted to purchase another plot of land on El Paso Avenue.
Another highlight of the board of trustees meeting was tenure approval for several professors that will become effective at the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year.
The property located at 808 N. El Paso Ave., which Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance David Moseley said was purchased for the land and not the building sitting upon the land, was listed for $72,900 and was appraised at $64,000. Tech trustees purchased the land for $65,000.
However, future plans for the Tech owned properties on El Paso Avenue remain unclear.
“We continue to purchase property as it becomes available, and we think it has value for Tech,” Moseley said. “The recent work by the city has made the street more appealing, and we think it will eventually develop into items more than housing in the future.”
The following professors were approved for tenure during the meeting: Dr. Mona Chadwick-Scott, Center for Leadership and Learning; Dr. Erin Clair, Department of English and World Languages; Jamie Earls, Department of Emergency Management; and Dr. Sandra M. Smith, Department of Emergency Management.
The following were promoted to associate professors and granted tenure: Dr. Gabriel L. Adkins, Department of Communication and Journalism; Dr. Alejandra K. Carballo, Department of English and World Languages; Dr. Nicolas del Grazia, Department of Music; Dr. Debra Hunter, Department of Accounting and Economics; Dr. Seung Suk Lee, Department of Parks, Recreation and Hospitality Administration; Dr. Charles A. Mebi, Department of Physical Sciences; and Dr. Hamed Shojaei, Department of Physical Sciences.
Clair, assistant professor of English, said, “Obtaining tenure is a huge accomplishment. It means that you have proven yourself without a doubt in your teaching, your research and your service to the university and the field.”
The Arka Tech 