The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (UAFS) is a public four-year university. It is one of the largest universities within the University of Arkansas System and the fifth largest in the state as a whole.
UAFS was founded in 1928 as the Fort Smith Junior College. In 2002 it became incorporated into the University of Arkansas. Its student body has grown from just 38 students to 7,000.
There are seven academic divisions at Fort Smith: applied science and technology, business, communication, languages, arts and social sciences, graduate studies, health sciences, science, technology, engineering and mathematics and the school of education.
The university’s 168-acre campus is also an arboretum, with over 1,000 individual trees spanning more than 60 different species. The campus has won awards for landscape and horticulture.
More than 90 student organisations are available at UAFS. They cover a broad range of political, cultural and special interests, as well as fraternities and sororities. Becoming a student ambassador, Spanish club and computer club are just some of the groups available.
The Recreation and Wellness Centre features a 35-foot climbing wall, 15-foot bouldering wall, basketball courts, walking track and fitness equipment. The centre’s Outdoor Adventure Program provides opportunities for students and faculty to get off campus and explore the wilderness in the surrounding area. Previous excursions have included bird watching, hiking and biking.
Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas. It lies on the state border with Oklahoma, at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau Rivers.
