The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff secures $2 million to launch PRIDE RISES enrollment initiative

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Officials with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff announced that the school has been awarded $2 million from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to launch PRIDE RISES, a new enrollment and student success initiative.

The capacity-building award is part of $16 million distributed among eight historically Black colleges and universities nationwide.

The funding will support modernized recruitment strategies, centralized advising and expanded services for transfer, adult and nontraditional students, officials said.

Chancellor Anthony Graham said the project will “modernize how UAPB recruits, enrolls, and supports learners of every pathway, including first-time freshmen, transfer, adult and nontraditional, international, and returning students.”

Dr. Moses Goldmon, vice chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Success, said the coordinated approach will “move beyond isolated initiatives to an integrated ecosystem” that supports retention and graduation.

University officials said PRIDE RISES will also include a centralized advising model, a new Office of Transfer and Adult Student Services, expanded recruitment across Arkansas and bordering states, and programs to help returning students complete their degrees.