History
Southern Arkansas University (SAU Tech) was created on April 5, 1967, as Southwest Technical Institute by Act 534 of the General Assembly of Arkansas. The purpose of the institute was to provide a technically trained workforce for the growing Highland Industrial Park where it was located. Seventy acres of land and six buildings were donated by the Brown Foundation of Houston, Texas, which had purchased the Schumacher Naval Ammunition Depot for use as Highland Industrial Park. Financing for renovation and equipping the facility was made possible by a grant from the United States Economic Development Administration. The State Board of Education operated the school until 1975 when, by an Act of the Arkansas Legislature, Southwest Technical Institute became Southern Arkansas University Tech, under the governance of the Board of Trustees of Southern Arkansas University (SAU). With this change, SAU Tech came under the jurisdiction of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to grant the Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees as well as the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree.
Today, SAU Tech is a two-year comprehensive college specializing in technical training and offers the first two years of a university transfer program. In addition to offering traditional classroom courses, SAU Tech offers a number of Internet courses. SAU Tech has a large enrollment in its high school dual credit program. SAU Tech also operates the Arkansas Environmental Training Academy (AETA); the Arkansas Fire Training Academy (AFTA); the SAU Tech Adult Education Programs for Calhoun, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas and Ouachita Counties; and the SAU Tech Career Academy.