What is the Rust Environmental Study?

The Rust Environmental Study (RES) is a project of the Rust College board of trustees. The purpose is to involve the total Rust College community of trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other interested parties in learning about the environment that surrounds Rust College. Although the ultimate goal is to prepare all stakeholders to participate in a long-range planning process, the RES is not about Rust College. The study focuses on what is happening in the world around Rust: What is the government doing, what are modern planning strategies, what are other HBCUs doing, what does it mean to be church related, what are the implications of education technologies, and similar questions.

Who can participate?

Anyone interested in the future role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities is invited to attend and participate fully in a series of webinars. The webinars are intended to provide background information that will help the Rust College community enter into a long-range planning process in the near future. Sign-up here if you want to receive email announcements about webinars as they are scheduled.

How to participate?

Anyone can follow the instruction below to listen and ask questions during the live webinars. The webinars will be recorded and available to download from this site. Even if the date and time of the webinar do not fit your schedule, you can listen to the webinar. You can also suggest topics and experts for future webinars by completing a form.

View Recorded Webinars

“Board Planning in a Volatile Market: Strategy, Customers, and The Blue Ocean.” with Dr. Darrell Ezell, Member of Rust College board of trustees and higher education consultant.

“United Methodist Related Colleges” with Cynthia Hopson, Director of the Black College Fund for the United Methodist Church.

What is planned?

Due to higher priorities, webinars planned for April have been postponed until later in the year.

David Johns, Former Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Coach “Fitz” Hill, former president of Arkansas Baptist College, “HBCUs and Entrepreneurship”

Dr. William Scott and others, “How do articulation agreements work?”

Dr. Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College and Dr. William Scott on community gardens and student involvement.