Before Paul Beran arrived in Fort Smith he was a low level bureaucrat, but nevertheless a bureaucrat.  Since his arrival Beran has hit the mother lode of parasitism and expenditures. Understand that bureaucrats have absolutely no understanding regarding the creation and sustaining of jobs.  What they do know, as is the case with Beran, is the "go to" for funding and the ever expansionist mantra, i.e. spending other people's money with little or no oversight, except for the insiders.

Pols and bureaucrats live in an insular culture of self-serving parasitism, financed by the producers.

 Beran's insatiable global and interstate travel habits, not unlike 3rd District Congressman John Boozman, is in sync and  accompanied by UAFS's explosive expansionist building projects with little emphasis on academics. Observe: UAFS' Truck Driving School...this is a college course?  In that regard, Arkansas taxpayers are subsidizing a commercial driving school at UAFS, and Arkansas State University--Newport. This obviously benefits two of the nation's largest trucking companies. JB Hunt Transport Inc. and ABF Freight Systems Inc.  Forbes.com states JB Hunt had sales of $3.8 billion in 2008. Why should taxpayers subsidize any truck driving school? Truck driving schools are the brainchild of Gov. Mike Beebe. $200,000 went to the Arkansas State school in his hometown.  

Note for example Chancellor Beran's asking for a 6.9% increase in tuition with the disclaimer that it's less than other colleges are charging.  Aside from the fact that we are in a global depression, this man just keeps his snout in the trough.  This coupled with his very recent safari to D.C. seeking $28 million, but as pols and bureaucrats like to bloviate--hey, "it's fed money, doesn't cost us anything". They are partially right, 47% of Americans pay no federal income taxes.

Take note that there's never any reduction in the size of government and expansionist project plans fail to include cost of maintenance, etc.

I never see any emphasis placed on academics or accountability in the teaching fields.

As long as we simpletons sit on our collective butts, Beran and his enablers are going to continue to use the taxpayers as punching bags and enjoy their elitist lifestyle with no accountability to the public who pays their bills.

By the way the Times Record newspaper is paralyzed when it comes to investigative reporting and never any meaningful editorials, just political correctness nonsense and even those editorials are rare birds.

Teaching individuals how to be entrepreneurs or truck drivers and building fancy edifices is not education. No wonder the U.S. is 17th in education globally.

Chancellor Beran is a poster child for the government employee protection racket.

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen