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AGC ARKANSAS CLC RESTORES AGC ARKANSAS' STUDENT CHAPTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS LITTLE ROCK TO MUCH ENTHUSIASM


AGC of America supports more than 170 Student Chapters nationwide. Membership provides young professionals the opportunity to observe and develop their skills with current industry leaders. 
 
AGC Arkansas chartered its first student chapter at the University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR) in 1983. During its 38-year history, the AGC Arkansas student chapter went through exponential growth and was once an award-winning chapter. Just before the pandemic, the UALR chapter began experiencing a lull in interest and activity, completely dissolving by 2021. As part of the reemergence of the AGC Arkansas Construction Leadership Council, officers addressed the history of the UALR student chapter and its impact on workforce development in the construction industry. 
 
Capitalizing the momentum of their own growth, the CLC appointed new AGC Arkansas CLC Member and Research & Development Manager of ACE Glass, Magen Schlesier, as Student Chapter Liason, and Student Chapter Committee Chair. Magen is also currently a Construction Management major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Magen quickly revised the bylaws, recruited faculty advisors, and found officers among her classmates in the UALR Construction Management and Construction Engineering department. They include:
 
Dustin Welch, Civil & Construction Engineering Student, Chapter President
David Mendoza, Civil & Construction Engineering Student, Chapter Vice President
Andrea Vargas, Civil & Construction Engineering Student, Chapter Treasurer
Taylor Carter, Architectural & Construction Engineering Student, Chapter Secretary
Stuart Scheiderer, Faculty Advisor
Larry Blackmon, Faculty Advisor
 
Magen and the newly instated student chapter officers kicked off their first event with a booth at the UALR Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics' Student Organization Fair on August 31. The event proved to be a huge success, and included sign-ups from over 30 CSTEM students -- more sign-ups than any other organization in attendance. The team touted photos from AGC Arkansas' events through the years, of which they had previously participated or volunteered. They also advertised other member benefits such as access to AGC Arkansas scholarships and internships, networking opportunities with industry leaders, as well as getting involved in key legislation efforts on both the local and national levels.
 
The AGC Arkansas Student Chapter plans to hold monthly meetings, including a new-member pizza party with members of the AGC Arkansas CLC in the coming weeks. 
 

Once the UALR AGC Student Chapter gets one year of experience, Magen plans to begin leading the efforts to grow AGC AR Student Chapters across the state saying, "I've already been contacted by Arkansas State University expressing interest, but before we do that, we need to grow our membership and increase resources in Jonesboro so they will have the same quality support from AGC and CLC that UALR has in Central Arkansas."
 
If you're interested in being a member of AGC Arkansas, AGCAR Construction Leadership Council (CLC), or the AGCAR Student Chapter at UALR, please contact Jen Adams at 501-375-4436 or jadams@agcar.net.

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