UA Little Rock Alum Brings History to Life at MacArthur Museum
UA Little Rock graduate David Collins is using his passion for history and community engagement to educate Arkansans in his new role as museum program assistant at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.
Collins, who earned a Master of Arts in public history from UA Little Rock in 2019, began the position in spring 2025. In his new role, he helps lead the museum’s educational and public programming, offering everything from student field trips and adult workshops to off-site summer camps and creative, interactive exhibits.
“I enjoy coming up with new programs,” Collins said. “This position allows me to practice that creativity while also helping people better understand the military history of this site and how it connects to the city’s past.”
Collins is excited about learning more about military history and helping others connect with the museum’s mission. He and his colleague travel to local sites to deliver history programs to students three days a week throughout the summer and are responsible for developing exhibits and regular events throughout the year.
A native of Cabot who now lives in North Little Rock, Collins brings a rich blend of educational experience and historical training to the position. After earning his bachelor’s degree in secondary social studies education from the University of Central Arkansas in 2009, he spent several years teaching at charter schools in Maumelle and Jacksonville. As he grew more curious about historical content and interested in working in a museum, Collins earned a master’s degree in history at UCA, before studying public history at UA Little Rock
“My time at UA Little Rock really evened out my experience in the world of history,” he said. “I had done the academic track before, but public history showed me how to bring history to people in tangible, immersive ways.”
Through his coursework and assistantship at the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Collins gained hands-on experience in preservation, interpretation, and community outreach. One class even partnered with the MacArthur Museum to create a traveling exhibit on the role of pinups and paperback books during World War II, a collaboration that Collins believes helped lay the foundation for his current role.
“All of our internships were immersive,” he said. “The professors gave us real projects and the support we needed to succeed. We were a tight-knit group of students, working together on everything from our downtown history project to the traveling exhibit for MacArthur.”
Collins went on to serve as preservation coordinator for the Capitol Zoning District Commission and as public programs manager for Historic Cane Hill, a nonprofit in Northwest Arkansas that preserves one of the state’s earliest settlements. Those roles allowed him to expand his programming skills, gain experience in historic preservation, and connect with new audiences.
Now back in central Arkansas, Collins is focused on creating original, engaging programs that make military history feel relevant and exciting.
“I want to come up with fun ways for the public to interact with our content,” he said. “Within a year, I hope to have several original programs in place and be deeply familiar with the history of the site.”
For Collins, public history is a way to make Arkansas’s rich cultural stories accessible to everyone.
“People don’t always realize how much museum and preservation professionals care about making the city more accessible for every culture,” he said. “I’m glad to be working at a historic and culturally significant site like the MacArthur Museum. This field has been a great experience for me.”