UA Little Rock Named Outstanding Education Partner by Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been honored with the 2025 Outstanding Education Partner Award from the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF), recognizing the university’s long-standing commitment to supporting single parents in their pursuit of higher education. The award was presented during A Day of Hope on Oct. 2 at the City Center in Little Rock.
The Outstanding Education Partner Award is presented annually to Arkansas colleges and universities that demonstrate exceptional collaboration with ASPSF to help single parents succeed academically and professionally. UA Little Rock was selected by students, donors, and volunteers from a pool of three finalists for its deep and ongoing partnership with the organization.
“The University of Arkansas at Little Rock stands out as a champion for single parent students in our state,” said Jenn Morehead, CEO of ASPSF. “The university’s understanding of the unique challenges faced by nontraditional students makes it an ideal partner for our mission. We’ve seen firsthand how their collaborative approach helps our scholarship recipients not just survive but thrive academically. Institutions like UA Little Rock prove that when universities truly invest in their students’ success, entire families benefit for generations.”
A Legacy of Support for Single Parents
UA Little Rock has partnered with ASPSF since the 1990s, offering single parents a range of services and resources designed to remove barriers to education. As a metropolitan university, UA Little Rock specializes in serving a diverse, nontraditional student body — a population that closely mirrors the students supported by ASPSF.
On campus, ASPSF recipients benefit from programs such as University Career Services and TRIO Student Support Services and Educational Opportunity Centers, which complement ASPSF’s financial aid, workshops, and mentoring opportunities. The university has also supported ASPSF events as a sponsor and provided mentors for scholarship recipients.
The impact of that support is reflected in the stories of students like Carmen Bradford, a UA Little Rock graduate and ASPSF alumna who credits the program with connecting her to professional mentors.
“He was the first one who showed me I could do this commercially and make a profit,” Bradford said of a photographer she met through the ASPSF-UA Little Rock partnership. Today, Carmen owns a successful marketing and photography business and manages social media for Power 92 Jams and the Broadway Joe Morning Show.
UA Little Rock faculty have also embraced the unique needs of single parents, often allowing students to bring their children to class to avoid childcare costs. This is a great example of the university’s commitment to flexibility and student-centered support.
In 2025, 47 single parents received ASPSF scholarships to attend UA Little Rock, following 59 recipients in 2024. These students represent part of a statewide effort by ASPSF to reduce poverty and create multigenerational change. Since its founding in 1990, ASPSF has awarded more than $50 million in scholarships and provided critical support services to single parents in 69 counties across Arkansas and in Bowie County, Texas.
“We are deeply honored to receive the Outstanding Education Partner Award from the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund,” said Dr. Christina S. Drale, chancellor of UA Little Rock. “Our mission is not only to educate but also to empower students to change the trajectory of their lives and their families’ futures. Single parents bring extraordinary resilience, determination, and leadership to our campus, and we are proud to stand alongside ASPSF in helping them achieve their goals.”