Survey Research Center Ready to Serve On and Beyond UA Little Rock Campus

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Survey Research Center is launching a new writing group for faculty, among other efforts that demonstrate the center is ready to support a wide variety of stakeholders with any of their needs.

Independent evaluation of federally funded programs on campus is another growing area for the SRC, which can also fill research gaps for faculty while acting as a resource beyond campus, said Dr. David White, director of the SRC. “When people have important questions that require solid answers, I want them to know the SRC is there to give them the support they need.”

The Research and Writing Group will meet at noon on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, beginning Oct. 13, in Ross Hall 404. Open to all faculty interested in publishing in peer-reviewed journals, the group offers opportunities to connect with writing colleagues and helps experienced researchers boost productivity.

“The best part of the writing group is that we can tailor information to meet the group’s needs,” White said. “Depending on where they are in their journey, they may need support developing and refining their ideas, establishing their methodology, conducting their research, analyzing and organizing their findings, or even choosing which journals provide them with the best publication opportunities.” 

“A vital aspect of the SRC’s mission is to provide a collaborative campus hub where we help researchers turn questions and ideas into research that results in publication, presentations, posters, and other scholarly works,” added White. “We have proudly served as Arkansas’s only academic survey research center for more than 40 years, supporting government, nonprofits, the business community, and academic researchers.”

The SRC is a felicitous fit for program evaluation because of its regular work collecting and analyzing data.

“We can work with administrative units and project teams to determine what outcomes need to be measured and develop a data collection and evaluation plan,” White said. “We can develop tools including surveys, interviews, focus groups — as well as provide analysis of existing data — we compile all of an organization’s data into clear, actionable reports that help our partners identify trends and make decisions.” 

The development phase is the best time to incorporate the SRC.

“By integrating evaluation from the beginning, we help researchers design their work around clear, measurable metrics that go beyond simply meeting a reporting requirement,” White noted. “Our goal is to give people the information they need to get things done.”

While some faculty members have grants, etc., allowing them to hire graduate assistants or other support team members, the SRC can be a resource for those who don’t, helping them design projects, seek funding, collect data, and analyze results. Experience, expertise, solid methodology, scientific sampling, and reliable data analysis offer faculty confidence that their work will withstand the rigor of peer review. 

As the state’s only academic survey research center, the SRC can support faculty and administrators throughout the University of Arkansas System’s campuses and across Arkansas; however, the work isn’t limited to higher education institutions, White said. “Arkansas is seeing major investment in areas such as technology, data infrastructure, and mineral extraction; as those industries grow, companies and policymakers will need reliable information about Arkansas’s communities, the workforce, and the effects of that growth.”

“Good decisions depend on good data,” added White. “The SRC can gather that data using research methods that give decision-makers confidence in the results.”

Nonprofits serving Arkansas should consider the SRC, which can help them show what their work is accomplishing, White noted. “Through needs assessments, grant evaluations, and impact studies, we can help them use their data to tell their story and demonstrate the value that makes a strong case for funding.”

The SRC is community-focused and centered, working with organizations like the Venture Center and the Rally Point Nonprofit Center of Excellence.

“Our goal is to provide data that drives decisions and builds opportunities for the people of Arkansas,” White said. Helping people work through research plans and processes “is at the heart of everything we do.” 

The SRC can be reached by email at [email protected], on the web, or in person (Ross Hall, Room 404).