Maria Markham

Ken Warden

Arkansas governor names new state higher education leader

BY: - May 1, 2023

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Monday that she’d selected Ken Warden to serve as the Arkansas Division of Higher Education Commissioner.  Warden is the associate vice chancellor for Compliance and Legislative Affairs at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, where he’s worked for nine years. He served as the dean of the College […]

Reps. Brian Evans, DeAnn Vaught and Les Warren

House committee prepares to hear governor’s education bill next week

BY: - February 21, 2023

Chairman Brian Evans (R-Cabot) has tentatively scheduled a special order of business for the House Education Committee’s Feb. 28 meeting to discuss the LEARNS Act.  Lawmakers filed Senate Bill 294, the governor’s sweeping education bill, on Monday. During Tuesday’s committee meeting, Evans said the timing will depend on the Senate’s actions, but he wanted to […]

Arkansas Division of Higher Education Director Maria Markham sits behind a desk and speaks into a microphone

Official recommends lottery scholarship add more support for low-income students

BY: - December 14, 2022

Legislators considered proposals to add a needs-based component to a lottery-funded scholarship program and create an appeals process for students during the Arkansas Legislative Council’s Lottery Oversight subcommittee meeting Wednesday. Maria Markham, director of the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, said that creating a sliding scale for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program would allow […]