Monticello is home to the University of Arkansas at Monticello which was established in 1909 by an act of the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas to serve the educational needs of Southeast Arkansas.
Originally called the Fourth District Agricultural School, the University opened its doors September 14, 1910. In 1925, the General Assembly authorized the school's name to be changed to Agricultural and Mechanical College of the Fourth District. It received accreditation as a junior college in 1928. In 1939, the name was changed to Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College and it received accreditation as a four-year institution in 1940.
Arkansas A&M became part of the University of Arkansas system July 1, 1971. The University is governed by the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, which also oversees the operation of institutions in Batesville, DeQueen, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Helena, Hope, Little Rock, Morrilton, and Pine Bluff.
On July 1, 2003, UAM expanded its mission to include vocational and technical education when the UAM College of Technology-Crossett and the UAM College of Technology-McGehee became part of UAM to create a comprehensive system of postsecondary education in Southeast Arkansas.
The Turner Neal Museum of Natural History, located on the picturesque campus of UAM, is home to the Pomeroy Planetarium and offers a wide variety of exhibits, including three collections of big game.The museum is open during the academic year, Monday through Friday, from September through April. We welcome visitors to our museum, however, since the faculty responsible for the Museum also teach full time, there may be short periods during the day when the building is not open. For organized groups, such as school classes, we call 870-460-1016 in advance to schedule a museum visit. We look forward to seeing you and hope you will visit the Museum and Planetarium often.
The UAM Library Special Collections and University Archivesis a great resource for persons interested in learning more aboutthe history of Southeastern Arkansas. For more information about the William F. Droessler Special Collections, please contact the curator at specialcollections@uamont.eduor (870) 460-1581
