History of the
School
About 1937,
Arkansas Congressman W.F. Norrell and Mr. Marvin Bankston, President
of Arkansas A&M College met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
During this meeting FDR reportedly remarked "Before I die . . . I
want to convert the worn out hill farms of Arkansas into crops of
the fastest growing and most profitable pine forests in the nation."
About that same time, Mr. L.K. Pomeroy was appointed to the Board of
Control at Arkansas A&M with the specific purpose of helping
establish a School of Forestry. With this encouragement and two
years of VA funding, President Bankston looked for the right man to
establish a forestry program. Mr. Henry H. "Hank" Chamberlin, a
graduate of Yale University, was contacted in 1944 about starting a
forestry program in Arkansas. In 1945 Mr. Chamberlin decided to
leave his position at Louisiana State University to start a 2-yr.
forestry program at Arkansas A&M, but said he would stay only one
year.
At the time Mr. Chamberlin arrived, the college catalog boasted that
"Arkansas A&M has so reduced the cost to students that the
institution is recognized as one which provides maximum service at
minimum expense." These expenses included a $1 matriculation fee,
$90-$100/semester for meals, $6-6.50/month for a dorm room, and no
tuition for Arkansans. Mr. Chamberlin arrived at Arkansas A&M eager
to build a 2-yr forestry program, but found virtually no resources
for supporting the program. So, he worked with what he had. In Mr.
Chamberlin's case this meant drawing upon his personal qualities to
make the unlikely become a reality. He was a hard worker, pursued
excellence, had a sense of urgency, was tenacious, and blended these
qualities with a sense of humor. But perhaps most of all, he liked
students, wanted to teach students, and he wanted his students to
succeed.
Everyone recognized it would be tough to establish a forestry
program. There was no classroom space, no budget, and no equipment.
When Mr. Chamberlin arrived he received space on the 3rd floor of
what is now the Memorial Classroom Building and began the program
with 3 majors. By September enrollment was 8 and by the end of the
first semester the number had increased to 57 and continued to rise.
Budgets remained a problem, with faculty paying out of their pockets
for various items like paper for exams and postage for
correspondence. For equipment, Mr. Chamberlin met with Mr. Pomeroy
and justified each item with the courses it would be used in, how
many students would use it, and why it was essential. There wasn't
money for extras but all the basics were covered. Students were
mostly WW II veterans on the GI Bill. Demands for graduates were
high, thus, it is no surprise that by 1948 the reputation of the
program was spreading and the first out-of-state students were
admitted.
With the encouragement of students and the support of industry, the
program was expanded from the 2-yr curriculum to a 4-yr program in
1950. Space remained a problem. In 1957 the program moved into a new
building with paneling and equipment provided by forest industry.
Faculty increased from 3 to 7 and student enrollment was 110, making
the forestry major second only to the business major in student
numbers.
Arkansas A&M became the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM)
when it joined the University of Arkansas System in 1971.
Consequently, in 1973 research became a part of the School's
mission, and in 1975 faculty members conducting research were placed
on joint appointments with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment
Station. In 1976, the School began its affiliation with the
Cooperative Extension Service and in 1981 the wildlife management
major was added to the program. The UAM forestry program was first
accredited by the Society of American Foresters in 1984. In 1987,
the research wing of the Forest Resources Building was opened, and
soon thereafter the Arkansas Forest Resources Center was established
in an effort to enhance research and extension programs. With
the growth of the School and the Center, graduate education became
part of the program’s mission with the addition of a Master of
Science in Forest Resources in 1998. In 2000, the spatial
information systems major and the two-year land surveying technology
program were added.
The man that said he would stay but 1 year stayed a bit longer. Mr.
Chamberlin arrived as a "pioneer" and retired a "classic" 35 years
and 5 presidents later. He served as Professor and Head until 1972
and continued to teach until 1980. During this time, Mr. Chamberlin
taught every forestry student, nearly 600 in all. At his retirement,
Dr. Blackmon stated, "Frequently students do not realize until years
later that a particular professor has made a significant
contribution to his or her educational experience. Not so with Hank
Chamberlin. His students recognize his special qualities from their
very first contact and soon learned to respect him as a teacher and
as a human being." In 1995 the Henry H. Chamberlin Forest Resources
Complex was dedicated to commemorate Hank's accomplishments and
contributions to the forestry profession and the UAM Forest
Resources Program.
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