The Donald W. Reynolds Center at Southern Arkansas University was filled to the brim Thursday as the Magnolia Rotary Club hosted Governor Asa Hutchinson as a special guest speaker. The governor praised the local university’s commitment to computer technology and engineering degree majors and its booming student enrollment. He added that the economic future is bright for The Natural State and highlighted record low state unemployment rates. The governor also pointed out the desperate need for an east to west (and vice versa) highway across the southern half of the state.
While in the city, Hutchinson toured SAU’s campus and specifically visited its former National Guard armory building which – due to his help – was recently converted into an engineering classroom facility. While there, students displayed advanced mechanical projects they had designed. The governor also visited Albemarle Corporation’s South Plant, which specializes in bromine-related solutions. SAU and Albemarle are the two largest employers in Columbia County behind Magnolia Public Schools, according to the most recent available economic statistics.