UAPB launches AI and Data Center
UAPB launches AI and Data Center
https://www.pbcommercial.com/news/2026/apr/02/uapb-launches-ai-and-data-center/
Publish Date: 2026-04-02 01:15:00
Source Domain: www.pbcommercial.com
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The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has launched the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (CAIDA), a university-wide initiative to integrate artificial intelligence and data analytics across academics, research, and institutional operations while accelerating economic opportunity across the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.
Approved by the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees, CAIDA strengthens UAPB’s capacity to produce career-ready graduates, expand workforce pathways, and deliver data-informed solutions to communities under-resourced in the deployment of emerging technologies. The Center will equip students across all majors and faculty and staff across all divisions and academic units to improve student success, enhance institutional performance, and increase research competitiveness, according to a news release.
“This center is a strategic shift in how we prepare students, across disciplines, to lead in a data-driven economy,” UAPB Chancellor Anthony Graham, Ph.D., said. “Every UAPB graduate will leave here with the ability to apply artificial intelligence and data analytics to real-world challenges, positioning them for careers that command both relevance and long-term economic mobility.”
Trina Fletcher, Ph.D., vice chancellor of research and innovation, is the founding executive director of CAIDA.
“As we advance toward Research 2 status, we are strengthening the systems that drive research, innovation, and institutional impact,” said Fletcher. “Artificial intelligence and data analytics are central to that work, shaping how we conduct research, inform decisions, and prepare students to apply these tools in ways that deliver measurable outcomes.”
The establishment of CAIDA has been instrumental in positioning the university for selection into a nationally-recognized artificial intelligence training…
