The University of Central Arkansas will launch a new program within its Living Learning Communities in fall 2025 designed to serve students with autism and other neurodivergent diagnoses.

Autism Support Center for Executive Functioning and Neurodiversity (ASCEND) will be a program to connect students with one another and with campus resources that can support their successful college experience.

Interested students are encouraged to register their interest by January 31, 2025, to ensure the availability of on-campus housing.

The program will be in the RISE Living Learning Community located in Hughes Hall, in the heart of UCA's campus near the College of Education, the Christian Cafeteria, the UCA Police Department, and the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) building . The RISE Living Learning Community attracts students across a variety of majors with an interest in careers in education and public service.

"Students with autism can already receive necessary accommodations for their academic and residential experience by registering with the UCA Office of Accessibility Resources and Services," said Doris Pierce, director for the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services. " We are excited to see how the ASCEND program will provide neurodivergent students with an opportunity to connect as a community socially."

ASCEND will provide a reduced sensory atmosphere, connections to student success resources, and a dedicated faculty coordinator to facilitate programming focused on the needs of neurodivergent students within a campus residence hall for first-year students. The residential component builds upon existing resources and programming available at UCA, including the student-led Autism and Neurodiversity Alliance and the Autism and Neurodiversity Transition Program housed in the UCA Department of Student Transitions.

"The ASCEND program is another example of the work that the Living Learning Communities are doing in order to make sure that every student at UCA finds a community that meets their needs and that helps to connect them with other students to create a culture of belonging in their first year," said Patricia Smith, Dean of Schedler Honors College and Learning Communities.

Interested students and families can visit https://uca.edu/LLC/ASCEND/ to learn more about the program.