University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Launches New AI and Data Analytics Center

The HBCU's new initiative aims to integrate AI and data analytics across academics, research, and operations.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 5:40pm

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A bold, colorful silkscreen-style illustration of a laptop computer repeated in a grid pattern, representing the integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics into the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's curriculum and operations.UAPB's new AI and data analytics center aims to integrate emerging technologies across the university's academic, research, and operational initiatives.Pine Bluff Today

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has launched the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (CAIDA), a new university-wide initiative to integrate AI and data analytics across the HBCU's academic, research, and institutional operations. Through this effort, scholars will work to incorporate these emerging technologies into curricula and expand AI literacy training for students, faculty, and staff.

Why it matters

As HBCUs work to enhance their research capabilities and prepare students for data-driven careers, this new AI and analytics center positions UAPB to be at the forefront of integrating these critical skills across its academic programs and operations.

The details

CAIDA will focus on a variety of projects that use AI and data analytics to improve the university's operations, including developing an AI governance model, strengthening student recruitment and enrollment, increasing donor and alumni engagement, and modernizing institutional data infrastructure.

  • The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff launched CAIDA in April 2026.

The players

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

A historically Black college and university (HBCU) located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Anthony Graham

Chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Trina Fletcher

Founding executive director of CAIDA and vice chancellor of research and innovation at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

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What they’re saying

“This Center is a strategic shift in how we prepare students, across disciplines, to lead in a data-driven economy. 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.”

— Anthony Graham, Chancellor, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

“As we advance toward Research 2 status, we are strengthening the systems that drive research, innovation, and institutional impact. 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.”

— Trina Fletcher, Founding Executive Director, CAIDA

What’s next

CAIDA plans to begin integrating AI and data analytics into the university's curricula and expanding literacy training for the campus community in the fall 2026 semester.

The takeaway

By launching this new AI and data analytics center, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is positioning itself as a leader among HBCUs in preparing students for data-driven careers and leveraging emerging technologies to enhance its academic, research, and institutional operations.