The renovated St. Joseph’s Hospital convent and chapel complex on the campus of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts will be named Helen Selig Hall, in honor of the former Hot Springs mayor and staunch advocate of the school.
The complex, which is undergoing a $5.5 million renovation, will serve as a residential space for students as well as contain offices for mental health staff and a student union. It is scheduled to be completed late this summer, in time for students to move in.
“Several members of our staff took time last summer to explore the earliest days of the school’s history as we began preparations for ASMSA’s 30th anniversary in 2023,” ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice said in a news release.
“No matter the discussion or document, Helen Selig’s name was always in the mix and her advocacy for bringing this idea to fruition. When Helen died earlier this year, we knew there was no better way not only to honor her legacy but also inspire a new generation of emerging female leaders than by naming the building in her memory,” he said.
A resolution to name the renovated complex was approved by the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees on May 26.
Selig, who died in February following a long-term illness, was mayor of Hot Springs from 1994 to 2000. As a prominent and involved community leader even before, in 1992 she lobbied the state to select Hot Springs for the school’s location and eventually helped secure the recently vacated St. Joseph’s Hospital in cooperation with the city and the Garland County community. She and her family continued their support of ASMSA over the years.
As ASMSA enters its fourth decade now, Alderdice noted the importance of keeping Selig’s advocacy and zeal alive.
“While building something new is always a challenge, sustaining an organization of any kind requires continuous advocacy. ASMSA is fortunate to have many advocates both in Hot Springs and throughout the state, and a bright future for the school requires the same kind of zeal each and every day that Helen Selig showed throughout her service as mayor and beyond,” he said. “Helen set the standard for advocacy and is the mark we should all aspire to when it comes to championing the mission of the school.”
Her name, he said, will help to inspire other young women at ASMSA and encourage them to not be afraid of taking on leadership roles.
“True leadership often requires sacrifice, as the ‘right’ decisions are not always the popular ones,” he said. “Helen took on significant political risk in her efforts to secure Hot Springs as the home of ASMSA and to ensure the necessary funding to open the school was in place through a temporary sales tax.”
A full-page ad was placed in The Sentinel-Record after the dedication ceremony with a bold header: “A Promise Kept.”
“It would have been easy to take shortcuts or to make concessions for political expedience, but Helen constantly reminded the community of its promise and planned to see it through. Helen’s willingness to risk short-term political loss to change the lives of thousands of young Arkansans is a tremendous lesson in leadership and taking the long view of our choices,” Alderdice said.
ASMSA has always been at the forefront of ensuring access to advanced programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, he said, and as the school continues to grow and evolve, closing gender gaps in STEM must continue to be a priority.
“A brighter economic future for Arkansas requires elevating young women to leadership roles in the innovation economy,” he said.
When Hot Springs was selected as the school’s home, according to the news release, Selig noted her excitement in being able to give the people of Arkansas the “best possible facility” for the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences.
“Hot Springs is proud of what this school will do for the students who attend and for the communities from which they come. We are proud, on this day, to present to you and the people of Arkansas this outstanding facility to be used for our children, for our state, for the future,” Selig said.
