- 4/2/2025
Speaking at Ouachita Baptist University, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) discussed her priorities and policies.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Well, welcome to this dialogue with Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, also a 2004
00:07Washtenaw graduate.
00:08We have some people joining us by live stream, and I want to welcome you.
00:11We're in the Frank Hickenbotham School of Business.
00:1410 a.m. is one of the busiest times on campus, Governor, a lot of classes going on here,
00:20but we have four classes that have made this their class session today from the Departments
00:26of Business, Communications, Political Science, and History.
00:29And I want to say a thank you to Drs. Horton, Root, Reed, and Hauser and students for participating.
00:36We also have students representing the Washtenaw Student Foundation, the Student Senate, and
00:41the Social Club, the women of EEE.
00:43As a Washtenaw student, Governor Sanders was president of the Student Senate and a member
00:47of EEE.
00:48And then we have colleagues from the Administrative Council, Dean's Council, faculty, staff from
00:52across campus.
00:53And before we begin, I want to say thanks to Dr. Kelton Henley, colleagues across campus,
00:59your staff for helping organize today.
01:02This class period ends at 10.50 today, and of course, we want students to be on time
01:06to the next class, Governor.
01:08And you have a busy schedule, and we're all kind of watching, we're watching the weather
01:12for our campus, but if you're the governor of the state of Arkansas today, you're also
01:14watching the weather for the state, so we're mindful of that as well.
01:20So the students from these courses submitted 30 questions.
01:26I'm not sure we're going to get to all of them, but there was a lot of overlap, and
01:30so I'm going to draw from them, because class has to be on time, Governor, we're just going
01:35to jump right in if that's okay.
01:36Yes, sir.
01:37This may actually be the first time I've ever been on time for class at Washtenaw, so I'm
01:38pretty excited.
01:39As I'm looking out, I see a few of my former professors, which would probably validate
01:40that.
01:41I would say I usually come here just a couple minutes late, but...
01:55Well, we can't go back and change your file at this point in time, so you have complete
01:58amnesty at this point in time.
02:00So welcome back, Governor Sanders, to Washtenaw.
02:04What memories came back as you just drove on campus, what memories maybe came rushing
02:08back as you stepped back onto campus today?
02:10Well, first, I want to say what an honor it is to be back on campus, and thank you, Dr.
02:19Reed.
02:20It's certainly great to see Keldon Henley and, again, several of my professors.
02:21I would like to say I'm pretty sure every professor that I have that's in the room,
02:22I got an A in their class.
02:23And so Dr. Reed is giving me a quizzical look like he's not 100% positive about that, but
02:24we can double check the record.
02:25But it's great to be back on campus, and this is such a special place for me, not just as
02:26a student, but this is also where my dad graduated from, and so it's a special place for me
02:27to be.
02:28It's a special place for me to be.
02:29It's a special place for me to be.
02:30It's a special place for me to be.
02:31It's a special place for me to be.
02:32It's a special place for me to be.
02:33It's a special place for me to be.
02:34It's a special place for me to be.
02:56It's a special place for me to be.
02:57It's a special place for me to be.
02:58It's a special place for me to be.
02:59It's a special place for me to be.
03:00It's a special place for me to be.
03:01It's a special place for me to be.
03:02It's a special place for me to be.
03:03It's a special place for me to be.
03:04It's a special place for me to be.
03:05It's a special place for me to be.
03:06It's a special place for me to be.
03:07It's a special place for me to be.
03:08It's a special place for me to be.
03:09It's a special place for me to be.
03:10It's a special place for me to be.
03:11It's a special place for me to be.
03:12It's a special place for me to be.
03:13It's a special place for me to be.
03:15It's a special place for me to be.
03:16It's a special place for me to be.
03:17It's a special place for me to be.
03:18It's a special place for me to be.
03:19It's a special place for me to be.
03:20It's a special place for me to be.
03:21It's a special place for me to be.
03:22It's a special place for me to be.
03:23It's a special place for me to be.
03:24It's a special place for me to be.
03:25It's a special place for me to be.
03:26It's a special place for me to be.
03:27It's a special place for me to be.
03:28It's a special place for me to be.
03:29It's a special place for me to be.
03:30It's a special place for me to be.
03:31It's a special place for me to be.
03:32It's a special place for me to be.
03:33It's a special place for me to be.
03:34It's a special place for me to be.
03:35It's a special place for me to be.
03:36It's a special place for me to be.
03:37It's a special place for me to be.
03:38It's a special place for me to be.
03:39It's a special place for me to be.
03:40It's a special place for me to be.
03:41It's a special place for me to be.
03:42It's a special place for me to be.
03:43It's a special place for me to be.
03:44It's a special place for me to be.
03:45It's a special place for me to be.
03:46It's a special place for me to be.
03:47It's a special place for me to be.
03:48It's a special place for me to be.
03:49It's a special place for me to be.
03:50It's a special place for me to be.
03:51And so all of the memories, the good, the bad, the ugly, are all tied back to the amazing
04:12that I am closest to in life.
04:13One of my best friends and roommates from college became my sister-in-law, and one of
04:14my very close friends from my time here at Washtenaw wrote down with me today, just so
04:15we could catch up along the way.
04:16I think one of the best things about this place is that people, obviously, are coming
04:17here for the academic experience, but it's also a very spiritual place.
04:18And you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
04:19place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
04:20to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
04:21come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
04:23you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
04:24and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
04:25place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
04:26to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
04:27come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
04:28you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
04:29and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
04:30place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
04:31to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
04:32come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
04:53you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
04:55and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
04:56place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
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04:59you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
05:00and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
05:01place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
05:02to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
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05:05you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
05:06and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
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05:08to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
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05:10you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
05:11and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
05:12place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
05:13to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
05:14come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
05:25you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
05:37and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
05:56place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
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05:59you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
06:00and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
06:01place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
06:02to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
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06:04you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
06:05and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
06:06place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
06:07to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
06:08come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
06:09you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
06:10and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
06:11place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
06:12to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
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06:24you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
06:36and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
06:45place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
06:57to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
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07:13you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
07:21and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
07:28place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
07:35to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
07:42come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
07:49you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
07:55and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
08:02place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
08:08to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
08:14come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
08:19you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
08:24and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
08:29place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
08:34to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
08:39come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
08:44you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place,
08:49and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this
08:54place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come
08:59to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may
09:04come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and
09:08you may come to this place, and you may come to this place, and you may come to this place."
09:12And I had that experience that I did, and certainly don't think I would have had quite
09:17as productive of an academic time period over the next four years.
09:22Well, maybe that's an encouragement to students as well, and I certainly hear alumni share
09:27those kind of stories.
09:28Let's shift gears.
09:30Here's two or three questions around this subject.
09:34So, education has been the biggest priority
09:38that I've had since coming in as governor.
09:40I've made no secret that if I have one legacy
09:44in terms of policy accomplishments when I'm finished,
09:48what I hope is that people will look back
09:50and say that I was the education governor.
09:53We spent a lot of time in the first and early months
09:57of me taking office on K through 12 education.
10:00You have to have a good foundation.
10:02We want to see the only successful in higher ed.
10:05So, we spent more than two years,
10:07even before I got elected, working on,
10:10crafting, researching a piece of legislation
10:13called Arkansas Learns, which really transformed
10:17the way that we look at education
10:18in the K through 12 space here in Arkansas.
10:21But we didn't want to stop there.
10:22We wanted to build on the success
10:24that we'd had through that.
10:26Ken Wharton, who's here today, is part of my team
10:30and helps run the division of higher education
10:33for the state.
10:34So, if you have any problems
10:36or you think something's not going right, it's his fault.
10:39If it's anything you like, I did that.
10:41That's my job.
10:43Ken, where are you, Ken?
10:44I'm right here, Ken.
10:46Okay, all right.
10:46All the time is Ken, but in all seriousness,
10:51we worked really hard this session
10:54to build, like I said, on that success
10:56and worked on legislation called Arkansas Access,
11:00which the goal and the concept
11:03is to open up a lot more pathways.
11:06Obviously, each one of you are sitting here
11:09at a great university.
11:11We want every student in the state
11:14to have access and opportunity.
11:16And that's gonna look different for everybody.
11:18It may not be a four-year university like Washtenaw.
11:22It could be a trade or a vocational
11:25or a certification right out of high school.
11:28Everybody's educational journey
11:30is gonna look a little different.
11:31I'm a mom, I have three kids,
11:33and even at my own house,
11:35I can already tell that each one of my kids
11:38is going to need and have a very different path.
11:41And so, we wanna make sure that every single student
11:45has the opportunity to find success,
11:47and we want them to do that here in our state.
11:49So, opening up a lot more pathways
11:52has been the biggest goal of Access,
11:55making that more affordable,
11:56providing more scholarships,
11:59helping students graduate with more certification,
12:02and pushing them, again, to be their best.
12:05So often, I feel like instead of raising the bar
12:10and helping people meet those expectations,
12:12we lower it so that everybody wins.
12:15That's not a success story.
12:16If we're lowering the bar
12:18and not pushing people to be their very best
12:20and pushing them to excel,
12:22to me, that's not a win.
12:23That's a watered-down victory,
12:26and that's not what we want for our students.
12:28And so, that is the goal and what we really expect
12:32will be the result of Arkansas Access here in the state.
12:35And last year, you did the Arkansas Challenge Plus,
12:38and so we have some students here
12:39who got more from Arkansas their first year
12:42because of the Arkansas Challenge Plus,
12:43that instead of 1,000, they got more than that.
12:45And then, in this legislation,
12:47it will help incoming freshmen in the future.
12:49That grant goes up from 1,000 to $2,000 a year.
12:53And then, we've seen the state invest
12:55in our nursing program and our cybersecurity program,
12:57so we're grateful for that.
12:59Maybe extending that a little bit,
13:00another question was,
13:01what's an area where you think the state
13:04can lead the country by example in legislation?
13:07I don't know if here,
13:08if you want to talk about cell phones or not,
13:10or there are other areas that you've championed,
13:12but I know that's been one of them,
13:13certainly for K through 12, but not for college.
13:15Not for college, I'm a little more comfortable
13:18in my seventh grade daughter is not sitting
13:20on the front row rolling her eyes at me,
13:23which is usually the case.
13:24Anytime I talk about the cell phone policy,
13:27I think there's a lot of places
13:28Arkansas has the ability to lead.
13:30In fact, the reason I ran for governor
13:32is because, frankly, I was frustrated
13:35with seeing Arkansas at the bottom in so many places,
13:39because I feel confident and know
13:41that Arkansas has the ability to lead nationally,
13:45but I didn't want to settle for being at the bottom.
13:47And I think education is certainly one of the places
13:50where we're leading, we're changing things.
13:53Our business environment, there are a lot of places
13:55like that, but on the cell phone policy,
13:58one of the things that we have seen taking place,
14:00not just in our country, but frankly across the globe,
14:05is a massive increase in our anxiety,
14:08depression, suicide rates, particularly among young people,
14:12particularly among our teens, a lot of that driven
14:16by completely unbettered access to social media.
14:21It's one of the things that I think, frankly,
14:23we have failed an entire generation on,
14:26is that we put phones and total open access in their hands
14:30without any guardrails, without any understanding
14:33of what we were really doing.
14:34Now we're seeing the impacts of that mistake,
14:38and we have the opportunity to course correct.
14:41It will be a very difficult challenge
14:44because people love their phones,
14:47and it's not that I think that they're bad
14:51or that social media is a terrible thing.
14:52I think it can be a great resource when used properly
14:57and when it is not the only access you have
15:00to the outside world, but we have created
15:03an entire generation that is almost completely dependent
15:06on technology, where we're losing a lot
15:10of the person-to-person communication skills,
15:14and we're further, in all of the ways
15:17of trying to connect people and work,
15:19we're further isolating more and more people
15:22by having them sit on a device at all times.
15:25So this past session, we actually pushed forward
15:30legislation that will ban cell phones,
15:32bell-to-bell, K through 12, so that doesn't impact you,
15:36which is why I feel really comfortable talking about it
15:39when you've all graduated from high school.
15:41But I do think it has been not just a decline
15:45on our mental health, but we've seen a huge decline
15:48in student productivity because of the distraction
15:51of cell phones.
15:52I've now had the opportunity, after we implemented
15:55this program in several schools over the course
15:59of the last year, we've been tracking the data
16:03and the research and seen tremendous results,
16:05a 51% reduction in violent and physical aggression
16:11at schools that have gone phone-free.
16:13We've seen a massive increase in productivity
16:16and test scores in schools that have gone phone-free.
16:19And a lot less behavioral and drug problems
16:23in schools that have gone phone-free.
16:25The vast majority, in fact, have seen significant changes.
16:30So these are the types of things I think Arkansas
16:34is leading on.
16:35We've seen other states start to follow,
16:37and something I'm very proud of, not just as a governor,
16:41but certainly as a parent, because I know this will have
16:43a big impact on an entire generation of students
16:47and young people, and I think it's something
16:49where we'll see the impact for many years to come.
16:52I think it's interesting that this is not a red
16:54or blue state initiative that you're seeing states across,
16:56and Arkansas has been a leader.
16:58Since you referenced your children, you and First Gentleman
17:01and Brian Sanders are the parents of three young children.
17:05Several questions around what's it like to be a mom
17:07and a governor, and how do you handle juggling
17:11all those responsibilities?
17:13Well, sometimes not very well, but I have found
17:18in the course of the last several years in having jobs
17:23that are very demanding and require a lot of my time
17:28that I'm never going to win when it comes to quantity.
17:31I know that I will not be the mom that goes
17:35to the most school events, the most class parties.
17:38I will likely never be elected PTA president,
17:41and so if I'm not gonna win on the quantity game,
17:44I have to really win on the quality side,
17:47and so the biggest thing I do is try to be very intentional
17:51about my time with my family.
17:53My office likes to joke that they can tell
17:57that my kids are still awake and that there's a clear line
18:00when the Sanders kids have gone to bed
18:02because I'll go dark for a brief period of time
18:06in the evenings from about seven to 8.30.
18:10I'm not usually responding to a lot of text and email,
18:13and then all of a sudden there'll be rapid fire responses
18:15coming back in because I've gotten my kids to bed
18:18and have a chance to just start to work again,
18:22and so I've really tried to lean into the quality time,
18:27and so when I'm with them, putting my phone aside
18:30and making things really intentional.
18:32My dad was very good at this.
18:36He served as our state's governor for almost 11 years,
18:39and one of the things that I cherish,
18:42and now my husband is actually doing with our kids
18:45every Wednesday morning until I graduated from high school,
18:48I went to breakfast with my dad,
18:50and so this was dedicated, protected time
18:53that was one-on-one, and it was something
18:56I really looked forward to, and so did he,
18:59and now I try to find those moments
19:02where I can have one-on-one time with my kids.
19:05They each like to do different things,
19:07and so my boys are really into sports.
19:11That doesn't always look as pretty as I would like it to,
19:14that one-on-one time.
19:15Used to, I could beat them in one-on-one basketball,
19:18and now my 11-year-old is smoking me on a regular basis,
19:22and so that's also a very humbling moment,
19:26but things like that that allow me to spend time with them
19:29doing stuff they really love is important,
19:32and one of the things we try to really put into practice
19:34at our house.
19:36Your dad likes Waffle House.
19:38The Waffle House is a place we like to go here.
19:40Are you a Waffle House fan or not?
19:42I'm a huge Waffle House fan, and I think any college student
19:46should love Waffle House because they're open 24 hours,
19:49and it's pretty cheap, and it's pretty consistent.
19:52I won't speak to any health code violations
19:54that they may or may not have.
19:56You probably don't want to know about that.
19:58There used to also be, right off of the exit,
20:04there was the 24-hour truck stop,
20:07and so I don't think that's still,
20:10is that 24 hours now?
20:12There was a diner that had great pancakes in the back
20:14that you could go to at 2 or 3 in the morning.
20:16I wasn't there at that time, but I had friends
20:19that afternoon would go in there at those hours.
20:22I was obviously studying for Dr. Reed's class,
20:25so I would not have been able to do that.
20:27Or Dr. Brennan's class, or editing a paper
20:31from Dr. Downs or something like that, probably so.
20:34Huge Waffle House students.
20:37That question was not posed by students,
20:40but I thought that might be.
20:42That was a personal question.
20:43It was, it was.
20:45There were questions around Christian faith,
20:47and so you talked about how that was important
20:49to you as a student.
20:51How's it influenced you, your governor,
20:54your someone with a national profile?
20:56Talk about, we talk about loving God and loving learning,
20:59integrating faith with life and learning.
21:01How do you go about doing that as governor,
21:03as a parent, juggling in the public eye all the time?
21:08What's that look like?
21:10Well, I think everybody else whose faith
21:13is really authentic, it's a challenge,
21:16but it is also the most important thing
21:18that I have in my life, and frankly,
21:21in two and a half years at the White House,
21:23it's probably and hopefully the hardest,
21:27most difficult job I will ever have.
21:30Very different than the one I have now,
21:32both with their own set of challenges,
21:34but without it, I certainly wouldn't have survived
21:36that time period.
21:38You are under intense pressure, intense criticism,
21:43and if you're looking to the world to validate you
21:46and to define you, you will always be disappointed.
21:50And so knowing that I have a creator
21:54and a God who had given my life meaning and purpose
21:59is frankly what empowered me to do the job that I did,
22:03because I wasn't looking for, in that moment,
22:06the press briefing room or anybody else
22:09to give my life meaning.
22:12I had that from a much bigger place.
22:14And so even on the worst days, you could get through it.
22:17There were some pretty tough days.
22:19And now as governor, I'm not looking for even the voters
22:23to validate me.
22:24I certainly want them to support me,
22:26and I hope that I do a good job
22:29with the responsibility that I've been given,
22:32that they've empowered and given me the privilege
22:33to carry out, but that's not the validation
22:37that I need to know whether or not I've been successful.
22:40I know that I have lived a life that is worth living
22:44if I have a God at the end that says,
22:45well done, good and faithful servant.
22:48And that is what you're looking for.
22:50That doesn't always come easy.
22:52It is a grind, it is a challenge,
22:54and many days I miss the mark.
22:56And so, but because it's often,
22:59you're constantly searching, you're constantly striving,
23:02and the entire goal and real purpose of it
23:05is that you can't do it on your own.
23:07And for somebody like me,
23:10I like to be able to do things myself.
23:14I don't like to be dependent necessarily
23:16on other people or other things.
23:19And I think that is one of the biggest challenges
23:22and struggles that I have,
23:24but also one of the greatest gifts that God has given us
23:27is to know that you don't have to.
23:28And so, it is really such a core part,
23:33not just of who I am,
23:34but of frankly how I get through each day.
23:37I will never forget and distinctly remember
23:40probably one of the most,
23:42some of the most difficult professional days
23:45that I have had, and I'm very, very hopeful
23:48that we don't have one later today and tomorrow,
23:51is in dealing with disaster.
23:53We have had some pretty intense natural disasters
23:58here in our state over the course of the last
24:01two and a half years since taking office.
24:04Just in the first few months of being governor,
24:07our state was hit by really bad tornadoes.
24:10Arkadelphia is no stranger to tornadoes.
24:13We experienced a couple while I was a student here
24:16that were pretty intense and brought about mass destruction.
24:21But seeing people in their most vulnerable moment
24:24and knowing that you can share your faith
24:26and give them a little bit of hope,
24:28even in those darkest days, has made a big difference,
24:31not just in how I govern, but how I serve.
24:35And without that, I think it would be infinitely harder
24:39to do the job that I do every day.
24:41So, not just grateful, but frankly wholly dependent
24:45on my ability to continue to search
24:47and strive for my faith.
24:50I'm going to look at my phone
24:51just to see what time it is, okay?
24:54He's probably posting a tweet right now.
24:57You guys let me know.
24:58Well, and I know enough about you
24:59that you've stayed connected with the church
25:01and people connected with the church
25:03that you and your husband have.
25:06There were questions on, you're the first woman governor
25:09in the history of Arkansas, and there were two
25:12or three questions about what advice do you have
25:14for women as they think about their future,
25:16profession, marriage, family, juggling, all that.
25:20Any insight or advice 20 years later?
25:24I'll give the best advice I can.
25:26Like I said, every day is a learning experience,
25:32and I'm proud of the fact that I'm the first woman
25:35to serve as our state's governor,
25:37but I didn't run because I wanted to be
25:40the first woman to serve,
25:42but because I wanted Arkansas to be first.
25:45And I don't want people to support me
25:47and vote for me because I'm a woman,
25:50but because they think I'm the best that there is.
25:52And I think that is a good message for women.
25:55Don't use that as a crutch, use it as an empowerment,
25:59but don't let that be the thing
26:01and the only thing that really defines you.
26:03I think, too, one of the biggest challenges,
26:06certainly, that most women have, particularly moms,
26:10which doesn't speak to this group as much,
26:13but we try to do everything on our own.
26:15Don't be afraid to ask for help
26:17and know that God created you to have a partner
26:22in life and in what you're doing,
26:24and so don't be afraid to lean on other people.
26:28I am so grateful that I have an amazing support system
26:32in my husband, in my family, in my friends,
26:35and without that, the challenges in front of me
26:38would be infinitely more difficult.
26:40And so not feeling the need to take everything
26:43on my own shoulders, I think you can do that as a student.
26:46Don't be afraid, look around where you are.
26:49There are amazing people all across the Washtenaw campus,
26:52whether it's your friends or your professors,
26:55people that want to encourage you,
26:57they want to build you up, let them.
26:59Don't be afraid to lean on the people around you
27:02that God purposely put in your life for that reason.
27:06Thank you, there were several questions
27:08about economic development.
27:09I noted last week that Arkansas led the country
27:12in gross domestic product in the fourth quarter,
27:15a higher rate of growth in this state in the fourth quarter
27:18than any state in the country.
27:21What are you doing, what's happening in Arkansas
27:23that's helping us develop that way?
27:25And there are people from rural areas ask
27:26how Northwest Arkansas is booming, other parts aren't.
27:29So talk a little bit about what you're doing,
27:31and we have an economics class that is in here as well.
27:34What are you doing to champion Arkansas?
27:37I'm really proud of the numbers
27:39and the way our state is succeeding right now,
27:42and frankly, leading on the national stage.
27:44This is our second quarter in a row
27:47to be number one in economic growth,
27:51and that is a really big deal
27:52for a small state like Arkansas.
27:54I think the things that we're focusing on
27:56in that our priority list,
27:59we're not trying to be all things to all people,
28:01but we've identified where do we have the right to win,
28:04where can Arkansas be first,
28:07and let's really lean into those spaces,
28:09and how do we create a better environment
28:11for those business sectors to be able to really succeed?
28:15Education, I've talked about a good bit already,
28:18so I won't bore you too much with that,
28:20but you're not going to recruit new business
28:23or get a company to expand in our state
28:26if we can't provide the workforce,
28:28and that was one of the biggest questions we had
28:31for six months, the year in office
28:34when we were asking companies
28:35to either expand here in our state
28:37or bring new business in,
28:39was can you provide the skilled, qualified workforce we need,
28:43and at that point, the answer honestly was no, we couldn't,
28:46but we're building that,
28:47and they see that we've made that a priority
28:49and that we're working really closely
28:52with our city, our county, and our state governments,
28:55as well as with the business sector
28:58to help build that workforce.
29:01That partnership has made a big difference,
29:03and it's, I think, been one of the big things
29:05that has set us apart
29:06with bringing new business into the state,
29:09but also creating a good business environment.
29:12We've cut taxes three times in the last two and a half years,
29:15putting more money back in people's pockets.
29:17We've done that on both the personal and the corporate side.
29:21By allowing companies and individuals
29:23to invest more of their money where they see fit,
29:26we're seeing a good return on our investment.
29:29We're seeing that that makes a business
29:33want to relocate more,
29:34especially when our competitors, like Texas and Tennessee,
29:38who sit on either side of us, have zero income tax at all.
29:41Now we are more competitive in that space,
29:44and it's been a huge thing for us to be able to recruit
29:48and grow business that exists here in the state.
29:50Getting rid of regulation, just making things easier.
29:54Government's job is not meant to complicate business.
29:58Our job is to facilitate and, frankly,
30:00make it easier for them to operate.
30:02So getting regulations and barriers and red tape
30:05out of the way and making it easier for a business
30:08to do what they do best.
30:10I can't tell a manufacturing company or a retail company
30:14or hospitality how to run their business
30:17better than they can.
30:18What I can do is make it easier for them to operate.
30:21And so that's one of the types of things
30:23that we've really focused on and spent a lot of time on,
30:26and we're seeing great success in that.
30:28Not only has Arkansas led the country
30:31the last two quarters in economic growth,
30:34we're also the number one state in the country
30:36that people are moving to.
30:38And a lot of people do not realize just the massive amount
30:43of inbound migration that is taking place.
30:46People are fleeing the coast, and they're looking
30:48for a place that they can call home,
30:51and more people than anywhere else in the country
30:54have done that here in Arkansas over the last year.
30:57And maybe for students, a couple sectors
30:59you may not be aware of,
31:00because we're in Southwest Arkansas.
31:02Talk about what's going on with steel
31:03in the northeast corner, but not too far from here
31:06in Camden is the military manufacturing.
31:10So maybe just highlight briefly a couple industries
31:12we may not be thinking about sitting here,
31:14but that are important to our state.
31:16Sure, so as I was saying, one of the things
31:19that we identified was where do we have the right to win,
31:23and where can we be first?
31:24The steel industry was one of those places,
31:27northeast Arkansas, for any of you from up there,
31:30I'm sure know, but that is a huge and growing industry.
31:33There is a massive demand for American-made steel,
31:37and that's only growing, and Arkansas now is home
31:41to the number one steel-producing county
31:43anywhere in the country.
31:44It's not Pennsylvania, it's not Ohio,
31:46it's not West Virginia, it's Arkansas.
31:49And that is a huge, huge anchor industry
31:52that we're able to build a lot on top of,
31:55and so we're seeing a tremendous amount of growth
31:57in northeast Arkansas because of the steel industry.
32:01Camden, Arkansas, and the southern part of our state
32:06have some of the biggest names that you will find
32:08anywhere in aerospace and defense.
32:10That's now our number one export industry,
32:13is aerospace and defense.
32:15In fact, if you're paying attention to a lot of things
32:17that are happening around the world right now,
32:20there's a pretty good amount of unrest and chaos
32:24in certainly different parts of the world.
32:27In the Ukraine and Russia war, the vast majority,
32:30about 90% of the rockets that are being shot
32:33from Ukraine into Russia are being made
32:36and manufactured primarily in Camden, Arkansas.
32:39Most people don't know that.
32:40They don't realize a lot of the things
32:44that are being made and produced here in the state.
32:47Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Rafael Raytheon
32:52are all companies that have a big presence
32:54in south Arkansas.
32:56There's a thing called the Iron Dome
32:59that protects the country of Israel,
33:02and it's a missile defense system,
33:05and America has contracted to create their own version
33:10of the Iron Dome, and that is actually being made
33:12and manufactured primarily in south Arkansas.
33:15It's called Sky Hunter, and it is a very sophisticated,
33:19one-of-a-kind program, and so those are some
33:23of the types of things that we're doing
33:25and making here in the state, and a great success story
33:28that's only continuing to grow.
33:30I think every area of Arkansas has its own kind
33:33of unique thing that they have the ability to be first in,
33:38and so we're really trying to identify what that is
33:41and help build that workforce,
33:42help expand those opportunities,
33:45and give every part of Arkansas a big success story
33:48so it's not just northwest Arkansas,
33:50but all of Arkansas is moving forward.
33:53I'm gonna start wrapping up,
33:55maybe two questions that relate to family.
33:59You're also the first father-daughter combination
34:02to be governor, so what's it like to have a father
34:04who was the governor of Arkansas as well?
34:08It's actually pretty intimidating.
34:10I'm very biased, but I don't think
34:12there is any better communicator,
34:15or frankly, better person than my dad,
34:18and so to have to follow in his footsteps
34:20can be pretty challenging.
34:21He set the bar extremely high.
34:24In fact, after having a dad who is one
34:26of the longest-serving governors in our state's history,
34:30every small town or city that I go to
34:34in the state of Arkansas, people have a memory
34:37and a story about my dad, and I'm always like,
34:39your dad's the most amazing human I've ever met.
34:41We love your dad.
34:42He's a great communicator.
34:44You sing fine, and so it can be a little bit intimidating
34:49to follow in his footsteps, but I tell him all the time,
34:53I think he's the best governor our state's ever had.
34:56I think he's one of the best governors
34:57that has ever served in our country,
35:01but I'm working really hard to take that title
35:03away from him, and there's nobody that supports me more
35:07and is championing me bigger than my dad
35:10to take on that role, and right now,
35:12I'm really excited to see him serve in a new capacity.
35:17He was nominated, and I think his vote
35:20is actually taking place right now in the Senate committee
35:23to be confirmed as the next ambassador to Israel,
35:27and so just a really remarkable story,
35:29but if I can take one more minute,
35:33I think the best picture I can paint
35:35of what it's like to have a dad who is governor,
35:39I lean on him a lot as a resource
35:41because he's one of the few people I can pick up the phone.
35:43He has sat in the seat where I have
35:46and made those decisions, and so during
35:48the very first legislative session that I ever had,
35:51it was pretty challenging.
35:53The first couple of weeks, I thought I would come in,
35:56and I would have these great ideas,
35:57and everybody would support it,
35:58and we would just push it through
36:00because we'd all been saying we wanted
36:01to do these same things, and it didn't go quite as smoothly
36:05as I'd hoped those first few days,
36:07so I called my dad, and I said,
36:09Dad, you know how you always talk about
36:11how being governor is the best job in the world?
36:14You've never done anything that is quite as great
36:17and rewarding as being governor, and he's like, yeah?
36:20And I was like, when exactly will that start?
36:23And my dad kind of laughed, and he said,
36:25well, sir, to be honest with you,
36:27you haven't done anything yet, and I was thinking,
36:29Dad, I called you for encouragement,
36:31not to further put me down, and he said, let me explain.
36:35He said at some point here in a few months,
36:38you're gonna be finished with this session,
36:39you will have passed education reform,
36:42you will have passed tax cuts,
36:43and you're gonna be out at a moment
36:44when you don't expect it.
36:46You're gonna be in the grocery store
36:48at one of your kids' baseball games
36:50or a gas station or somewhere else,
36:52and there's gonna be a parent that comes up to you
36:54and tells you that because of the work you're doing,
36:57their child is now in a school
36:59where they are thriving instead of struggling,
37:01that because of the work that you're doing,
37:03they can actually afford the groceries
37:05that are in their cart,
37:06and before, they were really struggling and they didn't see.
37:09He said when you have a moment like that,
37:11and you get to see the impact that you have
37:14on people's day-to-day life,
37:16because that's when you know you get to understand
37:18what's the best job in the world,
37:20and you fast forward to where we are now,
37:23and it's pretty rare that I get to go
37:25into any community, big or small in Arkansas,
37:28and not hear about things that are a little bit better
37:31for people in our state, and that's why I do this.
37:34It's the best lesson that my dad probably could have taught
37:38me in terms of serving in this capacity,
37:41and so it's what we strive to,
37:43but it can be extremely intimidating
37:45to follow somebody with what I think
37:48is a pretty remarkable success rate,
37:50and I'm hoping to build on the foundation that he laid,
37:54and ultimately be the best governor
37:57that Arkansas has ever had.
37:59Last question, and it's the question
38:01that's on everyone's mind.
38:04You've come to Tiger Toons,
38:05your first two years of governor.
38:07What keeps bringing you back to Tiger Toons?
38:11Well, I'm trying to fully convince my seventh grade daughter
38:15that she shouldn't attend Washington,
38:17and so I bring her, if I took her,
38:21no offense to any of the professors in the room,
38:24but if I take her to a class,
38:25I feel like that may not be my best sell,
38:27but Tiger Toons is working pretty well so far,
38:30and so that definitely helps.
38:32I'm also, make no secret about my allegiances.
38:37I'm an E, and so I like to cheer the E's on,
38:40and hopefully see them win here in the next couple of years.
38:44It was fun that first year you came back,
38:47and we were sitting together, and after Tiger Toons,
38:50I thought you'd wanna hustle back to the car and go,
38:52and you'd come with your daughter Scarlett and friends,
38:55and she just stood out there in front of Cone Bottoms
38:58watching all the clubs, and kind of mesmerized
39:00by what happens after Tiger Toons,
39:04and I do wanna say you behave pretty responsibly
39:06when you come to Tiger Toons as well.
39:09I guess he said pretty.
39:10Yeah.
39:12Well, we wanna wrap this up.
39:14We do have a class session beginning,
39:16and you've got some other things you have to do.
39:19Let me just make a couple closing comments.
39:21Before I do that, anything in closing
39:23you wanna say, Governor?
39:24I would just say, first, thank you again
39:27for letting me have the opportunity to come back to campus,
39:30but enjoy your time.
39:32Certainly work hard, study hard, all those things,
39:35but really take a minute to enjoy
39:39where you are in this moment, and love your experience.
39:44Washtenaw's one of the best places in the country,
39:47and if you allow yourself, it can be pretty life-changing,
39:51so don't waste a minute while you're here,
39:54and make really good friends, because 20 years from now,
39:57those are gonna be the people
39:58that are probably still in your life,
40:00so make good choices, good decisions,
40:03but enjoy your time here on campus,
40:04because it's a great experience.
40:06Well, I wanna thank faculty and staff,
40:08and especially students, again, for participating.
40:10And I'm gonna take a moment and just offer a prayer
40:13for our state and decisions,
40:15and we've got people across the state
40:17who are thinking about whether, so let me do that,
40:19then I'll make one closing word.
40:20Let's just pause for a moment.
40:21Father, we do pray for protection on our state
40:25and this part of the country as we watch what's happening.
40:29Protect people and lives and homes and property.
40:32Give public safety officials
40:34and people like the governor wisdom this day
40:38as they make decisions and help prepare.
40:40We ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.
40:43Thank you again, students, faculty, and staff.
40:46Thank you, Governor Sanders.
40:48Glad to have you back at your alma mater.
40:50Join me in thanking.