LITTLE ROCK (Friday, June 6, 2025) — Corey Alderdice, executive director at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA) in Hot Springs, announced today that he will step down in December after 13 years of leadership at one of the nation’s top residential high schools.
During Alderdice’s tenure, the school saw unprecedented academic growth, significant investment in campus facilities, and expanded access for rural, low-income, and first-generation college pathway students. Under his leadership, ASMSA has been ranked among the nation’s top public high schools by Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and Niche.com.
“The results of Executive Director Alderdice’s leadership at one of the University of Arkansas System’s most unique campuses are a true reflection of the work he put in to provide exceptional Arkansas high school students opportunities to flourish,” said UA System President Jay B. Silveria. “One visit there is enough to grasp how special of an experience this is for some of the top young minds in our state and how accommodating the campus, facilities and staff are in affording this opportunity for these bright and ambitious students. I appreciate Corey’s service to ASMSA and the UA System and wish him the best moving forward.”
Silveria said the time allotted before Alderdice steps down will allow the UA System to begin planning for a search to find the next leader to continue ASMSA’s momentum and ensure leadership is in place for 2026 and beyond. Alderdice’s last day will be Dec. 31.
“With the completion of the first phase of the campus redevelopment and 2025 Strategic Plan this year, now is a fitting time for both me and ASMSA to begin new chapters,” Alderdice said. “I’m profoundly thankful for the opportunity given to me by the Board of Trustees to have led ASMSA during this period of growth and transformation. Whether physically on campus or digitally through programs that reach every corner of the state, we’ve worked to create opportunities that change lives. ASMSA has always stood for more than accelerated academics — it’s a catalyst for innovation, creativity, and opportunity across Arkansas. I’m grateful to have walked alongside so many who believe in that vision. ASMSA is and must continue to be a beacon of what education can be when we challenge students and educators to aspire to their full potential.”
Under Alderdice’s leadership, ASMSA has completed the first phase of a $37.5 million transformation of the school’s downtown Hot Springs campus that began in 2012, including debt-free construction of new academic, residential, and administrative buildings. Alderdice strengthened ASMSA’s role as the early college high school of the UA System. Persistence rates also rose, with attrition dropping from 38 percent to under 10 percent while simultaneously ensuring all students complete the residential experience with at least 30 hours — or one full year — of university credit.
Alderdice championed global learning experiences that have sent nearly 700 students and faculty abroad and launched statewide outreach initiatives like STEM Pathways, Coding Arkansas’ Future, and the ASMSA Talent Identification Program (ASMSA-TIP), which now serve more than 6,000 students and educators annually. Under his leadership, ASMSA also realized its legislated Arts mission, establishing programs in visual arts and music that complement the school’s STEM legacy.
Alderdice was elected and served as president of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools in 2023-24. In addition to his longstanding work with NCSSS, he also serves on the boards of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas as Secretary, Hot Springs-Hanamaki Sister City Program as Chair, Hot Springs Fifty for the Future as Immediate Past-President, Arkansas Learning through the Arts, and Western Kentucky University Center for Gifted Studies.