Jonesboro, AR – New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State) honored Shane Broadway with the inaugural Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., Higher Ground Award during last Friday’s Commencement and Hooding Ceremony.
Broadway is the vice president for university relations for the Arkansas State University System and the interim chancellor of ASU Three Rivers in Malvern. He is a former Arkansas State Representative, Senator, and Speaker of the House, and prior to joining the ASU System, Broadway served as the director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
According to Dr. Shane Speights, dean of NYITCOM at A-State, Broadway’s expertise in higher education, policy, and development were crucial to the creation of NYITCOM at A-State and its continued success.
“There are few people in our state who are universally as well liked, well respected, and well connected as Shane Broadway,” Speights said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have him in our corner advocating for us and working on our behalf to advance the work we’re doing to impact healthcare and health education in Arkansas. We’re proud to present him with this honor.”
The Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., Higher Ground Award was established to honor the extraordinary legacy of Barbara Ross-Lee, a pioneering physician, educator, and transformational leader in American medicine. Dr. Ross-Lee broke historic and cultural barriers as the first African American woman to serve as dean of a U.S. medical school, while also advancing osteopathic medicine, reshaping medical education, and championing access and innovation across the healthcare system.
Significant to Arkansas, Dr. Ross-Lee was the founding dean of NYITCOM at A-State, which in 2016 became just the second medical school and first osteopathic medical school to open in the state.
The Higher Ground Award is intended to recognize an individual who embodies Dr. Ross-Lee’s enduring spirit of excellence: a commitment to leading with courage and vision, and transforming systems to better serve communities. Like Dr. Ross-Lee – whose career spanned clinical care, national health policy, and the development of future physicians – recipients demonstrate a deep dedication to mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the continuous advancement of medical education and population health.
“Shane was instrumental in helping create our medical school, and he continues to serve as a loyal partner and ambassador for NYITCOM at A-State,” Speights said. “Whenever I call him, the phone rarely rings twice as he’s quick to answer and enthusiastically help move a project forward or close a deal. We’re so grateful for his support.”
About NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University, located on A-State’s Jonesboro campus, is dedicated to improving access to health care for the underserved and rural populations in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta Region. Arkansas annually ranks near the bottom of all states in population health status and also ranks near the bottom of all states in the number of active physicians per capita. NYITCOM at A-State was established in 2016 with the mission of meeting the need for more physicians in this medically underserved region.
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