Hope Kiwanis Club Hears Program on UAHT Funeral Services
The Hope Kiwanis Club heard a fascinating program Tuesday (4-15) on the Funeral Services Program at UAHT. Brad Sheppard, the Director of Funeral Services at UAHT, handled the program.
The Funeral Services program is a two-year program. Students start out taking general education classes and during the second year they focus on funeral service including embalming and funeral directing. The program was recently reaccredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education for another seven years.
An Associates Degree is the most popular program. When students graduate from this program, they have met the requirements to become a licensed funeral direction and a licensed embalmer. There is also a technical certificate for funeral directing.
The program started in 1997. Classes were offered online three years ago and now have 100% online students. Students meet live with teachers and for teachers. The “hands on” part of the program, such as embalming, is completed at area funeral homes. The students also come to the campus for labs.
Sheppard noted cremation is increasing and nationally accounts for about 55% of funeral services. Locally, the ratio is more geared to traditional funeral services. Sheppard explained the cremation process and even talked about another cremation method called “liquid cremation”. This option is not yet available in Arkansas, but legislation recently was passed allowing this method.
The program includes human anatomy and embalming, restorative art, funeral ethics, psychology, grief counseling, and business. Sheppard noted the business part is important as several students have gone on to own and operate their own funeral home. The students have also studied some cultural and religious funeral customs.
Sheppard noted 90% of the funeral business is with the living. He noted this involves working with the family and survivors. Sheppard says they present options and let the family decide what they want.
92% of the students at UAHT’s Funeral Service Program are female. He also noted only ten percent have family in funeral services. Sheppard said the funeral business was often thought to be a family business but many of the next generation are not interested in following their parents’ occupation. Also, the average age of the UAHT Funeral Service student is 38.
The program has 40 students doing prerequisites and 14 students graduating next month.
The Kiwanians enjoyed the program and asked plenty of questions.