Article All Things Academic, 9 (1), March 2008. What about a common reading program at the University of Arkansas? Sheila Burkhalter 1 , Kevin Fitzpatrick 2 , Karen Hodges 3 , David Jolliffe 4 , Bob McMath 5 , Pat Slattery 6 and Bob Smith 7 “The practice of assigning incoming students ‘common reading’—asking them to read the same book before they arrive on campus—has gained popularity in recent years as colleges and universities have sought new ways to improve the first-year experience. Like similar public reading initiatives sponsored by cities, libraries, and television and radio shows, campus common reading programs rest on a simple idea: that reading the same book brings people closer together as a community by creating common ground for discussion.” — Michael Ferguson American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Senior Staff Writer and Associate Editor of the AAC&U Journal, Peer Review A recent All Things Academic article on reading and life-long learning (Fitzpatrick and Smith, 2007) sparked interest in a proposal that the University consider adoption of a common reading program for incoming first-year students. 1