Mulerider Mascot “Maye and Molly” Conclude Ride Across Hot Springs & Little Rock

Megan Maye, Southern Arkansas University’s Mulerider, and her esteemed mule, Molly Ann, are concluding their road trip that has gained state-wide attention across Arkansas in celebration of SAU’s record-setting enrollment this fall. Maye is a Mena graduate and the daughter of Vickie Maye and Brian Maye.

Maye, a senior at SAU’s College of Business, was ready to ride out of her senior year with a bang! She and Molly Ann hit Hot Springs and Little Rock on November 13 and 14. Running alongside the Mulerider was the award-winning video production crew at SAU, who will be filming the mascot at some of the most beautiful and recognizable locations in all of Arkansas.

SAU has one of the most unique mascots in the United States, and the Mulerider’s tour of Arkansas is representative of SAU’s broadening reach across the Natural State. In fact, SAU students represent 64 out of the state’s 75 counties.

SAU was the only University south of Little Rock to have an increased enrollment this fall. In fact, SAU attracted its highest number of beginning freshman and had a record enrollment of 3,404 for the fall. The campus’ “Complete College Experience” campaign also garnered a record number of students living on campus this fall.

This is not the first ride out of Magnolia for the Mulerider to commemorate the spread of Mulerider pride. Maye and Molly Ann recently surprised Texarkana residents as the Mulerider galloped across their city, even stopping to place an order at a Starbucks drive through window. The buzz around the Texarkana trip was such a success that the SAU crew started immediately planning the Arkansas tour.

“It is exciting to see the attention that the Mulerider tours have generated,” said SAU President Dr. David Rankin. “An important part of our University history, the Mulerider epitomizes the determination and success our students have achieved with a degree from Southern Arkansas University. We are all extremely pleased with a record-setting fall semester and a broadening of the reach of the University across the State and much beyond.”

The residents of Texarkana were excited to not only participate in their city’s visit from the Mulerider, but also snap their own photos and videos and share them online. The SAU crew garnered the same responses during their travels to Hot Springs and Little Rock.

“The friendly people of Texarkana had no advanced notice of our recent visit with the Mulerider, which allowed us to capture some funny video,” said Aaron Street, SAU’s assistant dean for integrated marketing. “But we want to get the people of Hot Springs and Little Rock more involved. We are even hosting a social media contest with an iPad as the prize in which all people have to do is snap a photo of our Mulerider on the road and share it with the ‘#ISpyMolly’ hashtag.”

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

See author's posts