When John and Liz Ellis graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in the spring of 1981, giving back was not something easily accomplished by the young couple.

John had received a BS with a major in physics and a minor in math, while Liz had completed a BSE in social studies with a concentration in history and a minor in health education. They were headed to Knoxville so that John could continue his studies at the University of Tennessee.

But, they began giving and never stopped. The couple has the honor of being among the longest continuous givers in UCA’s records, which indicates they began giving annually to the UCA Fund in 1989 and never stopped.

“Frankly, I was shocked” when told of the fact, John said. “First of all because it had been that many years (it seems like just yesterday we were students at UCA) and second that someone hasn’t been continuously giving longer than us.”

The two met in college at a Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity rush party and dated throughout their college career, getting married two weeks after graduation in 1981.

John currently is the deputy chief of the Flight Test Infrastructure Division of the Missile Defense Agency, while Liz is pursuing her RN certification and is expected to graduate in May of this year.

The couple has three children, Morgaine Ellis Kim, Marshall Ellis and Ross Ellis, and while their children did not attend UCA, several of their relatives did, including John’s mother, brother and sister-in-law and two nephews along with several nieces and nephews on Liz’ side.

Neither said they made a conscious decision to begin giving, but did feel compelled to give back once they were able.

“When I was in grad school at UT, we didn’t have much money and really feel like we couldn’t afford to give anything. I felt bad about that,” John said. “We started giving regularly after graduation and getting a “real” job. What really got us started was a call from a student at UCA during one of UCA’s annual giving drives. The student was very cheerful and seemed really dedicated to the university. We talked for some time and I ended up committing to a small amount, maybe $10, but it didn’t seem so small at the time. Over time we’ve increased the amount, but I always love hearing from the UCA students when they call.”

"I was the recipient of financial aid and felt it was important to pay it forward,” Liz added. “I was the first in my family of 6 children to graduate with a 4 year degree; both of my parents never finished high school & were children of the Great Depression.

“Economic hardship often is the only reason preventing intelligent individuals from receiving an education and I hope contributing to a university scholarship fund can help other Arkansans achieve financial independence through education & career preparation."

“I strongly believe in the value of a higher education,” John said. “And I want everyone that is capable to have a chance at it. I also believe strongly in the educational value smaller state schools like UCA provide (though UCA isn’t all that small anymore), where faculty are much more free to focus on educating and training students instead of being totally focused on research.

“My experience at larger schools is that faculty are almost completely evaluated on their research success (mainly on bringing research dollars) and almost no emphasis is given to excellence in teaching. I found the complete opposite at UCA, where faculty members seemed very dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and molding students into successful graduates. I must assume this is due to a university philosophy that does but great emphasis on teaching, while still maintaining a health research program.

Nearly a century after its first fraternity was founded, the University of Central Arkansas will break ground this spring on the Greek Village.

The first phase will include five new two-story sorority houses on the north side of campus, according to Dean of Students Dr. Gary Roberts.

The Greek Village will be the newest addition to the university’s living/learning communities, which – like the Jefferson D. Farris Jr. Honors Hall for the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College – connect residence life with academic programs, extracurricular activities, and programs for character and leadership development.

Each 10,400-sq.-ft. residence in the Greek Village will house approximately 32 students in 13 double rooms and six single rooms, Roberts said. When the first phase is complete in fall 2015, the new sorority residences should house more than 160 students.

This spring, the Board of Trustees approved a $13.8 million bond issue to finance the project.

Plans for the initial phase also include a portion of a proposed Greek community center that will provide public space for all Greek organizations, as well as four meeting rooms for UCA’s National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities.

The Greek Village is an idea that has been 10 years in the making, Roberts said. During that time, students and staff visited Arkansas State University, Bowling Green State University, Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Toledo, and West Georgia University to study Greek communities on those campuses, and the university hired national Greek consultants to review its needs and options.

The project was initially planned for the south corner of campus, but that site lacked adequate utility infrastructure and building up the flood-prone area wasn’t feasible, Roberts said.

With red brick Colonial Georgian architecture consistent with the rest of campus, the new location will create an attractive gateway to the northeast corner of campus.

“It will literally change the face of this institution,” said Roberts, adding that the Greek Village will complement the university’s proposed Donaghey Corridor mixed-use development project that was announced in November.

The time to build the Greek Village is now, Roberts said.

Existing facilities are outdated and can’t accommodate growth in Greek organizations. Less than a dozen Greek groups have chapter meeting rooms in residence halls, while others lease or own houses near campus. The Greek Village will free up critical space in campus residence halls and provide much-needed modern living and meeting space for students active in more than 20 Greek student organizations at an equitable cost to all groups.

Jordan Frederking, who serves as president of the UCA Panhellenic Council, agrees.

“The biggest impact of building the Greek Village will really be shown through the building of sorority houses. Previously, we have all held our chapter meetings in chapter suites in Carmichael Hall. With the growth of women deciding to go Greek, we are being displaced to anywhere on campus that will fit the growing chapter sizes,” said Frederking, a junior public administration and pre-law student from Bentonville, Ark. “Having sorority houses and new fraternity houses will increase the amount of students wanting to go Greek on our campus.”

The centralized Greek community will further increase inter-organization communication and cooperation, said UCA Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Life Wendy Holbrook.

“We have a very strong sense of community in terms of interaction and synergy and fierce alumni loyalty. We are UCA Greeks,” said Holbrook.

By designating a physical space for Greek organizations, “communication and relationships will improve,” said Rebekah Fincher, advisor and chapter collegiate director for the Delta Zeta sorority.

The level of interest in the Greek Village and Greek life is “through the roof,” Holbrook said, adding that registration for a new Pan Hellenic Preview Day event this spring for admitted students was filled almost immediately and the university has been contacted by other national Greek organizations that want to come to UCA.

The Greek Village will continue to attract prospective students to UCA and Greek life, Fincher said.

“Serving as a recruitment tool for UCA and the Greek organizations, the Greek Village will provide modern, up-to date-facilities that will help to enhance the University’s image as a major Division 1 institution,” said Fincher.

The Greek Village will be another way for alumni who were active in Greek organizations to stay connected to their alma mater, according to Matt Pace, chapter advisor for the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.

“Everyone reserves a place in their heart for their alma mater … [but] Greeks are generally more active in campus activities as undergraduates and that generally translates into more activity after graduation,” he said.

With a physical place on the campus they can be proud to call their own, Pace thinks that Greek alumni are likely to be more eager to stay connected and serve as mentors to current students, offering another benefit for students in the Greek Village.

“Wise undergraduate members will anticipate, welcome, and discern how to capitalize on this new connection,” Pace said.

The inclusion of space for smaller, mostly African-American, NPHC groups also makes the Greek Village unique among Greek developments at other universities, Holbrook said.

“The focus of the UCA Greek Village is diversity,” she said. “Our language is inclusive. When we say Greek life, we mean every organization.”

The second phase of the Greek Village will include construction of fraternity houses for larger groups, as well as chapter meeting rooms for smaller fraternities with the completion of the Greek community center. No timeline for the second phase has been set, but it could begin a year or two after the first phase is completed.

Enhancing Greek life is an investment in the entire university, Roberts said.

“The more we grow our Greek community, it’s going to positively impact enrollment, retention, and graduation rates,” he said.

Greek students have a higher cumulative grade point average than non-Greek students and graduate at twice the rate as non-Greek students. Last year, UCA Greeks participated in more than 13,000 hours of community service and raised $30,000 for charity.

“The bottom line is there would be a huge void in student life at UCA without Greeks.”

Christmas came early to the University of Central Arkansas football team when Steve Campbell was hired in December as the new head football coach for the UCA Bears.

Campbell replaces Clint Conque, who resigned this fall after 14 seasons at UCA. Campbell is only the fourth head coach at UCA in the last 24 years.

At UCA, Campbell will lead a program that has won two Southland Conference titles, made two FCS Playoff appearances and had three seasons of at least nine victories since moving to NCAA Division I in 2006.

When introducing Campbell to media and fans for the first time, UCA Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Teague presented him with a No. 4 UCA football jersey to signify the fourth national championship he is expected to win at UCA.

Campbell is no stranger to championship teams.

A Florida native, Campbell played at Southeastern Louisiana and Troy, winning an NCAA Division II national championship as the starting center at Troy in 1987.

He joins UCA after a successful 10-year tenure at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where his players regularly went on to BSC schools and the NFL. He currently has six former players on NFL rosters, and all six earned college degrees. Campbell's teams at MGCCC won 87 games over 10 seasons, including the NJCAA national championship in 2007.

"Coach Campbell has a proven record as an outstanding coach and outstanding recruiter,” said Teague, who concluded the search for Conque’s replacement in less than a week. “He has three national championships to his credit and he has vast recruiting ties throughout the southeast and the country. He has been highly successful everywhere he has been as a player and as a coach. He's never had a losing season at any level of coaching, which is pretty remarkable.”

Campbell’s coaching credentials include experience in the Southland Conference (Nicholls State University), the Southeastern Conference (Auburn University, Mississippi State University) and at the NCAA Division II level (Delta State University). He began coaching in 1988-89 as a graduate assistant at Auburn University, where he received a master’s degree and worked under legendary coach Pat Dye, and then went to Delta State as offensive line coach and offensive coordinator from 1990-92. He was offensive coordinator at Nicholls State and then running backs coach and head coach at Southwest (Mississippi) Community College. In 1999, he became head coach for Delta State Statesmen, who went 27-8 during Campbell's tenure, including a 14-1 national championship season in 2000. Delta State beat UCA 52-21 in Conway that year. Campbell was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year following that championship season.

After Delta State, Campbell was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Middle Tennessee State and offensive line coach under Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State. In 2004, he took over at MGCCC and led the Bulldogs to seven straight postseason trips and three state junior college championships.

“Being successful is important here,” Campbell said. “I'm very, very excited about being a part of this. UCA is used to winning championships. A lot of places have never won a national championship. UCA has won national championships. That's important. I want to go somewhere you have a chance to compete not only for conference championships, but for national championships. You can do that at UCA.”

Campbell is off to a great start. The Bears have already signed 26 players from 10 states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, California, Florida and Tennessee. The group includes six defensive backs, five offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, two receivers, two tight ends, and one quarterback, punter, long snapper, linebacker, and running back.

“The atmosphere, attitude, and excitement at the stadium are unbelievable,” said UCA Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Steve East, adding that several UCA players have already expressed their excitement on social media. “Normally they don’t tweet about 6 a.m. workouts, so I know they’re definitely excited.”

“He’s put together a really good staff, and I think the players are going to love playing for them,” East added.

“Everybody I’ve talked to has said, ‘This is a good guy,’ and that’s going to make the transition a whole lot easier,” East said. “Good relationships between players, fans and other people on campus are critical, and they’re already enjoying working with him.”

“We have the facilities and the city behind us. People support it. It’s hard to bring people to campus and not get them,” East said. “We are one of the most successful new NCAA Division I programs. He can build on it and wants to build on that.”

UCA will open the 2014 season on Aug. 30 against Big 12 member Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas.

Recently, more than 150 students who received scholarships from the University of Central Arkansas Foundation met over 100 donors who helped fund those scholarships. It was energizing to see connections being made between donors and recipients.

UCA has its largest enrollment since 2009 with just over 11,500 students. In fact, it is one of only a few universities statewide to have an increase in enrollment. UCA remains among the top 30 best public institutions in the south according to U.S. News & World Report rankings that were released in September.

The University’s finances are stable. This year the administration provided equity funding to faculty and awarded a cost-of-living increase to faculty and staff. Currently, construction is underway to expand UCA’s Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Center by 43,227 square feet; and, plans for a Greek Village and a renovation of Lewis Science Center are being considered. The University’s administration is also developing a comprehensive plan to make the corridor of Donaghey Avenue attractive for both the campus and community.

Educating the youth of this state and region begins with access to a higher education. Private scholarships are crucial in providing this opportunity to students. It is also important to provide support for faculty so they can be on the cutting-edge of their fields. UCA’s faculty, administration, and staff, give students the best educational opportunities, which enable them to have the greatest impact in the workforce.

UCA needs alumni and friends to be active participants as the University continues to achieve its mission of Academic Vitality, Integrity and Diversity (AVID). I am asking you to support this progressive institution of higher education. UCA’s exceptional legacy is what it is today because people believed in, engaged with and supported the University.

There has never been a better time to support UCA. I invite you to become an active partner in helping the University have a successful second century of providing a quality and affordable education to students. If you are interested, please contact UCA’s advancement team at advancement@uca.edu. We have much to accomplish but, with your participation, UCA will continue to be a successful institution of higher learning.

Sincerely,

Tom Courtway
President

By Scarlet Sims

Aaron Nolan, ’04, caught his big career break as a student at the University of Central Arkansas.

“UCA is where I started my career,” Nolan said.

The 33-year-old newscast anchor for “Arkansas Today” at KARK took time from his hectic schedule to talk about why UCA matters.

“Without UCA, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Nolan said.

Nolan has been in the news business for more than eight years.

The Maumelle native is a well-known news personality in Arkansas. In September, he became a co-anchor for Nexstar Broadcasting’s statewide newscast, making his way back to Central Arkansas after working at KOLZ in Springfield, Mo., in 2012.

He and his wife, Ashley Ketz, an evening anchor for KARK, are moving back to Little Rock, Nolan said.

Previously, he worked four years as a sports anchor and reporter for KARK’s “Razorback Nation.” He also worked for an NBC-affiliated television station in Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley.

Nolan’s first anchor position was for Channel 6 at UCA. Some stories he thought at the time were just “busy work,” ended up helping him learn skills that propelled him forward in his career, he said. Everything he learned while earning his degree in telecommunications helped, Nolan said.

Nolan continues to push himself to improve. He uses social media to reach new audiences and strives to “evolve” as a reporter, he said.

“It’s pushing yourself,” Nolan said.

That drive and ambition comes partly from Nolan’s UCA experience. He said he wishes he had been more focused and given 100 percent for every UCA assignment. He advised current students to take each assignment seriously.

“It’s all about how you do it, and how you embrace it,” Nolan said. “I wish I would have, for that assignment that seemed like busy work, just soaked it up. You’ve got to dive in. Whatever you are doing at UCA, make it worthwhile.”

The university and Central Arkansas helped Nolan develop his news style, he said. He strives for news that is entertaining and informative.

“I want to give people a reason to watch every single day,” Nolan said.

That outlook — working hard and having fun — is something UCA taught Nolan, he said.

“I think that’s what you take away from UCA is work hard, play hard,” Nolan said.

By Scarlet Sims

University of Central Arkansas alumni smiled as they passed a purple pen among themselves and signed their names to a commemorative poster. The group recently made history — creating the university’s first, official Black Alumni Chapter.

“We are on the cusp of something great,” said Franklin Holbrook, ’86, a charter member.

At least eight founding members and several other alumni gathered Saturday, Sept. 21, at Buffalo Alumni Hall to share toasts, hug each other and consider new ways to reach out to black alumni. Holbrook said black alumni share a connective experience at UCA. He wants to see graduates from the 60s through the 2000s build relationships, find ways to fund student scholarships and strengthen ties to UCA.

The chapter joins seven others under the UCA Alumni Association.

Greg Hunt, ’03, said having the chapter creates new opportunities for students. Chapter members want to connect African Americans with jobs, he said.

Hunt is a charter member and organized the kick-off event. Members said he was instrumental in getting the chapter together.

Holbrook said the chapter aims to foster diversity and long-lasting connections at UCA. The group will create a sense of community, he said. In the past, black students felt disconnected from UCA, but Holbrook wants that to change. The chapter will act as a “bridge” for past, present and future students and alumni, he said.

With three generations of black alumni represented, Hunt said the fledgling chapter could easily reach about 1,000 black alumni for its base.

Starting the black chapter comes at a time when UCA is pushing to increase attention to diversity issues, Hunt and others said. UCA officials are working to implement a university-wide diversity plan. Hunt said his chapter is another piece that fits into UCA’s plans.

“We just thought it was a unique way, and a creative way, to reach out,” Hunt said.

As UCA grows, it’s important to embrace its diversity, said Karen Sullards, ’72/’75, UCA Alumni Association Board president. The kick-off event is a way to celebrate diversity at UCA, she said.

Kimberly Gardner, ‘99/’03, said the black chapter is a way for UCA alumni to give back to the university that helped them succeed.

“The purple and gray runs deep,” Gardner told chapter members. “We appreciate the University of Central Arkansas and want to give back to the next generation. We want you to give back in any way you can.”

Holbrook said he promotes UCA more now than when he was a football player. He sees the chapter as a team, one that will create greatness.

“It’s important that we approach this endeavor as something that’s going to be magnificent, as something that’s going to be wonderful,” Holbrook said. “We want to make UCA proud of what we’ve established.”

By Scarlet Sims

A new scholarship will fund a brighter future for history or English majors at the University of Central Arkansas and honor former professor Maurice Webb, who inspired his students for decades.

“I hope, year by year, that this scholarship helps a deserving student,” said Rosalie Sanderson, who started the scholarship with her husband Steve.

The Sandersons are UCA alumni. They said they want to honor Webb, who retired in 2004, and help students who might not otherwise have access to scholarships in history or English.

Steve Sanderson, who is president emeritus and senior advisor to the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, was named a distinguished alumni in 2008.

Rosalie Sanderson was a respected law professor and law librarian and authored many research and teaching articles. She was elected chairwoman of the Academic Law Library Section of the American Association of Law Libraries in 2001.

The Sandersons both graduated in 1971 with bachelor degrees in history. They met at UCA and have been married 42 years. UCA matters on many levels and its education is top end, both said.

The new scholarship, which was announced at a recent reception honoring donors and recipients, is meant to help future UCA students. The Sandersons hope to set an example for other alumni.

“You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to give to the place that gave you your start,” Rosalie Sanderson said.
“We want the scholarship to show how deeply we feel about UCA,” Steve Sanderson said.

The couple started working with UCA to create the Maurice Webb Scholarship about 18 months ago, Steve Sanderson said. This past summer, the scholarship was awarded for the first time.

Courtney Sithem, 21, of Conway, earned the first Webb scholarship. She is a senior history major working on two minors. She wants to teach at the high school level.

“It’s exciting we’ve got our first scholar,” Steve Sanderson said. “This is a big thing for us.”

The $1,000 Stithem received from the Webb scholarship will go toward buying textbooks, the cost of which aren’t covered by her other UCA scholarship, Stithem said.

“Without this, I probably would have had a harder time paying for textbooks,” Stithem said.

Stithem, who will have a fifth year at UCA because of her minors, said she hopes to get the scholarship again. The Sandersons said they plan to help UCA fundraise for the scholarship to bring it up to a $25,000 endowment level — the amount needed to make the scholarship permanent.

The Sandersons said they want the scholarship to reward deserving students, like Stithem. Stithem said she is grateful because not many scholarships are specifically for history or English majors.

During the 2012-2013 school year, the UCA Foundation awarded 398 scholarships from 170 named scholarship funds within the Foundation, according to UCA records. The Webb scholarship is among only five for either history or English.

The Sandersons said they wanted their scholarship to focus on students studying humanities because humanities, like English and history, give students an appetite for lifelong learning.

The scholarship is named for Webb, who was a strong influence on Rosalie Sanderson.
She learned to be a lifetime learner from her professor and friend, she said.

Webb taught Sanderson in 1967 when he was a first-time professor teaching a Western Civilization class and she was a freshman. That one class gave Sanderson a passion for learning, she said.

“We did a lot that was worthwhile, and it made a huge impression on us,” Rosalie Sanderson said. “He could engage students. He cared about whether they learned.”

Webb gave his students a “total experience in Western Civilization,” Sanderson said during the Foundation’s scholarship reception held at UCA on Thursday, Sept. 26. Webb taught students vocabulary, geography, drama, literature and current events.

Webb served with distinction as a faculty member in the History Department for 37 years. His students felt strongly about him and his course, Rosalie Sanderson said.

“Professor Webb by his hard work, dedication and skill in the classroom epitomizes what a college professor should be,” said a UCA Board of Trustee resolution that honored Webb in 2004.

Stithem said she wished Webb had been at UCA to be her teacher. She met him for the first time at the scholarship reception.

“He just seems like an extremely fun guy,” Stithem said.

Ronnie Williams sees opportunities.

With new responsibilities as vice president for student services and institutional diversity, he hopes that the Office of Diversity and Community can build on an established foundation and help under-represented populations campus wide.

“I think it’s evolving. I really don’t want the focus to be on the position and the person responsible for leading this initiative,” Williams said. “I won’t even call it a new initiative. The focus is going to be continuing to do some things that I think we’ve done well, and that’s sensitivity training. I think we’ve led the state in that. I think Charlotte Strickland and her office has done an excellent job in continuing to challenge the campus in ways that will help us to become and be culturally competent.”

Williams has served as the vice president of student services for 18 years before taking on the new title; however, having served as the first director of minority affairs, the fit seemed perfect.

“It is a challenge, because I have one division that is very demanding,” Williams said. “We should have 11,000 plus students (at the beginning of the fall semester), so it is a command (challenge), but again with the resources we can do it, and the president is committed to and providing the resources necessary to get it done.”

Williams added that President Tom Courtway has a three-pronged approach to tackling diversity issues. The hope is to house compliance within the president’s office, with responsibilities ranging from Title IX to affirmative action. A human resources component will report to Associate Vice President for Human Resources Graham Gillis. The third prong will be Williams’ office, which will handle programming related to campus diversity.

The first step in tackling that plan is instituting a strategic plan related to diversity, which Williams hopes to implement by the end of the fall semester.

“There is a need to implement a university diversity strategic plan,” he said. “What we hope will happen is that at the end of the fall semester is that we will have implemented a university-wide diversity plan, so that’s time sensitive and something we need to get up and running.”

President Courtway has also asked that every department and college on campus be reviewed to “assist them in meeting the diversity expectations of not only their respective colleges, but also for the entire campus,” according to Williams

“That will be a work in progress; that work will continue for years to come,” Williams said. “I anticipate the strategic plan to be a document that is a living document that we continue to massage from this point on.”

Another area in which Williams hopes to affect change is in the retention and graduation of under-represented students, particularly African American students.

“It’s not where we would like for it to be; it’s certainly not for me personally,” Williams said. “We have always been, and continue to be, a place of choice for under-represented students, African American students in particular. We have not been as successful in retaining and graduating those students at a rate that I think is acceptable for an institution like UCA.

“I don’t see it as a challenge; I see it as an opportunity. We have ideas as to what we can do to improve those numbers...we have a critical mass to work with, so we continue to work with those.

“On the academic side, I think there is opportunity there as well, because I think Provost Runge and President Courtway and others as well will tell you that we’ve got to beef up those numbers of faculty of color. I think there has to be improvement there as well.”

As a whole, Williams sees more positives than negatives with the work laid out before the office and is upbeat about the days ahead.

“Our focus has been on doing everything that we could to create an environment that allows our students to grow and develop and be everything that they could be, and that has been our focus for 18 years,” he said.

“It is a challenge, but we’re going to try to do everything we possibly can to make it work, and the president has assured us that we’ll have the resources necessary to do everything we can to help our institution be and become a 21st century institution in the truest sense of the word.”

The Association of Future Alumni will celebrate 10 years in existence this year. Special events, including a 10-year reunion on Oct. 5, are still in the planning phases.

The AFA is an elite group of University of Central Arkansas students who have achieved at least 30 credit hours, maintained a 2.5 GPA and are selected during a rigorous process of applications and interviews.

“There can only be 35 members each year and they have to renew that membership every year,” said Haley Fowler, Assistant Alumni Director.

“I speak from experience, it is an honor to be chosen,” said Miranda Parks-Crabtree, a charter member of the group. “There is a process to joining in order to keep the group elite. They want the best of the best.”

Founded in 2003 by Jan Newcomer, Director of Alumni Services, AFA has continued its tradition of service and dedication during the decade since, incorporating programs and projects each year, including welcoming activities for incoming freshmen and assisting with graduation and alumni events.

“We want these bright young people to maintain a relationship with the university after they have graduated,” Fowler said. “We want them to be invested in the success of the university and the alumni groups.”

Fowler said former members of the AFA go on to join the Alumni Association and continue to build on the university’s traditions. Several of the former AFA members are on the UCA Alumni Association Board of Directors and Young Alumni Chapter board.

“AFA is very important,” Fowler said. “They are the voice of the students when it comes to the alumni.”

Fowler said she always looks forward to the AFA members’ return to campus, bringing with them their families, but also their accomplishments.

“I always love it when they return, and I get to catch up with them,” said Fowler.

During the first year of the AFA, Parks-Crabtree said the 10-member group helped with the alumni tailgate events by setting up tables and chairs, and helped hand out caps and gowns at graduation. Members also sold roses for families to give to their graduates.

Today, in addition to assisting freshmen and helping at graduation, the group hosts Mudstock, a day-long mud volleyball tournament; promotes and sells the UCA Official Ring; presents UCA tradition keepers and fight song shirts to freshmen; organizes the Homecoming parade, and participates at the Half-Century Club Brunch and the Alumni Homecoming Party. The group also participates in at least one community service project each semester. The group continues its tradition of Roses for Grads each year as well.

“We got to go to conferences all around the United States,” said Parks-Crabtree. “We were able to work with the Alumni Association and represent our school.”

Parks-Crabtree said she has many fond memories of her time in AFA but spending time with other like-minded students was most important.

She added that current and future members of the group should take their role seriously.

“You are representing yourself, the student body, the university and all alumni of UCA,” Parks-Crabtree said. “We’re counting on you to show others why UCA is the best university in Arkansas.”

Parks-Crabtree, who is now a Speech-Language Pathologist at Alma Middle School, also served as an advisor for AFA during her time in graduate school.

All former members of the AFA are invited to the upcoming reunion, said Fowler.

“We want as many members of AFA as we can get,” Fowler said. “I look forward to catching up with the AFA members and their families.”

For more information about the reunion or AFA, contact Haley Fowler or Jan Newcomer at (501) 450-3197 or visit uca.edu/alumni/afa.

A project spearheaded by three University of Central Arkansas faculty members has helped channel the energy of aspiring young writers.

The camp, called “Bearswrite: From Pencils to Pixels”, helps rising fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders delve deeper into the world of writing as well as providing guidance for the campers.

“The point of the week is writing,” said camp director Dr. Donna Wake, who is teamed with Drs. Stephanie Vanderslice and Jeff Whittingham. . “We provide the kids with a lot of experiences and time for writing and guidance and structure for their writing.”

The students not only are involved with traditional writing methods, but are also introduced to writing with technology. They create digital portfolios of their work during the weeklong camp, culminating in a public performance of their work and a reception for their parents.

“The focus of the program is really the kids,” Wake said. “We really saw a need in this area for writing for kids, and particularly this age level seemed to have kind of a gap in terms of camps and availability. We just really loved writing and we wanted the kids to love writing, too.”

“The benefit to the college of education is probably getting some kids in here and getting some good information out about what good writing is and what we hope for writing in the school systems.”

The camp was started last year with seed money from the UCA Foundation. Tuition from the campers will help continue the camp, but materials used by the campers were provided by the initial grant.

This year, funding from the foundation was used to bring in children’s author Spelile Rivas to help inspire and encourage the campers.

“We saw her at the National Council for Teachers of English conference,” said Wake. “We thought she was engaging and very personable. The people with the grant told us that they usually don’t give money twice to the same organization, but we had made a strong enough case for what we were doing in bringing the author that they went ahead and gave us the funding to bring her, and we’re very grateful.”

Grants such as the one used to fund Bearswrite are made possible through unrestricted giving to the UCA Foundation’s Annual Fund. For the 2012-2013 academic year, the foundation was able to provide seed money in the amount of $35,000 for grants such as these, as well as allocate $35,000 for faculty grants this academic year.