The Bear Ledger

Jimmy Bryant, director of archives and special collections, will be an on air guest on The Michael Smerconish Program on Friday, May 24 at 10:05 a.m. central time.

He was invited to discuss cursive writing and the article that appeared in the New York Times about cursive writing and why it still should be taught.

The Michael Smerconish Program is heard exclusively on SiriusXM – POTUS Channel 124 from 9a–12p ET – re–airing again 6-9p ET. Satellite radio has more than 24 million subscribers and even twice as many listeners. Smerconish is also an MSNBC contributor and a weekly Sunday columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dr. Roger Pauly, associate professor, Department of History, has written historical features about the Arkansas Department of Health. The series of historical pieces have been airing on National Public Radio.

The radio spots can be found at the attached link: http://www.ualrpublicradio.org/topic/arkansas-health-department-features

Has someone you work with done something outstanding this quarter (April – June)?

Employee of the Quarter is given to a staff member who has done something exceptional during a specific time period. UCA has many outstanding staff members that deserve recognition. This award was developed to recognize a specific “Above and Beyond” action that happened during the current quarter.

Nominations are being accepted for the Employee of the Quarter (IV) Award. One full-time staff member will be recognized each quarter for outstanding job performance, going above and beyond, during that quarter. Any staff member with at least one year of service as of April 1, 2013 is eligible to be nominated. Any faculty, staff, student, or alumni can submit a nomination. Staff Senate sponsors this award and its aim is to recognize staff for their contributions to UCA.

This nomination form must be submitted by June 30th, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. http://uca.edu/staffsenate/employee-of-the-quarter/

Nominate someone today that deserves recognition. The winner will receive some great prizes including $150 BearBucks, two tickets to UCA’s next Night of Distinction, and a reserved parking spot for the following quarter.

For more information on the process, please contact Mark Heffington at markh@uca.edu.

Pictured from left to right are: NHMI Athletic Training Resident Theresa Chester, NHMI Executive Director Laura Decoster, Steve Tucker and University of New Hampshire associate professor Dr. Erik Swartz

Steve Tucker, PhD, ATC, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, collaborated on a research project with personnel from the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Musculoskeletal Institute (NHMI). Data collection for the project, entitled “Comparison of Head Acceleration, Time and Perceived Exertion during Football Helmet Removal with and without Facemask Removal,” took place at the NHMI. The purpose of the study was to identify the safest and quickest method of removing a football helmet during a simulated cervical spine injury scenario. In the event of a catastrophic injury, quick access to the head and airway is crucial in order to administer lifesaving treatment, while limiting motion to the cervical spine minimizes the potential threat of further neurological damage to the patient.

Twenty-eight Little Rock Christian High School students visited the UCA campus on April 19. They were introduced to the profession of athletic training. The students were separated into three small groups that were then escorted to three different locations within the Farris Center.

Adam Bruenger, PhD, assistance professor, demonstrated the use of the pressure plate and how it is utilized in research. The students were able to perform tasks on the plate and then were shown the different data that can be seen on the computer.

Stephen Hornor, assistant athletic trainer/clinical I instructor, demonstrated the use of a vibration modality for treatment and care of athletic injuries. The students were able to all experience how the machine can increase their flexibility in a very short period of time.

Ellen Epping, ATEP program pirector and senior ATEP students, Emily Lacey and Taylor Mickelson showed a video that featured Emily in what it is like to be an ATEP athletic training student at UCA. The senior ATEP students discussed their experience in the program and fielded general questions about the profession of athletic training.

LRCHS teacher, Paula Pugh who escorted the students to UCA for this experience said this about their visit; “They all enjoyed learning about the “day in the life of an athletic trainer”, learning about research opportunities and the application to sport, and who can forget the vibrating machine! You have a wonderful staff, and the senior students were great! I hope we can do it again next school year.”

These are just a few instances of UCA, students, faculty, or staff in recent news:

UCA Greeks round out year with community service
http://thecabin.net/latest-news/2013-05-18/uca-greeks-round-out-year-community-service

UCA music students to attend Drum Corps International
http://conway.todaysthv.com/news/people/185263-uca-music-students-attend-drum-corps-international

New, exciting changes to Little Rock Film Festival
http://littlerock.todaysthv.com/news/news/183793-new-exciting-changes-little-rock-film-festival

A Cultural Tradition Worth Preserving by Jimmy Bryant, director of archives and special collections.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/04/30/should-schools-require-children-to-learn-cursive/cursive-handwriting-is-a-cultural-tradition-worth-preserving

Athletic training student, Weston Vickers, was the KPED Representative for the Outstanding University Student in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and he was the recipient of the Fletcher B. Lowry Award (annual award for outstanding student in the department). Weston has accepted a graduate assistant position at Nicholls State University where he will provide medical service to NSU athletes while pursuing a degree in Higher Education in Administration.