UCA nursing professor earns prestigious award
University of Central Arkansas professor Julie Meaux received the 2022 Outstanding Nurse Educator Award. Meaux, who has been a UCA faculty member for 28 years, is also the undergraduate program coordinator in the School of Nursing.
“I am very honored and humbled,” Meaux said. “To even be nominated reinforces the fact that I have earned respect from faculty and students. It’s a good feeling. There are a lot of really talented nurse educators in the state of Arkansas.”
Meaux spent 14 years as a neonatal intensive care nurse before going to graduate school.
She earned a Master of Nursing Science degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1993 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from UAMS in 2001. She is a National League for Nursing (NLN) certified nurse educator and a member of the Nursing Administrative Council.
In 2015, Meaux was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. Four years ago, she participated as a scholar for an Experienced Nursing Faculty Leadership Academy presented by Sigma, an international community of nurses dedicated to the advancement of learning and service through practice, education and research.
The nurse educator award was given during the 16th Annual Nursing Expo hosted by Publishing Concepts, Inc. at the Jack Stephens Event Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on April 2. Publishing Concepts, Inc. is the nation’s largest publisher of state board of nursing journals, including the ASBN Update for the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
“I never necessarily planned a career in academia. I came because I needed a more flexible schedule,” Meaux said. “After a few years, I really fell in love with academia. As a nurse I was affecting the health care of individuals. In academia, I feel like I’m affecting health care in a broader way by producing future health care providers. It is most rewarding to hear from students that we have prepared them well.”
Meaux has demonstrated a passion for the practice of nursing and nursing education. In the nomination letter to the state board of nursing, UCA professor Pam Ashcraft wrote that Meaux is dedicated to each student who comes through the school of nursing.
“She is loved and respected by faculty and students alike,” Ashcraft wrote. “Students know that she is an advocate for their learning, and she pours her entire self into everything she teaches. She is the kind of nurse – actually, she is the kind of person – who inspires others to make a plan, take a risk and make a difference! Clearly, Dr. Meaux is an inspiration to all those who know her.”
“I work with a very talented team,” Meaux said. “That makes the job easier and enjoyable. All of us are focused on the students with ambitions of positively impacting health care for the future.”
Inaugural cohort of Women’s Leadership Academy opens mini food pantries
The inaugural cohort of the Women’s Leadership Academy has installed three community pantries in Faulkner County.
Community pantries are wooden boxes mounted on a post and are large enough to hold canned goods, cereal boxes, bags of pasta and other necessities. They are placed throughout the community near nonprofits, schools, businesses and residential neighborhoods and stocked by members of the community.
The three added locations in Faulkner County have been dubbed Precious Pantries by the WLA. The installations were completed in partnership with the University of Central Arkansas AmeriCorps, UCA’s BearsServe Leaders and EngageAr.
Women’s Leadership Academy began in January 2022. Shaneil Ealy, associate vice president of outreach and community engagement at UCA and co-director of the academy, says the academy seeks to give women skills for leadership capacity.
“Community service and community engagement is really important to us, and we have embedded that into the academy,” Ealy said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Pine Street Community Museum. “In January, we had a retreat and invited the Conductor to facilitate an innovation lab. In the retreat, we learned that poverty, homelessness and food insecurity were close to the hearts of many ladies in the academy.”
The pantries coming to fruition, Ealy said, were the result of the inaugural c
lass answering the call to serve.
“This group of ladies embarked on a giant journey together six months ago. We are from all walks of life, political persuasions and faiths,” said Laura King, a member of the inaugural class and agency engagement director at United Way of Central Arkansas. “When pitching ideas for the community project or the opening retreat, I noticed also that every idea focused on uplifting our neighbors. This Precious Pantry project emerged as the winner to bring the community together and love on our neighbors. But one pantry was not enough. We built three!”
In addition to the Pine Street Community Museum, there are pantries located at the Faulkner County Senior Wellness and Activity Center and the Faulkner County Library.
“Today we are here celebrating not just the completion of a project but we’re celebrating our community,” King said. “These are all places where people from every walk of life, every political persuasion and every faith can come together to learn, reminisce and help one another. So our hope is that these pantries will be a continuation of that. And as the motto says, ‘Take what you need. Leave what you can’ and love your neighbors well.”
Jamisa Nuness-Hogan, a member of the inaugural class and owner and director of Kids World Child Care Center thanked those who made the pantries possible.
“This is very dear to our hearts and we want to keep paying it forward,” Nuness-Hogan said.
About the Women’s Leadership Academy
The Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA), through the Women’s Leadership Network at the University of Central Arkansas, is dedicated to empowering, enriching and embracing women in our region and facilitating their leadership development. WLA is designed for those who identify as women and aspire to become bold leaders representing greater equity, inclusivity and excellence in their fields. Through expert speakers, hands-on experiences and community service, the participants of the Women’s Leadership Academy will develop customizable skills in a network of diverse women sharing a commitment to their own beloved community.
UCA Office of Alumni Announces Staff Changes
The University of Central Arkansas Office of Alumni is pleased to announce the addition of Mathilda Hatfield to staff.
Hatfield has been selected to serve as the Director of Alumni Engagement for the UCA Office of Alumni. Hatfield officially moved into her new position on May 1, 2022. She joins Alison Taylor, Executive Director of Alumni Relations, in the designing and implementation of Alumni Association branding, marketing and events, as well as the recruitment, retention, and engagement of student and young alumni, through service.
“I am thrilled and honored by this opportunity to serve with Alison, and to help advance the UCA Alumni Association,” Hatfield said.
Hatfield had previously served as the Director of Development for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
About the addition of Hatfield to the Office of Alumni, Taylor said, “I am delighted to have Mathilda join our staff. The exceptional experience she brings to our team is invaluable. The UCA Alumni Association is fortunate to have her.”
Hatfield holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from UCA, and an M.Ed. from the University of Louisville (KY). She replaces Morgan Drayton, who has moved into the role of Director of Development for the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at UCA. Drayton officially began her new role on April 15, 2022, after spending over four years in the Office of Alumni.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre Returns for Summer 2022
After a two-year hiatus, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre returns for the summer of 2022 with one of Shakespeare’s most beloved works, “Much Ado About Nothing.”
“Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed at the University of Central Arkansas Bridges Larson Theatre in Snow Fine Arts on June 23-25, June 30 and July 1.
Times are listed below:
- June 23-24 at 7:30 p.m.
- June 25 at 2 p.m.
- June 30 and July 1 at 7:30 p.m.
- July 2 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at https://uca.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1503
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is the state’s only professional Shakespeare company and makes its home on the UCA campus. Traditionally, AST would present full productions of Shakespeare’s works, as well as other plays and musicals that help fulfill AST’s mission to entertain, engage and enrich the community each summer. Due to COVID-19, AST canceled its 2020 and 2021 seasons.
“We are so excited to be bringing Shakespeare and professional theatre back to campus this summer. AST has been an integral part of the arts community in central Arkansas since 2007. While the two-year hiatus has been a huge disappointment, it has also given us a chance to reflect, reimagine and build new connections,” said Shauna Meador, executive managing producer of AST. “As we look forward, we are focused on strengthening our professional theatre foundation, building on our educational mission, and leading and participating in the growth and expansion of the arts in central Arkansas.”
The return of the festival also brings a new partnership with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. AST intends to capitalize on the phenomenal talent and existing resources within the state by taking advantage of the U of A’s graduate performance and design students, as well as talented faculty.
Michael J. Riha, chair and professor of theatre at the U of A says engaging professionals from across the state is a great way to encourage unification. “We are grateful to play a role in building the theatre community right here in Arkansas,” Riha said.
“Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed at the Global Campus Theatre at the U of A on June 16-18. Times and ticket information can be found at http://uarkartstickets.com/
“Much Ado About Nothing” will be directed by Stacey Pendergraft, associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. Pendergraft has previously been seen performing on the AST stage in the “Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Fiddler on the Roof,“ “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “The Music Man.”
“‘Much Ado About Nothing’ will transport audiences to the cultural oasis of Messina, a crossroads of Spanish, North African and Italian influences,” Pendergraft said. “Don Pedro and his band of men arrive at the lush court of Leonato, encountering love, the high-spirited wit and exacting lessons of the women who are its driving force.”
The names and characters or positions of the AST “Much Ado About Nothing” crew are listed below:
Name | Character/Position | AR Connection | Hometown |
Stacey Pendergraft | Director | UA Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
Katie Green | Assistant Director | UA Little Rock | |
Joe Millett | Production Stage Manager | UA Faculty | New York City, NY |
Brianna Wallace | Assistant Stage Manager | UCA Undergraduate | Cabot, AR |
Bill “Clark” Rogers | Leonato | Community | Memphis, TN |
Scott Russell | Don Pedro | Community | Indianapolis, IN |
Steven Marzolf | Benedick | UA Faculty | |
Jordan Williams | Claudio | UA Graduate Student | Los Angeles, CA |
Chris Fritzges | Antonio/Dogberry | UCA Faculty | Pittsburg, PA |
Gabriel Franco-Kull | Verges / Ensemble | UA Graduate Student | Fayetteville, AR |
Riles Newsom | Don John / Balth | UA Graduate Student | Chicago, IL |
Bret Kagebein | Conrade / Ensemble | UCA Undergraduate | Perry, AR |
Edwin Green | Borachio | UA Graduate Student | Houston, TX |
Alex Horn | Watch #1 / Friar / Ens. | UA Undergraduate | Benton, AR |
Dalton Carroll | Watch #2 / Msgr. / Ens. / Claudio US | UCA Undergraduate | |
Elizabeth “Betsy” Jilka | Beatrice | UA Faculty | Springdale, AR |
Audrey Romero | Hero | UA Undergraduate | Springdale, AR |
Leah Smith | Margaret | UA Graduate Student | Cleveland, OH |
Grace Taylor | Ursula | UA Graduate Student | Bloomfield, MO |
Emma Williams | Ensemble / Hero US | UCA Undergraduate | Maumelle, AR |
Morgan McInnis | Scenic Designer | UA Graduate Student | Fayetteville, AR |
Callie Lythgoe | Costume Designer | UA Graduate Student | Fayetteville, AR |
Zack McJunkins | Light Designer | UA Graduate Student | Texarkana, AR |
Chad Bradford | Composer / Music Director | Community | Little Rock, AR |
Baqiir Salaam | Sound Designer / Engineer | Community | Little Rock, AR |
Eli Summers | Costumes | UCA Undergraduate | North Little Rock, AR |
Heidi DeCaluwe | Costumes | UA Graduate Student | Fayetteville, AR |
Trey Ewart | Lights / Sound | UCA Undergraduate | Bentonville, AR |
Essence Robinson | Lights / Sound | UA Little Rock Undergraduate | North Little Rock, AR |
Matthew Coordsen | Scenic / Props | UA Undergraduate | Fayetteville, AR |
Destiny Zrebski | Scenic / Props | UCA Undergraduate | Jacksonville, AR |
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