College of Liberal Arts

UCA Creative Writing Professor Hosts Play at The Lantern Theatre

The Lantern Theatre presented a free staged reading of the new play “Two Old Men” by UCA creative writing professor Bob May.

The play is a hilarious and touching look at the relationships formed, and the lives touched, by two old friends as they contemplate going out in a blaze of glory.

The reading featured:

Terry Wright, Dean of UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication

Bob May, UCA Creative Writing Professor

Ruthann Curry-Browne, Director of Youth Theatre of Central Aransas & UCA Theatre Professor

Heather Hooten, Director of Theatre for Morrilton High School & Lantern Company Member

Tavares Pilgrim, UCA Theatre alum & Lantern Company Member

Augustine Nguyen, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre Company Member & UCA Theatre student

The Lantern Theatre is dedicated to nurturing and promoting new works, especially those from talented Arkansas artists.

UCA Library Supervisor Writes Award-Winning Manuscript For Arkansas Historical Association

Daniel Klotz, overnight library supervisor at Torreyson Library at the University of Central Arkansas, recently won an award for his paper, “State Power and School Reform in Faulkner County, 1873-1931” in the Arkansas Historical Association’s James L. Foster and Billy W. Beason Award competition.

dan — Klotz at his spring 2016 graduation earning his Masters in History at UCA.

Klotz was invited to accept his award of $250 and certificate and be a guest of the Association at their annual banquet on April 21, 2017, in Pocahontas.

Congratulations!

Arkansas TRiO Program Selects Student Trey White in Hall of Fame From Upward Bound At UCA

Every year, each Arkansas TRiO program has the opportunity to select one student for inclusion in the Arkansas TRiO Hall of Fame. TRiO programs provide educational opportunities for first-generation, low-income or students with disabilities.

Although individual programs may establish their own criteria to determine their program’s selection, students chosen each embody the spirit of TRiO!

This year, we want to congratulate the 2017 Arkansas TRiO Hall of Fame student selected from Upward Bound at the University of Central Arkansas, Trey White.

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Trey was honored, along with the Hall of Fame students from other TRiO programs across the state, at National TRiO Day held Saturday, March 11, 2017 on the University of Arkansas Community College – Batesville campus.

Trey will be graduating this year from Mayflower High School and plans to attend college at UCA. He wants to pursue a degree in Communications or Political Science.

In Trey’s own words, he writes:

“My name is Trey White. I grew up in Mayflower, Arkansas, and have gone to school there my entire life. I am President of Student Council and Book Club, Vice President of the Senior Class and NHS, and Treasurer of Beta Club. Additionally, I have the special honor of being President of UCA’s Upward Bound.

Upward Bound has meant so much to me. As a ninth grader, I didn’t know what to expect. I did not even understand the intricacies of what choosing a college would be like. Upward Bound has helped me grow and understand what a good college should have and what college matches my interests. I honestly can say Upward Bound has shaped me into the person I am. I feel so prepared for college and do not feel as overwhelmed as some other people I know. Upward Bound has made preparing for college easy.

I have been in Upward Bound for four years and have only missed one Saturday Academy. I genuinely enjoy what the UB experience entails. I have met so many great people and experienced so many great things that without UB, I would not have experienced. I am proud to say that UB has given me such great success in high school and for me, someone who comes from a low-income family where no one has ever gone to college, UB helped me realize a generations-long dream. The Bridge program I will attend this summer is the next step in that dream and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter.”

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Congratulations Trey!

For more information about UCA’s Upward Bound program, visit the Upward Bound website here!

UCA History Professor Makes Appearance In Historical Documentary Series

Roger Pauly, associate professor of history at the University of Central Arkansas, recently participated in a historical documentary called “American Guns: A History of US Firearms” that has just become available on Amazon Prime.

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The documentary was produced in 2016 and currently has one season available to stream on Amazon Prime. It is based on the book “Firearms: The Lifestyle of a Technology” (John Hopkins University Press, 2010) by Professor Pauly.

The 13-part documentary series is summed up on Amazon: “It is not known when the first gunpowder charge exploded. But since that moment, firearm designers and manufacturers have been driven to make guns more accurate, improve reliability, ease of operation, portability, and finally, make guns more beautiful. No country has contributed more to the advancement of firearms than the United States.”

UCA is the only academic institution credited in the program and Pauly appears in 12 of the 13 episodes.

Artist In Residence Dr. David Cutler Proves To Be Truly ‘Savvy Musician’ At UCA

Dr. David Cutler, author of the 2010 book “The Savvy Musician,” visited the University of Central Arkansas as artist in residence Feb. 19-21.

During his first night at UCA, David Cutler and his music were featured in “Concert and Conversation: Borrowing, Stealing, and Breaking the Rules” at 7:30 in the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall.

“Concert and Conversation” was reimagining what music can be. The event began at 7:30 in the Recital Hall and featured several of Cutler’s compositions.

Cutler balances a varied career as a jazz and classical composer, pianist, educator, arranger, conductor, collaborator, concert producer, author, blogger, consultant, speaker, advocate and entrepreneur. In fact, a recent career diagram illustrated that he maintains no less than 24 income streams!

One of the world’s leading voices on arts leadership, career, and Cutler’s book “The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning a Living, & Making a Difference” was heralded by Jeffrey Zeigler of the Kronos Quartet as “Hands down, the most valuable resource available for aspiring musicians.”

Cutler is director of Music Entrepreneurship at the University of South Carolina, and he also teaches there.

Cutler, one of the world’s leading voices on arts career and entrepreneurship training, has offered ground-breaking seminars for organizations such as the Julliard School, Dutch Classical Music Meeting, New World Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music America. In 2013, he founded The SAVVY Arts Venture Challenge, an experiential workshop that trains participants to innovate, collaborate and build arts-businesses from the ground up. In June 2016, he directed a College Music Society Summit focused on the future of 21st century college music schools.

Residency activities, all free and open to the public, included:

Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. — Public concert featuring compositions by Cutler performed by UCA music faculty in Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall. Concert includes a conversation on creating innovative experiences and opportunities in music.
Feb. 20, 7 p.m. — Community presentation: “Doing the Wrong Thing and How It Can Lead to Success in the Arts” with Q&A and reception, UCA Downtown, 1105 W. Oak St., Conway.
Feb. 21, 10:50 a.m. — Public presentation: “How Music Education Can Change the World (and Why it Often Doesn’t),” Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.
Feb. 21, 1:40 p.m. — Public presentation: “A Life in the Arts: Nine BIG Ideas on Career and Financial Success,” Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

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