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UCA Political Science Department Hosted United Nations Events

The University of Central Arkansas Department of Political Science hosted events to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations (UN) and the 50th Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN) conference.

On Friday, Oct. 30, 2015 the department hosted a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN in October 1945.  The “United Nations Day” commemoration began with a workshop in the Student Center for several area high school teachers and students from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

During the workshop, Dr. Mark Mullenbach, Associate Professor of Political Science, and Dr. Mark Elrod, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science, gave presentations on the “Historical Roots of the UN” and “Learning about International Politics through Model UN.”

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From noon to 1:30 p.m., a UN Day luncheon in the Student Center featured keynote speaker, Dr. Karen Mingst, a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Mingst, who earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, has written several books and academic articles on the UN, international organizations, and international law.

“Dr. Mingst is one of the world’s most prominent experts on the UN and other international organizations,” Dr. Mullenbach said. “Her visit to UCA is quite an honor as she has lectured and taught at universities around the world, including Vietnam, Senegal, Taiwan, Albania, Ghana, Japan, and Kyrgyzstan.”

On Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21, the department hosted the 50th AMUN conference on the campus of UCA. The opening session of the conference took place in Ida Waldran Auditorium on Nov. 20. Dr. Mullenbach, the coordinator of the AMUN program since 2001, arranged for Mr. Bernd Georg Reindl, Deputy Consul General from the German Consulate-General in Houston, to give the keynote address during the opening session.

More than 500 high school students from Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee participated in the two-day Model UN conference.

A reception and dinner honoring several alumni of the AMUN program at UCA, including several former secretaries-general of AMUN conferences, took place in Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center on Nov. 20. Mr. Robert B. Andrew, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State and Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Oklahoma,was the featured speaker during the dinner. Mr. Andrew has previously served in U.S. embassies and consulates in Sweden, Costa Rica, Russia, and Mexico.

The AMUN program was founded by the late Professor Simms McClintock on the campus of Arkansas State Teachers College (ASTC) in 1966, and the first AMUN conference was held in January 1967. Professor McClintock, who coordinated the AMUN program through the mid-1990s, died in Conway in December 2008. The UCA Foundation’s AMUN Fund was recently renamed the “Simms McClintock Fund” in honor of the AMUN’s founder.

Contributions to the fund will continue to provide financial support for the AMUN program and the students who participate in Model UN at UCA.

UCA Occupational Therapy Department Remodeled Playground

1Students from the UCA Department of Occupational Therapy under the direction of Dr. Tina Mankey and Conway Human Development Center have collaborated to assist in the remodel of a therapeutic park/playground.

The remodel will make it so that children and adults with all levels of ability can utilize this interactive community resource.

UCA Thanks Crain Team in Conway For Three Year $10,000 Donation!

The University of Central Arkansas thanks the Crain Team in Conway for being a corporate sponsor for donating $10,000 for three years to the annual giving fund!

1A special video featuring the Crain Team presenting the donation is available online as well!

Confucius Institute Day Celebrated at UCA

To join the celebration of Confucius Institute Day worldwide, UCA Confucius Institute held a series of activities from September 25 to October 3, 2015.

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This year the theme of Confucius Institute Day is Peace and Understanding. The celebration began with Mid-Autumn Festival Gala on September 25, 2015. The event was sponsored by UCACI and Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA).

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On September 28, 2015 UCACI held a week long photo exhibition entitled “The Flying Tigers in China” illustrating the Sino-US efforts to fight against Japanese invaders. It was followed by a lecture on “The Flying Tigers and China” given by Dr. Guo-ou Zhuang, director of UCACI.

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Then a documentary titled “Why We Fight—Battle of China” was showed on the movie night of October 1, 2015.

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October 2, 2015 witnessed the highlight of the celebration in front of the Old Main Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Not only UCA community members attended, but also high school students from several school districts participated in a series of cultural activities.

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They were first entertained by Chinese classical music performed by exchange students from East China Normal University. Then a Chinese popular dance “Little Apple” was performed by Chinese learners from Wynne high school students.

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Conway High School students impressed the participants greatly when they recited in chorus a famous ancient Chinese poem. Chinese cultural activities like appreciating Chinese knots, panda dolls and Peking Opera masks, playing Chinese chess and shuttlecock, writing calligraphy, wearing Chinese traditional clothes, guessing riddles and tasting Chinese food provided an excellent experience for American students.

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Among all these activities, getting their Chinese name in calligraphy and their portrait in Chinese ink painting were most popular. Students were waiting in long line in order to get the “coolest” gift they have ever received.

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On October 3, 2015, UCACI demonstrated Chinese art and culture in the annual Conway ArtsFest in Simon Park in downtown Conway. Getting a Chinese name and portrait painting  attracted much attention of local residents.

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On the evening of Oct 3rd, “A Night of Chinese Music” held in Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA marked the end of the celebration. The concert turned out to be a very successful cultural event. It was co-sponsored by Confucius Institute Headquarters, UCA Confucius Institute, and Nanjing University Traditional Instruments Orchestra. This music feast not only attracted faculty, staff and students from UCA, but also residents from Conway and Little Rock.

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Confucius Institute Day celebration attracted about 1000 people. It was a real feast to attendants and also a bridge between China and America.

UCA Community Enjoyed Chinese Traditional Music

“A Night of Chinese Music”  held at 7:30 p.m. October 3, 2015 in Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA turned out to be a very successful cultural event.

This concert was cosponsored by Confucius Institute Headquarters, UCA Confucius Institute, and Nanjing University Traditional Instruments Orchestra. It was part of the orchestra’s music tour in America. This music feast not only attracted faculty, staff and students from UCA, but also residents from Conway and Little Rock.5The opening ensemble “Jasmine Flower” brought the audience into the world of Chinese music with its beautiful melody.1It was followed by a Gu Zheng solo “An Early Spring Morning on a Snowy Mountain”, Erhu solo “Birdsong Heard in an Empty Mountain”, ensemble “Wonderful Jiangnan” , and “Lantern Bazaar along Qinhuai River”.2When the American song “Yankee Doodle” was played on the traditional instruments, the audience pleasantly clapped their hands along with the music.3The concert ended with “Blooming Flowers and a Full Moon”.4This concert not only entertained the audience with different forms of music playing, but also with other Chinese cultural elements like calligraphy, Chinese painting and Taiji performance.6The orchestra received a long standing ovation at the end of the concert. One of the audiences asked UCA Confucius Institute staff to teach her how to say “Your performance is fabulous” in Chinese so that she could express her appreciation to the orchestra.7It has been invited to give performance in America, Britain, Germany, Canada, Russia and Japan many times.8Performance at UCA was one of seven stops of their American tour, including New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, and Memphis.