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!
A special video featuring the Crain Team presenting the donation is available online as well!
To join the celebration of Confucius Institute Day worldwide, UCA Confucius Institute held a series of activities from September 25 to October 3, 2015.
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).
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.
Then a documentary titled “Why We Fight—Battle of China” was showed on the movie night of October 1, 2015.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Confucius Institute Day celebration attracted about 1000 people. It was a real feast to attendants and also a bridge between China and America.
“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.
The opening ensemble “Jasmine Flower” brought the audience into the world of Chinese music with its beautiful melody.
It 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”.
When the American song “Yankee Doodle” was played on the traditional instruments, the audience pleasantly clapped their hands along with the music.
The concert ended with “Blooming Flowers and a Full Moon”.
This 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.
The 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.
It has been invited to give performance in America, Britain, Germany, Canada, Russia and Japan many times.
Performance at UCA was one of seven stops of their American tour, including New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, and Memphis.
Arkansas We The People is pleased to announce that funds will be available Arkansas to provide professional development for middle and high school teachers in civics and government focusing upon the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The initiative, entitled the James Madison Legacy Project, is part of a nationwide professional development program directed by the Center for Civic Education, a nonprofit educational organization that was recently awarded a federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program.
Arkansas We The People is one of the organizations participating in the 46-state James Madison Legacy Project partnership. The funding we receive will be used to increase the number of highly effective teachers of high-need and other students through professional development and the implementation of an exemplary curricular program for students. The teacher institutes and workshops will focus on the research-validated We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program, a nationally acclaimed curriculum that teaches upper elementary, middle and high school students about the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution.
The James Madison Legacy Project will use an existing professional development model that is enhanced with online resources as well as a new blended-learning variation of the traditional model that will involve the use of new online resources to be developed by the Center. These resources will provide teachers rich academic content and a mastery of teaching methods useful in helping students develop the capacity and inclination to become competent and responsible participants in the civic life of their communities and the nation.
The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in civics revealed that only about 25% of students performed at or above the “proficient” level. All the other students scored at “basic” or “below basic” levels that leave them ill-equipped to participate effectively in civic life. This clearly indicates the need for the James Madison Legacy Project to improve civic education.
“In order to help students become effective and engaged members of ‘We the People’ and further the goal of a nation that is supposed to be of, by, and for the people, it is critical that teachers have a sound background in civics and government and develop the skills required to bring the subject to life for their students,” said (name of state coordinator).
For more information contact Dr. Jeff Whittingham, Arkansas We The People Coordinator, University of Central Arkansas, 501-450-5445, jeffw@uca.edu
The UCA Jewel Moore Nature Reserve (JMNR) and Campus Outdoor Pursuits & Activities (COPA) hosted a Leave-no-trace session at the nature reserve on October 12, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. from 4:00 p.m. Students learned about enjoying nature without damaging it and about all the great resources on campus to help everyone enjoy getting outside.
