Division of University and Government Relations News

Posted on October 18, 2010

One of the goals of the Division of University and Government Relations is to promote the university and the many accomplishments of students, faculty and staff.  Below is a summary of press releases sent to media outlets since Sept. 1. The list does not include story pitches, media advisories or press releases announcing scholarships.

  • UCA Kicks Off National Campus Safety Awareness Month  — UCA was among several colleges and universities promoted safety awareness during the month of September. 
  • International Council for Small Business Elects Don Bradley III as President — Dr. Don B. Bradley, III, a professor of marketing at the University of Central Arkansas, was recently elected president of the International Council for Small Business at its annual ICSB World Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
  • Bonner named UCA Distinguished Alumnus  —Tom Bonner, a former local TV personality for KARK-TV in Little Rock and senior vice president at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the University of Central Arkansas Distinguished Alumnus Award.
  • UCA Hosts Soccer Tournament, Mexican Cultural Events — UCA hosted several events commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Mexican Independence and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution.  The events were part of Arkansas Celebrates Mexico 2010, a partnership between the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock.
  • UCA Sees Increase in Freshmen Enrollment for Fall 2010 —UCA had a 3.9 percent increase in freshman enrollment, bringing the freshman class to 1,846 students for the fall of 2010. This year’s transfer student enrollment is 604 — up 20.8 percent — compared to 500 last year. Of 604 transfer students, 30% were freshmen transfers. 
  • UCA Among “Most Desirable Large Schools” — UCA ranks 23rd among the top 25 “Most Desirable Large Schools” in the Fall 2010 Kaplan/Newsweek “Finding the Right College for You” guide. The university also ranks 24th in the category of “Most Desirable Rural Schools.”
  • UCA Host Dedication for STEM Residential College — UCA officials held a dedication for its new residential college designed to prepare students for careers in technology and science.  The keynote speaker was Gov. Mike Beebe.
  • Rollins College Philosopher Gives Lecture on Thomas Jefferson’s Ideology — Creston Davis, an assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Rollins College in Winterpark, Fla., visited the university last month. He gave a lecture on “Jefferson’s Monticello: Contradiction, Ideology, and the Foundations of America.”
  • UCA Alumnus Receives Scholarship to Study in Morocco — UCA alumnus Jacob Perry was awarded a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar scholarship to Morocco by Rotary International. Jacob will be studying Arabic at the University Mohamed V in Rabat, Morocco. He is one of more than 500 students from 29 countries who will be studying abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year as Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars.
  • Al “Papa Rap” Lopez Performs at UCA — Al Lopez concluded UCA’s Mexican Bi-centennial and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations with a performance that promoted unity and understanding of different cultures.
  • CLEAR Center Receives $5,000 Grant from Trucking Industry Defense Association — The Center for Cooperative Logistics Education, Advancement, and Research (CLEAR) Center was one of four programs nationwide chosen to receive a $5,000 grant from the Trucking Industry Defense Association. 
  • Chemistry Department Receives Nearly $500,000 in Research Grants —The Department of Chemistry was awarded nearly $500,000 in external funding by the National Science Foundation. Three research grants, totaling $498,622, will fund projects for UCA undergraduate chemistry students to conduct research in gas-phase chemistry, surface chemistry, and archeological chemistry.
  • UCA Unplugged XVI to Feature The Smart Brothers and Open Mic Performers — The university hosted the 16th annual UCA Unplugged acoustic concert on Oct. 15 to raise  funds for the UCA Emergency Student Loan Fund. 
  • UCA Graduates Exceed State Average on Praxis III — Graduates from the College of Education exceeded state average in classroom teaching performance assessment, according to 2010 Praxis III results released by the Arkansas Department of Education.
  • College of Business Featured in The Princeton Review’s “THE BEST 300 BUSINESS SCHOOLS” — The Princeton Review UCA in the new 2011 edition of its book, “The Best 300 Business Schools.” This is the third consecutive year the College of Business has been listed.
  • Henderson/Block Gospel Benefit Concert — UCA will host the 2010 Henderson/Block Gospel Benefit Concert on Oct. 25. This annual event is held in memory of Ryan Henderson and Chavares Block who were victims of an on-campus shooting in 2008.   Henderson, 18, of Little Rock, was a freshman at the time of the shooting. Block, 19, of Dermott, was a sophomore pre-engineering major.

Freedom of Information Requests

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act,  Ark. Code Ann. §25-19-101 et seq. (“Act”), guarantees Arkansas citizens access to public records held by public bodies and public officials.  In the past month, the division received and responded to 24 Freedom of Information requests.