Monica Luebker to Discuss Ponzi Schemes at Honors College Alumni Present Lecture on April 4

Monica Luebker will present a lecture entitled “Ponzi Schemes” on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. in the College of Business Lecture Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.  Luebker, a graduate of the Honors College, will deliver her talk as part of the Honors College Alumni Present Lecture Series. Alumni presentations in 2012 and 2013 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the UCA Honors College.  Luebker received a degree in History from UCA in 1988 before attending law school at SMU. She has built a distinguished career as a litigator in Dallas, Texas, where she is a partner in the law firm of Fishman-Jackson-Luebker.

 Luebker has had an active trial and dispute resolution practice for twenty years, specializing in commercial, securities, construction, and employment litigation. She also represents clients in trademark and copyright litigation matters, trademark prosecution and trademark portfolio work. Luebker has successfully defended numerous class action lawsuits and is also often called upon to defend international clients in front of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Her clients have included international financial consulting firms, brokerage firms, technology consulting firms, real estate investment and development companies, internet sales companies, retail establishments, companies in the entertainment and sports arena, and major insurance companies.

Honors College Hosts Livestock

The UCA Honors College will host its 14th Annual Livestock on Saturday, April 14, at the Bear’s Den in Conway. Livestock is a concert fundraiser for Heifer International. Heifer International’s goal is to end poverty by securing food and a dependable income for the poor and hungry across the world. This year, Livestock will feature local musician Ben Wold, Swimming (from Fayetteville), and Whale Fire (Little Rock). Doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. A $5 donation is requested at the door.

UCA Honors College has purchased three Gift Arks with Livestock proceeds. Each Gift Ark represents a donation of $5,000. This year, the Honors College plans to purchase the Women in Livestock Development or “WiLD” Gift. Women make up 70% of the world’s poor, yet produce 80% of the developing world’s food and own only 1% of the earth’s land. WiLD seeks to change women’s circumstances and give them power. WiLD represents a donation of $10,000. For more information on Heifer International, go to www.heifer.org.

Faculty Accomplishments:

Adam Frank’s Leadership in SW Conference on Asian Studies

Honors Associate Professor Adam Frank is immediate past president of the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies, which held its 40th annual meeting in 2011 at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. The next meeting of the Southwest Conference will take place in the fall on the SMU campus in Dallas.

 Rick Scott to Present Keynote Address to an International Honors Conference in The Netherlands

Rick Scott

Rick Scott, dean of the Honors College, has been invited to deliver a keynote address in October at an international honors conference in Groningen, The Netherlands. The conference theme, “Evoking Excellence in Higher Education and Beyond,” highlights an emerging conversation about the global spread of collegiate honors education. In the past few years honors programs have been started in Holland and Germany, as well as Mexico, South Korea, Qatar, and China.

Scott, who is president elect of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), said, “At the NCHC Board of Directors meeting on Omaha last month, we identified the promotion of international honors education as a strategic priority in the coming half-decade, and I am pleased to have an opportunity to address honors educators at the conference in Europe.”

His talk, “The Demography of Honors in the United States,” will present preliminary results from the most systematic collection of information about collegiate honors education in the United States that has ever been available. This comes from a new NCHC member database;  Scott has taken the lead in its development, having authored the questionnaire used to collect information from NCHC’s 900 member institutions.

“The profile of honors education in the United States depicted by these data represents the widest cross-sectional overview ever shown, and it should help us better understand what honors programs and colleges have in common and what they do not,” Scott said. ” I hope the profile will prove useful in adapting honors practices from the United States to higher education institutions overseas.”

Donna Bowman Invited to Speak on Craftivism at Harding University

Associate Dean Donna Bowman has been invited to Harding University to speak on the intersection of traditional domestic work, high-tech social media, and political activism. In March 2011,  she was a featured presenter at the Brave New Media conference co-sponsored by Humanity, the Roosevelt Institute, and the Harding College of Communications. Her talk, “A Thousand Little Things: How Crafting Networks Turn Social Organization Into Material Productivity,” explored the revolution in handcrafting fostered by well-designed online tools for interaction, teaching, and support. On March 26, Bowman will return to Harding by invitation of the College Activities Board for a talk titled “Gun Cozies and Yarn Bombs: Making Fabric Is A Political Act.” This presentation focuses on the historical significance of the connection between gender and fabric-making, and reveals how present-day artists and activists are redefining the domestic arts.

Little Rock Renaissance Wiki and Exhibit

The Little Rock Renaissance Wiki (http://honors.uca.edu/wiki/), hosted by the Honors College, reached a milestone 1 million page views in February. The wiki documents economic, social, and historic revitalization efforts in Central Arkansas in more than 3,300 entries written in oral history classes taught by Associate Professor Philip Frana. An article about the development of the wiki, still ongoing, is published in the Fall-Winter 2009 issue of Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6947/is_2_10/ai_n45180315/).

The wiki is to be featured in a March studioMAIN exhibit in Little Rock. StudioMAIN (www.studio-main.org) is a design collaborative comprised of individuals from the design fields of Arkansas, which works towards education the general public about the role of good design in daily life. The theme of the exhibit, to be unveiled during 2nd Friday Art Night, is the history of urban planning in Little Rock.

Featured Student: Sara Bayles

Sara Bayles

Sara Darlene Bayles, originally from Springdale (Har-Ber), is a senior Political Science and Religious Studies major at UCA with minors in Gender Studies and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. Bayles’ academic interest including studying the crossroads of gender, religion, and politics, with a focus on how these factors contribute to feminist theology, public policy, social and cultural movements, and daily life. Bayles has spent the last few semesters preparing a variety of interdisciplinary thesis and research topics at this intersection. Her senior Honors thesis traces the development of “Feminist Theological Perspectives in American History.” Bayles is also working on departmental Honors projects in her major fields. Her Political Science thesis, which she recently presented at the Arkansas Political Science Association, is a case study of “Feminization of Poverty with Ozark Mountains,” and explains how public policy choices and social norms affect chronic poverty within Newton and Searcy Counties, as well as reinforce gender based poverty. For her Religious Studies departmental honors thesis, her focus is on transnational theological issues and responses to HIV/AIDS.

Around campus, Bayles is involved in a variety of organizations. She has served as a representative-at-large and as chair of the Honors Council, and is current chair of the Honors College Ambassadors. Bayles is tremendously thankful to the professors, staff, and classes of the Honors College in firing her passions. This spring, Bayles had the privilege of working as a teaching assistant in the Honors College junior seminar course on Women and Law. She writes, “This semester, in Women and Law, has been incredibly insightful and provoking. Not only am I learning from the materials and my peers, I’m recognizing talents I have for teaching, and even for grading student work! It’s incredibly encouraging and inspiring to be part of the learning processes and formative experiences of the future leaders of my generation.”

Outside of the Honors College, Bayles has been involved in a variety of organizations including Residence Hall Council, social and philanthropic clubs, and departmental clubs. This semester Bayles was elected as President of Pi Sigma Alpha, the Political Science Departmental Honors Association. One of the student organizations that Bayles cites as most influential to her college experience is the Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist Campus Ministry. Throughout her four years at UCA, Bayles has been involved in this ministry as a leader of small groups, bible studies, prayer groups, and as a mission trip participant. “I grew up in the United Methodist Church, and sought to become part of a community of faith when I began college. In doing so, I have become acutely aware of my own calling into ministry within the United Methodist Church. I am forever thankful for the Wesley Foundation for shaping me, and preparing me to find my calling.”

In the summer of 2011, Bayles had the opportunity through an Honors College grant to study and work on Capitol Hill at the General Board of Church and Society, the United Methodist Advocacy organization. Her work included facilitating seminars and congressional visits, advocating on legislation, and working with faith based groups to make their voices heard in public policymaking circles. While on Capitol Hill Bayles gravitated towards advocacy work, and she continues to work with a variety of faith based issues. This past fall, she was recruited to help launch “Imagine No Malaria,” a partnership between faith groups, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other nongovernmental organizations working to eradicate malaria.

In August of 2011, Bayles became a local pastor for two United Methodist congregations in Cleveland and Overcup, Conway County. Bayles leads and organizes worship services and other activities for these churches. “It has been an absolute affirmation of my calling and tremendous joy to serve both of these churches,” remarks Bayles. “They continue to uplift, edify, and form my calling into pastoral ministry.”

After graduation, Bayles plans to attend Duke Divinity School, where she has been awarded a Divinity Teaching Fellowship, and the later become an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Bayles says she will “listen to God’s calling upon her life, seek justice, and love thy neighbor as thyself. I am forever grateful to the staff and faculty of UCA, especially the UCA Honors College for teaching me that it is often the questions – not the answers – that shape our world, and thus are life callings. I also owe my deepest gratitude to my family, which continues to support my every endeavor in my life journey, as well as my friends, my family, my faith community, and the faculty of UCA.”

Writes Bayles, “Looking back on the past four years of my time at UCA, I am in awe of the friendships I have made, the opportunities I have been able to experience, the professors that continue to challenge and inspire, and the paths that continue to reveal themselves along life’s journey.”

Featured Alumnus: Lily Kuonen

Lily Kuonen

Lily Kuonen (’06) is a new assistant professor of foundations at Jacksonville University. She sends this reflection:

“In my artistic process I work without knowing what the resolution will be. I embrace a sense of renewal where physical connections link materials and ideas. I push against finality, testing limitations to explore the process of painting.

“After receiving my BFA in Studio Art and minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies, and still not yet wanting to feel finished, I sought my MFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design. While in Savannah, I was once again held captive by mentors, tough-loved, and questioned at every juncture. The questions were difficult, some silly, some fun, and some to sleep on. As I progressed through the program, one question was asked over and over again: Why not teaching?

“I had naively rebelled against the idea of teaching, like sneaking out and smoking cigarettes. But, you see, it is in my blood. My sister is a high school math teacher; my mother is a Montessori first, second, and third grade teacher; my Uncle is a professor; and my grandmother was a junior high and high school teacher and coach. Like a family business, I acknowledged my fate, but it wasn’t until somewhere during my first teaching assistantship that I realized my true passion. Think of it like being 18, casting your ballot for the first time. You made your decision, despite your upbringing, despite your peers, despite the media, you made your decision. This is how I came to teaching.

“I got offered my first full-time teaching position in Drawing and Painting directly after graduate school at College of Charleston. I was so scared. But that fright came not for myself. It was instead a fear of failing my students. Since missing my first class ever (not even realizing I had a course to show up for), I have entered the classroom and studio every single time with enthusiasm, excitement, and fear. I love teaching, and I am so happy to have accepted it, and taken it as my own.

“After a year in Charleston, I moved on to assistant professor of art in foundations at Jacksonville University. A small liberal arts college, where my roots in the Honors College have given me insight and depth for the personalities I have the pleasure of experiencing. In Florida I will continue exploring my directive and my love. So, as of December of 2006 I spent 2 months on the road at over 10, 000 miles. I saw 13 states, 3 countries, got tattoos, then moved. Waited tables, hiked mountains, moved again. Graduate school. Traveled. MFA in Painting, bought a van, moved again. Traveled. Full-time position at College of Charleston, tattoos, moved again. Assistant Professor of Art in Foundations at Jacksonville University. Artist Residency at the Vermont Studio Center, spoke at conferences, received fellowships, had art shows in Little Rock, Fayetteville, Eureka Springs, Savannah, Atlanta, Chicago, Hong Kong, Charleston, Vermont, and Jacksonville. I will participate soon in THINKTANK7 Integrative Teaching International. And I still come back home to Arkansas whenever I get the chance.”

Special Announcements: Travel Abroad Grants and Undergraduate Research Grants in Education

 Leanne Hampton attended the Mid-South Flute Society Young Artist Competition in March. Also in March,  Nicholas Rogers conducted an anthropological study of road cycling, culminating with a European race in Belgium. Taylor Sutton, a Philosophy major, traveled to the 5th annual Undergraduate Ethics Symposium at DePauw University to present his paper “Ruat Caelum: The Blasphemy of Justice.”

A number of students will attend the Southern Regional Honors Council annual meeting in Tampa, Florida, Friday, March 30-Sunday, April 1. Papers to be delivered include, Wilson Alobuia (major: Biology), “Predictors of Pulmonary Function Test Quality”; Katrina Kimble, “All Men and Women Are Created Equal: The Conflict and Compromise of the Seneca Falls Convention and Women’s Suffrage”; Nathan Robbins (History), “Remaking Romanitas: The Expansion of Roman Citizenship and the Redefinition of “Roman-ness” in the Early Roman Empire”; Taylor Sutton (Philosophy), “The Phenomenology of Revelation: Fallacy in Anselm’s Ontological Argument”; Matthew Hankins (Physics), “Native American Astronomy at the Point Remove Mound Complex” & “A Game of Stags: Mathematics, Ethics, and Game Theory Applied to Economics”; Kathy Hill, “The International Marriage Market”; Emily Trower (Psychology) & Laralyn Thomas (Psychology), “A Test Between Two Self Theories of Cognitive Dissonance”; Brittany Edwardes (English), “Muslim Feminine Political and Sexual Self-Discovery”; and Daniel Keil (Biology), “Jellyfish Phylogenetics.”

Faculty Accomplishment: Allison Wallace

Associate Professor Allison Wallace’s essay on “The Place of Drawing in Place Journaling” has been accepted for publication in Honors in Practice.

In Honors seminars on American nature writing and the history of environmental activism, Wallace’s students must each choose an outdoors location on campus to visit weekly and to compile a “place journal” about it. The goal is for students to become astute observers of nature, partly by writing (i.e. developing the necessary vocabulary to describe what they encounter) and partly by drawing. Artistic skill is not necessary, but a good-faith effort to really see and to record these close observations is important, and tends to yield greater understanding of the natural world than students initially believe possible in this assignment. Dr. Roger Bowman of UCA’s art department has been instrumental in helping Wallace to prepare students for the drawing requirement in these courses.

Craftin’ for CASA

Associate professor Donna Bowman’s Honors seminar “Craft Wisely: The Past, Present and Future of Handmade” wanted to make a splash with handcrafting both on campus and off. Partnering with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the 20th Judicial District, they found a cause for their knitted and crocheted winter accessories: children in the custody of local courts, who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. For twenty-one of these children, the class of 14 students, a teaching assistant, and an instructor created custom hats, scarves, mittens, toys, blankets and comfort objects, made with love and in the children’s favorite colors. But the class wanted to do more than give their work to the clients; the students wanted to contribute to the important work of CASA. They committed to a fundraising sale on campus in which their handmade headbands, hats, scarves, decorations, blankets and bags were paired with the items made for the children CASA serves. Customers who bought a paired item took home one, and donated the other.

See Video of the project.  

On December 1, the Craftin’ for CASA Buy One, Give One sale went live on “the block” between Snow Fine Arts and Short-Denney. Scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the last item was sold around 2 pm and the clotheslines were empty. Thanks to the generosity of the campus community — students, faculty, staff and visitors — the class was able to present an $876 donation to CASA of the 20th Judicial District along with the 21 gifts handmade for its clients. Tess Fletcher, Executive Director for the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, commented: “While we are grateful for the items and the financial support, what has overwhelmed our staff has been the dedication and passion to our mission that the students have shown.  They, Dr. Bowman, and the entire UCA campus should know that through not only their actions, but through their compassion, a message of hope has been sent to the abused and neglected children in our community.” Reflecting on what she learned through the service project, a student in the class wrote: “Because people see us contributing to the world, performing craft-activism, attempting to make a difference and pay it forward … maybe someday they will remember our efforts and do the same.”

Featured Student: Destiny Davis

Destiny Davis

Destiny Davis is a senior Biology major and Honors minor focused on plant research. Her involvement in biological research began fall of 2010 with her work in Dr. J.D. Swanson’s laboratory exploring trichome development in blackberries as a model for cell signaling and differentiation. Her work involved genetic transformation to ascertain the function of a particular gene in trichome development. This being her first introduction to the world of scientific research, she attributes much of her confidence to the “shared experience of working alongside other students in Dr. Swanson’s lab.”

Besides her work in biology, Destiny is also involved on campus through the Student Government Association. She has served on SGA since her junior year and is currently representing the students as both a senior representative and as Chair of the Green Initiatives Committee. Through her involvement in SGA, she is able to serve the students by “making sure the students are heard in every conversation which involves them across campus.” Her main goals with SGA this semester are to “inspire others to carry on the tradition of activism at UCA, regarding green initiatives in particular, and ensure the continual inclusion of students in all UCA matters.”

Destiny also had the opportunity to travel abroad after her sophomore year. In the summer of 2010, she was awarded a Travel Abroad Grant from the Honors College to study abroad in New Zealand for a month. The trip was largely focused on the unique ecology of the two islands with activities including museum visits, hikes, guided nature tours, as well as university visits to hear lectures from prominent, New Zealand biologists. An experience, she says, afforded her a sense of community in science in particular.

The following summer Destiny was selected to participate in Arkansas’ IDeA Networks Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) summer outreach program. The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science by pairing them with faculty researchers on an independent research project. During the ten-week program, Destiny (mentored by Dr. Grace, Associate Professor of Biology at UALR) explored the light effects on antioxidant synthesis in tomatoes. With two different genotypes under two light conditions, she used gene expression data as well as metabolic analysis in order to correlate the production of a specific antioxidant with the expression of eight particular genes. At the conclusion of the program, she presented her research at both the INBRE research day at UAMS and the fall poster symposium in Fayetteville—where she received 1^st place in the Biology oral presentation competition. Destiny also presented her research poster at the Arkansas Plant Powered Production (P3) (a consortium of plant researchers focused on collaboration across college campuses and building a strong basis for plant biology research in Arkansas) summer conference where she won 1^st place in the undergraduate poster competition. Destiny also incorporated her research into her Honors College thesis entitled: “Biotechnology of Tomatoes: A Genetic and Metabolic Approach to Nutritional Improvement,” completed in the fall of 2011.

Destiny plans on attending graduate school next fall in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Plant Biology focusing on how the molecular biology of a plant dictates physiology (specifically how the plant interacts with the environment). She was selected for on-campus interviews at Pennsylvania State University (in March) and University of California, Davis (in February) where she will meet with faculty to discuss potential research projects.

Destiny describes her time at UCA so far as “enlightening and enriching in all senses of the words. I have gained much from being a part of the UCA community through the Honors College, SGA and being a student in general. I understand the importance of continual inquiry and exploration as a true life-long learner and I am constantly surprised of how these ideas shape and connect all aspects of my life. I am also grateful for the experiences I have had working with the faculty and my peers. As my time at UCA comes to close, I realize how much I have grown in the four years since I took my first college class. I welcome the challenge that awaits me in graduate school and I have the UCA community to thank.”

Featured Alumnus: Laci M. Rogers

Laci Rogers

After a lifetime as a student, you’d think I would be ready to leave school. Instead, my days at UCA formed my ambition to become a professor so that I could stay in college forever. To this end, I completed a Bachelor of Business Administration with an Honors minor (Class of ’06) at the University of Central Arkansas and a Master of Business Administration at Florida State University. During summer 2011, I completed my dissertation and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior at Florida State University.

My mother often says “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” So far, I have to agree. I’m really enjoying my first academic position. In August 2011, I became an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN. There are three main parts to life as an academic: teaching, research, and service. I teach three management classes a semester. My research focuses on mentoring and career development, organizational politics, and cross-generational interactions at work. I’m currently focused on publishing out of my dissertation research. For my service responsibilities, I am leading the International Case Competition Team which will compete at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. Top business undergraduates analyze business cases and then present their recommended solutions to panels of executives. The competition is a chance to apply academic knowledge to real-world scenarios.

When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my husband, Derrick. We have been together since I was a sophomore at UCA, and we finally got married last October. We love sports, being outdoors, food and spoiling our pit-mix, Davie. I recently rediscovered my love of reading and watching crime dramas. A good story helps to break up all the academic reading and papers that need grading. My Honors experiences helped define my passions and gave me the foundation to build a great career and a great life.

Faculty Accomplishment: Philip Frana

Philip Frana’s interview with Turing Award winner Stephen A. Cook on computational complexity theory and the P versus NP problem appears in the January 2012 issue of Communications of the ACM.  His interview with Turing winner Edsger Dijkstra, also published in CACM, was downloaded more than 25,000 times last year, making it the 4th most requested article in the Association for Computing Machinery’s Digital Library collection. Frana is the Director of Undergraduate Research in the Honors College.

Honors College Event: Freshman Lock-in/Book

All Honors freshmen and Track-II sophomores are reading the acclaimed 1946 coming-of-age novel The Member of the Wedding by Southern writer Carson McCullers. A student troupe, led by professors Adam Frank (Honors) and Monika Alston-Miller (Speech Communication),  performed scenes from the work as adapted for the stage at a lock-in in the Student Center held Jan. 20. The lock-in was sponsored by the Honors Mentors student organization and their advisor Cindy Lea.

Spring Soapbox Schedule

Coordinator Philip Frana has released the Spring Semester 2012 Honors Soapbox schedule. Soapbox is an informal Honors student and alumni forum for the dissemination and exchange of ideas on a wide variety of topics. Soapbox began as the Honors College Open Forum in 1993. A complete list of past soapbox participants and titles is available online. Students, faculty, staff, and the public are welcome to join us in dialogue every Friday at 3 p.m. in the Farris Honors Hall Presentation Room.

Jan. 27 – Joey Baker, “Planking, Teapotting, and Owling” & Andrew Holt, “Internet Culture: 4chan, Memes, & Anonymous”

Feb. 3 – Josh Simmons & Jax Fliss, “Gosh Darn Delicious”

Feb. 10 – Sarah Maxam, “Aww, Miscreants CAN be Nice People!” & Sergio Ivan Perez Bakovic, “Technology and Culture in Bolivia and America”

Feb. 17 – Colby Qualls, “The Tea Party: Steamed Off” & Matthew Ford, “Can He Say That? Defining the Limits of First Amendment Jurisprudence”

Feb. 24 – Brittany Edwardes, “Globalism and Literature: The Production of Understanding or Stereotypes?” & Laura Maxam plays the Baroque Masters

March 2 – Matt Hankins, “Game Theory for Everyday Life” & TsungYen Chen, “Nanorobotics”

March 9  – Kendall Fancher, “Canada and the United States: Do They Share a Common Culture?” & Jo Beth Sence, “The Big (Pine)Apple: Costa Rica”

April 6  – Matt Duncan, “Pot-Luck Theatre”

April 13 – Nick Rogers, “Belgium, Beer, and Bikes” & Josh Bregy, “Storm Chasing!”

April 20 – Taylor Sutton, “H.P. Lovecraft and Philosophy”

Featured Student: Wilson Alobuia

Prior to enrolling at the University of Central Arkansas, Wilson Alobuia (major: Biology; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies) served as an intern at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana. As an intern in the Educational Advising Center of the Public Affairs section, he worked as a college counselor for students interested in attending college in the United States. Serving with a group of other counselors, he helped students understand the American College Education system, helped them prepare for and take the SATs, ACTs and other standardized exams, as well as select and apply to colleges that fit their criteria, needs and interests.

Following his first year of college, in the summer of 2009, Alobuia was offered a research internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) through their Center for Diversity Affairs. He had never been in a lab before, but was fortunate to be assigned to work with Alexei Basnakian M.D, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Basnakian put him to work collecting data for a research project involving human vascular endothelial cells. His work during this initial study produced direct evidence about the role played by a DNA-degrading enzyme, Endonuclease G, in cellular damage. He was made a co-author on an abstract about the research submitted for the Arkansas Biosciences Institute fall symposium in Jonesboro, AR, where he represented the research team in a poster session. He then engaged in further studies of this enzyme over a period of two years, which led to final findings and a publication of the research article “Endonuclease G mediates endothelial cell death induced by carbamylated LDL” in the American Journal of Physiology.

In the summer of 2010, he was honored to be among three students selected by the University of Alabama at Birmingham for International Health Research training in Jamaica. In Jamaica, he worked on the research project, “Assessment of vector-borne diseases in selected communities in Western Jamaica.” He worked with the Jamaican Ministry of Health, visiting various hospitals in Western Jamaica and interviewing patients and their families on their knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning vector-borne diseases, notably malaria and dengue fever. This study was imperative following an outbreak of malaria and dengue fever, in order to provide suggestions to the Ministry of Health on ways to prevent future outbreaks and to educate the citizens on ways to protect themselves and prevent outbreaks.

Alobuia was accepted for another internship in the summer of 2011. After a highly competitive application process, he was selected to participate in the Summer Internship Program at the Johns Hopkins University, in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division where he was assigned to work with Dr. Emmanuelle Clerisme-Beaty. At Johns Hopkins, he researched the topic “Predictors of pulmonary function test quality.” After 10 weeks of research, performing pulmonary function tests (PFT) and analyzing pulmonary function test data, his research showed that patient demographics (race, gender), underlying lung disease (restrictive, mixed) and testing location (inpatient vs. outpatient) are associated with PFT quality and thus may impact interpretability and findings.

Alobuia explains that being a member of the UCA Honors College “has been a very rewarding experience and has truly enhanced my understanding of the importance of civic involvement and giving back to the larger community. Through the Honors College, I have also learned the skill of inquiry and conversation that have helped tremendously in all of my research, article writing and oral presentations of my research work at various conferences. The Honors College has also played a critical role in the development of my leadership potential; from serving locally as the President of the Pre-medicine club at UCA, to serving as a present Pre-Medical Regional Director for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), I am grateful to the Honors College for the opportunity to learn the very important organizational skills of collaboration, planning and assessment, as well as the personal skills of self-discipline and task management. These skills have efficiently helped in my capacity to work independently as well as guide and/or direct group-based work.

“I am sincerely indebted to the entire faculty of the University of Central Arkansas Honors College, and all other faculty members across the UCA campus for their immense support and the superior education they continue to provide! As I prepare to start medical school this fall, I feel fully equipped to ‘continue the conversation’ (which began at the Honors College) and to embrace the civic responsibility instilled in me by the Honors College, wherever ‘I belong.’”

Featured Alumnus: Joanna Swirszcz

This fall Joanna Swirszcz (Class of ’08; major: Psychology; minors: Linguistics & Honors Interdisciplinary Studies) began studying at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she will graduate with a Master’s in Foreign Service with a concentration in International Commerce and Business in May 2013. The school is ranked the number one international relations program by Foreign Policy magazine, and provides its students with rigorous, cross-disciplinary insights into the dynamic world of global affairs. The ICB concentration helps students master functional business-related skills while gaining understanding of the complex political and social environments within which international business takes place. In addition, since the school is in DC, students have ample opportunity to network with distinguished practitioners and make meaningful professional connections. Georgetown alumni find work in national governments, international organizations, private businesses, and civil society groups. Swirszcz recently began an internship with McLarty Associates, an international strategic advisory firm, and provides research and language support to the firm’s Europe and Eurasia team. After graduating, she hopes to find work in the US government or in a consulting firm.

Prior to starting Georgetown, Swirszcz worked at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) as a Program Assistant for Central Asia and Belarus, where she provided support for the non-profit’s democracy reform programs, including economic journalism programs in Kyrgyzstan and business association support in Belarus. Before that, Swirszcz worked with Congressman Vic Snyder, and during her two years there, her duties ran the gamut – she gave Capital tours, conducted legislative research, helped manage the office’s constituent mail system, and advised on foreign policy issues related to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Before moving to DC, Swirszcz attended Middlebury College’s Russian School in Vermont, an immersion program where she spoke nothing but Russian for nine weeks. While at Middlebury, Swirszcz found out that her undergraduate Honors thesis (advisor, Randall Pouwels of the UCA History Department) would be published in Nationalities Papers, the leading academic journal on nationalism, ethnicity, ethnic conflict, and national identity in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the former Soviet Union. The citation for this publication is “The Role of Islam in Chechen National Identity,” Nationalities Papers 37.1 (2009): 59-88.

December Graduates

The Honors College offers its sincere congratulations to all eleven December 2011 graduates with Honors minor degrees. All graduates received a certificate of completion of the program and a medallion handcrafted by UCA art professor Bryan Massey in a ceremony and banquet on December 16th, the evening before Commencement exercises.

Tamami Akagi (major: Business Administration; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Jackson Fliss (majors: Mathematics & Physics; minors: Music & Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Anna Horton (majors: Psychology; minors: Spanish & Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Katelyn Johnson (major: Biology; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Ben Maddox (major: Political Science/International Studies; minors: Spanish, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Hannah Marks (major: Pre-Occupational Therapy; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

LeeAnne Maxey (major: Art/Studio-Graphic Design; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Aaron McMoran (majors: Mathematics & Physics; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Ariel Moore (major: Creative Writing; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Robert Rogers (major: History/Social Studies; minor: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Stephanie Schneider (major: Psychology; minors: Art, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies)

Faculty Spotlight :  Rick Scott Named Fellow of the National Collegiate Honors Council

Rick Scott, dean of the Honors College, was named a Fellow by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) at its national conference in Phoenix.  Scott is president-elect and a former member of the Board of Directors of NCHC. He will chair its annual conference in 2012 at Boston before presiding over the organization in 2013.  NCHC represents more than 900 honors programs and colleges throughout North America, Europe and Asia, serving collegiate honors education through training, publications and conferences.  The 2011 class of seven NCHC Fellows is its second, following an inaugural class of 19 awarded in 2010 in Kansas City.  Nominees are put forward on the basis of national, regional and/or state honors organization leadership.  Dean Scott’s award reflects his service in NCHC, along with publications on pedagogy and the direction of honors education, regional service as executive secretary-treasurer from 2008-11 of the Southern Regional Honors Council and years of consulting with honors programs around the country.

 2011 Conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council

UCA Honors College faculty, staff, and students gave a number of presentations at the 46th annual Conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Phoenix held October 19-23:

Rick Scott, “Best Honors Administrative Practices: Fundraising Fundamentals for Honors”; “Meet the Conference Planners”; “Potential Promises and Pitfalls of Certifying Honors Programs and Honors Colleges”; “The Future of Honors”

Zach Barber and  Patricia Smith, “An Unstandardized Admission Model in the World of Standardized Tests”

Donna Bowman and Allison Wallace, “Stewards of the Material World: Models for Integrating Manual Work into Honors Seminars”

Philip Frana and Adam Frank, “Nurturing a Culture of Undergraduate Research and Self-Assessment on a Campus Divided by Pedagogical Factions”

December 2011 Senior Honors Thesis Presentations

Tamami Akagi
Advisors: Donna Bowman & Phil Bartos
Lumière: An Etsy Business Plan for Hand-Knitted Accessories

Zach Barber
Advisor: Conrad Shumaker
Buddha, Christ, and Science: Finding the Lines that Connect Our World

Sara Bayles
Advisors: Donna Bowman and Taine Duncan
Righting the Wrongs of His Religion: A Journey through Feminist Theology

Brandi Bowlin
Advisor: Richard Tarkka
A Bit about IMAC… No, Not the Computer

Destiny Davis
Advisor: John Swanson
Biotechnology of Tomatoes: A Genetic and Metabolic Approach to Nutritional Improvement

Catherine Demailly
Advisor: Brian Campbell
Meet Your Meat: What the Modern Meat Industry is Hiding, and Why You Don’t Have to be a Vegetarian to Change It

Jax Fliss
Advisor: Balraj Menon
Ontology in Spacetime Physics

Leanne Hampton
Advisor: Carolyn Brown
Q.E.D. Bach: A Union of Rhetoric and Music

Amber Haydar
Advisor: Charles Bane
Where Am I? Being an Account of One Student’s Experience in Culture Shock, Journeying Across the Pond to Visit Four Countries in Two Summers

Mary Beth Hill
Advisor: Phil Bartos
Social Media: The Future of Global Marketing

Michael J. Hinds
Advisor: Conrad Shumaker
Becoming Native: A Look through Native American Cultures into the Environmental Movement for a More Complete Way of Relating to the Earth and the Natural World

Anna Horton
Advisor: Jennifer Brinegar
The Evolution of Aggression: An Evolutionary Perspective on Modern Gender Inequalities

Jenn Hynum
Advisor: Michael Gunter
Animus: A Screenplay

Katelyn Johnson
Advisor: Doug Corbitt
Free “Flipper”: The Senseless Slaughter of Dolphins in Taiji, Japan

 Stefani Johnson
Advisor: Adam Frank
Exploring Movement Techniques: Viewpoints and Physical Theater Training

Jordan Karpe
Advisor: Gayle Seymour
Up Against a Wall: Exploring Mural Making as a Form of Visual Art & Expression

Ben Maddox
Advisor: Michael Yoder
Rectoría y Reforma: The Asymmetrical Benefits of Neoliberal Reform in the Mexican Agricultural Sector

Hannah Marks
Advisor: Jennifer Moore (Johnson)
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Healing Under Pressure

Shannon Miller
Advisor: Story Matkin-Rawn
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: American Identity in the Evolution of Oz

Ariel Moore
Advisor: Donna Bowman
The Yarn Diet: An Interdisciplinary Journey through Handcrafting and Service Learning

Alisha Neblett
Advisor: Alana Reid
Mujeres de Magia y Patria: Women’s Defining Roles in Latin America and its Magic Realism

Jonathan Randle
Advisor:Jon-Stephen Stansel
How to Effectively Learn a Second Language

Nathan Robbins
Advisor: Chris Craun
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Culture: The Evolution of Romanitas and the Expansion of Roman Citizenship

Renee Ronquillo
Advisor: Stephanie Vanderslice
Baking Binges and Munching on Mangos: A Memoir about Food, Family, Culture, and Identity

Patrick Russell
Advisor: Doug Corbitt
Martin Heidegger and Hog Farming: How Heidegger’s Later Essays Condemn Industrial Husbandry and Support Biocentric Agriculture

Eric Sanders
Advisor: Gary Bunn
Metacognition: An Academic Guide to Promoting Self-Efficacy

Jo Beth Sence
Advisor: Roger Wainwright
Alternative Therapies for Mood Disorders

Kat Short
Advisor: Alison Hall
Cultural and Biological Linguistic Taboos: Why the (expletive) They Matter

Adrea Walker
Advisor: Ellen Stengel
Fiana: A Fantasy Novel

Shalisa Walker
Advisor: Sharon Ross
Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Services in Arkansas

Garrett Wright
Advisor: Donna Bowman
See You in Another Life: Volition, Redemption and Rebirth in LOST

Featured Student: Ben Maddox’s thesis “Rectoría y Reforma: The Asymmetrical Benefits of Neoliberal Reform in the Mexican Agricultural Sector”

As a senior international relations student at the University of Central Arkansas I have had the opportunity to study the impacts of globalization, economic development projects, and international financial and political entities on local communities. There is no doubt that we live in an increasingly interconnected world in which our communities are no longer bound by geographical limitations. Across the globe, once isolated communities are now being integrated into the global economy. For some, this has meant an increased standard of living and a higher quality of life. But for others it has meant further marginalization, rising income inequality, and the loss of cultural, economic and political sovereignty. In developing my Honors thesis I wanted to explore the hidden social costs of this new political and economic paradigm. I wanted to study how the rights, concerns, and livelihoods of local communities have changed in an increasingly globalized world.

I began my project in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Thanks to a Travel Abroad Grant (TAG) from the UCA Honors College, I was able to participate in a research internship with the Community Agroecology Network (CAN). CAN placed me alongside several students from the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (UIMQRoo), who were conducting research in the small town of Huay Max. During my two months in the state of Quintana Roo I interviewed many farmers of Mayan descent who not only still used their ancestral language, but also the agricultural practices of their forefathers. The struggles of these farmers to adapt to the global economy is reflected in the motto of UIMQRoo, which is “Ser en el mundo, ser nosotros” – to be in the world, to be ourselves.

My research through my internship with CAN led to the development of my Honors thesis, which examines the relationship between macreconomic developments and agricultural policy in Mexico. The title of my thesis, Rectoría y Reforma: The asymmetrical benefits of neoliberal reform in the Mexican agricultural sector, reflects my original desire to expose the real human costs of economic development. My thesis attempts to show how misguided agricultural policy and a belief in the infallibility of a particular economic model have prevented the development of an equitable and sustainable agricultural sector. In fact, while many of the government policies I examine in my thesis were designed to improve the conditions of rural citizens in Mexico, I find that, more often than not, these policies have served to perpetuate a high level of rural inequality. In the Mexican agricultural sector, the welfare of local people and local communities has been subordinated to the interests of trans-national companies and international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and Inter-American Development Bank.

In assisting me with my research and the writing of my thesis, I would like to thank the UCA Honors College for not only providing me with this opportunity, but also for the TAG that I received, without which none of this would be possible. I would also like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Michael Yoder and Dr. Allison Wallace and J.D. Cindy Lea for their help in fine-tuning the many drafts of my thesis. – Ben Maddox
Featured Alumnus: Sarah Marsh has been named Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee

It’s hard to believe that six months ago I was writing furiously, trying to finish up the last few sections of my dissertation, and here I sit now at the end of my first semester as a full-time faculty member! It’s amazing how quickly life can change! In August, I began a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee, OK). I’ve spent the last few months teaching four classes, getting to know amazing colleagues and students, and acclimating to the idea of not being a student for the first time in my life! How did I end up here after my days at UCA? After finishing my B.S.E. in Mathematics (with the Honors minor) at UCA and getting married to Patrick Marsh, I immediately started work on my M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Mathematics at the University of Oklahoma. I kept my focus on the educational side of mathematics (specifically, undergraduate mathematics) and ended up writing my dissertation on the transition to graduate school in mathematics – a topic that was near and dear to my heart after several years of my own graduate work!

My Honors College education helped prepare me for these experiences in several ways. During graduate school, I relied heavily on my solid training in formulating and organizing arguments and presenting them coherently in writing and in oral presentations. People were always amazed that a mathematician could write and speak effectively. (I love defying these stereotypes!) As a faculty member at a Christian liberal arts university, I find that the breadth of my experiences in the Honors College are useful to me on a regular basis. I am able to identify with the authors and topics my students see in their other classes, and I think it sets a good example for them of what a broad, well-rounded education can produce. Because I know the value of Honors education, I am also looking forward to getting involved with the OBU Honors Program in the coming years. – Sarah Marsh

Reflections on Challenge Week 2011

The Honors College hosted its annual Challenge Week Oct. 31- Nov. 4, serving over 300 students, as well as faculty and staff at UCA. Under the banner of this year’s theme, “Connect/Disconnect: Knowing Your Place,” the Honors College featured public presentations and public readings from UCA writing faculty Mark Spitzer; performance artist/eco-philosopher David Abram, who served as the keynote speaker for this year’s Challenge Week; and poet Ann Fisher-Wirth. Each guest presented to capacity crowds. In addition to their public presentations, Challenge Week participants interacted with students through class visits, small group discussions, and shared meals.

In addition, the Honors College combined forces with Hendrix College and with the Central Arkansas Library System to provide additional opportunities for students and the general public to discuss with David Abram the topic of re-connecting with our “animalness” as a means of cultivating respect for the natural environment. Ann Fisher-Wirth closed out Challenge Week with a Friday afternoon poetry writing workshop that was also well-attended. Honors College faculty Cindy Lea, Phil Frana, Allison Wallace, and Adam Frank and student representatives Destiny Schlinker and Austin Hall comprised the co-curricular committee that organized Challenge Week. The event was funded by the Honors College and through the Student Activity Fee.

Student Soapbox

Senior Patrick Russell, in a soapbox kicking off Challenge Week on Oct. 31, introduced UCA students and faculty to eco-philosopher David Abram’s work The Spell of the Sensuous. Abram’s central idea, Russell said, is that we are “human only in contact and conviviality, with what is not human.” Conviviality is related to, or occupied with, our fondness for feasting, drinking, and good company. Russell reminded the gathering that our senses are intimately attuned to natural phenomena. We really have bodily become what we are by our relationship with that which is not human.

Even our language is shaped by our relationship with the natural world. Yet we no longer know our place in nature. We are instead more intimate with our technologies and the built environment. And technology may actually disconnect us from important tactile, visual relationships with the environment. Nature is exciting, and it can sometimes be dangerous, but in forces and processes that produce and control all the phenomena of the material world humans can experience eye-to-eye reciprocity. We cannot care for that which we do not know. We need to wake up to the sensuality, the vividness, the ecstasy of the natural world. Russell is the president of the Environmental Alliance, a student activity/service organization that promotes interest in environmental ethics and offers opportunities for all students to further their knowledge and understanding of environmental issues.

Students present soapboxes each Friday at 3 p.m. in the Farris Hall Presentation Room. All of the soapboxes in the fall and spring semesters are open to the UCA community. The Fall 2011 soapbox presenters are:

Aug. 26 – Amber Haydar, “Brit Lit” & Kathy Hill, “An Ambassador to Korea2”

Sept. 2 – Garrett Wright, Ben Wold, & David Friesen, “Fosters & Vegemite, or We Ain’t No Bloody Melbourners”

Sept.16 – Ashton Wills, “Theology of the Body” & Sara Bayles, “Fair Trade/Liberation Theology: An Intersection of Faith and Justice”

Sept. 23 – Matthew Hankins & Taylor Sutton, “The Art & Science of Star Trek”

Sept. 30 – Melissa Beltran, “DIY Culture” & Michael J. Hinds, “What Did You Say? An Introduction to Group Theory and Encryption”

Oct.7 – Ron Walter, “Time Travel, Love, and Nihilism: A Look at the Film La Jeteé” & Kim Risi, “Conceptualizing a Film (The Man on the Moon)”

Oct. 14 – Lennon Bates, “Rock Art Field Studies” & Leeanne Maxey on “Working with Artist Matt Lively”

Oct. 28 – Brittany Edwardes and Danny Keil, “An Ancient Monarchy and Shopping Malls: The Fabrication of the Status Quo in Thailand”

Nov. 4 – Hannah Marks, “Disabled in the Dominican Republic” & a Special Performance on the Flute by Leanne Hampton

Nov. 11 – Cathrine Schwader, “Rwanda: A Society of Transformations” & Brett Bailey, “Building a Competitive, Knowledge-Based Economy for Arkansas”

Dec. 2 – Patrick Russell and Michael J. Hinds, “Our National Parks: America’s Greatest Idea”

National Workshop on Honors Curriculum Development
Donna Bowman and Philip Frana served as lead facilitators in a national workshop on “Honors Curriculum Development” for four-year colleges and universities at the annual conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Phoenix, Arizona on Oct. 23. The workshop was prefaced by remarks from Rick Scott, dean of the UCA Honors College, and Gary Bell, dean of the Honors College at Texas Tech, who gave a brief overview to frame questions and tasks. During the workshop the following topics were discussed:

• promoting and sustaining innovative curriculam
•  assessment, creating and measuring student learning outcomes
• advancing a university’s core educational mission with Honors
• interdisciplinarity as a way to explore the grounds, methodologies, and assumptions of knowledge generation
•  active learning, project-based courses, collaborative learning models, service learning.

Faculty Spotlight

Honors Associate Professor Donna Bowman is presenting her theological research into the Prayer Shawl Ministry movement at a national and an international conference this fall. At the Eighth International Whitehead Conference at Sophia University in Tokyo in September, she presented “Needle, Hook, Relational Wisdom: The Prayer Shawl Ministry as Creative Engagement with Fate.” On Nov. 20, she will present “Magic Blankets and Angel Hugs: Grassroots Theologies of Healing in Prayer Shawl Ministries1” to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Francisco.

¿Soy Doctora? An alumni communication from Miranda Broadney (Class of ’06)

The paper trail indicates that I am indeed a doctor, but just half way through my first year of residency it’s still hard to believe! I’ve completed a Bachelor’s of Science (Biology Major, Honors Minor) at the University of Central Arkansas, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health in combination with a Medical Degree at Ohio State University. I am now a first year Pediatric Resident at the University of Arizona Medical Center (Diamond Children’s Hospital) in Tucson, Arizona.

Life in the day of a Pediatric Resident is pretty simple: Go to work, take care of patients, learn something from your patients, finish some administrative work, retreat home for some rest, wake up and do it all over again! The majority of the first year of residency is in the hospital, but there are a few months that are spent working in the clinic and seeing patients in office visits for physicals, etc. My clinical duties are essentially to manage patient care with help from my senior residents and do everything I can to learn as much as possible. There are simple things from admission paperwork and reviewing medications to developing a differential diagnosis list for someone who has become acutely ill and we have yet determined what is going on. As part of my Master’s in Public Health background I am particularly interested in public outreach and health advocacy. Our program participates in many programs within this realm. One I am very attached to is a teen mother and baby support group which meets monthly with residents to provide advice and guidance for the young mothers.

When I’m not working I enjoy traveling, learning about other cultures and of course taking advantage of all the sun Tucson has to offer. I most recently traveled to Quito, Ecuador for a medical elective and Spanish training. I plan to do many more of these excursions within residency and beyond. The world is my oyster, even through a medical filter!

UCA Honors College’s Fall 2011Challenge Week will feature nature and environment writers David Abram, Mark Spitzer and Ann Fisher-Wirth in a series of talks and events on UCA’s campus and in Little Rock.

Challenge Week runs from Oct. 31- Nov. 4. This year’s theme, “Connect/Disconnect: Knowing Our Place,” will address the divide between “the digital world” and “the real world.”

David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous, which interweaves phenomenology, anthropology and linguistics, will speak Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the UCA College of Business auditorium.  Abram’s newest book, Becoming Animal, was just released this year. Abram, founding director of the nonprofit organization Alliance for Wild Ethics (www.wildethics.org), will also read from his work at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Cox Creative Center in Little Rock’s Rivermarket District. Both of David Abram’s readings will be followed by a book signing.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov 1, poet, novelist, environmental writer and UCA faculty member Mark Spitzer, author of Season of the Gar, will read from his work, and at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, award-winning poet Ann Fisher-Wirth, on faculty at Ole Miss, will conclude the public portion of Challenge Week with a poetry reading.  Fisher-Wirth’s recent collections include Carta Marina (2009), Slide Shows (2009), and Five Terraces (2005). All events are free and open to the public.

Through these powerful and eloquent writers’ unique voices, Challenge Week will indeed challenge audience members to examine their own understandings of “knowing place.” For further information about Challenge Week, please contact Adam Frank at 450-3486 or at afrank@uca.edu.

Honors College students used their knitting and crocheting skills to make hats for teen parents and their children. The hats were presented to parents recently at Conway Cradle Care, which provides daycare and skills training for teenagers.

Service learning projects such as this is key to the strategic mission of the Honors College’s motto, said Donna Bowman, associate dean of the Honors College.

“We have a motto in the honors for our pedagogy. We say we like to make it real. We like to explode the walls of the classroom and do things that not only have an impact on the community but are going to be judged and evaluated to some extent by how successful we are in the real world and not just classroom assignments,” Bowman said. “…To see students go beyond an assigned community activity and make a personal connection was really exciting to me.”

Ariel Moore, a senior and vice president of Knit Wise, said service learning is one way to become involved in the community.

“It is great to see our work go to someone who is really going to appreciate it,” she said.

Honors students and other volunteers recently held a Craft-In to make hats. Colorful handmade crafts were hung on a clothesline in the Student Center court yard. Information about teen pregnancy rates and the high cost associated with teen pregnancies were attached to the hats and scarves.

“When we were thinking about a way to make this effort public and really invite the community to participate in some way in supporting this organization and its mission, we immediately thought about raising awareness about teen pregnancy,” Bowman said. “We were able to draw people in with colorful crafted items with tags about national and state teen pregnancy issues and statistics.”

Visit UCA’s YouTube Page to learn more about the Honors College’s Craft Wisely.