Faculty complete IDC track

Four faculty members successfully completed a track from the Instructional Development Center (IDC) pilot program.

Nina Roofe, associate professor of nutrition and DPD Director; Mitchum Parker, associate professor of physical education; Susan Gatto, assistance professor of nursing; and Julie Meaux, associate professor of nursing, will be recognized with a reception sponsored by the Office of the Provost on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The reception will be held in the Mirror Room at McAlister Hall.

The program was designed to encourage instructional innovation and growth. The program has three tracks relative to teaching: on-ground, blended/hybrid, and online.

Charlton recognized with Faculty Advisor Award

Shawn CharltonDr. Shawn R. Charlton has been named the 2012-2013 Psi Chi Florence Denmark Faculty Advisor Award recipient.

Nominated by the current Psi Chi chapter president, the Psi Chi Florence L. Denmark Faculty Advisor Award is presented annually to the one Psi Chi faculty advisor who best achieves Psi Chi’s purpose. The award includes (1) travel expenses to attend the American Psychological Association National Convention in Hawaii to receive the award and (2) an engraved plaque. The award is intended to recognize Psi Chi faculty advisors for their outstanding service to the chapter and to Psi Chi. Congratulations to Dr. Charlton and UCA!

BearsWrite Camp set for summer

Registration is open for the Summer 2013 Bearswrite Summer Writing Camp to be held June 24-28. Aspiring authors entering grades 4 to 6 may attend. Bearswrite will involve students in five action packed days of creative writing using both traditional methods and writing with technology.

Campers will create individual, digital portfolios of their best work, a camp digital anthology, and will participate in a public performance of student work followed by a reception for parents and community members.

For more information, https://uca.edu/teaching/bearswrite.

Upcoming Events

Employee Service Awards

UCA Employees are cordially invited to attend the 2013 Employee Service Awards Thursday, April 25 at 1:40 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Refreshments will be served.

Department of Psychology and Counseling Awards

The Department of Psychology & Counseling presents its 2013 Awards & Recognition Reception on Thursday, April 25th at 6:30 p.m. at Michelangelo‘s rooftop patio.

The Awards and Recognitions reception is our annual end of the year event where students, faculty, alumni, and friends come together to celebrate the many accomplishments of our program over the past year. This event is open to all who are interested in joining us in celebrating our accomplishments.

The 2012 – 2013 Psi Chi, the International Honor’s Society in Psychology, new member induction ceremony will be conducted as a part of the Awards & Recognitions Reception. Tickets for the event are $10 per person and can be purchased with this link www.ucapsychsoc.org.

To see more events on campus or to add other campus activities, visit www.uca.edu/calendar/events. Click “Submit Event” to add an event.

UCA in the news

These are just a few instances of UCA, students, faculty, or staff in recent news:

UCA makes core changes
http://thecabin.net/latest-news/2013-04-17/core-changes

Transition to Teaching Grant Adds 8 School Districts, 2 Subject Areas
http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=650482

University of Central Arkansas cuts core educational requirements
http://www.katv.com/story/22018893/university-of-central-arkansas-cuts-core-educational-requirements

Innaugural Communication Week set for UCA

The University of Central Arkansas Department of Communication will host the first Communication Week on the campus April 15-18.

“It’s self-proclaimed, but we’re serious about it,” said Dr. Nelle Bedner, associate professor and Communication Week chairman. “Communication is powerful. It’s also fun. And we want to illustrate these concepts to our students and to the campus.”

The week’s activities, all free and open to the public, include:

• Monday, April 15, noon — UCA Forensics team presents “Should concealed weapons be allowed on campus?” Student center amphitheater.

• Monday, April 15, 2 p.m. — Panel discussion of “Entrepreneurship in Communication” with Lisa Frein, cofounder of Kazoo Marketing and Communications of Tulsa; Stacey Jones of Ariel Strategic Communications of Conway; and Jodie Spears of Living Pink Public Relations of Little Rock. Thompson Hall 115.

• Tuesday April 16, 1:40 p.m. — UCA Forensics Showcase Debate. Thompson Hall foyer.

• Tuesday, April 16, 6 p.m. — Olive M. Hilliard Speech Showcase, honoring the memory of Hilliard, a UCA instructor from 2003 until her death in 2010. It spotlights outstanding student speeches at the freshman or sophomore level. College of Business 100.

• Wednesday April 17, 2 p.m. — Exhibition of research projects by seniors majoring in Communication. McAlister Hall Mirror Room.

• Thursday April 18, 1:40 p.m. — Departmental Awards Ceremony. Thompson Hall foyer.

Senior research projects to be presented April 17 include:

• “Transition: A Post High School Look,” by Jesse C. Chambliss and Marcela Montelongo Soto;

• “Parenting Strategies through the Lens of the Communication Discipline,” by Mary Ann Vincent and Rachel Moore;

• “Not Just Black and White Anymore: A Critical Analysis of the Media Effects Research Pertaining to Adolescent Girls,” by Stephanie M. Yancey, Natalyn L. Bell and Tierra Francis Mohammed;

• “Image Restoration and Apologia Strategies: The Case of Bobby Petrino,” by Dalton B. Taylor and Morgan E. Lacour;

• “Framing the Nonverbal: Nonverbal Communication Used During the Pre-Snap Read Derived from the Perspective of the Offensive Sub-Organization of the Team Sport, Football,” by Jeffrey D. Dreher;

• “The Progression of Family Communication: Influence of Technology since the 20th Century,” by Bethany Lanell Miller, Holly Renee Frein and Myka Paige Harrison;

• “Over the Decades: A Retrospective Analysis of Race in Television,” by Megan Pile, Kellie Standley and Olivia Stone; and

• “Southern Gender Stereotypes During the World War II Era: An Analysis of Arkansas Obituaries from 1935, 1946 and 1955,” by Daniel Wingfield, Zachary Hall and Jon Love.

“The Department of Communication is looking forward to this opportunity to show the UCA campus the excellent work done by our faculty and students,” said Dr. Jim Hikins, chair of the Department of Communication.

For more information, contact Bedner (501) 450-5601 or nelleb@uca.edu.

–Spencer Mercy, College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office

 

Staff Senate announces Employee of the Quarter

BURKS-0009[1]Sandy Burks is the Employee of the Quarter for the third quarter of the 2012-2013 academic year. Sandy works in the Graduate School.

Excerpt from her nomination:

“This project (Degree Works) has been a massive endeavor. It has required not only additional time commitments, but remarkable intelligence, ingenuity, and a willingness by Sandy to self teach herself programming code of which she had absolutely no prior knowledge or experience. All this has been done while still having to perform all her regular job responsibilities. I am confident that there are very few people on campus who would have been able to what has been accomplished by Sandy Burks this quarter.”

EOQ nominations are evaluated on outstanding job performance, time frame of the performance, and overall contribution to the university.

Each winner receives recognition and prizes including $150 in BearBucks and a reserved parking spot.

Congratulations to Sandy Burks.

 

Torreyson Library Speaker Series

Kathryn Bayles

Kathryn Bayles

Dr. Kathryn Bayles, Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Dr. Kim McCullough, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, will present “Mild Cognitive Impairment: What You Need to Know” on Thursday, April 18th as part of the Faculty Presentation Series hosted by Torreyson Library. The presentation will be during x-period (1:40-2:30) in LIB 215. Light refreshments will be served.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which individuals have a memory or other thinking problem that is greater than would be expected for their age and education. Because many with MCI later develop Alzheimer’s, interest has grown in how to identify and treat MCI. Whereas risk factors such as age and genetics are beyond your control, you may be able to influence other risk factors involved in age-related cognitive decline and dementia. This presentation will provide you with the most current information regarding MCI and what you can do now to improve your brain health.

Kim McCullough

Kim McCullough

This is the final presentation in the series for the spring semester. The presentation series will resume in the fall semester beginning in September 2013.

 

UCA in the news

These are just a few instances of UCA, students, faculty, or staff in recent news:

UCA Director of Bands receives lifetime honor
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/apr/14/uca-director-bands-receives-lifetime-honor/

U.S. grant expands to aid 10 districts
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/apr/09/education-notebook-20130409/

Cove where Exxon oil has been found is part of Lake Conway
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130410/cove-where-exxon-oil-has-been-found-part-lake-conway

Helping hands: students, faculty find oiled wildlife in Mayflower
http://ucaecho.net/news/students-faculty-clean-oiled-wildlife-in-mayflower/

 

Writer published

John Vanderslice, Associate Professor of Writing, has had his short story “Far” accepted for publication in The Whistling Fire literary journal.

Retention and graduation topics for discussion for board

Student retention and graduation rates became the focus of much of the discussion during the UCA Board of Trustees budget workshop on Friday, April 5.

The board met to discuss the budget for the next academic year, 2013-2014. They reviewed a variety of potential budget scenarios that included tuition increases and other budget modifications. During their discussion, the board also discussed current and potential graduation and retention rates for students.

“We are here to educate and graduate students, and we can’t do that if we can’t keep them here,” Victor Green, chair of the Board of Trustees said. “That’s one of our primary goals moving forward.”

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steve Runge reviewed future outlooks for increasing student numbers, as well as goals the university might set over the next decade.

“It’s important to me that we set some goals that are aggressive,” Brad Lacy, member of the UCA Board of Trustees, said during the discussion.

Runge cited greater access to online learning, such as more programs that are offered fully online, as a means to increase student numbers. He also noted that several undergraduate programs are poised for growth over the next few years.

“Overall, this is the most important thing we can do for Arkansas,” Lacy said, adding that increasing the numbers of Arkansas with undergraduate degrees directly relates to economic and health statistics.

Raising the rates of students staying and graduating from the university also helps build the school’s coffers. “It addresses a lot of funding issues that we have that would allow us to pay our employees more and do some other things,” Lacy added.

The board will adopt a budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year at their May meeting.

Prior to the start of the workshop, the Board of Trustees also took the following actions:

• Approved a resolution allowing the university to enter into an exclusive contract with Adidas. The contract would allow the university to purchase all athletic apparel, footwear, and uniforms from the company. The five-year contract begins on July 1, 2013.

• Approved a resolution to move forward with a feasibility study to obtain a loan to pay the UCA Foundation, Inc., for skyboxes and weight training facility. The university can now seek approval from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board to obtain a loan of no more than $3 million to pay for the skyboxes and weight training facility. Currently, the UCA Foundation, Inc., holds the construction indebtedness, and the university pays the foundation.