UCA Students to Attend National Model United Nations

Posted on March 11, 2013

Five UCA students – Willis Arnold, Ecehan Bayrak, Joseph Walsh, Juan Mayen, and Logan Spurlock – will be participating in the annual National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York City from March 17 to March 21, 2013.

The delegation of UCA students will represent the country of Tuvalu at the conference. Located in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu achieved its independence from the United Kingdom in 1978 and has been a member of the UN since 2000.

Approximately 2500 delegates representing universities in more than 40 countries around the world will attend the 2013 NMUN.

The members of the UCA delegation representing Tuvalu each have many years of experience competing in Model UN conferences, as well as staffing the annual Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN) Conference held at UCA. Willis Arnold, a graduate of Conway High School, served as Secretary-General of the AMUN in 2011, and Logan Spurlock, a graduate of Valley View High School, is the current Secretary-General of the AMUN. Juan Mayen participated in high school Model UN in his native country of Honduras before coming to UCA as a student in 2011. Along with the other three students, Ecehan Bayrak and Joseph Walsh both served on the staff of the AMUN in November 2012.

Delegates will attend the Plenary Session of the General Assembly and the Closing Ceremony will take place in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Most of the other activities will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City.

The UCA delegation is sponsored by two UCA student organizations – the UCA Model United Nations organization and the International Studies club. Departing for the trip on Saturday, March 16, the UCA students will be accompanied by Department of Political Science professors Dr. Mark Mullenbach, faculty adviser for the UCA MUN student organization and coordinator of the AMUN and Dr. Gizachew Tiruneh, faculty adviser for the International Studies Club. The group returns on Saturday, March 23rd.

Distinguished Alumnus Visits UCA

Posted on March 11, 2013

The UCA Chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) hosted UCA Distinguished Alumnus Melvin “Ralph” Carruth, Director of the Testing Laboratory at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

Alumnus Ralph Carruth speaks with Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Runge

Alumnus Ralph Carruth speaks with Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Runge

An audience of more than 50, including UCA faculty and students as well as students and faculty from local high schools, attended the presentation. Carruth discussed the many projects that are associated with MSFC focusing on NASA’s progress in designing and building the new Space Launch System (SLS). He explained to the group that the SLS will be used to lift payloads beyond low Earth orbits enabling manned exploration of the moon and beyond and presented a time-line development of the SLS, which includes an unmanned orbit of the moon in 2017 and a manned orbit in 2021.

His presentation finished with a lengthy question-and-answer session, then a private session with members of the SPS chapter.

Carruth began his career at NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in 1978 as an engineer. In 1981, he moved to the Marshall Center as an aerospace engineer, assigned to the Electronics and Control Laboratory. Since that time, he has served several posts including chief of the Physical Sciences Branch, chief of the Engineering Physics Division, and head of the Environmental Effects Group in the Materials, Processes, and Manufacturing Department.

Carruth is internationally recognized as an authority on ion propulsion and the interactions of thrusters with spacecraft, according to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Research and Development website. He has received dozens of awards during his career, and is considered a pioneer of techniques dealing with atomic oxygen interaction with material.

Carruth was born in Arkansas, and graduated from Poyen High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1975. Carruth received a Master of Science Degree at the University of Arkansas in 1978 and a masters in theoretical physics at the University of Alabama Huntsville.

Author Makes Three Presentations to Students and Faculty

Posted on March 11, 2013

Dr. Bob Walker, coauthor, of Personal Finance: Building your Future, visited UCA on Monday, March 4, 2013 to meet with students and faculty in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Cowritten with his wife, Christy Walker, the text is in its first edition and being used by all students in the Family and Consumer Sciences department for their Personal and Family Finance course.

Walker spoke to three different groups throughout the day. Students submitted questions about why he wrote the book, how it was writing with his wife, and what he thinks is most important in personal finance for college students to know.

They also met with him after his lecture for more specific questions before Walker made the road trip back to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Walker is the chair of the Department of Business at Mt. Mercy University.

College of Education Partners with Retired Teachers

Posted on March 11, 2013

The University of Central Arkansas College of Education and the Faulkner County Retired Teachers Association (FCRTA) recently collaborated to provide mock interviews for its spring 2013 Internship II students. The students are spending the last semester of their undergraduate college careers student teaching in the public schools and are ready to begin searching for teaching jobs.

To help these students prepare for job interviews, over 100 students spent 10-15 minutes one-on-one with retired teachers in a simulated interview.  “The students entered the room with apprehension and nervousness,” noted Sue Farris, coordinator of the project for the College of Education, “and left feeling much better about the interview process.”  After the interview, the interviewer gave pointers and immediate written feedback to each student. Most of the students were encouraged by the comments and felt better prepared for an actual interview.

Payton Edmondson, physical education major and Betty Court

Payton Edmondson, physical education major and Betty Courtway

Ashleigh Castles, Middle Level Education major, said, “My mock interview was an amazing experience! I was able to gain a lot of confidence through this activity.  In fact, after the interview, the interviewer told me she would hire me if she were still in school administration! I am very glad I was given the opportunity to participate in this activity as it was an invaluable experience.”According to Jay Fortner, FCRTA member, “Retired teachers enjoy spending this time with our future educators.  The enthusiasm they have today is just as strong as it was for us some thirty or more years ago. Responding to interview questions, students keep us in the loop as to the latest ideas and trends in teaching and learning.”

Dr. Diana Pounder, Dean of the College of Education, said, “The College of Education is extremely proud to have such an active, committed group of former teachers as advocates for its students and programs with this win-win collaboration which began in 2011.”

Gallavan Named ATE President

Posted on March 11, 2013

Nancy P. Gallavan, Ph.D., Professor of Teacher Education, has been elected to serve as the 2013-2014 president of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE).

The theme that Gallavan has chosen for ATE throughout 2013-2014 is “Advancing Teacher Education that Matters in Teaching, Learning, and Schooling” with strands examining characteristics of success, satisfaction, significance, and sustainability.

Nancy Gallavan

Nancy Gallavan

“Success probes the questions of what is effective and useful; satisfaction examines questions of what brings gratification and reward? Significance investigates questions of what is important and critical; sustainability considers questions of what keeps systems and people going?,” she said. Gallavan has appointed ATE commissions on classroom assessments and on classroom teachers as associated teacher educators. “Congratulations Nancy on your service to Arkansas teachers, teacher educators, and the Association of Teacher Educators!” said Diana Pounder, dean of the College of Education.

Gallavan previously served as president of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE) and as President of the Arkansas Association of Teacher Educators (ArATE). The 2013 ATE summer conference will be held in Washington, DC, on Aug 2-6; the 2014 ATE annual meeting will be held in St. Louis, MO, on Feb 15-18. Founded in 1920, the Association of Teacher Educators is an individual membership organization devoted solely to the improvement of teacher education both for school-based and post-secondary teacher educators. ATE members represent over 700 colleges and universities, over 500 major school systems, and the majority of state departments of education. Located in Washington, DC, the ATE office represents its members’ interests before governmental agencies and education organizations. Additionally, ATE has representatives on the Council for Accreditation for Teacher Preparation (CAEP).

College of Business Hears ‘Alternatives to the Federal Reserve Bank’

Posted on March 11, 2013

Selginchoice1asmall_001[1]Near standing room capacity at the College of Business as George Selgin visited on Thursday, February 28.

Selgin is a professor of economics at the University of Georgia. His research covers a broad range of topics including monetary theory, monetary history, macroeconomic policy, and the history of monetary thought.

Professor Selgin holds a Ph.D. in economics from New York University.  He has written or edited seven books including The Theory of Free Banking and Good Money: Birmingham Button Makers, the Royal Mint, and the Beginnings of Modern Coinage, 1775-1821. He has over 60 academic articles. His writings appear in The Christian Science Monitor, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other popular outlets.

Creative Writing Professor Publishes New Book

Posted on March 11, 2013

mspitzer-105x140[1]Mark Spitzer, associate professor of creative writing, recently published a new book of literary translations: Films without Images, three radio plays by Blaise Cendrars, Green Integer Press, Copenhagen/Los Angeles. He also had an article entitled “Teaching Students to Show Not Tell” published in the Chronicle of Higher Education (see http://chronicle.com/article/Teaching-Students-to-Show-Not/134614/) and an article entitled “Extreme Puppet Theater as a Tool for Writing Pedagogy at K-University Levels” was accepted for publication in Writing and Pedagogy. Other recent acceptances include his essay “Bromancing the Gar: In Pursuit of Trinity River Seven Footers” in the environmental journal Terrain and “Gar Rodeo in the Cajun Swamp: Judge Not, Lest Y’All Be Judged!” in the literary journal Animal. Recent poetry acceptances and publications include works in House Organ, Nude Bruce Review, and Angel on the Freeway.

Employee of the Year Nominations

Posted on March 11, 2013

The deadline for submitting a nomination for Employee of the Year has been extended to Monday, March 11th. This will allow you extra time to nominate that person that deserves to be recognized for their outstanding job performance during the past year.

Any current staff, faculty, student, or alumni can nominate someone for Employee of the Year. The nominee must have completed two full years of service by December 31, 2012 to be eligible for Employee of the Year.

To make a nomination, fill out the nomination form at: https://www.uca.edu/web/forms/view.php?id=155. All nominations must be submitted by 4:30, Monday, March 11th. Once you have filled out the nomination form, you must also solicit three references. A nominator cannot fill out a reference form for a nominee.

The reference form can be found at: https://www.uca.edu/web/forms/view.php?id=159. All reference forms must be submitted by March 15th at 4:30 p.m. Three reference forms must be submitted to make the nomination official.

For more information, visit https://uca.edu/staffsenate/employee-of-the-year/, or contact Mark Heffington at markh@uca.edu.

Parking Lot Closures

Posted on March 11, 2013

UCA will host the annual Conway Chamber of Commerce Banquet on the evening of Thursday, March 14, 2013. The parking lot west of the HPER building and approximately 325 spaces in the parking lot east of the HPER building will be closed to students, faculty and staff beginning at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 13, and all day March 14, to accommodate the banquet. These lots will reopen at 10 p.m., on March 14.

Vehicles remaining in these areas after 5 p.m., on March 13, will be subject to being towed at the owner’s expense.

Use of the shuttle system is encouraged to minimize the inconvenience.

If you Missed the News…

Posted on March 11, 2013

UCA Students Earn First Place
http://conway.todaysthv.com/news/news/121873-uca-students-earn-first-place

Graduate Film Screening Set for March 30
http://conway.todaysthv.com/news/arts-culture/119893-graduate-film-screening-set-march-30

Upcoming Events

Posted on March 11, 2013

Campus Talk
Please join President Tom Courtway and members of the Executive Staff for conversation during ‘Campus Talk’, Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 1:40 pm (x-period) in Ida Waldran Auditorium. All faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend.

Safe Spring Break 2013
Safe Spring Break 2013 will take place March 11 to March 14, 2013 to provide students with with educational information to reduce the safety risks during Spring Break. To see a list of activities, click here https://uca.edu/news/spring-break-safety-activities/

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.