The Bear Ledger

The University of Central Arkansas Advancement Division announces a $100,000 gift commitment from Bell & Company to establish a scholarship for graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in accounting.

The Stephens Bell Endowed Scholarship will provide current support and create an endowment to benefit future students in years to come. The fund will be the first to specifically target students pursuing graduate studies in the field of accounting.

“We are proud to be a part of helping UCA students fulfill their dreams of a higher education. Seeing my sister and I graduate college was one of my father’s lifetime goals, and in many ways, this endowment is our way of passing that goal on to future UCA students. It allows us to give back to public education, help others reach a higher education, and to live their dreams as we are,” said Richard Bell, president and CEO of Bell & Company.

Bell & Company is a regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm with offices in both Conway and North Little Rock. Founded in 1982, Bell & Company provides a wide range of accounting, auditing, financial planning and other services to a variety of clients with a focus on small businesses, which they describe as “the core of [their] firm.”

The Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program at UCA provides advanced, in-depth training in accounting, business, and leadership for those individuals engaged in or seeking professional careers in accounting. It helps to provide its students with the skills necessary to be successful in a rapidly changing business environment. The program is comprehensive and develops students’ conceptual and technical accounting competence, communication skills, research and analytical abilities, and leadership skills.

The very generous gift of Bell & Company will help ensure the continued success of the MAcc program and its students for years to come.

Bell said, “As a child growing up in the community of Oak Grove, a college education often seemed unobtainable; however, my father’s commitment to my sister and I made our higher education possible and allowed us to achieve our goal of owning our own firm, Bell and Company, for over 30 years. With over 15 CPA’s on staff and 35 total firm employees, offices in North Little Rock, and now Conway, we are a living testament of what can be achieved through higher education.”

The following is a sampling of UCA news mentions:

UCA men ‘walk a mile in her shoes’

UCA men don hells for awareness

UCA men wear high heels to raise sexual violence awareness

SWN invests $150,000 in Arkansas youth science fairs

UCA now has permanent place to drop off expired drugs

33-time Grammy winners to visit UCA

UCA students take second place in Beta Alpha Psi competition

Central Arkansas man gets letter from Buckingham Palace

Science Café returns March 25

Piano ‘puzzler’ revisits UCA

 

 

 

Faculty and students of the Department of Physical Therapy recently attended the 2014 Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) of the American Physical Therapy Association on February 3-6 in Las Vegas, NV. Forty-one students in the Doctor of Physical program including 19 third-year students, 21 second-year students and one first-year student as well as three PhD in Physical Therapy students attended along with eight members of the PT Faculty who presented programming and research. The four-day meeting set a new record in attendance for the annual event with over 11,000 attendees, speakers and guests. Highlights included two faculty members providing educational programming, one platform presentation and eight students presenting research.

Maresh and Cathcart Provide Programming at CSM 2014

Dr. Twala Maresh, DPT, PT, NCS, ATP, Senior Clinical Instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy, is a board certified neurology physical therapy specialist and assistive technology professional. Dr. Maresh presented an educational program for the Neurology Section entitled Assistive Technology to Promote Optimal Aging for People with Spinal Cord Injuries.

Dr. Darla Cathcart, DPT, PT, WCS, Clinical Instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy, is a board certified women’s health physical therapy specialist. Dr. Cathcart presented an educational program for the Women’s Health Section entitled Perinatal Psychosocial Considerations. Dr. Cathcart recently joined the Department in 2013.

Huitt and Killins Present Research Platform

Tiffany Huitt, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, provided a research platform presentation entitled A Team-Based Learning (TBL) Experience In Gross Anatomy Laboratory Improves Physical Therapy Student Perceptions of Teamwork for the Education Section. Dr. Anita Killins, DPT, PT, C/NDT is a PhD in Physical Therapy Student at UCA and a co-investigator for this project.

Faculty and Students Present Research Posters

Dr. Steven Forbush, PhD, PT, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, presented a research poster entitled EMG of Deltoid Activity in Various Standard Tests of the Supraspinatus compared with a New Diagonal Horizontal Adduction Test.

Dr. Kevin Garrision, PhD, PT, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, presented a research poster with Doctor of Physical Therapy students Julie Forester, Kristian Foster, Taylor Frix, Eric Goldberg and Bobby Gragston entitled Accuracy of The Simi Aktisys 2-D Motion Analysis System During Over Ground, Sagittal Plane Gain Analysis Varies By Joint and Distance From Camera.

Jennifer Long, PT, a student in the PhD in Physical Therapy program at UCA presented a research poster with co-investigators Jim Hoyme, PT, a UCA Physical Therapy Alumnus, and Dr. Nancy Reese, PhD, PT, Professor and Chairperson in the Department of Physical Therapy, entitled A Retrospective Analysis of Functional Outcomes Comparing Two Physical Therapy Models: Traditional Physical Therapy Only vs. Physical Therapy and Personal Training Collaborative Care.

Dr. Misty Booth, DPT, PT, PCS, Clinical Instructor II in the Department of Physical Therapy, Dr. Leah Lowe, PhD, DPT, PT, a 2013 PhD in Physical Therapy graduate, and Dr. Charlotte Yates, PhD, PT, PCS, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, presented a research poster with co-investigators S Shephard and RW Hall entitled Can Massage Therapy Be Used To Induce Sleep In Preterm Infants?

Dr. Leah Lowe, PhD, DPT, PT, a recent PhD in Physical Therapy graduate and Dr. Charlotte Yates, PhD, PT, PCS, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, along with third-year DPT students Alicia Austin, Lauren Floyd and Monique Pridgin presented a research poster entitled Safety of Noninvasive Electrical Stimulation of Acupuncture Points (NESAP) During a Routine Heel Stick.

Dr. Lowe and Dr. Yates also presented a research poster entitled Functional Progression In A Child With TBI After Initiation of Early Mobility In The PICU: A Case Report as well as a research poster entitled Treadmill Training With Partial Body Weight Support In Ambulatory Children With Developmental Delay: A Pilot Study with J. Ferguson.

The Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) of the ATPA focuses on programming designed by all 18 of APTA’s specialty sections such as the education, pediatrics, orthopedics, and neurology. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is an individual membership professional organization representing more than 85,000 member physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students.

 

 

Brent Gregg, assistant professor, has been selected as a research delegate/presenter to 10th Oxford Dysfluency Conference (ODC) in Oxford, England this summer. The conference is to be held at St Catherine’s College July 17 – 20. The conference brings together researchers and clinicians, providing a showcase and forum for discussion and collegial debate about the most current and innovative research and clinical practices. Throughout the history of ODC, the primary aim has been to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.

Lisa Christman, transitional math faculty, and Lisa Ray, clinical instructor II, were elected to three-year at-large positions on the Faculty Senate. Their term of office will begin in May 2014.

 

Dr. Mary Ellen Oslick, assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Special Education, was recently honored by receiving the 2014 Virginia Hamilton Essay Award for her article, “Children’s Voices: Reactions to a Criminal Justice Issue Picture Book.” Established in 1991, the Virginia Hamilton Essay Award recognizes a journal article published in a given year which makes a significant contribution to professional literature concerning multicultural literary experiences for youth. The award is given annually at the Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature, a forum for multicultural themes and issues in literature for children and young adults, held at Kent State University each spring.

Nelda New, assistant professor, has been selected as a 2014 Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. New will be inducted at the organization’s annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., on June 19.

Upon induction, New will become of the sixth Arkansas nurse practitioners recognized as an AANP Fellow from a total 416 nationally. AANP Fellows are selected based on outstanding contributions to clinical practice, research, education or policy.

Established by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) in 2000, the Fellows of the AANP (FAANP) is dedicated to the global advancement of NPs and the high-quality health care they deliver. By engaging recognized NP leaders who have made outstanding contributions to NP education, policy, clinical practice or research, and developing NP leaders of the future, we are furthering the NP profession while enhancing AANP’s mission.

Josh Markham, Assistant Director for UCA’s Center for Community and Economic Development, received his Professional Community and Economic Developer Certification in March 2014. It is available to professional community developers who have successfully demonstrated a sound knowledge of the profession.

The certification is governed by the national Community Development Council. The Community Development Council (CDC) is a nonprofit organization founded to promote the advancement of standards of competence for community development professionals through accreditation of community development educational programs, professional certification, and the development of community volunteer leaders.

Dr. Angela Webster-Smith, associate professor in the Department of Leadership Studies, received the President’s Award at the 2014 Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Annual Meeting held in St. Louis, Mo., in February 2014, for her many contributions to ATE. ATE is an individual organization that promotes quality teacher education through both exemplary clinical practice and scholarly research. ATE promotes professionalism, leadership, advocacy, community, and equity for teacher educators, establishing a collegial sense of place in all settings supportive of quality education for all learners at all levels. Reflective of the ATE Mission and Vision, Dr. Webster-Smith serves on the Corporate By-Laws Committee, Self-Efficacy Commission, Educational Leadership SIG, and Leadership Academy in addition to her many academic presentations. Highlighting the 2014 ATE Annual Meeting, Dr. Webster-Smith presented a Featured Session about her children’s book, In the Presence of a King, written by Dr. Angela Webster-Smith and illustrated by her adult daughter, Jerica Webster Mitchell. For more information about In the Presence of a King, contact Dr. Angela Webster-Smith at awebster@uca.edu.

Meghan Thompson, coordinator of student organizations, and university events, was recently included in the OrgSync spring 2014 newsletter because of her work on campus implement OrgSync. She also will make a presentation on the successful implementation of the system at a conference in June.

John Vanderslice, associate professor of writing, has had his short story “Escape to Ash” accepted for inclusion in the anthology Appalachian Voices, forthcoming from KY Story. Also, his historical fiction “Dead Notes” has been accepted by the journal Jenny, and his magic realist folk tale “Around the Bend” has been accepted by the journal American Fantastic.

Mark Spitzer, associate professor of creative writing, had his poem “Trans-Amerigo Sound-Vision-Sutra for Scotty Lewis Exit 192” accepted in the lit journal House Organ. He also had two very different versions of his essay “Making Environmental Lemonade with the Creature that Put the “Ish” in “Fish” in the lit accepted in Frontiers Magazine and Saltfront. Spitzer was a featured reader at the recent Next Poetry Festival in Fayetteville.