The Bear Ledger

The last time the University of Central Arkansas  Bears and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville  Razorbacks competed in a team sporting event Harry Truman was president, a loaf of bread cost 14 cents, the average price of a new car was $1,250 and gasoline was 16 cents a gallon. The year was 1948 and the last game played between the Bears and the Razorbacks was baseball.

The two schools competed in baseball, men’s basketball and football. UCA and the U of A did not schedule each other every year but from 1921 to 1948 they met in athletic competition a total of 26 times in three different team sports.

The first football game between the two state schools was played at Fayetteville on September 29, 1923, when UCA had 425 students and the U of A had 1,360 students. This particular game was considered by some to be the biggest in the state for that weekend. According to the Log Cabin Democrat, “Arkansas State Normal (now the University of Central Arkansas) and the University of Arkansas in their game today in Fayetteville will hold the center of the state’s football interest. Coach Schmidt at Fayetteville is said to have a squad stripped of its best men because of injuries and also by the loss of Glenn McCollough, star halfback, who has transferred to Southern Methodist University.” Additionally, the Razorbacks were weakened by several injuries that had occurred in the previous week’s game with Tahlequah Normal (now Northeastern State University).

The University of Arkansas Boosters Club was a wonderful host and rolled out the red carpet for the Bears. After the Bears arrived in Fayetteville, they were treated to a reception in their honor and a dance was held for them on Saturday night. The Bears’ coach, Guy “Big Dan” Estes, was very familiar with the University of Arkansas and was a former Razorback football star who played for Coach Hugo Bezdek. During his coaching career Bezdek, who was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, served as head coach for the University of Arkansas, University of Oregon and Penn State University. He was admitted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

The Razorbacks proved too much for the Bears and won the game by a score of 32 to 0. However, the Log Cabin Democrat sports writer put a positive spin on the loss by running the headline “Bears Hold Back Porker Team, 32 – 0.” The article read in part, “State Normal held the University of Arkansas to a creditably low score Saturday in the opening game at Fayetteville, which the Porkers won, 32 to 0. Extremely hot weather greatly slowed down the work of the opposing elevens and caused the varsity (U of A) to use 24 men and the Normal, 18, the full number taken by Coaches Estes and Wray on the trip.”

The second game played between the Razorbacks and Bears was on September 25, 1926. This time the Razorbacks had fewer injuries and were said to be in great physical condition. According to the Log Cabin Democrat, “The entire squad of the 30 – odd members is deemed by Coach Francis A. Schmidt to be in the best physical condition of any Razorback team in recent years.” The Log Cabin Democrat report was right on target, the Razorbacks were in good shape and beat UCA by a score of 60 to 0.

According to the Log Cabin Democrat, “Flashy work by the Razorback backfield, moving behind a strong forward wall and aided by good interference proved too strong for the State Teachers College in Saturday’s game at Fayetteville, which the University of Arkansas won, 60 to 0, despite the game battle staged by the Bears. The score is more of an indication of Razorback strength than Bear weakness.”

The Bears not only lost on the scoreboard, but also the statistical beating was just as bad. The Bears threw four passes, two of which were intercepted. The Razorbacks had 18 first downs and the Bears had only two, both gained by penalties. The game was witnessed by 2,000 spectators and due to cold weather many fans built bonfires in order to stay warm. According to the U.S. Weather Bureau Climatological Data for September 1926, the high for the day before the game was 94 degrees F and the day of the game the temperature dropped to 44 degrees F.

The third and final game between the Bears and Razorbacks was played on September 28, 1946. However, the Bears were not playing the varsity unit this time, but were up against the Razorbacks “B” team. The game was played at Tiger Stadium in Little Rock with the Bears losing by a score of 18 to 0.

Admittedly, the Bears did not successfully compete with the Razorbacks in football. However, UCA’s cross-town rival, Hendrix College, tied the Razorbacks twice, according to former Hendrix Warrior basketball coach, Cliff Garrison. In 1920 the Hendrix Bulldogs, under Coach Charles R. Woody, fought the Razorbacks to a 0-0 tie. In 1932 Hendrix, now coached by legendary Coach Ivan Grove, tied the Razorbacks again with the same score, 0-0.

While UCA did not win any games against the Razorbacks in football, it was a different story in baseball. The Bears and Razorbacks observed a home and home series and played a total of 17 games, according to Ted Worley, former UCA historian.

The Bears beat the Razorbacks in baseball the first time they played in 1921, with the Bears winning 4 to 2. The Bears swept all three games with the Razorbacks in 1947 and beat the Hogs 5-4, 10-9, and 9-5. All three of those games were played in Conway.

The baseball series between the Bears and Razorbacks is tied, with the Bears winning 7 games and the Razorbacks winning 7 games and 3 games ending in a tie. While a draw or a tie is certainly unusual in baseball, it can happen under the right circumstances. After the next season (1948) ended, the Razorbacks were never again on UCA’s schedule.

The Bears and Razorbacks also played men’s basketball against one another. The Hogs dominated UCA in this sport winning all six games played between the two schools. The scores and year of the basketball games are as follows: 1924 – UA 62 UCA 28; 1924 – UA 34 UCA 14; 1933-1934 – UA 54 UCA 30; 1935-1936 – UA 42 UCA 38; 1935-1936 – UA 66 UCA 27; and 1946-1947 – UA 59 UCA 39.

Currently, UCA and the U of A do not engage in athletic competition with one another. However, in recent years they have played some of the same opponents and both have engaged the following universities in at least one sport; Missouri State University, Tennessee Tech University, University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Wichita State University, University of Kentucky, University of Oklahoma, University of Missouri, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State University, Texas State University and the University of Texas at Arlington.

When asked about the U of A’s current policy on playing in-state opponents, Kevin Trainor, Associate Athletic Director of Public Relations for the University of Arkansas, stated in an e-mail, “It has been a long-standing policy of the University of Arkansas Athletic Department to not schedule competitions in team sports against other institutions within the state. The practice began with former coach and athletic director John Barnhill and has been continued in the years following its introduction. The policy has enabled fans from all around the state to be united in their support for the University of Arkansas while also supporting the other intercollegiate athletic programs within Arkansas.”

Author’s Note: Sources for this article were The Echo, the Scroll, the Log Cabin Democrat, UCASports.com record books for football, baseball and men’s basketball that are compiled and maintained by Steve East, “A History of the Arkansas State Teachers College” by Ted Worley, University of Arkansas Office of Institutional Research, Penn State University website, Coach Cliff Garrison and Kevin Trainor. – Jimmy Bryant, director of  UCA Archives

The UCA Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Dec. 16  to appoint Tom Courtway as president  for up to three years. Courtway had been serving as interim president of the university since Sept. 2.

His salary will remain at $162,577 through June 30, 2012. Courtway requested not to receive a contract, severance package or car allowance, said Bobby Reynolds, chairman of the UCA Board of Trustees. Courtway has the option of moving into the president’s home.

Courtway’s appointment will bring more stability to the campus and allow the board ample time to conduct a thorough search for a new president, said Trustee Bobby Reynolds.

Courtway, 58, thanked the board for its vote of confidence and for the support of the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Student Government Association.

“I am honored and very humbled,” Courtway during his remarks. “Let’s get to work.”

Courtway had served as general counsel of UCA since August 2006. He received a B.A. in economics and business from Hendrix College in 1974, a J.D. with honors from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1978, and a M.L.T. from Georgetown University in 1983. Courtway served six years in the Arkansas House of Representatives. He had also served as interim director of the Arkansas Department of Education from October 2003 to May 2004.

UCA hired Courtway as its general counsel in 2002, where he served until 2005. In December 2005, Courtway became vice president of Hendrix College, where he remained until August 2006. He returned to UCA as vice president and general counsel. Courtway is a native of Conway. He and his wife, Melissa, have four sons and two granddaughters.

Searcy businessman Bobby Reynolds has been named the new chairman of the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees. Reynolds was elected to the post Friday during the quarterly board meeting.

Reynolds had served as the board’s vice-chairman. He was appointed to the UCA Board of Trustees in 2009. Reynolds, 60, owned and operated Reynolds Oil Co. in Searcy for 32 years. He received a bachelor of business administration degree in business management from UCA in 1973.

“I would like to express my appreciation to the students, faculty and staff for their commitment in making UCA a better place. I’m looking forward to working with them next year,” Reynolds said.

Trustee Victor Green was elected vice-chairman and Trustee Kay Hinkle was elected secretary.

The board will continue its focus on improving the university’s graduation and retention rates as well as improving communication between the Student Government Association, Faculty Senate, and Staff Senate. Reynolds would like to see more participation in the board meetings by the student, faculty and staff organizations, he said.

One of Reynolds’ goals is for trustees to be more involved in the budget process. He plans to hold a budget workshop for trustees as part of the development of next year’s budget. One of the biggest challenges the university continues to face is funding, he said.

“The UCA Foundation is working diligently on fund raising and hopefully will have more success in the future,” he said.

Reynolds said he will address challenges by being open and honest in all matters related to UCA. He also noted the need to restore some stability to the campus.

“The events of the last several years have no doubt harmed our reputation and the students, faculty and staff do not deserve this,” he said. “After all, UCA would not exist if not for the students. Tom Courtway will provide stability. He has the utmost integrity and honesty and will represent UCA wonderfully.”

Reynolds feels the university is going in the right direction, but not as quickly as he would like.

“We have made great strides in our financial condition and need to keep working to improve those numbers,” he said. “I feel we need to concentrate on the future and not dwell on the past, but we need to remember events of the past in keeping us on the right track.”

UCA will be collaborating with the Criminal Justice Institute to provide law enforcement officers with specialized and supervisory courses in the Spring of 2012.

UCA will join 20 other two and four-year colleges already collaborating in the CJI Higher Education program. The two tracks that are open exclusively to law enforcement officers are: Law Enforcement Administration and Crime Scene Investigation. Officers can obtain Certificates of Proficiency, Technical Certificates and Associate of Applied Science degrees with general education classes.

“I’m particularly grateful to Dean (Pat) Cantrell, who stepped up and offered to house this program within the College of Business,” said UCA Police Chief Larry James. “I have always encouraged law enforcement officers who are looking to position themselves for career advancement to earn degrees in business or public administration.”

The general education component, provided by UCA will consist of up to 27 hours of coursework. The officers have to go through the process of being accepted and admitted to UCA. After they are accepted, the officers will be eligible to participate in the program. UCA will transcript the completed courses at CJI without a tuition charge to the student. Normal UCA tuition and fees will apply to officers enrolled in the required general education courses.

For more information about the Higher Education Certificate and Degree programs, contact Dr.  Mike Casey at mcasey@uca.edu or (501) 450-5348.  – Lisa Burnett

The Student Government Association requested the board modify a December 2010 resolution in order to build a disc golf course within the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve. The board passed a resolution  in December 2010 to protect more than 17 acres of the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve from development for the next five years. The fifth and sixth holes of the course were changed following a recommendation by Katherine Larson, an associate professor of biology.  The new placement will allow  for a more natural flow of the course and protect the nature reserve’s biologically significant areas.

Distinguished Professors Emeritus

The board approved the recommendation of Norbert O. Schedler and Joseph Anderson to be named “Distinguished Professors Emeritus.” These professors were nominated by the faculty in their departments and have the support of all appropriate academic councils and administrators.

Schedler was hired in 1976 as the chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Central Arkansas. Schedler envisioned and created the Honors College at UCA with the idea of developing a comprehensive program for the  gifted student.

Anderson served as chair of the Department of Mass Communication and Theatre at the University of Central Arkansas from 2002-2009. He developed the Master of Fine Arts degree program in Digital Filmmaking, which was the first MFA degree offered at UCA and is the only terminal degree in filmmaking in the state of Arkansas.

Honorary Degree

Trustees approved a resolution that would grant an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree to Raymond Joseph. Simon graduated from UCA with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1966 and a Master of Science in Education degree in 1969 and later completed the Ed.S. at the University of Arkansas. Simon has served in administrative roles in Arkansas public education including superintendent of the Conway Public Schools.

UCA/CRMC (Conway Regional Medical Center) Education Committee Appointments

Members of the UCA/CRMC (Conway Regional Medical Center) Education Committee were also appointed in the December meeting. Two members of the Board of Trustees will serve one-year terms on the committee. Bobby Reynolds, chairman of the Board of Trustee;  Jack Gillean, chief of staff; Shelley Mehl, vice president of advancement and Neil Hattlestad, academic dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences were appointed to the committee.

Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The board approved a new business degree, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This degree will teach students creativity and innovation skills, teach a comprehensive program in which students will learn and practice conceiving, developing, launching and operating a business.

The University of Central Arkansas and the City of Conway emergency personnel took part in an exercise to review the university’s emergency operations plans.

More than 70 UCA faculty, staff, and administrators participated in “Natural Disaster 2011,” a table top exercise designed to generate discussion among UCA officials and Conway fire and police about the university’s response to a natural disaster. Provisions under the federally mandated Clery Act requires the university to test its emergency response.

The UCA Police Department facilitated the exercise, which took place Nov. 30 at the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center. The group was presented a scenario where a tornado struck the campus at night. The twister demolished the Pepsi Center and New Hall and Stadium Park Apartments were severely damaged. Lewis Science Center had major structural damage. Students were in the facilities at the time, the group was told. Also, there was a campus wide power outage and communications were limited.

For four hours, the group discussed challenges the university personnel would face if such a scenario hit the campus. Department heads provided information about plans in place to respond to the disaster and the need for additional resources. The group also talked about how the university would operate following the tornado.

UCA Police Chief Larry James said the exercise allowed officials to evaluate the existing emergency operations plans and identify areas of need for improvement. The campus wide preparedness initiative involved departments from housing to food services.

“As the exercise made obvious to us all, when it comes to the safety of our students, emergency preparedness is everyone’s business,” he said. “The student-focused mentality and the leadership displayed during the exercise should make us all proud to be a part of the University of Central Arkansas.”

Officials will create a report on the key issues noted during the exercise along with periodic updates on departmental progress as the individual departments report on their efforts.

“The disaster preparedness exercise was excellent,” said Interim President Tom Courtway. “I appreciate the work of UCA Police Chief Larry James and his department in coordinating the event, and I also thank all faculty, staff and Conway agencies for their participation. The knowledge and information gained from this exercise will ensure that UCA can respond in an effective and timely manner to these types of emergencies when timing and proper planning are critical for our campus community.”

Kristy Carter has been appointed interim executive director for Outreach and Community Engagement. Carter has been at UCA since 2006. She has served Outreach in several capacities, most recently as director of marketing and a member of the OCE leadership team.

Carter is currently a doctoral student in the interdisciplinary PhD program in Leadership Studies at UCA. She is a member of the Executive Board of the Arkansas Distance Learning Association and co-chairs the Mid-South Distance Learning Conference’s marketing and promotions committee. Carter has held leadership positions including president of the Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education. She is the state coordinator for the American Council on Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education.

The Division of Outreach and Community Engagement has recently completed an in-depth strategic planning process to realign its mission, vision, core values and action steps consistent with those of the university’s strategic plan. Carter has expressed her enthusiasm for leading the Division in continuing the momentum toward accomplishing the action agenda for outreach and community engagement.

The following individuals recently joined UCA:

Shala Wright,  Food Preparation Supervisor,  College Square Retirement Center, Nov. 2.

Leah Hamm, Administrative Specialist II,  Speech Language Pathology, Nov. 16.

Alexandra Herrera , Fiscal Support Analyst, Student Financial Aid, Nov. 21.

Karen Wheeler, Licensed Practical Nurse, Student Health Service Office, Nov. 28. 

 Farrah Hallman, Fiscal Support Specialist,  Student Financial Aid, Dec. 5.