The Bear Ledger

Representatives from the faculty, staff,  student body, and administration provided the UCA community updates on various topics from Enrollment Management projects to the upcoming budget process during Campus Talk held Nov. 3 in the Student Center Ballroom.

The Division of Enrollment Management recently completed “Calling New Cubs,” a phone campaign targeting UCA’s freshmen. Currently enrolled students known as “Cub Connect” along with other volunteers contacted new students to see how their experience has been thus far and to ensure that they are working with their advisors to prepare for registration for the spring semester.

More than 1,500 students were contacted and over 93 percent noted that their transition from high school to college was smooth, said Vice President of Enrollment Management Robert Parrent. About 94.6 percent said they plan to return in the spring and about 92 percent indicated they plan to complete their degree at UCA.

Parrent also announced two new programs — “January Jump Start” and “UCA Decision Day”.  The goal of “January Jump Start”  is to provide a warm and welcoming experience for new and returning students, he said.  

“UCA Decision Day” allows students to be admitted and notified of their scholarship the day of the visit to the university. These are students who are on campus as part of a visit organized by their high schools.  Students must have their transcript, ACT or SAT scores, and application, Parrent said.

Staff Senate President Dianna Winters reported that the Staff Senate is working with the Faculty Senate to address the Higher Learning Commission report. The senate has established a standing committee that will develop a five-year budget plan that will be in line with the university’s strategic plan. The committee will also make recommendations to address salary issues.  

A survey will be sent to staff to determine what priorities should be addressed first, Winters said. Recommendations and the five-year plan will be presented at at the Budget Advisory Committee meeting on Jan. 12.

SGA Vice President Spencer Sims reported the Student Fee Advisory Committee would hold hearings on student fees the week of Nov. 7—11. The committee was established in the Student Government Association’s bylaws, but had never met. The committee requested information from student fee administrators regarding  fees. Administrators were then asked to appear before the commitee to answer questions.  

All the information from the SGA fee hearings will be listed on the SGA website at www.ucasga.org/sfac.

The Faculty Senate is focusing on a “strong and appropriate response” to the Higher Learning Commission, said Faculty Senate President Janet Wilson during her report. One of the things the senate is charged with is examining the issues of shared governance and communications.  The senate will send out a survey on shared governance issues and communication lines to faculty administrators.

“It is important that everyone participate in this survey so we can get a clear understanding about what is working well and what is not working so well and what are some things we can do to make sure our voice is heard,”  Wilson said.

Budget Advisory Committee is taking a different approach to plan for future needs, of the university, Wilson said. The committee has requested prioritized lists from department heads. The committee will look at the costs over the next five years and whether the items listed are critical for accreditation issues or critical in regards to moving the university forward.

“All these prioritized items have to be tied to the strategic plan,” she said. “It is really important that we demonstrate that these are not random requests.”

One question was submitted to Interim President Tom Courtway. The person asked why the university does not shut down at 2 p.m. the day before holiday breaks. Courtway explained that state law does not give university presidents or chancellors  the authority to close campus early.

The next “Campus Talk” is scheduled for Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Individuals can submit questions for the forum at uca.edu/answers. The questions will be asked at the next “Campus Talk.”

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education today approved a master of fine arts program in Creative Writing at the University of Central Arkansas.The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the program in a special meeting this morning in Batesville.

Housed in the university’s Department of Writing in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the Arkansas Writers MFA Program has grown out of a special focus on the literary arts at UCA, a university that not only features undergraduate majors in writing, creative writing, and linguistics but is also home to the international literary journal the Toad Suck Review and the award-winning undergraduate journal the Vortex, as well as the award-winning literary magazine the Oxford American.

The MFA degree in Creative Writing is considered a terminal degree in the discipline. The only other degree of its kind in the state is at the University of Arkansas.

“Years of work on the part of core UCA faculty, including Associate Professor of Creative Writing Mark Spitzer, who wrote the program proposal, have gone into making this a deliberate, innovative program that is serious about preparing the next generation of writers to succeed in the 21^st– century literary landscape,” said Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice, associate professor of creative writing and the program’s first director, who has published three books on re-envisioning creative writing in higher education, most recently Rethinking Creative Writing. “And this is only the beginning.”

Faculty from the Department of Writing developed a diverse undergraduate writing curriculum and cultivated editing and publishing opportunities through the campus’ two national literary magazines. Billed as an innovative studio program, The Arkansas Writers MFA at UCA will focus on extensive courses in craft taught by practicing writers, as well courses as in editing and publishing and in the teaching of writing and creative writing.

Students in the graduate program will take classes in teaching composition and creative writing from leading scholars in the field and will gain experience teaching both courses on the undergraduate level. They will also have the opportunity to pursue a number of internships in the local and regional arts culture.

Rollin Potter, Dean of the UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication, noted that “UCA has taken a leadership position in many arts areas that bring the very best in fine arts learning to our state and region. Offering a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing is ‘another jewel’ in the UCA fine arts crown, and an accomplishment that confirms our outstanding faculty and support of arts programs.”

Central Arkansas has become increasingly fertile ground for a burgeoning arts culture that has been profiled in the Chronicle of Higher Education and demonstrated by the growth of the Artists in Residence series at UCA as well as the Conway ArtsFest, UCA’s Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and the Arkansas Literary Festival. The Arkansas Writers MFA Program at UCA, moreover, is complemented by an MFA Program in Digital Filmmaking that has been growing by leaps and bounds since it was established by the Department of Mass Communication in 2007.

Fall 2012 will launch the first class of the Arkansas Writers MFA Program, a three-year, 60-credit degree program that will also include the production of a thesis containing original literary work. The application deadline for the first year will be March 15, 2012. For more information and an application, check out the program’s website at: www.uca.edu/writing/mfa/.

The Physical Plant will soon be branching out due to a recent donation by John and Shirley Richardson.

The Waterford, Michigan couple donated $25,000 to start the John and Shirley Richardson Campus Beautification Fund.  The donation will fund a project to plant trees on the UCA campus. An allocation of $5,000 each year over a five-year period will be designated for the project.

“We are very grateful for this gift. It helps us to move at a faster pace than we might have previously hoped for,” said Larry Lawrence, director of Physical Plant. “As the trees mature over time, it will enhance the beauty of our campus.”

The Physical Plant wants to increase the variety of trees across the UCA campus. The variety of the new trees range from Red Maple to Crape Myrtle.  Physical Plant has been working with Don Culwell, who is retired from UCA’s biology department.  The planting process will begin within the next month.

“The campus as a whole will benefit with the new planting of trees. It will further beautify our campus,” he said. “From time to time, older trees do die for one reason or another. This money allows us to look at the campus as a whole and to plant trees in areas that make sense.”

The Richardsons are natives of Michigan. Shortly after their marriage, John was stationed at Jacksonville Air Force Base in Arkansas. He serves as the base veterinarian.  Shirley transferred college credits from previously attended Hope College and Michigan State University, and in 1959 graduated from Arkansas State Teachers College which is now UCA.  The Richardsons have been active in community and state projects.  Shirley has been committed to Keep Michigan Beautiful, Inc. and has served this statewide volunteer organization for 46 years.  She has a love for trees and flowers, and has commented on the beauty of the UCA campus. She was thrilled to hear of a project that would focus on the beautification of this campus.   – Lisa Burnett

UCA’s Residential Colleges have been waging a blitzkrieg—a lightening war—against academic mediocrity. According to Dr. Jayme Millsap Stone, director of learning communities, the coordinated effort between UCA’s Residential Colleges, the Academic Advising Center, the Academic Success Center and Housing & Residence Life involved faculty, staff and student leaders from all these areas.

Planning for this academic success campaign actually began with a survey of student needs last fall, most of whom indicated the desire for more highly-targeted, student-centered interventions. Residential College students said they wanted relevant and concrete strategies for success in their specific classes rather than general “how to” workshops. In other words, Generation Me students want assistance from their own instructors on how to meet (and exceed) professors’ high standards.

A summer 2011 survey of Residential College alumni indicated just how important the faculty associates are to our living/learning community students. Indeed, 80% said having faculty teach in their living environment had been “very” or “extremely” important to a positive and successful first-year experience. To be sure, the Residential College faculty associates have a powerful impact on student persistence to graduation.

Consequently, the first blitz was led by the faculty associates. The first full week of fall classes was declared “Academic Blitzkrieg Week” and 44 faculty associates from CLA, CNSM, CHBS, and CFAC participated by each conducting an intensive, class/discipline-specific workshop on how to succeed in her/his specific course. These evening sessions were not extra time to go over syllabi, but a time to discuss and model strategies the instructor believed important to student success. Professional support of the Learning Communities faculty associates was offered in the form of a workshop on “Reading In The Content Area” developed and delivered by Minton Commuter Master Dr. Catherine Swift and Dr. Robert Reising of the Academic Success Center. This workshop was conducted prior to the start of the fall term with the goal of providing the faculty with various strategies to increase student comprehension in specific disciplines.

Participating faculty associates included: Dr. Azida Walker (Physics), Dr. Story Matkin Rawn (History), Paulette Bane (English), Dr. Paul Krause (Chemistry), Phillip Melton (FYFS), Dr. Krista Peppers (Biology), Dr. Taine Duncan (Philosophy & Religion), Shelle Stormoe (Writing), Dr. Julia Winden Fey (Philosophy & Religion), Casey Griffith (Speech), Dr. Kondwani Phwandaphwanda (Music), Dr. Dwayne Coleman (English),

Phillip Spivey (Philosophy & Religion), Dr. Jeffrey Padberg (Biology), Dr. Kathy French (Health Education), Jason Martin (Mathematics), Dr. Mike Schaefer (English), Dr. Faith Yarberry (Chemistry), Leah Horton (Biology), Dr. Bill Lammers (Psychology), Dr. Jayme Millsap Stone (History), Dr. Jim Deitrick (Philosophy & Religion), Katherine Bray (Speech), Kevin Baer (Speech), Adriian Gardner (Speech), Dr. Phillip Bailey (World Languages & Cultures), Dr. Charles Bane (English), Dr. Chris Craun (History),

Dr. Peter Mehl (Philosophy & Religion), Dr. Jerry Reynolds (Geography), Dr. John Toth (Sociology), Tanya Jeffcoat (Philosophy & Religion), Ruthann Curry Brown (Theatre), Dr. Kevin Browne (Theatre), Dr. Ben Rider (Philosophy & Religion), Dr. Price Dooley (Political Science), Dr. Larry Dilday (Speech), Dr. Rusty Rogers (English), Dr. David Neilson (History), Dr. Lorraine Duso (Music), Dr. Stephen Feldman (Music), Dr. Greg Blakey (Theatre), and Dr. Don Jones (History).

The second blitz was led by the Academic Advising Center. After mid-term grades were reported in mid-October, Jenny Ruud (academic advisor for the Residential Colleges) coordinated a “Midterm Blitz” to first identify students “at risk” and then organized a series of required academic workshops for any student failing a class (F) or showing academic distress (D) in two classes.

Residential College Resident Masters Dr. Kondwani Phwandaphwanda, Leah Horton, Tanya Jeffcoat, and Dr. Faith Yarberry reinforced the need for “at risk” students to attend the sessions conducted by academic advisors Paulette Bane, Colin Stanton, Jeanette Solomon, Anne Sweet, and Tanya Buchanan. The evening workshops included: how to drop a course, the importance of meeting with an advisor, how to register for classes and where to go for academic help and support. Additionally, tutors from the Academic Success Center also spoke during each session and encouraged students to take advantage of the ASC’s free tutoring services.

This second blitz was highly successful and 120 first-year Residential College students needing assistance with their college transition attended. Thomas Bruick, Area Coordinator for Housing & Residence Life, is currently working with the Residence Coordinators and Residence Assistants in each Residential College to coordinate one-on-one interventions for those not captured in this second blitzkrieg.

Through coordination of effort and speed of intervention, these Residential College Academic Success Blitz initiatives will help first-year students focus on academic achievement and success in the classroom.

UCA and the City of Conway hosted the 14th annual Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 11 at the football practice field next to Estes Stadium on the UCA campus.

Wes Craiglow, an adjunct  instructor in the Master of Science in Community and Economic Development, and Lt. Col. John Tate, with the Arkansas National Guard, were the guest speakers. Craiglow is a captain in the Army Reserves and serves as the deputy director of development for the City of Conway.   Tate is a logistics branch officer with the Arkansas National Guard Joint Force Headquarters. His military assignments include two company commands and first battalion command.

More than 100 balloons were released in honor of each Arkansan who died in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since 1996, the university has acknowledged the contributions of service men and women. Jeff Pitchford, vice president for University and Government Relations, said it is important to recognize veterans for their sacrifice.

“The UCA community and the Conway community have a lot of ties with veterans,” he said. “They make up our students, faculty, staff and citizens and it is an honor to work with them and be a part of a community with them. Our freedoms have not come cheap and we want them all to know how much we appreciate their sacrifices and service to our country.”

The following are just a few of the faculty and staff at UCA who have served:

Phillip Arnold, Air Force, 20 years; Michael S. Mills, Army, 6 months; Bill Johnson, US Army Reserve, 6 years; Mary Jackson, Army, 7 years; Anthony D. Sitz, Air Force, 4 years; Stephanie Pickens, Air Force, 4 years active, Arkansas Air National Guard, 10 years; Tracy Koivisto, Army, 17 years; Kaye McKinzie, Army, 23 years; Paul Young, Navy, 30 years;

Keith Atkinson, Air Force, 3 years; Bill Russell, Army, 2 years; David Zehr, Army, 2 years; Ryan L. Veneberg, Army, 9 ½ years; Matthew Lichty, U.S. Marine Corps, 4 ½ years; Scott Nadler, Army, 4 years; Roy Whitehead Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, 20 years; Brent Herring, Arkansas Air National Guard, 24 ½ years; Stephen Lunk, Army, 20 years;

James Thurman, 5^thSpecial Forces, 3 years; Phillip G. Melton, Army, 7 years; Ellen C. England, Air Force, 21 years; David Stearns, United States Navy Reserve, 2 years; Dennis Strom, Navy, 5 years; David R. Harvey, Air Force, 19 years; Louie L. Wooten, U.S. Marine Corps, 3 ½ years; Jerry Reynolds, Army, 2 years; Jim Downey, Navy, 24 years; Allan E. Roisen, U.S. Marine Corps, 6 years;

Tom Pilgreen, Army, 31 years; Steven Schoenhut, United States Army Infantry, 3 years; Tony Guanella, Arkansas Army National Guard, 14 years; Paul Crosmer, Navy, 10 years active, 12 years as a Naval Reserves; Angel Sumowulu, Army, 8 years; William A. Polk, Army Corps of Engineers, 3 years; Laurence Dilday, Navy, 8 years active; Mark M. Mize, Army, 2 years, National Guard, 1 year;

David W. Horton, Navy, 21 years; Summer E. Bartczak, Air Force, 21 years; Douglas Puttock, Navy, 4 years active, 2 years reserve; Rick Scott, Navy, 1 year; Wes Craiglow, Army, 10 years; Ray Sturgeon, Navy, 3 Years; Nathan Riddle, U.S. Marine Corps, 7.5 years of service in the reserve; and Vernessa Harvey, Army Reserves, 6 years.

Angel Bear Food Drive Kicks Off

Angel Bear families are in need of meal assistance with non-perishable food items.  Donations will be accepted through Nov. 30. Angel Bear Food Drive donation locations are in Stanley Russ (student lounge), Buffalo Alumni Hall (main lobby), Torreyson West (3rd floor lobby), Wingo (main lobby), McCastlain (Student Accounts), BBA, (2nd floor in the Dean’s office), Irby (1st floor outside Study Abroad), HPER (lobby) and Physical Plant (break room).

Angel Bears Ready for Adoption

Angel Bears are ready to be adopted in the Torreyson Library, the Housing and Residence Life Office (Bernard 201) and the Student Center information desk. There are 130 Angel Bears from 52 UCA employee families. By adopting an Angel Bear, you are helping make someone’s holidays brighter. Angel Bear gifts may be returned unwrapped and marked with the full angel number, ex. 12C. Wrapped gifts need to marked with the full angel number and include a list of items to let parents know what has been purchased. All gifts must be returned by Friday, Dec. 9 to Bernard 201. To best serve each angel, it is suggested to spend around $50 per angel.

UCA Theatre to Present Festival of One Act Plays

UCA Theatre will present the Festival of One Act Plays on Dec. 6-8 at 7:30 pm in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center on the UCA campus, 201 Donaghey in Conway. Three to four different one-act plays will be presented each evening. Each play has been chosen, cast, and directed by the 2011 Directing Class, under the supervision of associate professor of Theatre, Dr. Kevin Thomas Browne. Admission is free. Tickets are not required and seats are not reserved. Doors open at 7  each evening. The plays are suggested for mature audiences only.

The plays to be presented are:

Tuesday, Dec. 6: “Check Please” by Jonathan Rand, “Farewell Dinner” by Arthur Schnitzler, and “The Sin Eater” by Don Nigro

Wednesday, Dec. 7: “Fate’s Thread” by Stephen Bean, “The News” by Billy Aronson, “The Game” by Louise Bryant, and “Visa” by John Vanderslice.

Thursday, Dec. 8: “The Mystery at Twickenham Vicarage” by David Ives, “27 Wagons of Cotton” by Tennessee Williams, and “Soak” by Sheila Callaghan.

Further information is available online at www.uca.edu/theatre or by calling 501-450-5092.

Conway Symphony Orchestra to Present “A Conway Christmas,” “Nutcracker Sweets”

Kick off your holiday season with “A Conway Christmas”, presented by the Conway Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall in Conway. This year’s performance features the return of special guests Arkansas Festival Ballet and Central Arkansas Children’s Choir. UCA student tickets are only $6, and faculty/staff tickets are $12.

A special children’s event, “Nutcracker Sweets,” will be held before the concert, from 6-7 p.m. at AETN on the UCA campus, hosted by the Conway Symphony Orchestra Guild. Children can meet the dancers and the conductor, hear the stories of The Nutcracker, plus enjoy cookies and coloring activities. Tickets are $5 for children, and free for adults accompanying a child. Call (501) 269-1066 to reserve your ticket, or visit www.ConwaySymphony.org. Seating is limited and reservations must be made by Nov. 30.

UCA Staff Senate’s Winter Feast Slated for Dec. 13

The UCA Staff Senate will host the Winter Feast on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available with a minimum donation of $5 to benefit the Angel Bear Tree project. Only 350 tickets are available. Door prizes such as a television, a $400 ring and up to 100 other prizes will be up for grabs. Your ticket is your entry for the door prizes. Participants do not have to be present to win a door prize, but the ticket must be dropped at the ticket table the day of the feast to be eligible for the drawing. Special secret entertainment will also be at the feast. Tickets are available with Brent Ahne in Buffalo Alumni Hall (BAhne@uca.edu), Ann Barnett in the Wingo Lobby (annb@uca.edu), Bernard 201 (Housing) Vanessa Fisk (vanessaf@uca.edu), Sherri Hartzell in UCAPD (SherrieH@uca.edu) or Sylvia Childers or Vicki Parish in Torreyson West 301 (sylviac@uca.edu or VParish@uca.edu). The Winter Feast is sponsored by the Office of the President and Aramark. A special thanks to Advancement Office.

Tickets Available for 36^th Madrigal Feaste

Tickets are now available for the 36th Madrigal Feaste, an evening of Renaissance music, food and entertainment, featuring the University of Central Arkansas Chamber Singers. The Feaste will be held Dec. 1-3 at 7 p.m. in McCastlain Hall Ballroom on the UCA campus. Seating will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased by calling UCA Ticket Central at (501)-450-3265.

Handel’s Rodelina to Continue Met Series at UCA

Renee’ Fleming reprises the title role she performed in 2004 in the Stephen Wadsworth production of Handel’s Roedelinda that will continue the 2011-12 season of Captured Live from the Met @ UCA at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 4. Approximately 200 seats are available for each performance at UCA. General admission tickets are $15 for the public and $5 for students with a valid I.D. To order, call UCA Ticket Central at (501)-450-3265 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, or visit www.uca.edu/reynolds. For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501)-450-3293, email lesleya@uca.edu or visit www.uca.edu/cfac or www.metopera.org.

Education Seminar Opportunities

Specific questions regarding educational seminars may be directed to the Office of University Training at 450-3135 or Charlotte Strickland, Education Seminar Coordinator at 450-5470 or training@uca.edu.

Sexual Harassment

Dec. 9, 2 – 3 p.m. Student Center #223/224

Jan. 11, 9- 10 a.m. Student Center #215

Diversity

Dec. 9, 9 – 10:30 a.m. Student Center #215

Jan. 11, 2 – 3:30 p.m. Student Center #215

Jan. 19, 9 – 10:30 a.m. Student Center #215

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Listed below are ten seminars to assist in your development as a professional on the UCA campus. These voluntary seminars are open to all faculty and staff on campus.

Dec. 1 2 – 3 p.m. Student Center #213 Removing Casualties in Conflict

Dr. Jim Guinee, UCA Counseling Center

This seminar will highlight significant steps in approaching conflict situations in a professional and productive manner. Information will include: preparing for the conversation, maintaining control during the conversation and ending the conversation with better understanding and clear expectations of both parties. This seminar is a must for any supervisor or manager!

Jan. 23 12 – 1:30 p.m. Student Center #215 Supervisor – C.A.R.E.
Charlotte Strickland, Education Seminar Coordinator

Hiring a new employee? Training current employees on new policies or procedures? Wanting to reinforce to your employees the concepts from Customer Service C.A.R.E.? This seminar includes important items that need to be covered consistently with the employee while serving as the manager/supervisor. The seminar also includes important performance evaluation information and an instrument for Customer Service C.A.R.E. critique.

Staff Senate Seeks Employee of the Quarter Nominations

Nominations are being accepted for the Employee of the Quarter Award. One recipient will be recognized for outstanding job performance, going above and beyond during the period of October – December. Any staff member with at least one year of service on July 1, 2010 is eligible to be nominated by faculty, staff, students, or alumni. This program is sponsored by the Staff Senate and aims to recognize more staff for their contributions to UCA. A nomination form must be submitted by Dec.31 at 4:30 p.m. The form is available at: https://uca.edu/staffsenate/employee-of-the-quarter. For more information, contact Stephanie Hailey McBrayer at smcbrayer@uca.edu.

Dr. Bob Reising, night supervisor for the Academic Success Center, presented at a luncheon meeting of the Arkansas Sports Club in Conway on “The Truth about the Baseball Career of Dr. A. W. ‘Moonlight’ Graham” on Nov. 14.

The following individuals have announced their retirement:

James Brodman, professor of history, will retire Dec. 31 after 39 years of service.

Judith Keeth, program coordinator in the Office of Student Services, will retire Dec. 31 after 23 years of service.

Vicky Reid, administrative specialist III in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, will retire Dec. 31 after 23 years of service.

Gale Garrison, financial aid specialist in the Office of Financial Aid, will retire Jan. 4, 2012 after 35 years of service.

Sondra Gordy, professor of history, will retire May 15, 2012 after 26 years of service.

The following individuals recently joined UCA:

Ashley Pettingill, director of financial management, International Programs, Oct. 10.

Meghan Thompson, interim director of Student Organizations & University Events, Leadership and Greek Services Department, Oct. 10.

Carla Rains, cashier, Student Accounts, Oct. 17.

Mark Knight, computer support specialist, Student Accounts, Oct. 20.

Shawna Miller, administrative specialist I, Office for Institutional Advancement, Oct. 24.

Michael Bock, public safety officer, University Police, Nov. 1.