University of Central Arkansas
Source: The Centennial History of the Univeristy of Central Arkansas by Jimmy Bryant, director of UCA Archives.
The recent shooting in Tucson has colleges and universities across the country examining policies addressing early warning signs of individuals who may exhibit suspicious or troubling behavior.
UCA officials adopted a plan in September 2009 to assist faculty, staff, and administration in responding to situations in which a student may be disruptive or displays behavior that may be intimidating or threatening to others, said Dr. Ernie Ness, director of UCA Counseling Center.
The Behavioral Intervention Plan articulates and formalizes the usual practices the university has followed for years, prior to the Virginia Tech shootings, Ness said. The impetus for fully developing the plan came in the summer of 2009 in response to the Campus Security Enhancement Act enacted by the State of Arkansas.
The plan seeks to formalize the university’s processes for greater communication, collaboration, and coordination of concerns regarding student behavior, he said.
A Behavioral Intervention Team works together to address any concerns. The team is composed of the director of the counseling center, UCA chief of police, dean of students, legal counsel, and representatives from other areas of the campus community. The five major functions of the team are:
“The plan can benefit UCA by promoting a safe environment–where the focus is maintained on learning and student development– through timely, coordinated, and effective responses to students whose behaviors raise concerns within the UCA community,” Ness said. “Such students may ultimately receive the assistance they need through the involvement of appropriate campus and community resources.”
The plan can be accessed at several web pages — Counseling Center, UCA Police Department, Provost’s Office, and Dean of Students.
The UCA Board of Trustees voted to protect more than 17 acres of the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve from development for the next five years during its December meeting.
Steven Runge, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, requested the board pass a resolution that would permanently protect 17.5 acres on the southwest corner of the campus as a nature reserve. Runge said the status would also make it easier for the college to secure grants. The college has had some success in obtaining grants to help with ecological restoration of some portions of the reserve.
“But, we have been restricted and limited because the university has not made a commitment to preserve the area,” Runge said.
Runge’s request called for a permanent conservation easement for environmental, scientific and educational uses. The college would work with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission in preservation efforts. The existing nature reserve and trail is approximately 22 acres. It is the last remnants of 250,000-acre prairie land that was part of the Louisiana Purchase, according to Runge.
“We have a very unique feature on campus,” he said.
More than 200 species of plants have been documented in the reserve. Researchers have not cateloged animals.
“We have only scratched the surface of species,” Runge said.
More than 2,500 students use the outdoor lab each year.
Trustees acknowledged the importance of the reserve, but had difficulty approving a permanent easement. Future board of trustees would not have the authority to use the land for other reasons.
Trustee Kay Hinkle said the land is a value piece of property for the university.
“I think we should preserve it as long as we can, but to say forever is a stretch for me,” she said. “None of us can predict the future.”
The University of Central Arkansas’s highly acclaimed literary journal, Exquisite Corpse Annual, is now the Toad Suck Review.
“Our former editor in chief, Andrei Codrescu, became consumed by other projects, so we decided to re-envision ourselves into a similar but different forum,” Editor Mark Spitzer said. “The Toad Suck Review will continue our mission of publishing cutting-edge works of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations and reviews, but with a less experimental edge, more of an Arkansas focus, and at a cheaper price with wider distribution.”
Spitzer’s introductory editorial to the new annual publication states, “We want to invite the mainstream on board! We want to hear from the MFAs (the candidates, the graduates, the dropouts and dissidents)! But we also want scientists, hypnotists, chimney sweeps — anyone with work that works! We want scholarship, artwork, drama, hybrid mutations, and communiqués from outposts of dystopia! … We do this for our communities and the arts. We do this to maintain our reputation for excellence. And we do this in the name of Innovation, Imagination, and literary journals that don’t suck.”
The inaugural issue of the Toad Suck Review, published by UCA’s Department of Writing, contains work by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and three other poet laureates.
If the quality of work in the Exquisite Corpse Annual is any indication of what can be expected from the Toad Suck Review, Arkansas will soon find itself with another success in the literary arts.
Copies can be purchased through Amazon.com or ordered directly from Toad Suck Review/Department of Writing/UCA/Conway, AR 72035 for $15 a copy (make checks out to “UCA”) or PayPal payments may be sent to toadsuckreview@gmail.com. The Review will be in bookstores soon, both locally and nationally. For more information, contact Spitzer at (501) 450-3339 or mspitzer@uca.edu.
Michelle Reinold, an administrative assistant in the Academic Advising Center, has been named Employee of the Quarter for the second quarter. Michelle has worked at the University of Central Arkansas for more than 9 years.
Michelle hires, trains and supervises five to seven student workers each semester. She provides administrative support for the Academic Advising Center’s student appointment scheduling system, which is used by approximately 3,500 students each year. She also provides administrative support for the UCAN and Probation programs.
“Considering all these things and more which Michelle does, she does all of it with the absolute best interest of each and every UCA student in mind,” a colleague stated.
The Employee of the Quarter receives recognition and prizes including $150 in BearBucks and a reserved parking spot for the following quarter.
Other nominees were: Don Bingham, Marcus Chandler, Mary Crawford, Nancy Earney, Jesse Grey, Russ Hooper, Linda Kelly, Ashley Love, Kelly Lyon, Kim Newman, Angela Strain, Brooks Walthall, and Georgia Younker.
Applications are being accepted for the third quarter until March 31. Nominations are accepted online only at https://www.uca.edu/web/forms/view.php?id=205. For more information on the process, please contact Stephanie Hailey McBrayer at smcbrayer@uca.edu or visit the Staff Senate EOQ website at: http://www.uca.edu/staffsenate/eoq.php.
Searcy businessman Scott Roussel has been elected chairman of the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees.
Roussel has served on the UCA Board of Trustees for the past nine years and graduated from UCA in 1978 with a Bachelor of Business degree. He is the president of Exit Realty Arkansas and Oklahoma. Roussel replaces Dr. Harold Chakales, who served as chair during the 2009-10 academic year. He will take over the post in February.
Trustees also elected Bobby Reynolds as vice chairman and Victory Green as secretary.
“It’s a privilege to serve as chair of the university that I graduated from and deeply love, respect and care for very much,” Roussel said. “Anything that I can help lead, I hope will help improve the university. It is truly an honor to be here.”
Roussel recently spoke about some of his goals including seeing UCA’s graduation rate reach the national average within the next five to six years. Currently, UCA’s graduation rate is 50 percent. The latest national average stands at 55.9 percent.
“We have to pay attention to this,” Roussel said.
One way to improve the university’s retention and graduation rate is to build on UCA’s Honors College and residential colleges, he said.
“Our Honors College is the best in the state and our residential colleges have been a tremendous success,” he said. “I think both are helpful to us. We need to think of ways to get more students involved in the residential colleges. If they are not a part of a residential college when they are freshmen, we need to develop a structure to help them understand what they need to do to obtain a degree.”
Roussel also noted he would like to see the university grow. Over the last two years, enrollment has either remained flat or declined, he said.
“I would like to see the university grow at a manageable rate,” Roussel said.
Increasing the board’s involvement in committees is another goal of the new chairman. Roussel feels more involvement will help trustees make better decisions regarding the future of the university.
Roussel is pleased with the direction the university is going, but says UCA continues to face challenges such as funding.
“We need to look at ways to get our fair share of state appropriations,” he explained. “Another challenge is securing private money. We have to do a better job at getting private dollars for UCA’s success.”
The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Central Arkansas will host a series of public lectures, seminars and workshops that will examine different topics from a humanities perspective.
“Exploring Our World” will touch on different disciplines. Each lecture or seminar will be led by a member of the UCA faculty. With the varied backgrounds of participants, this promises to be a venue for exciting discussions.
“The ‘Exploring Our World’ lecture series is an exciting outreach project for UCA to connect with the residents of Conway and surrounding communities,” says Dr. Maurice A. Lee, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “The topics are designed to engage the mind and ignite discussion amongst all participants. It is our hope that this series of lectures, seminars and workshops will be a way for UCA to engage the community in intellectual conversations with each another.”
The “Exploring Our World” series will kick off on Saturday, Feb.19 with a seminar entitled, “Darwinism and American Religious Thought.” This three-part presentation and discussion will focus on the philosophical, theological and historical impact of Charles Darwin’s ideas concerning biological evolution on American religious thought.
The free seminar will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center located on the UCA campus.
Dr. Jesse Butler, assistant professor of Philosophy, will explain the philosophical ideas behind Darwinian evolution, and their impact on intellectual and scientific communities in the past 150 years. Dr. Jeff Williams, visiting professor of religion, will explore the theological impact of Darwin’s ideas on American religious thought from the late-19th to the early-20th centuries.
Mr. Phillip Spivey, lecturer of Philosophy and Religion, will examine the social history of Darwinian evolution in relation to Arkansas’ Anti-Evolution Law (1928), Epperson v. Arkansas (1967) and Mclean v. Arkansas Board of Education (1982).
Future seminars include “Watching Woody Allen Seriously”, “Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation”, “Understanding China: Beyond the Economic Miracle”, and “Minds & Machines: Artificial Intelligence.”
These are public seminars. Admission is free. Participants are advised to sign up early. For more information and how to register, visit: http://www.uca.edu/outreach/world/.
Sabbactical Leave Application Deadline is Feb. 1
The application deadline for sabbatical leave to be taken in Spring 2012 is quickly approaching. Completed applications should be presented to the department chairperson no later than Tuesday, Feb. 1. The link to the web page for guidelines and application form is: http://www.uca.edu/sabbatical/
Tickets on Sale for Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s Bard Ball
Tickets are on sale for the Bard Ball, a fine arts event benefiting Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, set for Feb. 18 at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock.
This year’s theme is “Arkansas Artists Pay Tribute to the Bard”. The program, set for 6:30-9 p.m., will include performances by Graham Gordy, Trenton Lee Stewart, Philip Martin, Greg Brownderville, The Conway Twitties, Stephen Feldman, Suzanne Loerch and AST company actors. Garland Recital will provide live music. Tickets to the Bard Ball are $75 per person. For tickets or more information, contact Liz Parker at (501) 450-3165 or lizp@uca.edu or visit PK’s in Conway. For more information about Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, visit www.arkshakes.com.
UCA Foundation Requests Grant Proposals
The UCA Foundation is currently requesting grant proposals from members of the faculty for Foundation funding. The Spring 2011 deadline for applications (original plus 6 copies) is Friday, Feb. 11. Information and grant application forms are available at https://uca.edu/foundation/faculty-grants/.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre to Hold Auditions, Intership Interviews
Auditions will be held for roles for the AST 2010 Summer Festival on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Reynolds Performance Hall. Actors will be seen from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are asked to email chiorim@lemoyne.edu to schedule their appointment. All positions offered by AST are paying positions, subject to negotiation. All actors are encouraged to view www.arkshakes.com for more information prior to scheduling their interview.
Interviews for production internships will be held from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. on Sat. Feb. 5 at the Reynolds Performance Hall. Interveiws will last no more than 10 minutes and are available on a drop-in basis during that time. No appointment is necessary. Applicants are encouraged to bring a resume and/or portfolio of their work. Production internship applicants are also welcome to audition for acting roles. For more information about the Festival or these auditions, please visit www.arkshakes.com or contact Matt Chiorini at chiorim@lemoyne.edu, or call 501-269-4815.
College of Business to Host Forum on Financial Services Regulatory Reform
The UCA Investment Club and the UCA College of Business will sponsor a panel discussion titled “Financial Services Regulatory Reform: What is it, and does it impact me?” The event will be held on Feb. 10 at 1:30 p.m. in the UCA College of Business auditorium (COB 107). It is free and open to the public.
Members of the panel will include Julie Stackhouse, Senior Vice President Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, John Adams, President and CEO – First Security Bank Conway Market, Randy Dennis – DD&F Consulting, Rush Harding – CEO Crews and Associates, Kevin Hester, Executive Vice President – Centennial Bank, and John Womack, Chairman and CEO of Central Arkansas Operations – Arvest Bank. The discussion will be moderated by Robert “Bunny” Adcock, Jr., as panelists discuss the impact of recent financial regulatory reform as it relates to businesses and consumers in the industry. For more information, contact Dr. Tim Bisping at tbisping@uca.edu.
Black History Month Events
The Color of My Skin, 7 p.m., Feb. 2 in Room 214 in the Student Center. This event is free and open to the public. This program is an open forum. This is an awareness program about how the complexion of your skin effects your life and what society believes is beautiful. Clips from the documentary about shadeism will be shown. The audience will be asked questions based on what they saw in the clips and whether they have experienced aspects of shadeism in their lives.The event is sponsored by the Joint Black History Month Committee.
Spike Lee, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 7 in the Reynolds Performance Hall. Spike Lee is a writer, director, actor, producer and author who revolutionized the role of black talent in cinema. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for UCA faculty and staff. Free admission for UCA students. For tickets information, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012. The lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President.
Ryan Davis, 7 p.m., Feb. 9 in Room 214 in the Student Center. This event is free and open to the public. The Joint Black History Month Committee is sponsoring the event. The event is entitled: “Keepin with the Roots.” Ryan. D. Davis is the director of community engagement and history teacher at Little Rock Preparatory Academy and a freelance writer. Publications include Black Books Bulletin, The Crisis Magazine, and The Journal of Negro Education. The title of his speech is “Return to the Source: The Well of Black Liberation.” Contact Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Minority Services, at angelaj@uca.edu or (501) 450-3135 for more information.
The Crisis Mr. Faubus Made: The Role of the Arkansas Gazette in the Central High Crisis is scheduled for Feb. 11. There will be a panel discussion at 3:30 p.m. in the College of Business. A film screening will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Performance Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The presentation is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts and Communications. Contact Donna Lampkin Stephens at (501) 852-2599 or donnals@uca.edu for more information.
Court Martial at Ft. Devens, Feb. 10-11 and Feb. 16-18. Based on a true story, several young black women are promised training as medical technicians when they join the Women’s Army Corps. But a racist colonel has other ideas and demotes them to cleaning duty. When two of the women refuse, the court martial that ensues is a highly-charged trial that explores prejudice and injustice. The play is under the direction of Kevin T. Browne, associate professor of theatre at UCA. The cast consists of UCA students. The play begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Snow Fine Arts Center Theatre. Tickets are $10 and free for those with a UCA ID. For tickets, call the box office at 450-3265. The play is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts and Communications.
David Robertson: Helping Innocent Vessels (H.I.V.), 6 p.m., Feb. 15 in the Student Center Ballroom. David was diagnosed with HIV in 2007. He will share his story of hope in an effort to educate individuals about the correlation of HIV and depression in various communities. The event is free to the public. The performance is sponsored by Minority Mentorship Program, SGA, and Minority Student Services. Contact Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Minority Services, at angelaj@uca.edu or (501) 450-3135 for more information.
Bamboozled, 7 p.m., Feb. 16 in Room 214 in the Student Center. Dr. Matt Harper, assistant professor of History and director of African/African-American Studies Program, will serve as the facilitator. All are welcome to come watch selections from Spike Lee’s film Bamboozled. A conversation about race in America, as portrayed in the film, will follow the movie presentation. The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Joint Black History Month Committee. Contact Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Minority Services, at angelaj@uca.edu or (501) 450-3135 for more information.
Miss Essence Pageant, 7 p.m., Feb. 17 at Reynolds Performance Hall. Special guest is 2010 Miss Arkansas/2011 Miss America First Runner Up Alyse Eady. Cost is $5 general admission; $3 for UCA faculty and staff; and free for UCA students. The pageant is sponsored by the Students for the Propagation of Black Culture, SGA, and Minority Student Services. Contact Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Minority Services, at angelaj@uca.edu or (501) 450-3135 for more information.
Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21 in Reynolds Performance Hall. Tickets are $30 to $40 for general admission. UCA students, faculty and staff can purchase tickets at a discounted rate. The event is sponsored by the UCA Public Appearances. For tickets information, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012.
Imani Winds Quintet, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23 in Reynolds Performance Hall. Admission is free. The Grammy nominated quintet has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations, and inspirational outreach programs. The performance is sponsored by Minority Mentorship Program, SGA, Music Department, Minority Student Services and the Joint Black History Month Committee. For more information, contact Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Minority Services, at angelaj@uca.edu or (501) 450-3135
Cervical Cancer Awareness, 6 p.m., Feb. 24 in the Student Center. The event is free to the public. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is sponsoring the event. For more information, contact Angela Jackson, director of the Office of Minority Services, at angelaj@uca.edu or (501) 450-3135
Educational Seminars and Professional Development Schedule
Sexual Harassment
Feb. 2, 3 – 4 p.m., Student Center #213
Diversity
This year’s topic of discussion – Sexual Orientation
Feb. 1, 2-3:30 p.m., Student Center #215
Feb. 17, 2:30-4 p.m., Student Center #215
Professional Development Series
Feb. 11, 9 -10 a.m., Student Center # 213 P3 (Personal Professional Package)
Marvin Williams (Academic Advising, UCAN)
A P3 is your formula for professionalism. What are the three predominant attributes you must possess in order to be a professional? What are the three predominant attributes you want to be known for as a professional? This interactive presentation will challenge you to define or redefine the word professional. The use of power point, personal stories and handouts makes this presentation one that engages and provokes you to take your professionalism to another level.
Seventeen delegates from six Arkansas school districts attended the Chinese Bridge for American Schools organized by Confucius Institute at the University of Central Arkansas from Dec. 2-10.
The trip, funded by Confucius Institute Headquarters, the Office of Chinese Language Council International, is one of two annual trips for U.S. school administrators and educators to visit China in a meeting known as the “Bridge to China.”
“Bridge to China” introduces US educators to the Chinese language and cultural resources that are available through the Confucius Institute. The six districts represented by the delegation were: Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Batesville, Beebe, Pulaski County Special School District, Lincoln and Wynne.
The delegates from Arkansas spent one week in China learning about the program, the people and culture of China. They visited k-12 schools in Henan province where they conferred with local teachers and interacted with the students. Delegates were able to observe English classes and were surprised to learn that formal English instruction begins in the 3rd grade, although many children are already proficient by that time due to lessons at home.
Each of the Arkansas educators who attended reported a profound sense of new understanding of China, its people, and the importance of learning the language. Cindy Kinard, assistant principal of Wynne Primary School, was struck by “how much we are alike,” and “how much the students are like ours.” However, she and the others agreed that Arkansas must increase and accelerate the process which will make Chinese language courses accessible to the students.
W. David Slaymaker, principal of the Office of Distance Education at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts added, “Seeing the country and the pace of economic growth in China, I gained significant insight into the need for the friendship and positive relationship between China and the U.S. to be an enduring one. In an economic sense, our two countries are closely linked, and we must understand each other’s languages and cultures to maintain that relationship.”
Legislative Session
During his inaugural speech, Gov. Mike Beebe talked about the need to look at issues such as Medicaid, repayment of unemployment funding to the federal government, roads, prisons, and education. The Governor is asking in his proposed budget for a half-percent reduction in the food tax as well as an increase of two percent funding for K-12 education and a one percent funding increase for higher education. The funding increase would be more than $600,000 in new state money for UCA.
However, the Governor’s budget does not contain additional tax cuts. Additional tax cuts would mean other areas in the budget, such as higher education, would see no increases or even cuts to current funding levels, according to the Gov. Beebe.
Other issues such as a common course numbering system, campus safety issues with handguns, repealing Amendment 33 (which gives university boards their independence), and lottery scholarship funding levels are just some of the other issues the legislature will address over the next few months.
The Division of University and Government Relations will be hosting bi-weekly meeting to discuss the legislative session and the bills that directly impact the university. The first bi-weekly meeting was held on Jan. 28. Sen. Gilbert Baker addressed faculty and staff members.
UCA’s Community Development Institute has been awarded $2,000 by the Conway Advertising and Promotion Commission for its 25th annual Institute, which will be held August 1-5, 2011.
The Conway Advertising and Promotion Commission approved grants totaling $132,000 in January. Other UCA receipients were: UCA Homecoming, $5,000; Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, $5,000; and UCA Athletic Department, baseball, $5,000, and volleyball, $2,500.
