The Bear Ledger

UCA officials will break ground on an $18 million residential hall on Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. near the visitor’s stand at Estes Stadium. Bear Hall, a 120,000-square-foot five-story facility, will replace Minton Hall, which has been closed for the past three years.

Bear Hall will include 385 beds, three seminar rooms, two apartments, a large lobby area with a kitchen and laundry and study rooms.

The new residential hall is being funded through a bond issue. Part of the funds from the bond will be used to renovate other residential halls, said Diane Newton, vice president of finance and administration. About $2 million in improvements will be made to State, Conway, Hughes and Carmichael halls.

About 50,000 bricks taken from Minton Hall will be used in the construction of Bear Hall. The new residential hall will be located directly behind the visitor’s stand at Estes Stadium.Bear Hall is scheduled to open in fall 2012.

Bear Hall also will feature twelve 20-person skyboxes on the fifth floor. The $2 million skyboxes are being built with private funds.  The boxes will be available for lease at a cost of $25,000 a year, with a 10-year commitment. The skyboxes include private entrances, indoor and outdoor seating, reserved parking and elevators and a separate lobby.

In case of inclement weather, the ground breaking will be rescheduled to a later date.

More than 150 people participated in a two-hour forum on Nov. 22 to vote on initiatives for the university’s strategic plan.

The Strategic Planning and Resources Council will use the results to craft a draft version of the strategic plan. The plan will be developed over the next couple of months, said Mike Schaefer, chairman of the SPARC. The initiatives will set the university’s priorities for the next three to five years.

To view the results, click here.

A series of meetings were held in October seeking input from the colleges, departments, and divisions on the university’s initiatives.  Suggestions were compiled to create a master list of nearly 300 initiatives in the areas of excellence, learner-focused environment, facilities and technology, engagement with external partners, diversity and integrity. The list was shared with the community prior to the vote.

Various groups have been meeting since early February to develop a strategic plan that will examine the university’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.

The goal of strategic planning is to:

•Identify the various forces acting on the university as a whole–including finances, public perceptions and expectations, demographics, and technology.

•Assess the resources of various types the university has at its disposal for carrying out its planning.

•Examine and articulate the mission and vision of the university–our sense of our purpose and our aspirations for the future–which will be informed by the core shared values of the university community.

•Identify particular attributes of the university that set us apart from our sister institutions and that thus constitute our distinctive strengths.

Documents created by several task forces over the past nine months are available for review at the Strategic Planning icon on the UCA main page. Send comments to Mike Schaefer at Schaefer@uca.edu.

“The final strategic plan will incorporate our statements of values, distinctiveness, planning assumptions, and driving forces; and many of the initiatives that appear in the documents from meetings with individual units will likely be folded into the larger initiatives that will appear in the draft plan,” Schaefer said. “Additionally, these documents are a rich source of information for all of us about what we regard as important at UCA, so I urge everyone to give them a reading for informational purposes and as possible suggestions for actions in our own areas.  I think you’ll find that, despite the different roles we all play in the functioning of the university, there are more things we all agree on than things that divide us, a fact that bodes well for coming up with a strategic plan that we’ll all find workable.”

Consul of Education Dr. Yan Guohua from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston met with UCA officials recently to discuss educational opportunities for the university including scholarships for students to study abroad and training Chinese health care professionals.

Dr. Yan announced during his visit that the consulate will offer UCA three full scholarships each year for students to study in China.   

“The University of Central Arkansas is very grateful to Dr. Yan and the People’s Republic of China for making this wonderful opportunity available to its students,” said Dr. Lance Grahn, provost and vice president of academic affairs.  “UCA is dedicated to preparing its students for the global environment in which they will work, and study-abroad remains one of the very best ways for achieving that goal.  In particular, as the host institution for the only Confucius Institute in Arkansas, UCA is especially interested in student, faculty, and business exchanges with China.  So, these new scholarships, which will richly enhance student learning at UCA, are truly valuable to UCA and its students.”  

Dr. Yan also met with Dr. Neil Hattlestad, the dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, regarding training health care professionals.  Dr. Yan expressed an interest in the possibility of sending students from The People’s Republic of China to UCA to train and return home, and a collaboration between UCA and Chinese universities to help set up training programs in their schools.  

“We have benefitted from our previous trips to China. We look forward to additional opportunities to engage in educational experiences both in China and in this country,” said Dr. Hattlestad.

UCA’s Confucius Institute hosted Consul Yan during his visit.  The mission of the Confucius Institute at University of Central Arkansas is to promote Chinese culture within Arkansas through cultural training, consultation services, seminars, conferences, language training support as well as cultural performances and exhibitions.

UCA established the first Chinese minor program in the state of Arkansas.

Angel Bears Available for Adoption

Angel Bears are ready to be adopted and can be selected from the tree at the circulation desk in Torreyson Library or from the tree in the Housing office, Bernard 201.  Gifts must be returned to Bernard 201 by Friday, Dec. 10. For more information, contact Tracy Spence at 852-2213, Lula Tyus at 450-3453, or Ashley Lyon at 450-3649.  

Annual Winter Feast Tickets Now Available  

Tickets are now available for the 2010 Winter Feast scheduled for Dec. 10 at 11:30 a.m. in Student Center Ballroom.  Tickets are available for a minimum donation of $5 per ticket.   Proceeds from the tickets will be used to help those in need this holiday season.  Pick up tickets from the following individuals:   Donna Erbach – Physical Plant; Lee Schwager – Student Health 308; Sylvia Childers – Torreyson West 305; Judy Corcoran – Irby 120B; and Leslie Chronister – Wingo 300.  Food for the Winter Feast is being paid for by the Office of the President and underwritten by private funds raised through UCA Advancement. For more information, contact Larry Burns at lburns@uca.edu or 450-5245  

Volunteers Needed for Basketball Games

The Staff Senate is seeking volunteers to assist with home basketball games. Four ushers are needed for each home game this season. Those interested in volunteering should contact Kevin Stowe at kstowe@uca.edu.

Staff Senate Accepting Applications for Professional Development Funds

The Staff Senate is now accepting applications for spring and early summer – Jan. 1 through June 1 — professional development funding.

The Staff Senate Professional Development Fund was established by the Staff Senate to assist a staff employee in pursuing opportunities for professional development. The deadline for the application is Monday, Jan. 10.  The link to the application is https://uca.edu/staffsenate/profdevfunding.php.  For more information, contact Patricia Smith, chair of the Professional Development Committee at psmith@uca.edu or (501) 450-5295.

Governor Mike Beebe and the Arkansas Arts Council presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Gene Hatfield of Conway at the annual Governor’s Arts Awards luncheon on Nov. 10 at The Peabody Little Rock. The Governor’s Arts Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas.

Hatfield was nominated and introduced by Sarah Mattingly of North Little Rock.

Hatfield is an accomplished artist who works in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil, acrylic and sculpture. His best-known work is the transformation of the yard of his Conway home into an art environment, the result of more than 40 years of working with recycled objects. Influenced by the surrealist artist Max Ernst, Hatfield uses discarded materials and found objects, mixing and arranging them to create three-dimensional collages. Hatfield also works in the tradition of artists whose use of discarded materials cast light on the wastefulness of contemporary society.

During his long tenure as an art teacher at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Hatfield taught drawing, painting, sculpture, crafts and design, as well as art history and art appreciation. Since his retirement in 1985, he has continued to work as an artist, painting regularly with a class at UCA, exhibiting his work and developing sculptures from the variety of materials he collects. His yard is frequently visited by students, not only in art classes but also writing classes. He has donated a large body of his own work and art collection to the UCA Foundation. His work is also represented in public and private collections in France, England, Washington, D.C., Little Rock and Conway.

The Fall/Winter issue of UCA Magazine is now available. This issue features  “No Parking? The quest for truth in a world of rumors” and “When Language Falls Silent: Thornes help tribe preserve native tongue” as well of  photos and the latest news on UCA alumni. UCA Magazine can be viewed by clicking here.

Madrigal Feaste Slated for Dec. 3, Dec. 5 in McCastalain

The Madrigal Feaste, featuring the UCA Chamber singers, will return on Friday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 5 in McCastlain Ballroom.  Seating will begin at 6:30. Tickets are $40. Guests will have their choice of prime rib, chicken florentine or a veggie plate. Call UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 for ticket arrangements.

UCA Theatre to Present Festival of One Act Plays

UCA Theatre will present a Festival of One Act Plays on December 6-9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. Three to four different one-act plays will be presented each evening. Each play has been chosen, cast, and directed by the 2010 Directing Class, under the supervision of assistant professor of Theatre, Kevin T. Browne. Admission is free to everyone. Tickets are not required. Doors open at 7 p.m. each evening. Some material may not be suitable for children.

The plays to be presented are:

Dec. 6: The Bear by Anton Chekov, Words, Words, Words by David Ives, To Die in the Country by Shuji Terayam.

 Dec. 7: The Sandbox by Edward Albee, Brush Yourself Off and Move On by Megan Boduch, Waiting by Ethan Cohen, Fight for the Future by Damian Trasler.

Dec. 8: Everyman by Anonymous, Socks by Rosemary Frisino Toohey, Night Call by Archie Wilson.

Dec. 9:  The Cherry Blossom in the Rain by Noritugu Iwamoto, Just One Night by Kim Levin, Brown by Cherie Vogelstein

Further information is also available online at www.uca.edu/theatre.

Budget Advisory Committee Meeting Dates

The meeting dates for the Budget Advisory Committee have been set for the year. All meetings are open to the public. Upcoming committee meetings are: Dec. 9, Wingo 315; Jan. 13, Wingo 315; Feb. 10, Wingo 315; March 10, Wingo 315; and April 21, Wingo 315.  Contact Lynn Burley, chair, at 450-3633 or lburley@uca.edu for more information.

Don Carlo to Continue Met Series

A new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlo is set for Dec. 13 as the 2010-11 season of Captured Live from the Met @ UCA continues.  The high definition broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera is set for 7 p.m. in the Reynolds Performance Hall.  Approximately 200 seats are available for each performance at UCA. Tickets are $15 for the public and $5 for students with valid I.D.  To order tickets, call UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.

Educational Seminars and Professional Development Schedule

Sexual Harassment

Dec. 9,   x-period, Student Center #214

Diversity

This year’s topic of discussion – Sexual Orientation

Dec.  3, 9 – 10:30 a.m., Student Center #215

 Dec. 7, 2 – 3:30 p.m., Student Center #215