Amy Whitehead, program coordinator for the Center of Community and Economic Development, was recently accepted into the 2011 class of the Faulkner County Leadership Institute (FCLI). FCLI builds competent leaders for present and future community needs. FCLI helps its members develop community and leadership skills through a series of informative training sessions on government, health care, agriculture, finance, industry, education and the area economy.
Staff Senate News
Posted on October 28, 2010
Deadline for Applications for Professional Development Funds Nov. 1
The deadline to apply for Staff Senate professional development funds is Nov. 1. The Staff Senate Professional Development Fund was established to assist a staff employee in pursuing opportunities for professional development. The senate seeks to advance opportunities of continuing education, advanced or higher education, certification programs, or conference participation.
All full-time classified or non-classified staff are eligible to apply. The value of the funding depends on the available funds and the number of applicants. The link to the application is https://uca.edu/staffsenate/profdevfunding.php
If you have questions, please contact: Patricia Smith, director of student engagement, UCA Honors College, at 450-5465 or psmith@uca.edu.
Voluneeters Sought for Football Games
The Staff Senate is looking for volunteers to work football games. The money raised by working football games helps support the professional development fund, social activities, the Veterans Day ceremony, Employee of the Year and Employee of the Quarter awards, and other Staff Senate projects that benefit UCA staff members and the UCA community. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Larry Burns at lburns@uca.edu.
Volunteers are needed for the following games:
Sat., Nov. 13 – Sam Houston
Sat., Nov. 20 – McNeese State
Division of University and Government Relations News
Posted on October 28, 2010
UCA President Allen C. Meadors addressed the Arkansas Legislative Council-Joint Budget Committee on Oct. 26 concerning funding for the university.
In his remarks, President Meadors pointed out that UCA is in better fiscal shape compared to the fall of 2008, which was the previous budget presentation to the legislature. He also stressed that the percentage of need shows UCA is the most underfunded four-year institution in the state. Currently, the university is funded at 70.49 percent of its operating need by the state compared to UAPB at 95.88; UAM at 96.32; UALR at 81.86; UAFS at 81.19; UAF at 80.04; SAUM at 86.46; HSU at 91.29; ATU at 84.10, and ASUJ at 83.50.
UCA received $4,963 per FTE during the 2009-10 fiscal year. The state average is $5,667. While underfunded, UCA is within the state average when comparing tuition, fees, room and board with other four-year schools, President Meadors told legislators.
The 2011 General Assembly will meet in early January and will be in session through the end of March or into early April. It is important for the UCA family to pay attention to the legislative process and to encourage additional funding for higher education in the state.
Intensive English Program News
Posted on October 28, 2010
Lynn Ramage Schaefer, an instructor in the Intensive English Program, had a short piece of non-fiction entitled “Shame” accepted by Tales From the South, a radio show on KUAR-FM 89.1, the NPR affiliate in Little Rock. She read the piece on September 21 at Starving Artist Café in North Little Rock, where the show is taped. It is scheduled to be broadcast on Nov. 11.University College News
Posted on October 28, 2010
Carl Olds, Lecturer II in Writing and Reading, was named president-elect for the Arkansas Association for Developmental Education (ArkADE) at the annual meeting and conference held on Oct. 6-8 at Petit Jean. As president-elect, Olds will be responsible for organizing the 2011 ArkADE Annual Meeting, and working with the president and executive staff on issues concerning developmental education and higher ed in the state. ArkADE is a professional organization of college/university faculty and staff who are committed to the improvement of educational opportunities at all levels of education within our state. ArkADE supports efforts to improve academic standards of achievement at all grade levels and is uniquely supportive of efforts to improve the academic attainment of all college and university students. Olds has taught transitional reading and transitional writing courses for University College since 2003, as well as general education courses in poetry and film that are pedagogically-designed to benefit developmental students. He also teaches courses for UCA’s Commuter College freshman program, and was named the Commuter College Faculty Associate of the Year for 2007-2008. In addition, Olds has taught courses for the English Department and Department of Mass Communication and Theater at UCA, and, in 2010, began serving as the coordinator for the University Studies course for University College. He holds a Master of Arts in English from UCA, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science, with a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies from UCA. For more information on ArkADE, vist http://sites.google.com/site/arkadesite/home
College of Business News
Posted on October 28, 2010
The Theta Lambda Chapterhas been recognized internationally as a Superior Chapter by Beta Alpha Psi, an honors organization for financial information professionals. Under the leadership of professors Stephanie Watson and Trish Mounce, who serve as faculty advisors, the Theta Lambda Chapter excelled in the areas of academics, professionalism, and leadership.
Dr. John Watt, an associate professor in the Department of Marketing and Management, recently had a paper, “The Interdisciplinary Nature of the Field of Crisis Management: A Call for Research Collaboration”, published in the Organization Development Journal(ODJ). ODJ seeks to enhance the capacity for practitioner-scholar dialogue, and promotes principles and practices of organizational development and change. The paper was coauthored with Drs. Chris Piotrowski and Terry Armstrong. Dr. Watt is currently serving as Executive Editor of The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied.
Dr. Joseph D. Cangelosi, Jr., professor of marketing and department chair, and Dr. David Kim, associate professor of marketing have recently had their article titled “Assessment of Face-to-Face Preventive Health Care (PHC) Information Sources: A Demographic Analysis” published in the International Journal of Social Health Information Management, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 31-43. The paper was co-authored with Dr. Edward Ranelli at the University of West Florida.College of Education News
Posted on October 28, 2010
College of Education Offers Technology Training to Faculty, Staff, Students
The College of Education Technology Committee is offering a series of technology training sessions for faculty, staff, graduate assistants, and work study students. The training sessions are designed to enhance individuals’ technological skills, increase the efficiency of faculty, departments, the college, and the Professional Education Unit, and foster a technology friendly environment. The training is divided into two categories: traditional technologies, and online technologies.
Traditional technology training offers opportunities for improvement in the use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Sundae Fowler is offering a session on the resources available in the Technology Learning Center. Other sessions target classroom technology utilization (i.e., video projectors, document cameras, and Smartboard technology).
Renee Le Beau Ford, Torreyson Library, is hosting a session on library resources and how to effectively utilize them for online teaching and learning. An online teaching and learning forum will be offered. The topic for the forum is synchronous vs. asynchronous learning environments. Tonya McKinney will host a session on the use of Tegrity for video capture and video streaming in the online classroom. Faculty also have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one training with Dr. Stephanie Huffman on the use of Centra and Blackboard. Additional training will be offered in the Spring 2011 semester.
First Ten-Year Self-Study Completed for CSPA Program
The site visit for the external program review of the College Student Personnel Services and Administration (CSPA) program in Leadership Studies at the University of Central Arkansas was held Feb. 1.
Prior to the on-site visit, two external reviewers were provided more than 150 pages of documentation on the program. Specifically, this self study was designed to illustrate how successfully the program and faculty met the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board Existing Program Review criteria adopted in October 2008. The policy requires that an internal review by institutions and an external review by consultants occur every 7-10 years.
Dr. Tony W. Cawthon, Clemson University, and Dr. Maureen Wilson, Bowling Green State University were the external reviewers for the self study. Prior to the on-site visit, both individuals reviewed the AHECB guidelines, the department’s self study document, andidentified issues and questions to be used in the evaluation process.
Listed below are a few excerpts from Dr. Cawthon’s and Dr. Wilson’s report:
Strengths: Current students, alumni and collaborative partners consistently throughout the day spoke to the strength of the curriculum. The breadth of this curriculum emphasis (counseling and administration courses) enhances the likelihood that the program will be able to compete nationally.
All constituent groups identified the program faculty as the “glue” of the program. They were reported to be content experts, student—centered, committed to outstanding teaching and instruction, quality research and scholarship, and service.
After one day, I saw that the program not only speaks about creating personal relationships with students, but their behavior reflects this philosophy. Graduates of the program are very successful in achieving jobs in student affairs, with 88% getting a job and 86% employed three years out from graduation.
Recommendations: (1) addition of at least one faculty position; (2) more library resources; (3) review existing admissions criteria, especially the GPA and GRE requirements; (4) review the number of hours awarded for thesis credit; (5) increase the number of graduate assistantships;and (6) improve communication and collaboration between program and the Division of Student Affairs.
The CSPA faculty has responded to the recommendations with a report that addresses each recommendation.
2010 National Virtual Case Study Winners
UCA’s College Student Personnel Services and Administration (CSPA) team was selected as a national case study winner in the “Most Educational” category, taking third place in the 2010 National Virtual Case Study.
Teams were asked to create two, 1-4 minute, New Student Orientation videos. The CSPA team consisted of Joe Wheeler, Mike Simpson, Nathan Lynch and James Goin. Each team member received a $50 award. Prizes were awarded for Most Educational and Most Creative.
Past performances by UCA/CSPA grads include Third Place for Most Creative in 2009; Fourth Place in 2008; Second Place in 2007; and Third Place in 2006.
Additional information about the case study competition and the videos can be found in the Spring Edition of The Journal of Technology in Student Affairs The National Virtual Case Study Competition sponsored by Student Affairs. Com is open to graduate students matriculating in a Masters level program in student personnel administration, higher education, or counseling for at least six credits during the corresponding spring semester. This year marked the 9th Annual Virtual Case Study Competition.
Summer 2010 Internship Leads to National Recognition
One of the current CSPA students, Nathan Lynch, wrote a blog about his Summer 2010 internship experiences in China. Recently, Nathan began collaborating on a national blog with Stuart Brown who coordinates the website studentaffairs.com. To learn more, you can go to Nathan’s China Blog at: http://theotherclassroom.wordpress.com/.
Department of Teaching and Learning Attend annual Bookcase Literacy Banquet
Faculty and staff from the UCA College of Education Department of Teaching and Learning attended the 3rd Annual Bookcase Literacy Banquet held at Bob Courtway Middle School in Conway on Oct. 21. Former State Senator Stanley Russ presided over the enjoyable evening. Bookcase Literacy Project founder Jim Davidson delivered the keynote address.
Since its inception in 2005, the members of the Conway Bookcase Literacy Project Committee, with bountiful help from the community, have built and presented 300 quality, personalized oak bookcases featuring a starter set of books to preschool children in the Conway Housing Authority and Head Start Program. This volunteer project uses no tax money or grants of any kind. The project focuses on giving back to the community with a focus on literacy.
Faculty and staff from the Department of Teaching and Learning generously bought a table for the event. The funds will be used for building 50 bookcases to be presented to young children in April 2011. Additionally, books for young children were donated to the Bookcase Literacy Project by faculty and staff from the College of Education. Filling the bookshelves with high quality books for preschoolers helps to get books in each child’s hands and to promote a head start on school. Special thanks to Jamie Alea, Tammy Benson, Gary Bunn, Mara Cawein, Sue Farris, Terri Hebert, Maree Herring, and their families, along with other faculty and staff from the Department of Teaching and Learning who contributed to this worthy cause. If you would like more information about or to contribute to Bookcase Literacy Project, contact Dr. Tammy Benson, chair of the COE Department of Teaching and Learning, who serves on the Conway Bookcase Literacy Project Committee.
College of Liberal Arts News
Posted on October 28, 2010
Dr. Lorien Foote, associate professor of history, is the author of a newly published book, The Gentlemen and the Roughs: Violence, Honor, and Manhood in the Union Army. Based on extensive research at the National Archives in seldom-used court martial records, Dr. Foote examines how upper-class officers in the Union army exerted control over working-class enlisted men and how class-bound attitudes regarding honor and manhood were central to this control. The book was published by New York University Press. Dr. Foote, the 2010 winner of UCA’s Teaching Excellence Award, is also the author of Seeking the One Great Remedy: Francis George Shaw and Nineteenth-Century Reform, published in 2003 by Ohio University Press.
Dr. Michael Yoder and Dr. Jeff Allender presented papers at the annual meeting of the Southwest Division of the Association of American Geographers (SWAAG) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on Oct. 15- Oct. 16. Dr. Yoder presented the paper titled “Entrepreneurial Governance and Economic Development in Micropolitan Cities of Arkansas.” The paper addressed the challenges that confront standalone small cities of Arkansas with populations of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000, and not part of any metropolitan area, as they attempt to bring about economic development. The research is based on extensive interviews of public officials, economic developers, and commercial real estate brokers. Dr. Yoder is an associate professor of geography and drector of the Master of Science in Community and Economic Development (MSCED). Dr. Allender’s paper was “Vernacular Rock & Brick Construction in the Southern Ozarks.” Dr. Allender is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography.
Language Learning Center Assistantship For Spring 2011
The Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures is offering two scholarships to native speakers of Chinese, and French for Spring 2011. The department is inviting native speakers of these languages on campus to apply to work in the Language Learning Center to tutor and to provide cultural enrichment activities for students. Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students and will be expected to work eight hours a week. Deadline for applications is Nov.5. Please call 450-3256 or come by Irby 209 for more information and an application. Applications may be found at www.uca.edu/wlan
Did You Know?
Posted on October 28, 2010
- In 1937, Lucy Jane Brannon, R.N. was hired as UCA’s first nurse. She received a salary of $50 per month and free room and board on the UCA campus.
- In 1947, ten years after the hiring of UCA’s first college nurse, the student healthcare program expanded somewhat by operating two infirmaries, one for women and one for men. The women students were treated in Bernard Hall and the men were treated in Doyne Hall and later in Veterans Infirmary.
- UCA’s student healthcare has grown from one nurse in 1937 to 28 physical and mental health care providers in 2010. The Student Health Clinic boasts 14 medical care providers and two support staff. Additionally, the Counseling Center has five counselors and psychologists, one psychiatrist on contract, two support staff and four graduate trainees per semester.
Source: “From the Archives” by Jimmy Bryant, director of UCA Archives.
UCA Professors Aid in Renewable Energy Research
Posted on October 18, 2010
The University of Central Arkansas is among the seven universities involved in a $20 million National Science Foundation grant to support renewable energy research.
The Arkansas Science and Technology Authority will use its funds to support three multi-campus research networks that will study three different types of renewable energy – plant biosynthesis, solar energy and nanotechnology. Funds will be used to purchase laboratory equipment and other supplies as well as provide stipends for Arkansas undergraduate and graduate students involved in this research.
Funds from the five-year grant will support the following multi-campus research centers that focus on different areas of renewable energy research:
- The Center for Plant Powered Production or “P3 Center” will use funds to study plant biosynthesis and production of renewable biomaterials. Researchers at UCA, UA-Fayetteville, ASU-Jonesboro, UALR and UAPB will collaborate on this project.
- The Center for Generating Renewable Energy with Efficient Nanoplasmonic Solar Cells or “GREEN Center” will use funds to study solar energy and make it more efficient. Researchers at UA-Fayetteville, UALR, UA-Fort Smith, Philander Smith College and UAPB will collaborate on this project.
- The Vertically Integrated Center for Transformative Energy Research or “VICTER Center” will use funds to study nanotechnology that will be useful in making solar panels more energy efficient. Researchers at UA-Fayetteville, ASU-Jonesboro, UALR and UAPB will collaborate on this project.
“The funds from this NSF award will provide infrastructure – both equipment and human resources – to create advanced research that will have a huge economic impact for the state,” said Gale McClure, Vice President of Sponsored Projects at the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.
Chemistry Department Receives Nearly $500,000 in Research Grants
Posted on October 18, 2010
The Department of Chemistry at the University of Central Arkansas has been awarded nearly $500,000 in external funding by the National Science Foundation.
Three research grants, totaling $498,622, will fund projects for UCA undergraduate chemistry students to conduct research in gas-phase chemistry, surface chemistry, and archeological chemistry.
“When you consider that these three awards are in the context of a substantial amount of existing external funding, in addition to documented successes in undergraduate research via publications, presentations, and placement of our graduates in top graduate schools in the country, it is clear that the UCA Department of Chemistry has established itself as the premier undergraduate program in chemistry in the state of Arkansas and, arguably, one of the best in the country,” said Dr. Robert Mauldin, professor and chair.
Drs. Bill Taylor, Don Perry, and Karen Steelman recently received notice of their awards. Here is a description of each project:
Dr. Bill Taylor’s project, entitled “RUI: Exploring Mechanistic Parameters Regulating Bond-Activation in the State-Specific Reactions of Gas Phase Transition Metal Ions with Halogenated Molecules,” will examine the reactions of gas-phase metal ions with a number of small molecules. Understanding the mechanisms of these processes can aid in the design of new and better catalysts for use in chemical synthesis, and in the production of alternative fuels. Undergraduates participating in this work will gain research experience which serves them well in a variety of subsequent career choices including graduate/professional programs and science-related jobs. Dr. Taylor received a $173,413 grant for this project.
Dr. Don Perry received a $131,611 grant for the project “RUI: Development of Organic and Biological Films on Vapor-deposited Metal Nanostructures.” Silver and gold nanostructures formed on solid supports have a dramatic impact on organic and biological film growth. This work will aid development of new nanoscale metal/organic and metal/biological composites and devices and add to the knowledge of metal nanoparticle interactions with organisms and the environment. The Macromolecular, Supramolecular, Nanochemistry Division of Chemistry through the National Science Foundation supports this work.
Dr. Karen Steelman is the principal investigator of a two-year grant for $193,598 to investigate the use of supercritical fluids to remove organic contamination from archaeological artifacts prior to radiocarbon dating. Dr. Jerry King of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is a co-principal investigator on the project. Dr. Steelman’s laboratory has already utilized plasma oxidation to collect microscopic amounts of carbon from an artifact surface non-destructively. An equally non-intrusive pre-treatment method to remove organic contamination from a burial environment is now needed. The grant is from the National Science Foundation’s Archaeometry Program.