The Bear Ledger

• The first school fight song was “March of the Purple and Gray.” The lyrics were written in 1910 by Miss Ethel Swartwood, head of the Department of Music and Reading.

• The Royal Rooters, a booster organization formed in 1926, is credited for bringing organized cheerleading to the university.

• President Jimmy Carter spoke before a crowd of 3,200 people during the 1985-86 lecture series at the university. The president was handed a note prior to his speech advising him that the U.S. had bombed Libya.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 includes building the university’s reserves, the implementation of phase 2 of the classified pay plan and pay raises for non-classified employees and faculty. But the budget remains tight as officials try to adjust to state cuts and place the university back on solid financial ground.

“It’s going to be status quo,” said Diane Newton, vice president of finance and administration. “It won’t necessarily be a good year next fiscal year. While the first run through of the FY 2011 preliminary budget showed a deficit of $2.4 million, it wasn’t unexpected. We had to build into the budget the transfers to reserves that had not been there in the past.”

While the preliminary budget is currently balanced, it didn’t come without sacrifice, Newton said. The proposed budget includes making the October and January cuts taken in this fiscal year permanent. Also, rather than using the FY2011 Stimulus money for projects, only a small percent will be dedicated to critical maintenance needs, all in housing, with the remainder being used to shore up the reserves.

“Because of the commitment by the campus community we expect to be able to add to the fund balances,” she said. “While not where they will need to be, they’ll at least be heading in the right direction.”

The goal is to build up an eight to nine percent reserve. Newton noted that it will take a several years to reach that level.

While the state restored some of the funding cut from this fiscal year for next year’s appropriation, state leaders also reduced the Educational Excellence Trust Fund by $273,000, Newton added.

“While the budget includes a modest increase of $1 per hour for tuition, that will only generate approximately $284,358 based on current enrollment,” she said.

Other contributing factors to the tighter budget include increases in property, liability, workers compensation and unemployment insurances and an increase to the university’s current budget for utilities.

The Phase 2 implementation of the classified pay plan will only affect 17% of the classified employees, Newton said. Others received their salary change in Phase 1 implemented for this fiscal year. The state currently has said no increases for classified employees.

The budget includes a proposed 2.5 percent pool for pay raises for non-classified and faculty, some of which will be across the board raises with the remainder for merit and equity, she said.

“Dr. Meadors is still committed to including a pay increase for non-classifieds and faculty as they have not received one in two years,” Newton said.

More than 130 UCA faculty members and staff were recognized March 4 for securing millions in external funding for research, scholarly activities and programs for 2009.

The university received more than $13 million in federal and state funding and in grants from non-profits, businesses and professional associations.

A reception was held in the Mirror Room in McAlister Hall, where faculty members and staff were given a certificate in appreciation. The event was sponsored by the Offices of the Provost and Sponsored Programs.

UCA President Allen Meadors commended the faculty and staff for their accomplishment. Finding time to seek grants and conduct research while teaching three to four classes and serving as mentors is a great task, Meadors said.

“What makes you special is that you find the time to put in that extra effort,” Meadors said. “I know how much work it is, how hard it is, and how time consuming it is and you have a life outside of this university. I really admire those of you who have stepped forward and have gone beyond. I hope that those of you holding your certificates have found a way to make your research fit into your classroom.”

Some of the programs receiving grants and contracts include:

• Sharon Ross has managed grants from the Arkansas Department of Education each year since 1994, receiving a total of $419,008. This year, she received $30,500 to coordinate the program approval process as well as provide training and technical assistance to school districts and early childhood programs in Arkansas, who use speech-language pathology assistants/aides as a service delivery model. Additionally, she conducts individual follow-up training sessions with new sites, coordinates with the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology the approval of supervisors/assistants providing services in private practice and public agencies serving children (birth – 21 years), and reviews supervision documentation submitted by sites. The grant also provides funding for two graduate assistants each year who assist with grant activities.
• Dr. Gary McCullough has obtained an R21 Grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institutes on Neurological Disorders and Stroke. He is co-investigator with Dr. Mark Mennemeir, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. It is titled “Identifying and Treating Arousal Related Deficits in Neglect and Dysphagia,” and is a two year, $200,000 award.
• Drs. Robert Logan and Susan Moss-Logan, and Dr. Elaine McNeice, dean of the Graduate School, and Dr. Neil Hattlestad, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences wrote the first successful Leadership Personnel grant to support the new Communication Sciences and Disorders Doctoral Program Consortium, the only such program in the state. The Consortium is composed of the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The proposal was funded for 2006 – 2010 by the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Research for $689,364. It provided tuition, stipends, and research support for the first five doctoral students in the program. Logan, Moss-Logan and Dr. Byron Ross wrote the second Leadership Personnel grant also to support the doctoral consortium program. It too was successful and was funded for $800,000 to support five more doctoral students in the consortium from 2009 to 2013.
• The College of Education was awarded $2,773,213 in grant money for 2008-2009, representing approximately one-third of UCA’s total grant awards for 2008-09. These external monies largely represent state support for the new Arkansas Research Center whose mission is to foster effective educational data use and to serve as a clearing house for state agency educational data. Associate Professor Lisa Daniels serves as the principal investigator for this state grant/contract.
• Additionally, the College’s Mashburn Center for Learning, headed by Professor Mark Cooper, brought in over $325,000 in awards to support professional development for teachers to increase learning outcomes for low-achieving student populations. The Mashburn Center is recognized by the Arkansas Department of Education as one of three model intervention programs for schools seeking to improve student learning.

Faculty and staff members recognized during the reception were:

Cathy Acre, Gianetta Adams, Reid Adams, Stephen Addison, Rifat Akhter, Kathleen Atkins, Charles Bane, Deborah Barnes, Elson Bihm, Lance Bridges, Clarence Burg, Debra Burris, Nancy Burris, Jennifer Burrow, Donna Cain, Brian Campbell, Patrick Carmack, Kenneth Carter, Mara Cawein, Shawn Charlton, Matt Chiorini, Barbara Clancy, Charlotte Cone, Mary Jo Hidecker Cooley, Mark Cooper, Douglas Corbitt, Tina Crook, Lisa Daniels, Kim Danley, Jennifer Deering, James Deitrick, Patrick Desrochers, Kim Dielmann, Cameron Dorey, Jordan Ellis, Sally Entrekin, Sue Farris, Monda Fason, Kyle Felling, Janet Filer, James Fletcher, Michael Flory, Emogene Fox, Adam Frank, Carl Frederickson, Marilyn Friga, John Gale, Ramesh Garimella, Umadevi Garimella, Rebecca Watts-Gatlin, James Gillaspy, Jack Gillean, Melissa Goff, Lance Grahn, Brooks Green, Linda Griffith, Alison Hall, Mary Harlan, Terri Hebert, Brent Hill, Chenyi Hu, Lori Isom, Kristy Jamerson, Larry James, Terry James, Jennifer Johnson, Melissa Kelley, Sinan Kockara, Patricia Evans-Kohler, Deborah Kuster.

Maurice Lee, Wei-Jiu Liu, Robert Logan, Tina Mankey, Gary McCullough, Kathy McDaniel, Vickie McDonald, Margaret McGee, Jean McGehee, Allen Meadors, Julie Meaux, Rahul Mehta, Jerry Mimms, Letha Mosley, Mary Mosley, Susan Logan-Moss, Paul Nail, Kari Naylor, Nelda New, Richard Noyes, Jeffrey Padberg, Vamsi Parachuri, Brooks Pearson, Donald Perry, Carolyn Pinchback, Edward Powers, Jacqueline Rainey, Patsy Ramsey, Bhavanandan Rathinasamy, Lisa Ray, Minnietta Ready, S. Lynne Rich, Belinda Robertson, Sharon Ross, Byron Ross, Kevin Rowell, Benjamin Rowley, Stephen Runge, Barbara Satterfield, Leonard Seawood, Gayle Seymour, Conrad Shumaker, Joan Simon, William Slaton, Savid Starkey, Karen Steelman, Yu Sun, John-David Swanson, Richard Tarkka, Tim Thornes, John Trice, Shannon Trimble, Steven Tucker, William Taylor, Shannon Trimble, Stephanie Vanderslice, Azida Walker, Allison Wallace, Wen Wang, Charles Watson, Gary Wekkin, Jeffery Whittingham, Barbara Wililams, Carolyn Williams, Dong Xie, Charlotte Yates, Louis Young, and Paul Young.

UCA’s Community Development Institute (CDI) Central has been selected as the recipient of the Recognition of Excellence for Innovations in Outreach and Engagement Award given by the University Continuing Education Association.

The award recognizes creativity and innovation in the field, and will be presented at the UCEA Annual Conference on April 18 in San Francisco.

UCEA is the national organization that supports outreach divisions. UCEA recognizes Academic Outreach for its commitment to the field of continuing education and for its successful community outreach and engagement initiatives provided through the CDI Central.

“We are honored to be recognized by our peers and to receive an award of this caliber,” says Leonard Seawood, dean of Academic Outreach. “It’s a true testament to the dedication that our staff has to this community and to the entire state of Arkansas.”

CDI Central, located in the Division of Academic Outreach (AOEP), trains community and economic developers from Arkansas and surrounding states.

Since 1987, over 3,000 professionals in community and economic development have attended CDI Central.

“This award represents the revitalization of the Community Development Institute and a renewed commitment to becoming the leading resource for communities in Arkansas and the region,” says Kelly Lyon, Director of CDI Central.

UCA is the home of the region’s only Community Development Institute and online Master of Science in Community and Economic Development. The Division of Academic Outreach is the outreach arm of the university and has engaged the exchange of intellectual resources and expertise between the university and its external community of government agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and individuals since 1919.

The 2010 CDI will be held on the campus of UCA from August 2-6.

UCA’s faculty and staff will be honored April 13 during the annual Service Awards ceremony. The event will be held in the Student Center Ballroom during X-period.

Faculty members will be recognized in the following areas: Public Service; Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award; and Teaching Excellence Award.

The 2010 Employee of the Year will also be recognized during the event.