The Bear Ledger

UCA will be upgrading its Banner software system to Banner 8 beginning March 18. The project will take several days to complete.

The upgrade will cause a major disruption in the campus’ ability to carry on the day to day business, particularly as it relates to purchasing, paying bills and receipting payments, according to university officials. The upgrade will not impact Blackboard, GroupWise and internet access.

In order to make this transition as seamless as possible UCA has opted to close the campus on Mon., March 22 and Tues., March 23 to allow for Information Technology to install the new software. This will be a one-time Spring Break closing.

Employees will use the George Washington’s Birthday & Daisy Gatson Bates Day, both observed the third Monday in February, and one leave day for this break. The George Washington’s Birthday & Daisy Gatson Bates Day is usually used to cover one of the days between Christmas and New Year’s that UCA is closed.

“This would mean a leave day would be necessary at Christmas, but knowing this early would enable everyone time to save up for it,” said Diane Newton, vice president of finance and administration.

Employees may also use comp time in lieu of the leave day.

The Arkansas General Assembly is meeting this month for the first ever fiscal session in the state’s history. The voters of Arkansas passed a constitutional amendment in 2008 that calls for annual sessions, with the fiscal session being limited to 45 days to pass budget bills.

The leaders of the House and Senate are pushing to make this a short legislative session, taking up budget bills and setting the amounts for the new Arkansas Lottery Scholarship program.

The move is to fund the lottery scholarships for not only the incoming 2010 freshmen but also current students in college who meet the 2.5 grade point requirement. The amounts would be $2,500 per year for those attending two-year schools and $5,000 per year for those attending four-year schools.

Freshmen qualify by scoring a 19 on the ACT or having a 2.5 grade point if they are enrolled in Smart Core. If not, they have to achieve both the 19 and 2.5 grade point average.

As far as 2011 funding for UCA, early indications have the executive branch offering a budget recommendation that would restore the January cuts to all the institutions of higher education, which would mean a return of the $1.2 million to the base funding we are at now.

There also could be a chance for additional funding if revenues hit targeted marks. However, institutions would have to be extremely careful to budget those amounts as we have seen three cuts to state funding in the past 22 months.

UCA Foundation Requesting Grant Proposals

The UCA Foundation is currently requesting grant proposals from members of the faculty for Foundation funding. The Spring 2010 deadline for applications – original plus five copies- is Friday, Feb. 26. Information and grant application forms are available at: http://www.uca.edu/foundation/facultygrants.php

AASFAA Accepting Applications for $500 Scholarships

The Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (AASFAA) will award at least two $500 scholarships to students attending AASFAA member institutions. The deadline is April 15 to apply. Information about the scholarship and the application can be found at: http://www.aasfaa.net/counselors/presentation.aspx

St. Lawrence String Quartet to Perform Feb. 16-17

The St. Lawrence String Quartet will perform and lecture on Feb. 16 and Feb. 17. This world famous ensemble from Stanford University will give a free concert in Reynolds Performance Hall on Tues., Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. They will be performing music by Beethoven, Ravel and Adams. They will also be working with UCA students on both days as part of the Artists-in-Residence sponsored by the College of Fine Arts and Communication.

Campus-wide Presentation on Strategic Planning Process is Feb. 17

A campus-wide presentation of the newly instituted strategic planning process is scheduled for Wed., Feb. 17 from 2:30-4 p.m. in the East McCastlain Ballroom. There will be opportunity for Q&A with Dr. David McFarland, UCA’s strategic planning consultant. This campus-wide presentation will come at the end of a series of meetings between Dr. McFarland and several focus groups.

22nd Annual Dress for Success Program is Feb. 18

The 22nd Annual Dress for Success Program is slated for Thurs., Feb. 18 from 1:40-2:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Don’t miss out on a the chance to learn great tips on how to dress professionally on a tight budget and how to make a great first impression to help you land a dream job. For more information, contact Career Services Center at 450-3134.

Soledad O’Brien to Speak Feb. 18 at Reynolds Performance Hall

Soledad O’Brien, CNN television anchor and correspondent, will speak Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall as part of the university’s Distinguished Lecture Series. Her lecture will be titled, “The Power of Respect.” Tickets for the Distinguished Lecture Series are $10 for the general public, $5 for UCA Community and students, and free for UCA students with a current student ID. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265.

Exquisite Corpse Annual Launchapalooza Extravaganza Feb. 20

The second annual Exquisite Corpse Annual Launchapalooza Extravaganza will debut its second issue Sat., Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Bear’s Dean Pizza, 235 Farris Rd. The event is free and open to the public and will feature readings and performances by contributors and editors. The line up includes legendary American writer Andrei Codrescu, Bill Lavender, Philip Martin, John Vanderslice, Terry Wright, Larry Betz, Tyrone Jaeger, Mark Spitzer, Tim Thornes, Rae Hamaker, Meg Houston, Rex Rose, Robin Becker, and Timothy Snediker. For more information, contact the managing editor at 450-5134.

College Goal Sunday set for Feb. 21 at Conway High School West

UCA Financial Aid and Admission offices will be teaming with Central Baptist College and Conway High School West to host “College Goal Sunday” to help students and their families with financial aid applications. “College Goal Sunday” is slated for Feb. 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Conway High School West.Representatives from the university and college will assist parents and students with federal application forms online and the new ADHE Universal Application, which includes the lottery scholarship. Parents and students should bring their tax documents and other financial information. To register for the event, contact Kathy Houston at 450-4880.

Internationally Acclaimed Actor,Filmmaker Ivan Rogers Visits Feb. 24 and Feb. 25

Ivan Rogers, internationally acclaimed actor and filmmaker, will visit UCA as artist in residence on Wed., Feb. 24 and Thurs., Feb. 25, to critique students’ work as well as conduct workshops on producing and making films. Rogers has starred in numerous films, including Laserhawk (1996) and Forgive Me Father (2001), a film he also wrote and directed. A public screening of Forgive Me Father is part of the residency. For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or e-mail smaiden@uca.edu.

Richard Miller to Give Lecture on Humanities Feb. 25

Richard Miller, professor of English and former department chair at Rutgers, will speak about the future of the humanities Feb. 25. Miller will appear as artist in residence for the College of Fine Arts and Communication. His speech, “Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century,” is set for 7:30 p.m. in Baum Gallery, Room 143. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication at (501) 450-3293 or Castner-Post at (501) 450-3341 or jcastner@uca.edu.

Black History Month Play “Ain’t Nothing but a Thang” Rescheduled for Feb. 26-27

Due to inclement weather, the Black History Play “Ain’t Nothing but a Thang” has been rescheduled for Fri., Feb. 26 and Sat., Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at Ida Waldran Auditorium
7 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are being accepted for AIDS Awareness and Haiti relief. The play contains adult content. For more information, contact Angela Jackson at angelaj@uca.edu or call (501)450.3135.

2010 Teacher’s Fair Scheduled for Feb. 26

The 2010 Teacher’s Fair is slated for Fri., Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Student Center Ballroom. Recruiters will be on hand to meet with teaching candidates. Please bring resumes.

UCA Department of Writing to Host ArkaText in March

The University of Central Arkansas Department of Writing will host ArkaText, an annual literary festival that celebrates writing in Arkansas as well as the UCA community March 1 – 5. Guest speakers will talk to students about their works, answer questions and hold writing workshops. The festival will also feature student and faculty readings. All events will take place in Thompson Hall 338 and are free and open to the public. The festival will kick off March 1 with the student reading at 2 p.m. The faculty reading will take place March 2 at 1:40 p.m. On March 3, Gene Lyons will discuss creative nonfiction with a craft lecture at 11 a.m. and a reading at 2 p.m. Stacey Jay will talk about fiction on March 4, with a craft lecture at 10:50 a.m. and a reading at 1:40 p.m. Dusty Higgins will finish the festival March 5 with a discussion on graphic novels during a 11 a.m. craft lecture and a 2 p.m. reading. For more information, call (501) 450-5108 or terryw@uca.edu.

An Evening with Holocaust Survivor Margit Meissner Set for March 10

Holocaust survivor Margit Meissner will share her heroic story of survival March 10 on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. The event, “An Evening with Holocaust Survivor Margit Meissner, will begin at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall. The event is being sponsored by the UCA Department of Philosophy and Religion, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, Humanities and World Cultures Institute, PhiRe (UCA Philosophy and Religion Club), University of Arkansas Community College – Morrilton, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Active Shooter Disaster Preparedness Exercise Slated for March for March 11

An active shooter disaster preparedness exercise is slated for March as part of the UCA emergency management planning initiatives. The exercise will be held Thurs., March 11 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Minton Hall. This exercise will be one of the most comprehensive and involved emergency preparation activities at UCA. The exercise will involve several different departments, student organizations, and other emergency first responders.

Sexual Harassment

Participants have the option of attending sexual harassment on-site or online at http://training.newmedialearning.com/psh/ucentralarkansas/choice.htm.

On-site seminars will be held:

• March 11, 3-4 p.m., Student Center #213
• April 15, 9-10 a.m., Student Center #214

Diversity

• March 5, 2-3:30 p.m., Student Center # 215
• March 9, 9-1030 a.m., Student Center # 215
• March 30, 5:30 -7 p.m., Student Center # 215

New Staff Orientation

For non-faculty hired as of April 1, 2009

• March 19, 8-1 p.m., Student Center #213 and 214

Professional Development

• Feb. 18, 12-1:30 p.m. SC #214

Teambuilders: Lindsay Grifford will give tips on how to get your creative juices flowing and examples of icebreakers/teambuilders to use with fellow employees or students. Lunch will be provided.

• March 15, 12-1:30 p.m., Student Center #213

Stress Management: Reesa Ramsahai will provide information on dealing with stress. The participants will take part in creative exercises to release stress. Lunch will be provided.

The following individuals recently joined UCA’s faculty and staff:

January

• Jeannine Hamilton, professional development coordinator, Credit-AOEP, Jan. 1.
• Suanne Morgan, instructor, Intensive English, Jan. 11.
• Margaret Warren, cook, College Square Retirement Center, Jan. 16.

February

• Matthew Middleton, assistant coach, football, Feb. 1.
• Zachary Clark, assistant coach, football, Feb. 1.
• Ross Duncan, assistant coach, soccer, Feb. 1.
• Sandra Norris, administrative specialist II, Early Childhood and Special Education, Feb. 1.
• Vicki Rawls, administrative specialist II, College of Liberal Arts, Feb. 1.
• Elizabeth Diprince, library supervisor, Torreyson Library, Feb. 1.

Dr. Bonnie Melchior, a professor in the Department of English, is retiring after 31 years of service. Her retirement date is May 15, 2010.

UCA will be operating on a new voice mail system later this month. The conversion will be performed the evening of Feb. 25 and be effective the morning of Feb. 26.

You will need to check both the old voice mail and new for the first two weeks. The new system is supported by Windstream. All billing will remain the same as before.

After the conversion, you will need to dial in to voice mail by dialing 682-0000 instead of the current 682-1000. Everyone will have the same four digit code 2468 and will be prompted to enter a new one. You will also need to re-record your greeting.

To check voice mail from a remote location other than your office phone you will need to dial (501) 682-0000.

There will be training on an internet interface feature at the following times and locations:

• Feb 23, at 9:30 am-10:30 am, X-period-1:40-2:30 pm and 3:30-4:30 pm in Ida Waldran
• Feb 25, at 9:30 am-10:30 am, X-period 1:40-2:30 pm and 3:30-4:30 pm in Student Center
  205A.
• Feb. 26, at Ida Waldran from 12 noon-1 pm and 2-3:00 pm.

Please make an effort to attend one of the sessions in order to have questions answered which will aid in a smoother conversion.

The Staff Senate is now accepting nominations and references for the 2010 Employee of the Year. Any current faculty, staff, student, or alumni can nominate someone for employee of the year.

The nominee must have completed two full years of service by December 31, 2009 to be eligible for Employee of the Year.

All forms will be submitted online for this year’s process.To make a nomination, fill out the nomination form at: https://www.uca.edu/web/forms/view.php?id=155. Once you have filled out the nomination form, you must also solicit three references. Only one nomination form needs to be filled out for any one person. A nominator cannot fill out a reference form for a nominee.

The reference form can be found at: https://www.uca.edu/web/forms/view.php?id=159. We will accept any number of references for a nominee, but we must receive at least three to be an official nominee.

The nomination and reference forms are due no later than 10 a.m., Fri., March 12. A senator will contact the nominee to see if they accept the nomination. For more information and see past winners, go to http://www.uca.edu/staffsenate/eoy.php.

“I chaired this committee last year and was blown away by the dedication and commitment that the nominees had for UCA and more importantly, the students,” said Larry Burns, Staff Senate interim president. “It was an honor to recognize these individuals. This year will be no different. There are many staff members that deserve to be recognized for their contributions – they just need to be nominated.”

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Stephanie Hailey McBrayer at 450-3132 or haileys@uca.edu.

Nominations are being accepted for the annual Faculty Service Awards.The finalists will be honored at the university’s Service Awards ceremony on April 13.

Individuals can be nominated for the following awards: Public Service; Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Award; and Teaching Excellence Award. Nomination forms must be submitted by Feb. 26 to the appropriate committee chair.

Submit nominations for the Public Service Award to Dr. Bill Bandy at PT Center 324 or billb@uca.edu; Research, Scholarship, and Creative Active Award to Dr. Barbara Clancy at LSC 120 or bclancy@uca.edu; and the Teaching Excellence Award to Dr. Kim McCullough, SLHC 120 or kmccullo@uca.edu.

Nominees must have taught full-time at UCA for at least five years. Previous winners may be nominated for a different award at any time. Previous winners are eligible to win the same award after a period of 10 years.

Students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to submit nominations. A list of past winners and additional information is available at the Office of Provost webpage at http://www.uca.edu/provost/importantinfo.php.

The Steering Committee heading the university’s 10-year accreditation process will be holding two briefings this month.

The campus briefings are scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 18 and Tues., Feb. 23. Both meetings will begin at 1:40 p.m. in the Board Room in Wingo Hall.

For more than a year, UCA has been engaged in a self-study as part of the accreditation process.

A 10-member team of consultant-evaluators with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will visit the campus March 8-10.

The Steering Committee is working with the President’s Office and the chair of the Higher Learning Commission visiting team to develop an itinerary for the team’s visit.

The HLC team’s responsibility will be to verify the university’s self-study findings, make judgments about UCA’s compliance with good practice, federal requirements, and HLC policies; recommend appropriate follow-up; and provide consultation to the university.

Members of the team will also meet with students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community representatives. They will schedule meetings with major university committees such as the General Education Council, the Undergraduate Council, and the Graduate Council; and the Academic Planning & Assessment Committee. They will also visit impromptu with those they meet on campus.

UCA has been continuously accredited by the commission since 1931. The university’s last comprehensive evaluation took place in April 2000. Currently, the university’s accreditation is at the master’s degree level with limited accreditation at the specialist’s and doctorate’s level.

For more information, contact Associate Provost Jonathan Glenn at jona@uca.edu.

The UCA Debate Team started the spring season of the 2009 – 2010 competition year by placing fourth at the recent Tri-State Championship tournament and placed first among Arkansas schools winning the Arkansas State Championship.

The team was led by overall Novice Division Champion and Arkansas Novice Champion Fadi Barakat and the top-ranked Arkansas Team Debate duo of Clermon Acklin and Payton Christenberry. Acklin also earned points for the team by placing as the top Arkansas speaker in Team Debate competition.

Also scoring points and pacing UCA in overall sweeps totals were varsity quarterfinalists Whitney Bailey and Ashley Hale and novice semifinalist Lynzie Johnson. Hale advanced as the 9th seed with a 4 – 2 record before losing in quarterfinals and Bailey also advanced to quarterfinals before losing in her match-up. Bailey added to overall team totals by also being recognized as the 5th overall speaker in the varsity division and the top Arkansas varsity speaker in style points.

Novice competitors Barakat, Johnson and Christenberry scored big for UCA by posting 6 – 0, 5 – 1 and 4 – 2 records respectively. Johnson advanced on a coaches decision over teammate Christenberry in the octofinals and then went on to win her quarterfinal round before also losing on a coaches decision to eventual novice champion and teammate Barakat in the semifinals. The 5 -1 record and 4th seed performance of Johnson came in only her second tournament competition.

Professional Division debater and co-coach Mark Lowery also earned points for the team. Lowery won first place in the division by dispatching higher seeded competitors in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds.

The UCA debate team is coached by Anthony McMullen, an adjunct instructor in the College of Business and Lowery, a Department of Speech and Public Relations adjunct instructor. The debate team is an approved university activity of the Department of Speech and Public Relations.

The UCA Debate squad will be hosting the IPDA National Tournament at UCA the weekend of March 26 – 28 as well as the UCA “End of Hi-BEAR-Nation” Invitational Tournament the weekend of March 12 – 14. Anyone interested in joining the squad as a competitor for the rest of the season or volunteering to participate as a lay judge at either of the two tournaments should contact Lowery at mlowery@uca.edu or McMullen at amcmullen@uca.edu.

Laura Speer, library assistant professor at Torreyson Library, has been appointed the
managing editor of Arkansas Libraries, the official journal of the Arkansas Library Association.

Linda Palmer, freshmen enrollment specialist with the Office of Admissions, will have her young adult paranormal romance,My-Wolf , published in April 2010 by Wild Horse Press.