Sugar Bears Ends Season Undefeated, Basketball Kicks Off

Posted on December 9, 2009

The UCA Sugar Bears volleyball team wrapped up a perfect 16-0 Southland Conference season and dominated the SLC postseason awards for the second consecutive year.

Junior Chloe Smith was named the Player of the Year, senior Robyn Smith was the Setter of the Year, sophomore Christin Curl was the Libero of the Year and head coach Steven McRoberts was the Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Smith was also named an Academic All-American.

The City of Conway and Mayor Tab Townsell issued a proclamation recognizing the team at the City Council meeting on Dec. 8.

The Bears and Sugar Bears basketball seasons are in full swing, with several upcoming home games at the Farris Center. The Bears, directed by head coach Rand Chappell, have played games at No. 1 Kansas in storied Allen Field House and against perennial power Memphis at the FedExForum in the opening month of the season.

The Sugar Bears, under head coach Matt Daniel, have started the season with a 5-2 record and have set several school scoring records. Southland Conference play begins for both teams on Jan. 9 when the men host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the women travel to Corpus Christi. Several improvements have been made to make the Farris Center a more exciting arena for basketball. Come out and check out the new and improved atmosphere and cheer for the Bears and Sugar Bears this season!

Department of Writing Offers Two New Degrees

Posted on December 9, 2009

The Department of Writing is offering two new degrees in creative writing and linguistics.

Previously, there was one writing degree that included a core of creative writing, linguistics, rhetoric and composition.

“We are taking strengths that already exist within our writing major and building on them, giving room for those strengths to grow through the creation of these new degrees,” said Dr. Scott Payne, chair of the Department of Writing.

Payne said these new degrees were quite unique.

“There are very few creative writing degrees in the state, and of those, ours is the most writing-intensive and workshop-based, providing a unique and intense writing experience for our creative writing students,” he said. “As for our BA in linguistics, it is the only linguistics program in the state, so it’s filling a very important educational need in the state of Arkansas.”

Students were able to officially declare the creative writing major in September. Forty-two students had done so by December. Payne said that number could easily go to 100 or more within the next couple of years.

“Linguistics will have a smaller number but should do well as it is fulfilling an important need in the state and prepares students for a variety of careers,” he said.

Confidence, Craftsmanship Key to Bryan Massey's Success

Posted on December 9, 2009

Bryan MasseyBryan Massey was seven years old when he took his father’s screw driver and hammer to chisel his first sculpture. It was a pinewood carving to honor of one of his six uncles who served in Vietnam.

It was at that young age Massey had the first inkling of becoming a sculptor.

“I have always wanted to work with my hands,” said Massey, who is in his 23rd year of teaching art at the University of Central Arkansas. “I had to develop my craftsmanship. I am still working on it.”

Massey is well known in art circles in Arkansas and beyond. Several of his sculptures are on display in museums and private galleries in Mississippi, Illinois, Texas and Europe.

Recently, his piece, “The Jazz Player” was presented to President Bill Clinton in honor of the former president and in observance of the five-year anniversary of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center.

“I tell people that I am a 30-year overnight success,” Massey said. “God had a lot to do with that. I couldn’t be anywhere close to what I am doing now without his blessing and his grace. I truly believe that.”

Massey, a North Carolina native, describes his work as contemporary and modern. He participates in an average of 10 art shows a year. His pieces could take as little as a day or years to complete.

“I try to carve the stone to the point where people wonder how did I do that,” he said. “That is the question that I want people to ask.”

Massey occasionally picks up a brush to paint but his love is sculpting, he said.

“3-D or die. That was my saying in graduate school in Baton Rouge,” Massey said.

One of the things Massey tries to instill in his students is a strong work ethic, confidence, and craftsmanship.

“They have to think about competing globally not just locally or regionally or even nationally,” he said. “You have art students around the world doing the same thing they are doing – trying to get a degree in art and make a living creating art.”