Event Itinerary
10-10:30 Check-in at Student Center
10:30-11:20 Student Poster Session
11:30-12:50 Lunch with Keynote Address from Dr. Stephanie Rose
Lunch sponsored by the UA Women’s Giving Circle
1:00-1:25 Professional Development Session 1
1:30-1:55 Professional Development Session 2
2:00-2:30 Meet and Greet/Student Mixer
Keynote: Dr. Stephanie Rose
Stephanie Rose was the first in her family to go to college. For her, pursuing higher education also meant she could help her family. She pursued a degree in nursing and attended what is now National Park College in Hot Springs. It was during the early years of her career that she realized her true calling for social work. With an associates degree, Rose returned to school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and earned a bachelor’s and master’s in social work. She later earned a Doctor of Social Work from Capella University.
Rose chose to focus on addiction studies and currently serves as director of UCA’s addiction studies program. She started in this role in 2018. Since becoming program director, Rose has spearheaded efforts to bring naloxone boxes to campus, making UCA the first Arkansas institution to participate in the Collegiate Naloxbox Bystander Rescue Program. Launched in August 2022, wall-mounted Naloxboxes were placed in areas on campuses in high-traffic areas or where a student may experience an overdose. In 2023, Rose helped to secure nearly $24,000 in opioid settlement dollars to provide naloxone doses and training to students, faculty and staff. Through the Naloxone Hero Project, the funding comes from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership.
Rose has conducted countless trainings on using naloxone with students at UCA by visiting dozens of Recognized Student Organizations, such as sororities and fraternities, as well as other local campuses. She maintains a rigorous schedule of several training sessions each semester to ensure that any student or student group that wants to be trained has the opportunity. To expand her work, UCA was awarded over $202,000 in opioid settlement dollars from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP). This funding will be used to establish and operate a peer support and recovery specialist program at UCA and within Faulkner County, Conway and surrounding areas.