Archives for November 2025

Submitted by: Haley Fowler, hcrafton@uca.edu on 11/13/2025

This holiday season, celebrate your lasting connection to the University of Central Arkansas with a gift that endures — a UCA Legacy Brick.

The Legacy Walk is one of UCA’s most cherished traditions. Each brick reflects dedication, learning, and Bear pride — values you helped build and sustain throughout your time at UCA.

Now, you can continue that legacy by honoring a colleague, commemorating your years of service, or celebrating your own UCA journey with a personalized brick in the Legacy Friends Section. This section provides faculty, staff, friends, and former students a special place to show their purple pride and remain part of UCA’s history. It is located in the center of the amphitheater near Old Main.

Place your order today at uca.edu/legacywalk.
The next brick installation will take place in Spring 2026, making now the perfect time to secure your place on the Walk.

uca.edu/legacywalk

Submitted by: Tiffany Head, thead@uca.edu on 11/12/2025

Several leaders connected to the University of Central Arkansas have been named to the 2025 Arkansas 250, an annual list published by Arkansas Business recognizing the state’s most influential leaders across business, education, government, healthcare and nonprofit sectors.

The Arkansas 250 highlights individuals who are shaping Arkansas’s future through innovation, leadership and community impact. Honorees represent a wide range of industries and organizations making meaningful contributions to the state’s growth and quality of life.

Among those recognized are:

• UCA President Houston Davis.
• UCA Board of Trustees member Curtis Barnett, president and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
• UCA Foundation Board of Directors member Kenny Kinley, CEO of Ascend Technologies and president and CEO of Edafio Technology Partners.

Congratulations to these members of the UCA community for being recognized for their impact and leadership.

https://digital.abpg.com/arkansas250-2025/page/1

Submitted by: Debbie Brigham, dbrigham@uca.edu on 11/12/2025

Admin (ASERG) Employee Gathering
What: Thanksgiving Potluck & Networking Event
When: November 19, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM
Where: Brewer Hegeman Conference Center, Rooms 111 & 113

BRING A DISH – MAIN DISH WILL BE PROVIDED

FOOD & FUN
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: TRECI BUCHANAN, EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

ASERG INCLUDES: ALL ADMINS, FISCAL SUPPORT SPECIALISTS, OFFICE MANAGERS, AND OTHER OFFICE SUPPORT TYPE EMPLOYEES.

 

Submitted by: Tracy McGarrity, tracym@uca.edu on 11/12/2025

The Bear Essentials Food Pantry will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from November 26 through November 28. We will reopen at 11 am on Monday, December 1.

Happy Thanksgiving!

https://uca.edu/foodpantry/home/news/

Submitted by: Kim Eskola, Keskola@uca.edu on 11/11/2025

Bravo Bear was created by the Department of Exercise and Sport Science to honor and celebrate extraordinary employees at UCA who consistently go above and beyond in supporting the growth and development of our institution.

Each month, Bravo Bear will make its way across campus, visiting faculty and staff who have been nominated by their peers. This traveling recognition serves as a reminder of the dedication, care, and excellence that strengthen our UCA community.

November’s Bravo Bear was presented to Vicky Summers who spends countless hours ensuring that students are served through her role as the Registrar and assist faculty with enrollment. Along with her amazing staff, the Vicky works to make the registration and enrollment process seamless. Her leadership, patience and committment to students is just a few reasons why Vicky is our November Bravo Bear.

 

Submitted by: Jennifer Boyett, jboyett@uca.edu on 11/11/2025

Joan Shofner, associate vice president of campaign and development, has been selected as a 2025 Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Women in Business honoree in the nonprofit category. She will be recognized at the Insight Women in Business event on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall.

Shofner is a proven leader in nonprofit and higher education advancement whose vision and drive have transformed UCA’s fundraising success. Since joining UCA in 2010 as the university’s first Director of Advancement Research, Joan has steadily built a career defined by innovation, leadership, and results. Today she leads UCA’s Development Office and a team of eight professionals, cultivating a culture of collaboration and excellence that is recognized across campus and in the advancement field.

Shofner is an innovator who brings data and strategy together to achieve extraordinary results. Her leadership in adopting AI-driven platforms for donor engagement positioned UCA as a national example in leveraging technology to strengthen philanthropy. That initiative alone produced 225 new or increased gifts—76 of which exceeded $1,000—and Joan was invited to share UCA’s success story at the 2024 Fundraising AI Global Summit: Generate Good conference, where more than 9,000 registrants from 141 countries learned from her expertise. She co-presented with Gravyty and Susan G. Komen in a session titled Revolutionizing Donor Engagement: How AI Empowers Nonprofits to Scale Mid-Level and Major Gifts.

Shofner models excellence, encourages innovation, and celebrates team success. She has built an office defined by mutual respect, professional growth, and shared purpose, making UCA’s Development Office not only a high-performing unit but also a place where people want to work. Her influence extends well beyond metrics—she inspires the next generation of advancement professionals while ensuring her team feels valued and supported.

 

Submitted by: Kimberly Stubbs, kstubbs1@uca.edu on 11/11/2025

Heather Ledbetter, Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships here at UCA, was recently elected as the President Elect for 2026 for the Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and will serve as the President for the organization in 2027. Heather recently served as the conference chair for the Fall Conference for the organization at Degray Lake Resort State Park and is an avid supporter for financial aid professionals in the state of Arkansas. We are very thankful for Heather and her leadership to our staff at UCA where she serves as our overall financial aid staff trainer and keeps us up to date in the area of federal and state financial aid compliance rules and regulations.

 

Submitted by: Michelle Wynn, mwynn@uca.edu on 11/12/2025

The Center for Global Learning & Engagement is excited to announce that International Education Week (IEW) 2025 will be celebrated November 13th – 24th! IEW celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. With 320 students from over 70 countries here at UCA, IEW gives our international students the opportunity to share many facets of their culture with the community. Additionally, during this week we promote study abroad opportunities with the Office of Education Abroad, and to show how the work of academic departments and students can have a global impact. Please visit our webpage for registration and full details of the events.

Here are highlights from International Education Week November 13 – 24, 2025:

• ACIREMA Cross-Cultural Simulation Experience
• International Soccer Tournament
• Passport Kitchen
• Discover France: Study Abroad Info Session with Aix Marseille
• The COIL Journey: Sharing Strategies for Cross-Cultural Online Collaboration
• Understanding the Rise of K-Culture: K-Pop Demon Hunters in the Classroom
• Public Lecture: The Relevance of Madang in Global K-Pop’s Participatory Culture
• Global Expo
• Global Spotlight: Languages and Culture of India
• Discover Italy: Study Abroad Info Session with Sant’anna
• O Canada: NSE Exchange Made Easy with campuses to the north
• Global Cinema @ The Max

 

Submitted by: Michelle Wynn, mwynn@uca.edu on 11/12/2025

The Center for Global Learning and Engagement is again working with the Center for
Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership to offer the sixth annual Global Learning
Institute (GLI), which provides an introduction to Collaborative Online International Learning
(COIL). The two-day training will be held May 18-19, 2026.

Since summer 2021, 47 UCA faculty have attended the GLI with faculty members from our
international partners. As of fall 2025, UCA has trained 47 faculty in COIL methodology.
Thus far, 21 COIL-trained faculty in 5 Colleges and 12 different Departments or Schools
have taught a COIL for 605 UCA students.

GLI participants will learn about the COIL pedagogy and strategies for designing
collaborative projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(#GlobalGoals). Participants also will hear from international partners and explore intended
and unintended learning outcomes, assessment practices, and research opportunities. GLI
participants will receive a $100 stipend and two catered lunches. Participants are expected
to attend both days and to work with an international partner during the 2026-27 academic
year to implement a COIL project.

Applications will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, 2026, and applicants
will be notified by late-April. Submit your application online!

What is COIL?

The term COIL was coined in 2006 by Jon Rubin, who worked for the State University of New
York (SUNY COIL Center). According to Rubin (2021), “COIL utilizes the Internet to empower
students and instructors around the world to develop curiosity, flexibility, and generosity in
concert with their academic partners. This benefits two or more classrooms of collaborating
students, usually located in different countries, who have had different life experiences. COIL is
also a way for students and instructors to learn about their discipline from a new perspective
and can be a method for engaging those with other experiences and perspectives about how
this knowledge might be applied.”

For more information visit www.uca.edu/global-learning. Contact Dr. Phillip Bailey at
phillipb@uca.edu

https://forms.gle/axPP3Wdz55NrajDK9

Submitted by: Debbie Brigham, dbrigham@uca.edu on 11/11/2025

Hello Admin Bears!

Come and join us for lunch Friday, November 14th, 2025!

Where: Executive Dining Room, Christian Cafeteria (cafeteria entrance)
When: Friday, November 14, 2025
Time: 11:30-12:30 PM

Bring your lunch or purchase your meal from the cafeteria and come join us! We want to see you and wish you a Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Wear your holiday attire!

Hope to see you there!

Your Admin Support Employee Resource Group Team