Submitted by: Gregory Church, gchurch@uca.edu on 02/18/2026

Two nights only! UCA Opera presents two one-act comic operas this weekend – Captain Lovelock, and The Old Maid and the Thief. Performances will be Friday and Saturday evenings, February 20 and 21 at 7:30 PM, in the Windgate Concert Hall. UCA faculty, staff, and students receive free admission with UCA ID! Other tickets can be purchased here: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/dept/2181. Prices: Adults – $10; Seniors/Military – $7; Children (K-12) – $5. Join us for a fun-filled evening of comic operas!

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/dept/2181

Submitted by: Deanna Farney, dfarney@uca.edu on 02/18/2026

Portions of the weight room at the Thomas C. Courtway Student Recreation Center (T-Rec) will be closed for the Iron Bears event.
Saturday, February 21.

 

Submitted by: Teresa Burton, tlb90003@uca.edu on 02/18/2026

Staff Senate Newsletter

Staff Senate Newsletter – Winter 2026

Submitted by: Lesley Graybeal, lgraybeal@uca.edu on 02/18/2026

UCA’s campus-wide nomination for the Newman Civic Fellows Award is now open, and students with at least one year of their education remaining are encouraged to apply for this national fellowship program. Nominations are accepted from faculty, staff, and students, and all nominees will be contacted for additional application materials.

The award recognizes community-committed students and focuses on addressing the root causes of social problems. Fellows participate in a year-long virtual cohort and attend an in-person convening. Because the fellowship year will be 2026-2027, nominees must have at least one year of education remaining (either here at UCA or at another institution).

UCA’s nomination process includes an initial campus-wide call for nominations, a request for applications addressing the award criteria from all nominated students, review of the applications by a campus committee, and official nomination of a fellow by President Davis to Campus Compact.

The nomination form is available at https://uca.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/271848. Nominations close on Friday, March 13th at 11:59 pm. Thank you for your help identifying good candidates for this program!

https://uca.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/271848

Submitted by: Lori Hunt, vhunt1@uca.edu on 02/17/2026

The UCA Bear Biographies planning committee is delighted to announce the 2026 Bear Biographies: A Library of Lived Experiences event will take place this year at UCA on the second floor of Torreyson Library April 7th, 2026 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm.

We are calling on all members of the campus & local community who have a story to tell and would be interested in serving as “books” at the event. Books submit a proposed title and description of their story and sign up for a 2-hour shift during which they have a series of 20-minute conversations with participants in the Bear Biographies event. The goal of Bear Biographies is to discover more about each other and build a stronger community!

If you’re interested in telling your story, complete the book volunteer form. Not sure what to talk about, or how to phrase your title or description? Don’t worry! Complete the form and a member of the planning committee will reach out to you to assist with brainstorming. An orientation will be offered the week before the event to go over what to expect at the event.

Additional information about this year’s event and all the ways you can get involved as a book, an event volunteer, or a participant can be found on our LibGuide.

https://library.uca.edu/BearBiographies

Submitted by: Guo-ou Zhuang, gzhuang@uca.edu on 02/17/2026

Lunar New Year 2026 is the Year of the Horse. It is a time for families and friends to gather, reflect on the past, and look forward with hope and determination to the opportunities in the year ahead. The Center for Asian Languages and Cultures at UCA will host a celebration with music performances, cultural activities, and delicious food on Friday, February 20th, 2026 at McCastlain Hall Ballroom from 6:00 to 8:30 pm.

 

Submitted by: Jessica Underwood, jessicau@uca.edu on 02/17/2026

The Course Audit: The Final Phase

We’ve made it to the final step—Phase 4: Accessibility Check.

You’ve cleaned up the clutter and gotten organized. Now it’s time for one last walkthrough: making sure your materials meet federal accessibility requirements. This includes documents, slide presentations, images, and videos—everything students will need to access in Brightspace.

Where do you start? Ally.
Ally – Blackboard’s built-in accessibility checker- scans your course content and files for common accessibility concerns and provides step-by-step guidance for improving them—making it the most efficient way to identify what needs attention and where to start.

A quick heads-up before you close things out:
Ally will not be available after June 30, so now is the ideal time to catch and address any issues. The good news? Every fix you make now travels with your course to Brightspace.

Ready for the step-by-step?
CETAL has everything you need for Phase 4 right here:

https://uca.edu/cetal/brightspace-course-migration/

Finish this final phase and you’ve officially completed the Course Audit! Not bad for a few weeks of work—your future self (and your students) will thank you.

One more thing before you go:
Brightspace training runs February 23rd through Spring Break (and a few sprinkled in during May). Over 300 faculty are already registered—if you’re not, sign up now!

 

Submitted by: Chad Lairamore, chadl@uca.edu on 02/16/2026

Feeling stuck, burnt out, or just surviving? Let’s move forward together. Dr. Aaron McLaughlin, our new Psychologist at the Community Care Clinic helps you gain perspective, build essential skills, and identify resources to not just get by, but thrive.

Start your journey today:

Call: (501) 470-7457
Visit: thecommunitycareclinic.org

TheCommunityCareClinic.org

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 02/16/2026

Baseball is opening at the Bear this weekend! Friday vs Northwestern State at 4 PM. Two games on Saturday starting at 12 PM and then on Sunday at 1 PM! You can see all schedule updates on ucasports.com or by following the @ucabearbaseball social media accounts!

https://ucasports.com/calendar

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 02/16/2026

One of two home tournaments for the Bears softball team takes place this weekend! As of Monday the schedule is set for:
Friday:
Bears vs Southeastern Louisiana – 2:30 PM
Bears vs Saint Louis – 5 PM

Saturday:
Bears vs Evansville – 3 PM
Bears vs St. Louis – 5:30 PM

Sunday:
Bears vs Evansville – 1 PM

All games played will be at Shock Stadium. Any game changes or updates can be viewed on ucasports.com or notified by social media on @ucasoftball!

https://ucasports.com/calendar