Announcement/Events

2026 Summer Psychology Undergraduate Course Offerings

Submitted by: Mollie Price-Blackshear, mpriceblackshea@uca.edu on 04/09/2026

🧠Work, Play, Learn, with PSYC@UCA this summer.

Looking to stay on track (or get ahead) in your degree? Our Summer 2026 Psychology courses are designed to help you move forward with purpose—without putting life on pause.

✔️ Small class sizes → more connection, more feedback, more growth
✔️ Focused, high-impact content → learn what matters most
✔️ Fully online & asynchronous → flexibility to balance work, travel, and life
✔️ Accelerated sessions → speed up your path to graduation

Whether you’re building your foundation, exploring a new area of psychology, or completing key requirements, summer is an opportunity to invest in yourself.

At PSYC@UCA, we believe learning can fit into your life and always keep you moving forward.

📈 Take a step closer to your goals this summer.
📚 Stay engaged. Stay growing. Stay connected.

NOTE: You may have some financial aid available in the summer. Contact the Financial Aid office to inquire about eligibility at finaid@uca.edu or (501) 450-3140. (https://uca.edu/summer/cost-financial-aid/)

First-Day Scavenger Hunt: Kickstarting Engagement

Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 04/09/2026

First-Day Scavenger Hunt: Kickstarting Engagement

Tired of the standard syllabus review? Transform the first day of class into an interactive adventure with a syllabus or classroom-based scavenger hunt! Instead of passively listening, students actively explore the course material, classroom layout, and institutional resources. This creative strategy is a high-energy way to:

Boost Engagement: Get students talking, moving, and collaborating from minute one.
Improve Retention: Research shows that active learning leads to better memory of key information, like grading policies and office hours.
Build Community: Small groups working toward a common goal break the ice and foster connections between peers, setting a positive, collaborative tone for the rest of the semester.

It’s a memorable, low-stakes activity that converts a necessary procedural task into a meaningful, student-centered learning experience.

Date: April 15, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Christian Cafeteria Executive Dining Room
Facilitators: Amber Brantley, Will Slaton, Kristine Hicks

Lunch provided. All faculty welcome!

https://airtable.com/appZpCaym6Uuqk8WG/shrOGI9an8Rrz7cpo

Quoined Corner: the 6th Annual Research and Creative Activity Conference

Submitted by: Paige Rose, prose@uca.edu on 04/08/2026

The 2026 Quoined Corner Conference is happening on April 17th in the Windgate Center. Over 70 students will be presenting research and creative activity, representing the depth and breadth of projects in CAHSS! Join us to hear exciting presentations, performances, panels, and readings from 12 -3 pm. Visit the Windgate Center at the 1 pm hour to see posters, engage with exhibits, and experience a live stone carving!

https://uca.edu/cahss/qc/

Farewell Reception for Leslie Knox

Submitted by: Sarah Headley, sheadley@uca.edu on 04/08/2026

This is a come-and-go farewell reception in honor of Leslie Knox on Friday, April 10, 2026, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM in the Admissions Tour Room in Harrin Hall.

We hope you’ll be able to join us as we celebrate Leslie’s 25 years of dedicated service to UCA and wish her all the best in her new role as Financial Aid Director at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Upcoming Events: Register Soon!

Submitted by: Jennifer Deering, jdeering@uca.edu on 04/07/2026

UPCOMING TRAINING: “Vetting Guidelines,” April 21 | 1:40 | Torreyson West, Ste. 328. Seating is limited; register for this presentation soon!

It is important to vet grant guidelines to avoid wasting time and effort on grant opportunities that aren’t the right fit. Join our upcoming training session to learn how to quickly and effectively vet grant guidelines so you can focus on the opportunities most likely to succeed.

In this session, we’ll cover how to assess eligibility, evaluate mission alignment, review funder priorities, and identify red flags before you invest time in an application. You’ll also learn practical strategies for streamlining your decision-making process and improving your overall grant success rate. Equip your yourself with the tools to work smarter—not harder—and make every application count.

JUNE 2026 BOOK CLUB: “Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad” by Austin Kleon | Zoom | Participants will receive free copies of the book. Spots are limited; register for this book club soon!

Many people believe creativity is the sole purview of the fine arts. In fact, theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, historian Hannah Arendt, and philosopher and rhetorical theorist Jacques Derrida embraced the creative process to engage meaningfully with society, to create more fair and just systems, to advance leadership, and to drive innovation in exploring our world and our understanding of it. In Keep Going, Kleon provides 10 strategies to keep your work—whether it’s writing for grants or publications or developing better pedagogical methods—moving “[w]hether you’re burned out, starting out, starting over, or wildly successful.”

JULY 2026 BOOK CLUB: “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Participants will receive free copies of the book. Spots are limited; register for this book club soon!

One of the most important strategies for writing a competitive grant is making your idea stick. But why are some ideas “sticky” when others aren’t? Brothers Heath explore and demonstrate how to build an idea (and move it to the project stage) so it will stand out above competing ideas.

Grantseekers may register for each session individually on our “Deadlines and Events” page.

https://uca.edu/sponsoredprograms/events/

April Issue of ORSP Grants Gazette

Submitted by: Jennifer Deering, jdeering@uca.edu on 04/07/2026

The Latest Issue of Our Newsletter is HERE!

Greetings UCA grant seekers! The latest issue of the ORSP Grants Gazette is chock full of information you can use.

The contents of this month’s issue include:
*ORSP Debuts Our Suggestion Box
*Upcoming Training: Vetting Guidelines
*FAQ: What is the difference between total direct costs and modified total direct costs?
*Compliance Corner: Working with Foreign Institutions in Brief
*The Write Track: The Power of Short Assignments
*Funding Opportunity Highlight: National Endowment for the Arts “Research Grants in the Arts”
*Upcoming Deadlines and Events

As a special thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter, we’re offering a challenge! Answer all seven questions on our pop quiz and earn a chance to win a special prize.

We welcome you to subscribe to our newsletter to get immediate updates at http://eepurl.com/dInLI9.

We look forward to working with you in your grant-seeking efforts this year!

https://mailchi.mp/b96c2d7c9b6a/grants-gazette-february2026-17600326

UCA Women’s Health Fair

Submitted by: Kim Eskola, Keskola@uca.edu on 04/07/2026

Saturday, April 11, 2026
8:00 am to Noon
UCA Community Care Clinic
Join us for health/fitness assessments, nutrition demonstrations, stretch/Yoga classes and free giveaways. Physical Therapist, Deanna Vaughn, will be presenting on Pelvic Floor Health at 9:00 am and Dr. Brent Hill, Chair of UCA Biology Department, will present at 11:00 am on Estrogen and the Effects on Bone Density.

Campus Invited on April 16: NASA Exec to Give Final Presentation in COB

Submitted by: Lainey Morrow, bmorrow@uca.edu on 04/07/2026

The College of Business will host Amir Deylami, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NASA’s Ames Research Center, for his final Executive in Residence Leadership Series presentation on April 16, followed by a reception.

Thursday, April 16, 2026
Presentation – 3:00 pm in the COB Auditorium
Leading Transformative Vision in Complex Organizations
Reception – 4:00 pm in the COB Lobby

Amir H. Deylami is the Chief Operating Officer of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, where he leads enterprise operations, infrastructure modernization, and strategic transformation across one of NASA’s most complex and partner-intensive centers. In this role, he oversees and supports approximately $8 billion in assets and a $1 billion annual operating portfolio, supporting more than 3,200 employees, 160 NASA programs, and over 100 public-private partner agreements spanning aeronautics, space exploration, science, and advanced technology.

In addition to his operational responsibilities, Amir served as a lead for NASA 2040 – People, helping shape the agency’s long-term workforce strategy focused on developing, attracting, and retaining talent critical to future missions.

Recognized among NASA’s top-performing executives and nominated for the Presidential Rank Award, he is a speaker on leadership, organizational transformation, and operational excellence.

https://uca.edu/business/eir

UCA RSO Fisheries and Wildlife honored with multiple awards

Submitted by: Ginny Adams, gadams@uca.edu on 04/07/2026

Student leadership, research, outreach, and service have earned the University of Central Arkansas American Fisheries Society Student Subunit (part of the Fisheries and Wildlife Student Organization) some of the organization’s highest honors.

The UCA AFS Student Subunit received both the Arkansas Chapter American Fisheries Society Outstanding Subunit Award and the Southern Division American Fisheries Society Outstanding Subunit Award for its accomplishments in 2025. The group has also been nominated for the international American Fisheries Society Outstanding Subunit Award.

Founded in 2008, the subunit includes nearly 90 undergraduate and graduate students and has built a strong reputation for developing future fisheries professionals through hands-on research, professional development, conservation service, and public engagement.

Throughout 2025, students gained research experience on fisheries and aquatic ecology projects, presented at scientific meetings across the state and region, hosted guest speakers and technical workshops, and earned multiple presentation awards and fellowships. The subunit also raised its visibility on campus through events such as Conway Daze and UCA Homecoming, where members won first place for a parade float featuring native fishes and sampling gear.

Members also made a significant impact through education and outreach, engaging several thousand K–12 students and community members through STEM events, public programs, field experiences, documentary screenings, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Generation Conservation Summit. Additional efforts included maintaining a native fish aquarium in Lewis Science Center and expanding the group’s social media reach to more than 400 followers.

Faculty advisors Ginny and Reid Adams noted that many of the subunit’s accomplishments were student-driven, with members organizing events, coordinating speakers, managing outreach, and representing the profession with initiative and professionalism.

Together, these achievements reflect UCA students’ commitment to stewardship of aquatic resources and service to communities across Arkansas.

https://www.instagram.com/uca_fws/

Bears Connect Ice Cream Social

Submitted by: Lyn Gayfield, egayfield@uca.edu on 04/06/2026

4th Annual Bears Connect Ice Cream Social
Fellowship with friends / expand your UCA network

Tuesday, April 21
X-Period 1:40 – 2:30 p.m.
RWSC Lawn (RWSC Ballroom Rain Location)
All UCA Staff, Faculty, & Students are Welcome

Free ice cream while supplies last.
Vegan options and assorted toppings will be available.
Email osac@uca.edu if you have any questions.

https://uca.edu/osac/calendar/

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