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Track Meet at Home Friday/Saturday

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

The Bears will be home this Friday and Saturday for the annual Richard Martin Jr Invitational! Field Events on Friday start at 1 PM – Saturday Running Events start at 10 AM and Field Events start at 11 AM. This event will be hosted at the Richard Martin Jr Track located at the Bill Stephens Complex!

ucasports.com

Swab Drive This Week!

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

The UCA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is partnering with Earl Young’s Team to fight against blood cancer! SAAC will be in the Student Center on Wednesday, March 19th and Thursday, March 20th from 9 AM – 2 PM. It takes 5 minutes to potentially save a life!

 

LMS Review: UPDATED Office Hours

Submitted by: Jessica Underwood, jessicau@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

There’s a new LMS on the horizon! Whether you’re eagerly awaiting Blackboard Learn’s replacement, feeling a bit anxious about change, or somewhere in between—there are plenty of opportunities for you to try out each LMS in consideration. In doing so, the Teaching with Technology Advisory Committee (TTAC) has scheduled regular online office hours for Blackboard Ultra, Canvas, and Brightspace so you can explore these potential replacements at your own pace, with expert guidance just a click away.

OFFICE HOURS SCHEDULE

Blackboard Ultra (NEW!!)
Weekly on Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Beginning March 18, 2025

Brightspace
Weekly on Thursdays, 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Canvas (NEW!!)
This Tuesday (March 18) only: Office hours will be held in-person in Torreyson West 319.

Remaining office hours will be held online:
Tuesdays, 2:00-2:45 p.m.
Fridays, 9:00-9:45 a.m.

OFFICE HOURS ARE FOR EVERYONE!
> First-timers: Never clicked around in Blackboard Ultra, Canvas or Brightspace? They’ll help you get your bearings.
> Technical support: Stuck on something? That’s what office hours are for!
> No stupid questions: Whether you’re wondering how to post an announcement or trying to figure out complex grading options, they’re here to help.

YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
TTAC needs your input to make sure we choose the right LMS platform. These office hours are your opportunity to ask questions during your test-drive and let us know what you think. Even if you’re hesitant about new technology, we encourage you to drop in. Sometimes the most important feedback comes from those who find technology challenging!

ATTENDING OFFICE HOURS
These office hours will be held virtually. You’ll find the links listed on the lms review website. No appointment needed, no preparation required. Just bring your questions, concerns, and honest opinions.

We appreciate your willingness to participate in this important evaluation process. Visit the LMS review website for more details regarding the review process.

https://uca.edu/lmsreview/

Empowering Faculty to Support Students – GUIDE Training

Submitted by: Stacy O’Brien, sobrien4@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

Research shows a significant number of students are experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties that impact their academic performance. As educators, we recognize the importance of supporting student well-being—61% of faculty believe all instructors should receive basic training to assist students in distress.

That’s why we’re excited to announce GUIDE (Guiding Universities in Demonstrating Empathy) training! This three-hour session equips faculty and staff with practical, compassionate communication skills to support students while maintaining professional boundaries.

What You’ll Learn:
– Identify and contextualize student needs
– Develop empathic communication skills
– Navigate student support conversations
– Recognize when to engage campus services

Two GUIDE sessions will be offered and held in Student Health Clinic (SHC) 307.

📅 April 9th
Session 1: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Session 2: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

GUIDE training is designed to empower you to support student well-being while maintaining healthy professional boundaries. You don’t need to be a mental health expert to make a positive impact. Register for a GUIDE session today!

https://uca.edu/cetal/guide-training/

BeWell Presentation: Food Connects Us

Submitted by: Madeline Kimbrell, mkimbrell@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

Join UCA Aramark Registered Dietitian Ethan Baldridge as he discusses healthy eating options available on campus, how to build a nutritious plate, tips for preparing healthy meals for work, and strategies for weight loss in the workplace. This presentation will be available both in person and via Zoom. In-person attendees will enjoy a cooking demonstration led by Dietetics graduate students, showcasing a healthy meal recipe. This will be on Thursday, March 20th, from 1:45 pm – 2:30 pm via Zoom and in the Integrated Health Science Building- Community Classroom. Click the link to reserve your spot—limited spots are available! Zoom link and information can be found on the BeWell Calendar or our BeWell website.

This presentation is worth 5 lifestyle reward points.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfODsxEnaK0S0otAUNv91Iwg_x70TjwpN2ZN0azg2EaHkHoxQ/viewform

SLL & SLANT to Louisiana Poet Laureate

Submitted by: Michael Blanchard, mblanchard@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

The 2024-2025 UCA Visiting Poet Series will conclude April 22 with a public reading and book signing by current Louisiana Poet Laureate Alison Pelegrin at 7 p.m. in the McCastlain Art Lecture Hall on the UCA campus. The series is jointly sponsored by the School of Language & Literature and SLANT, the School’s international journal of contemporary poetry.

Alison Pelegrin was appointed Poet Laureate of Louisiana in 2023. She is also Writer-in-Residence at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, where she has taught for more than twenty years. A native of Gretna, located just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, Pelegrin has lived in Louisiana her entire life, except for a period of three years in Fayetteville while working towards an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas.

She is the author of six books of poetry, including her most recent collection, Our Lady of Bewilderment (Louisiana State University Press, 2022), and her poems have also appeared in notable literary journals such as Poetry, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Missouri Review, and The Bennington Review. In addition, she has received multiple notable fellowships and grants, including a fellowship from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, an ATLAS Grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents, and in 2024 an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship.

The reading is open to the public and is free of charge. For more information, contact SLANT editor Michael Blanchard at mblanchard@uca.edu.

 

LEAD applications close MARCH 20, 2025 at 4:30 pm-apply today!!

Submitted by: Christina Lammers, clammers@uca.edu on 03/17/2025

UCA FULL-TIME FACULTY AND STAFF

IMPROVE LEADERSHIP SKILLS
-HEAR FROM KNOWLEDGEABLE GUEST SPEAKERS
-COLLABORATE WITH THE UCA COMMUNITY
-DISCOVER HIGHER EDUCATION TRENDS
-NAVIGATE AND RESPOND TO CHANGE
-ATTEND SEVEN MONTHLY SESSIONS
-RECEIVE RECOGNITION FOR PROGRAM COMPLETION

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT CHARLOTTE STRICKLAND CHARS@UCA.EDU

https://uca.edu/hr/protectedcontent/lead/