Archive

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

 

Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 11/10/2025

We’ve reached Weeks 12 and 13 of the Faculty for Successful Students campaign. If you’ve been participating all semester, we see you, and the students definitely feel it.

If you’re just hopping in now, perfect timing. This is the point in the semester where students have about six tabs open in their brains at all times and could really use our help keeping things clear and manageable. The strategies we’re sharing this round are quick wins for staying focused and finishing strong.

This week’s Faculty for Successful Students focus is: Create Opportunities for Self-Knowledge.

Slide:

By reflecting on their strengths, weaknesses, and interests, students can make more informed academic and career choices, leading to increased motivation and academic success. Self-knowledge also fosters resilience and adaptive learning strategies, improving overall student well-being and performance.

Faculty Tips to Reinforce Success

Here are a few simple ways you can encourage these habits in your classes:

• Recommend StudentLingo videos and Academic Success Workshops through Student Success.
• Suggest an appointment with a peer success coach to explore strengths and challenges, and develop a Success Plan. (Appointments are available through the Student Success website.)
• Incorporate opportunities for students to reflect on their work in your class and how it connects with their personal and professional values and goals. Reflection can take the form of:
  • a brief discussion in pairs or small groups
  • an open-ended question as part of an exam or assignment
  • a discussion board or journal in Blackboard.

Resources for You:

• Faculty for Successful Students Webpage
• Faculty Slides for Classroom Use

The energy you bring to your teaching truly shapes the student experience. Thank you for helping students stay steady, curious, and confident as we approach the finish line.

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership & Student Success Services

https://uca.edu/cetal/faculty-for-successful-students/

Submitted by: Scott Austin, saustin@uca.edu on 11/10/2025

If the sky is clear Wednesday night November 12th, the UCA Observatory will be open from 6pm to 8pm for the public to view Saturn, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies through the 14-inch aperture telescope. Stairs to the observatory are located in the front lobby of Lewis Science Center. If other entrances to LSC are locked, check the west doors.

https://uca.edu/physics/observatory/

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 11/10/2025

The Bears are back home on Sunday to take on Samford in nonconference action! Tipoff is set for 1 PM and doors open at 12 PM! Tickets can be claimed by clicking the link. Come out and support the Men’s Basketball team!

https://ucasports.universitytickets.com/

Submitted by: Vergie Jackson, vjackson7@uca.edu on 11/10/2025

Before finals week hits, come to Student Center room 215 to clear your head and get focused. Join us for RESET: Mind Before Finals, a creative and stress-free event designed to help you slow down, refocus, and prepare mentally for the week ahead.

Enjoy free cocoa and chill music while creating your own Reset Journal using old magazines and simple reflection prompts. You’ll also learn the RESET Framework — a practical tool for managing stress and staying focused under pressure.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or just need space to breathe, this is your chance to reset your mind, recharge your energy, and finish the semester strong.

Location: Student Center Room 215
Date & Time: X-Period
Free Drinks & Supplies Provided
Open to All Students

RESET: Mind Before Finals — A Chill Event to Refocus and Recharge – CubConnect

Submitted by: Zach Smith, zsmith@uca.edu on 11/10/2025

Celebrate International Education Week and join the Center for Asian Languages and Cultures and the Asian Studies Program in welcoming Dr. Katherine In-Young Lee as a scholar-in-residence to discuss the rise and continued dominance of K-pop! This residency includes two exciting events, both of which are free and open to the public:

Tuesday, November 18, 4:30 – 5:30pm in Irby Hall Rm 215
Teacher Workshop: Understanding the Rise of K-Culture:K-Pop Demon Hunters in the Classroom
This exciting workshop will utilize the recent Netflix hit film K-POP DEMON HUNTERS as an entry point into aspects of traditional and contemporary Korean culture. Educators who are interested in learning about how to incorporate the film in their teaching will gain practical insights into uncovering and understanding golden “easter eggs” (cultural specifics that are integrated into the film) as well as ideas for possible lesson plans. Although the workshop is intended for teachers and future teachers, it is open to everyone!

Tuesday, November 18, 6:00 – 7:15pm in Schichtl Hall Rm. 115 [The Agora]
Public Lecture: The Relevance of Madang in Global K-Pop’s Participatory Culture
This talk will explore the applications of the traditional Korean concept of the madang (literally, courtyard or village common) in relation to aspects of K-pop’s global fan communities. Inspired by recent scholarship by ethnomusicologist Donna Lee Kwon, Dr Lee explores madang as a conceptual framework for better understanding the dynamic relationship between K-pop performances, global K-pop fans, and embodied participatory culture. This analysis offers a different perspective into global K-pop fandom than has previously been considered in K-pop scholarship.

https://uca.edu/global/iew/

Submitted by: Christina Lammers, clammers@uca.edu on 11/08/2025

Join the HR team and fellow employees in a meeting for specific information on Medicare and Social Security.
Whether you retire this year or two years from now, its helpful to know what to expect.

Date: November 12 , 2025
Time: 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Brewer Hegeman, Room 112/114

Speakers:
–Richard Roulston, Medisource, Inc.
–Lucas Cox, The Lighthouse Company
–Ken Bissell, UCA Legacy Giving
Drinks and snacks courtesy of Legacy Planning

Questions? Contact Jerri Worthington, jworthington@uca.edu

Please register at link provided.

https://uca.edu/hr/protectedcontent/soon-to-be-retiree-seminar-november-12-2025/

Submitted by: Treci Buchanan, Tbuchanan@uca.edu on 11/07/2025

Please join Dr. Dussourd in congratulating the winners of the ninth annual Jewel Moore Nature Reserve photography contest:
Students:
1st place: Lauren Rose (Environmental Science major) – cicada molting
2nd place: Keyli Gutierrez (Psychology major) – backlit greenbrier

Alumni/Staff/Faculty:
1st place: Erik Stinnett (Computer Science Alumnus) – Barnard’s Loop in Orion constellation photographed at night at the Steel Creek field station
2nd place: Jabin Miller (Biology Department Staff) – sesiid moth that mimics a wasp

The pictures will be displayed in LSC and CCCS with the attached poster. A total of 96 photographs were submitted by 35 students with an additional 16 photographs by 6 alumni/staff/faculty. A huge thank you to Alyssa Sparks, UCA Digital Media Specialist, and Pablo Mena, UCA photographer, for volunteering to judge this contest.
This contest serves to promote nature photography and to publicize the beautiful natural areas on the UCA campus and at the Steel Creek Research Learning Center along the Buffalo River. The Steel Creek Center is jointly administered by the National Park Service, UCA, and North Arkansas College.

https://uca.edu/jmnr/welcome-to-jewel-moore-nature-reserve/