When I first started working at the University of Central Arkansas, my family had just moved from Little Rock to Conway. One of the first things I noticed about our new community was how eager people were to share their UCA experiences.
Whether it was the fun alumni recalled from their sorority or fraternity days, the lifelong friendships they made or the faculty members that truly influenced their careers and lives, the huge impact UCA has had and continues to have is evident.
When our daughter visited a Conway dentist and he made the connection that I work at UCA, he shared about the enthusiastic UCA biology professor who inspired him to become a dentist.
That is impact.
I also met a recent graduate who couldn’t stop talking about how many life lessons she had learned during her time at UCA and how it shaped her into the person she is today.
That is impact.
Stories like these are what inspired the theme for this edition of UCA Magazine. In this issue, you can read examples of the impact that our faculty and staff members have on students and alumni or see how our student body steps up time and time again to help others in their time of need. Learn how faculty and staff volunteer their time and expertise to prepare juveniles for a better life course or how UCA thought leaders gathered across disciplines to commemorate one of the most pivotal moments in our nation’s history.
That is impact.
I hope that reading this magazine will have an impact on and encourage you to have an impact on others. We may never know how much our words or actions influence the lives of those around us. But we can choose daily to be a positive influence on others in a way that could change the rest of their lives even if it’s just within the walls of where you work. Here at UCA, colleagues not only support and encourage each other but also show up at funerals when one of us loses a loved one, bring food to share in times of celebrations and reach out to check on each other when one of us is ill or going through a tough time.
That is impact. And that is UCA.