I am always excited to bring you the latest edition of UCA Magazine, and this issue continues our trend of bringing you more stories of new and exciting initiatives on our campus.
Many UCA faculty, staff, and administrators spent a week in northwest Arkansas for our inaugural Northwest Arkansas Blitz in late April. We visited with potential and incoming students, economic and educational leaders, alumni, and friends in Benton and Washington counties. UCA is at the heart of higher education in Arkansas and central to the success of northwest Arkansas, and this Blitz event was the right opportunity at the right time to place a flag in the ground and accelerate momentum and impact in the region. We look forward to creating more connections and hosting more events in northwest Arkansas and bringing you more stories of that work in future editions of this publication.
The UCA Aviation Academy continues to soar beyond our strong expectations, and we were able to welcome some key Arkansas leaders to UCA for a big announcement. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders was joined by several members of the Arkansas General Assembly for a groundbreaking for a new UCA Aviation Academy hangar at the Conway Regional Airport at Cantrell Field. This groundbreaking signifies the continued interest and growth potential in Arkansas’ aviation industry and UCA’s place in the market.
A returning UCA Magazine feature that we hope to continue is UCA Impact. Alumni and friends have the opportunity to submit stories explaining how UCA faculty and staff impacted their lives in small or major ways. This issue features many more of these great stories, and we know you will enjoy reading these and others in the future.
This year’s Laurels and Stripes ushered in our newest Distinguished Alumni Award recipients: Brig. Gen. Amanda Azubuike ’93 and Cliff Garrison ’62. Azubuike has proudly served our country during her illustrious 36-year military career. Garrison served many young athletes during his impressive career as a men’s basketball coach for high school and college teams.
Other stories in this issue include a recap of our annual Day of Giving, a profile on our current Miss UCA Tori Kiser and much more. We hope you enjoy reading each and every page.
Thank you for your continued support of our beloved university.
Go Bears!
Dr. Houston D. Davis
President