Trustees recognize military-connected students, review fall enrollment
The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees approved a major investment in the university’s campus network and celebrated military-connected students during its regularly scheduled meeting Friday, Oct. 2.
Student Veterans of America members (front, from left): Haylee Champion, SVA Treasurer Ava Zachary, SVA Secretary Brooklyn King, SVA President Sierra Allison, UCA President Houston Davis, Director of Veterans and Military Resource Center Jay Faulkner, Veterans Benefits Coordinator Casey Miller, SVA Vice President Justin Durst; (back, from left) Dalton White, Henry Rogers and Kerry Bennett.
The UCA chapter of Student Veterans of America (SVA) was recognized with a Bear CLAWS award for supporting students as they transition from military service to college life. In addition to creating opportunities for student veterans to connect with the UCA community, the chapter also gives back through maintaining UCA’s war memorials and displaying flags around campus for significant holidays.
“The transition from military service to college can be a significant change, and having a strong support system matters,” Jay Faulkner, director of the Veterans and Military Resource Center, said. “Our Student Veterans of America chapter helps create that support while giving students opportunities to build relationships, serve others and become an important part of the UCA community.”
UCA now serves more than 500 military-connected students and families and has received the 2026-27 Military Friendly Schools Gold Award for creating meaningful education paths for the military community. The university had previously been ranked Silver.
The SVA is integral to the UCA Veterans Day Celebration, which will be held Thursday, Nov. 5, beginning at 1:40 p.m. This year’s ceremony will feature a decorated World War II veteran, and a student veteran will receive a Bronze Star with Valor. The event is open to the public.
2026-27 Newman Civic Fellow Taylor Brewer (right) with UCA President Houston Davis.
UCA’s 2026-27 Newman Civic Fellow Taylor Brewer was also recognized with a Bear CLAWS award. A junior history major in UCA’s Schedler Honors College and a native of Jonesboro, Brewer has distinguished himself through his commitment to preserving history, expanding learning opportunities and connecting education with civic engagement. Through the Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project, he is helping document the history of Chinese American grocery stores in Arkansas. He is also involved with programs such as Model United Nations and Asian Network programming in Arkansas and leads and supports educational and cultural events throughout the year.
In action items, the board approved a contract valued at more than $5 million to move UCA into the second phase of a multi-year campus network refresh that will increase network bandwidth between the data center and campus facilities from 10Gb to 25Gb. The first phase was initiated in FY19, increasing network bandwidth from 1Gb to 10Gb.
“This is a critically important update that we began saving for in FY21,” UCA President Houston Davis said. “We are fortunate that we are in a position to begin phase two, which will carry the university through FY34.”
The refresh will include the vendor’s Platform ONE, which ties together UCA’s entire wired and wireless infrastructure, as well as equipment upgrades, security tools, and network fabric integration. The refresh environment will also set up UCA for next-generation wireless WiFi 7 and future-proof the campus for the next five to seven years.
Vice President of Enrollment Services & Student Success Kevin Thomas reported that UCA welcomed 1,940 first-time freshmen and saw a fall-to-fall retention rate of 73.2%. The fall 2026 cohort of UCA Commitment totaled 560 students, bringing the program’s total participation to more than 1,250 students in its first three years. Applications for UCA Commitment, which provides a debt-free degree pathway for incoming Arkansas first-time undergraduate students with an annual household income of $100,000 or less, opened Oct. 1.
In other action, the board approved changes to the UCA health plan, which included a 12% increase in employee health insurance premiums for the 2027 calendar year. UCA will continue to fund 75% of the total plan costs for employees. The board also joined in discussions taking a broader look at the structure of the health plan and potential adjustments for future budget cycles
“These forward-thinking changes will help us move into 2028 and beyond in a sustainable manner,” Davis said. “Benefits are a significant component of the university’s overall compensation investment, and our goal is to create a robust benefits package that provides employees with meaningful protection while taking escalating healthcare costs into consideration.”
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Friday, Dec. 4, at 10 a.m.