UCAN – “Unlocking College Academics Now”
UCAN helps students facing a first academic suspension improve their grade point average and thereby continue their education. The program meets this goal by helping these students identify their individual academic needs and then develop skills to meet their academic goals. To meet these goals, the UCAN program (supported by the Student Success Services) offers students the opportunity to remain in school during their first suspension, rather than sitting out two consecutive semesters. Please listen to the following video and review the UCAN Program Student Agreement below.
Student Success Coordinator and Program Director – Mr. Marvin Williams (marvinw@uca.edu)
For more information about the program, read the UCAN Program Student Agreement
FOR FALL ADMISSION: Students who are eligible to participate in the Fall UCAN program will receive an email from the registrar’s office in May. If we fail to hear from students during the interview period (June 1- June 30), their Fall class schedule will be deleted. If you wish to participate in the Fall UCAN program, please complete the steps below.
- CAN I TAKE SUMMER CLASSES? There is no summer UCAN program. However, if you would like to take summer classes, you must indicate that on the application for FALL UCAN. Once you submit the application and indicate you plan to take summer classes, you will be allowed to register for summer classes. Taking summer classes is NOT required. However, if you do take summer classes, you must complete the fall UCAN Program, regardless of your summer academic standing outcome. Note: the schedules of students who fail to indicate their plan to take summer classes will be deleted.
FOR SPRING ADMISSION: Students who are eligible to participate in the Spring UCAN program will receive an email from the registrar’s office in December. If we fail to hear from students during the interview period, their Spring schedule will be deleted. If you wish to participate in the Spring UCAN program, please complete the steps below.
Now, what do you need to do if you are interested in this second chance opportunity?
1. Click here to complete the application/agreement form before your interview.
AND
2. Click here to schedule a Zoom interview with the program director.
AND
3. Attend the mandatory orientation. Fall 2026 orientation date: Monday, August 17, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
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REMEMBER: There is no online option for the UCAN program. You must attend in-person.
Thoughts from Former UCAN Students
Richard Kearney
[Mr. Marvin] I hope you are doing well. I am a former UCAN participant at the University of Central Arkansas. I wanted to reach out to let you know how BLESSED I was to have you as an advisor during that time. UCAN taught me a plethora of tools and resources that helped me not only graduate from UCA but thrive as a professional. I am proud to say I now work in Student Success and Retention at Morgan State University. When giving my testimony, I often refer to you, Mr. Williams, as a quintessential reason I made a shift in my approach to education. I needed someone with your energy, charisma, and overall kindness.
Kayley Taylor
First off, I want to say thank you! I bet you’re wondering why? I am one of your UCAN seminar students from 2010 at UCA. I wanted to email you to tell you how much I appreciate your leadership in the UCAN program. You told me week after week “you can” when I was failing all of my classes. That program gave me a second chance to push through and finish my degree. I can now say I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree as well as a Master’s of Arts in Teaching. I have been teaching high school and middle school science for 5 years now and today I start my Doctorate of Education program. As I reflected on my journey of when I was a single mother and a struggling college student, you were one of the men in my life that told me I could do it. So I did it, Mr. Williams!
UPDATE: I finished the Doctor of Educational Leadership program and had commencement over the weekend. Throughout the program, I kept your words of encouragement in the back of my head- YOU CAN!
Taylor Hendrix
Thank you for reaching out! The UCAN program helped me realize that I needed to step back and re-evaluate what I was doing. I took time off school and worked as a server. I’m currently on my way to take my final exam for the last class of my Associates degree, which I am transferring to Winthrop University in South Carolina to finish my Bachelors! The UCAN program really gave me a wake up call to really look at where I was in life and what I needed to do to better myself. Thank you!!
