Spring graduation 2012 is in the books! It was a day full of excitement and emotion for students, their families and friends, and university officials.
We could share so many stories from the big day (and will try to do that in the coming weeks), but first we wanted to share even more photos. We’ve already posted hundreds of photos to our Facebook and Flickr galleries, garnering a steady stream of comments and tags. (more…)
Commencement marks that fleeting moment when students embark on the next chapter of their sweeping journey.
It may not feel so ephemeral for graduates as they sit for what feels like an eternity, waiting to hear a name echo out across the crowd. But then the world speeds up: there’s the handshake (sometimes hug), the applause, and that triumphant first step off the stage. Those moments really do go at the speed of light. (more…)
Soon I’ll be headed to the beach for some much-needed R&R. For me, packing a bag of books to dive into is as important as packing the swimsuit, sunscreen, and beach towel. It’s a good time to read something out of my comfort zone.
So I wondered, what’s our faculty reading this summer, or what books might they recommend? So I asked. And I share with you some of their selections to consider for your summer list:
Mia Hall, Applied Design
Half Broke Horses – Jeannette Walls
Thomas Wallace, Information Technology:
Adaptive Web Design – Aaron Gustafson
Dr. Julien C. Mirivel, Speech Communication:
Aleph – Paulo Coelho
Dr. John Kirk, Department of History:
Arsnick: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Arkansas – Jennifer Jensen Wallach and John A. Kirk
Dr. Mary Ann Garnett, International and Second Language Studies:
Cutting for Stone/Abraham Verghese
Dr. Toran Isom, Rhetoric and Writing:
Elizabeth and Hazel, Two Women of Little Rock – David Margolick
Amy Barnes, School of Mass Communication:
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake – Anna Quindlen
Martha Morton, Arkansas Global Programs:
Yin Yang: American Perspectives on Living in China – edited by Alice Renouf and Mary Beth Ryan-Maher
And an intriguing selection with commentary from Dr. Jay Raphael, Theatre Arts/Dance:
Eccentric Spaces – Robert Harbison (architecture/literature/art/sociology-an
amazing and stunning blend of ideas)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Michael Chabon (fiction-Pulitzer Prize-one of my favorite reads)
Mimesis as Make Believe – Kendall Walton (the foundations of the representational arts)
Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace (fiction – it’s huge, it’s genius, and it’s a comic and knowing skewer of American culture)
The Wild Trees – Richard Preston (about the largest organisms in the world)
American Chica – Marie Arana (memoir-a girl who was shuttled between the cultures of North and South America-raised in Wyoming and Peru)
Auschwitz and After – Charlotte Delbo (after reading this I could no longer read anything about the Holocaust…)
Room – Emma Donoghue (disturbing but compelling fiction)
On Any Given Sunday: A Life of Bert Bell – Robert S. Lyons (Bell was the first great commissioner of the NFL
And last, but not for the faint of heart, from Amy Burns, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences:
Dracula – Bram Stoker, published in 1898. One of my favorite books of
all time – read the Victorian novel that started America’s fascination with the undead more than 100 years ago.
And what am I reading right now?
Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
Happy reading – enjoy your summer!
During my first couple of years in college out of high school, I chose to stay on campus for the summer because 1) my boyfriend (now husband) was staying, 2) I could knock out tough classes, and 3) I wouldn’t have to move back home again.
Our office is in the middle of a summer enrollment campaign, so I asked campus recruiters and academic advisers why UALR students like to take summer classes.
Their top 12 reasons:
Now’s the time to plan for summer classes. Apply for admission, check out the class schedule, and get your summer off to a great start.
And still true today, summer school is a good excuse to hang out with friends and avoid moving back in with the parents.
We are very excited about our new trolley tracking system that uses real-time GPS. Now you no longer have to wonder where the trolley is or if you have enough time to finish writing that paper (or hit the snooze button again) before it arrives.
The tracking system can be accessed in three ways: online, through a mobile app, and through texts.
The online system can be found at ualr.edu/trolley. It lets you see where the trolleys are and the arrival times for each stop. Take a look at the tracker here.
If you only want to look at a particular route, just un-select the other one on the left toolbar.
iPhone and Android users can download the free Ride Systems mobile app. First-time users should select UALR from the list of available schools. The app allows you to select one route to view at a time.
If you don’t have a smartphone, or just prefer a quick text, you can take advantage of the simple text messaging system. Each trolley stop has been assigned an ID. Text this ID to 41411 and you’ll receive a text letting you know when the next trolley will arrive.
I played around with the texts and it only took about two seconds for me to receive the arrival information. Not bad!
The list of stops and corresponding ID’s are below:
UALR M1……Donaghey Student Center
UALR M2……South Oaks
UALR M3……Coleman Place
UALR M4……University Plaza Breezeway
UALR M5……University Drive at Lot 5
UALR S1……Donaghey Student Center
UALR S2……Lot 10 West Hall
UALR S3……Lot 14
UALR S4……Lot 13 Stephens Center
UALR S5……Lot 8 COB/EIT
UALR S6……Fine Arts
So try out this new, easy tracking system and let us know what you think! I have a feeling this will make catching the trolley a lot easier and will save you some time
The following is a guest post from Laurie Ann Ross, corporate and foundation gifts officer for the Office of Development.
UALR and I met in 1979 when I stepped foot on this campus as an incoming freshman. I wouldn’t call it a love affair at that time but little did I know that 30 years later I would return to work in the Office of Development and participate in the first ever comprehensive campaign for the university. That’s when the love affair started.
When I began my current position in 2006, I knew that the groundwork for a comprehensive campaign had been laid. It was the first campaign in the history of the university and I was going to be part of the team that was charged with getting us to our goal. There was lots of building to do, and I was excited, a little nervous, and very hopeful that we could do it. And do it, we did.
This campaign has been about relationships – relationships we had and those that we didn’t. We got out of our offices and met with business leaders and individuals sharing our vision for the future of central Arkansas’ metropolitan university. What was most surprising was that many didn’t know “what was going on at UALR,” so we told them. We told them about our nursing program, the best in the state. We told them about our music and opera program and organized opportunities for folks to hear our students sing. We told them about our vision for economic development with the creating of the new EIT building and new curriculum in engineering. And, we told them about our students.
Our students are why we are here. Without them, we would not exist. Nor would we have a reason to exist. And, we knew that our students needed the support of this campaign to help them in realizing their dream, the dream of a college education. That is why student support was such a large focus of our efforts. We raised scholarship dollars, added funds for academic program support, built new and renovated buildings, and we raised funds to support our world-class faculty.
But beyond all of the monies that we raised, is the satisfaction in knowing that my efforts really do make a difference. I have the wonderful pleasure of serving on a scholarship selection committee in the Department of Nursing. When a student is selected for a scholarship, lives are changed, theirs and mine. That is why we do what we do. They can see the future in front of them and I see how our work, through our donors, fulfills the passion in our students’ dreams. And that is what this campaign has been all about, making a difference in our students, our state, and our world.
Oh, and the love affair continues….
Last week on spring break, a group of 16 International Business students and three professors traveled to Costa Rica to learn more about sustainable business practices while understanding more about another culture.
The students blogged about their experiences here, but I wanted to highlight a few excerpts that stood out to me. From these posts, it’s easy to see that the students learned a lot while having some fun, too.
“Costa Rica is a small, open economy that heavily relies on the United States’ market stability, making them very vulnerable to changes in the world economy. Main goals of the economy are to promote exports of new agricultural process, to create new technology, and to take advantage of their beautiful county for tourism.” – Sawyer McDaniel
“We also learned about the educational system in Costa Rica which I found interesting because it differs from ours in the US. The difference is that once you reach high school you can choose to stay in general education or choose a specialized program that focuses on technical skills. I was also surprised to learn that college was very inexpensive for Costa Ricans, about $900 a year. Which has me thinking, maybe I should come to school here if I continue my education.” – Evan Nguyen, undergrad in the International Business and Spanish Programs
“While on this visit, I’ve been immersed in the most beautiful settings I’ve ever seen in my life. Lush plants with richly saturated blooms in red, magenta, orange and yellow are everywhere you look. Cloud forest. Rain forest. Butterfly farm. The bus rides have produced views of dramatic mountainous landscapes and breathtaking vistas. The list of aesthetically pleasing sites goes on and on. And I have indulged in incredible food, fun and conversation.”
And this excerpt makes me appreciate our gas prices. I couldn’t imagine paying $6 a gallon!
“Gas prices aren’t advertised at gas stations; rather, the government publishes the price in the newspaper each time there is an increase. Starting this Thursday, gas prices will go up $.80, so that a gallon of gas will cost over $6. Part of the reason gas is so expensive is that Costa Rica does not produce crude oil or have any refineries.” – Samantha Cook, graduate student in the Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor Programs
“The bus ride to the beach is a long one, so we entertained ourselves by singing karaoke to Neil Diamond, Guns N Roses, and of course Fernando’s favorite, the almighty Garth Brooks. That was pretty fun and I especially enjoyed the lyrical wonders of Hotel California sung by a certain professor who will remain nameless.” – Marilyn Breaux, graduate student in the Master of Business Administration Program
To read more about the students’ adventures, visit their blog.
During spring break, the campus is typically pretty quiet. I’ve heard some call it a “ghost town.” But there’s one place on campus that is filled with noise, from the sound of bare feet dancing across the stage to hearing budding guitarists play ‘Smoke on the Water.’
Each spring, the Community School of the Arts offers its College for Kids Spring Break Arts Camp, where children from kindergarten to age 15 can take classes in music, dance, theater, dramatic arts, and more. The students are taught by UALR art and music faculty members and professional artists.
I stopped by the camp near the end of the week to see what the kids were up to. In just a short time, I saw students drawing, painting, dancing, playing guitar, and learning about musical rhythm.
The best part was that everyone looked like they were having fun while they were learning. I think that’s what camp is all about.
But don’t worry if your child missed camp this week. The Community School of the Arts also offers a Summer Arts Camp. Session 1 is scheduled for June 18-22 and Session 2 is scheduled for August 6-10. Sessions are from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuition is $165 per child and art classes are available in musical, visual, dance, theater, literary, dramatic, and even cooking.
I’m excited that my son is finally old enough to enroll in the camp this summer. Now the only question is, which class should he take? Either way, I know he’ll learn a lot and have just as much fun as the kids did this week.
We dropped by a dance class in session last week, capturing video for a larger project. But we wanted to share a small window into UALR Dance with this clip.
How many university courses can you think of, which incorporate live piano accompaniment? A better question: Which one of YOUR courses could benefit from a man playing piano? Chemistry perhaps? Calculus with show tunes?
Every year, a number of UALR faculty, staff, and students participate in the Little Rock Marathon. There is much to celebrate this year, and much to mourn. For the fourth year, alum Leah Thorvilson won the women’s division. Assistant Marketing Professor Karen Hood sang the national anthem and alum Gina Marchese Pharis was the Executive Race Director.
For the uninitiated, the full marathon is 26.2 miles and the half is 13.1 miles. There was also a 10K race (6.2 miles) and a 5K (3.1 miles).
Just to give some perspective, the full marathon would be like running from campus to the Little Rock Air Force Base. ArkansasOnline did a fun video that shows the route in high speed.
If participants did all the training runs, full marathoners ran 567 miles by the time the marathon was over. Half marathoners ran 355 miles.
photo from arkansasonline.com
Congratulations to the following folks on overcoming wind and warm weather to complete a great race!
Full Marathon:
Valerie Brown (TRIO Program Director)
Cindy Gilbert (Associate Professor, Nursing)
Angela Parker (Communications – Media Relations)
Brian Watson (Records and Registration Associate)
Half Marathon:
Dr. Edward Anson (History Professor)
Kelley Bass (EIT Assistant Dean)
Amy Burgess (Head Swimming Coach)
Elizabeth Sloan Davidson (Assistant Professor Nursing)
Dent Gitchell (Bowen School of Law Professor Emeritus)
Karen Hood (Marketing and Advertising Assistant Professor)
Ashley McCafferty (Academic Success Center Advisor
Brad Patterson (Director of Testing Services)
Abbey Ray (Senior in the BSW program)
Ann Schlumberger (Nursing Department Chair)
Eileen Turan (Donaghey Scholars Program Administrator)
Whitney West (Business Consultant, ASBTDC)
Stephen Yanoviak (Biology Assistant Professor)
10K:
Alton Pouncey (Project/Program Manager, Computing Services)
5K:
Elizabeth Vaughn-Neely (Educational Leadership Chair)
There are two UALR runners who are not included in that list, though- Mike Kelly and his wife Ebony. As you have probably heard, they were both running the half marathon when Mike collapsed at the 11th mile and could not be revived.
Mike was a network technician in Information Technology Services. He was 37 years old. He joined UALR as a lab assistant in the student library lab while working on his bachelor’s degree. He was hired full-time in the Desktop Support Group in 2007 and was promoted to his current position in 2009. He was also working on his master’s degree in information quality.
“Mike was a conscientious, dedicated person who did a great job at whatever task he was assigned,” said Dr. Jeannie Winston, vice chancellor for information services. “He was a valuable member of our UALR family and will be missed.”
Mike won’t just be missed for the work he did though. His friends and co-workers say Mike was a good person – kind, thoughtful and cheerful. He had trained to run in the half marathon to get in shape and was down about 40 pounds.
Most importantly, they talk about how much he loved his wife Ebony, who is an administrative assistant in the Department of Information Science. They had been married a little over a year, and would often spend part of their lunch hour walking around campus.
Our hearts go out to Ebony, their family, and Mike’s friends and co-workers.
University of Arkansas