Thanks to the Alumni Association for helping us identify alumni who have been on this select list. We’re also pleased that so many more who have attended or worked at UALR have been honored by Arkansas Business.

Congratulations to this year’s alumni honorees Georgia Mjartin ’02, Leo Monterrey ’02 and ’07, and Christopher Vanlandingham ’04, as well as all of our alumni who have made significant contributions to enhancing Arkansas.

So it seems highly improbable that someone like me would arrive at the Coleman Sports and Recreation Complex at 6:30 a.m., willing to take instructions from a person young enough to be my son but also fit enough to be a drill instructor.

Yet that is exactly what I’ve been doing for several weeks now as I prepare to tackle my first ever 5K run on June 22. My early morning rise on Tuesdays, paired with an early evening course on Thursdays, is part of the “Couch to 5K’ interval fitness training offered through UALR’s Fit/Well program. (A third training each week is done on our own.)

Geared primarily towards those who have never run before, the program’s six-week goal is as already stated–to enable participants to get off the couch and complete an optional 5k at the end of training.

Having paid for a personal trainer in the past, I appreciate the value of the expertise we are provided as part of our training. As a new employee, I was pleasantly surprised to find UALR’s fitness and aquatic center is free to employees and students, unlike previous higher ed campuses where I’ve worked.

I’ve learned that I didn’t just lose muscle mass when I stopped exercising, my muscle fibers converted to easily fatigued “couch potato” muscle fiber types. And the fitter the muscle, the slower it will atrophy.

I’m long past the age where I’m consumed with a slim belly or gorgeous legs that go on forever. Fitness is now my prime motivator. I’ll never be an Olympic athlete, but running a 5K in about 20-25 minutes without falling out would be so cool.

Well, and gorgeous legs wouldn’t be so bad either.

Along with better opportunities for internships, jobs, community engagement, and being in the state capital where decisions are made and cultural experiences are readily available, lots of fun comes with living in a beautiful and thriving metropolitan city.

To give college bound students a flavor of what to do here outside of class in the spring and summertime, I turned to campus friends for their favorites:

John DiPippa, Bowen Law School
This is the best time of the year to ride on our system of trails which rivals any city’s trails in the country. My wife and I start at the parking lot near the community gardens in Two Rivers Park and ride east over the Two Rivers Bridge and then over the Big Dam Bridge and along the North Little Rock River Trail to downtown NLR. That’s almost 15 miles, making it a 30-mile round trip. And, if we are really up for a challenge, we will ride west from Two Rivers Park and up Wye Mountain and back (a 50- mile round trip.) Bottom line: cyclists have it great in Little Rock/North Little Rock.

Shannon Gwinn, College of Business
Riverfest, Petit Jean Mountain, Greek Food Festival, Magic Springs, and Wild River Country water parks.

Chuck Anderson, Rhetoric and Writing
Great produce and breakfast at the Argenta Market on Saturday mornings is a treat. Wait for the fried pies, which arrive about 9 a.m. Yummy food and a lot of great people to meet and talk food with. Also, Saturday morning breakfast at Roots Cafe on South Main – amazing food, unique atmosphere, excellent people watching and people meeting. The Green Store is across the street featuring local arts and crafts and sustainable products of many kinds.

Tony Rose, Sequoyah Research Center
The Pinnacle Mountain Arboretum is wonderful at this time of year. It’s on the road between the Visitors’ Center and the mountain.

Chuck Hancock, Engineering Technology
Check out the Ultimate Frisbee summer league, lrultimate@yahoogroups.com, or float the Saline River.

Rikki Turner, Residence Life
My family’s favorites are the “splash pads” around Little Rock. These are absolutely FREE. We frequently go to the one across from the Little Rock Zoo on Fair Park and the one downtown at the River Market.

Rachelle Tracy, Teacher Education
One of my favorite things to do is rock climbing at the Little Rock Climbing Center.

Kayla Cossey, Ottenheimer Library
Riverfest has always been one of my favorites. Also: Toad Suck Days in Conway, Clinton Presidential Library, Petit Jean State Park, Quapaw Quarter with the Villa Marre House, Cadron Settlement with the Cherokee Trail of Tears path, Pops on the River on July 4th at the Riverfront Amphitheater.

Susan Wade, Applied Studies in Education
Walking the Big Dam Bridge or around the Old Mill, having a picnic at Maumelle Park, sitting outside at Ya Ya’s restaurant on a pretty evening, eating a big cheese burger at Buffalo Grill or a grilled salmon salad at the Pantry, going to a Traveler’s baseball game and eating great junk food, ice skating or roller skating at the Bowman skating rink, dancing at a rooftop party at the Peabody.

Hogan Claiborne, Disability Resource Center
Movies in the Park on the Arkansas River, camping, kickball leagues, Little Rock Marathon, and canoeing at area lakes.

Sarah Beth Estes, Sociology and Anthropology
When it gets hot, any branch of the Central Arkansas Library System is a great place to cool off and relax. River City Tea, Coffee, and Cream – you can watch the world go by but still be cooling down (are you sensing a theme here?). Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre – it’s low cost and has pay-what-you-can nights.

Mary Boaz, Development Office
Cinco de Mayo festival at the Clinton Park and First Thursdays in the historical Hillcrest District, with music on the sidewalks, shops and restaurants open, etc.

Mary Babineau, Student Accounts
No-cost fun: Wetlands garden walk at the Presidential Library, Fish and Game Commission Museum, Civil War Historical Marker Tour, Farmers Market, Window Shop Friday and Saturday nights downtown…oftentimes there are musicians playing on street corners.

Patrick Pearce, East Lab
Taking nature photographs in Riverfront Park is one of my favorites.

The list could go on and on depending on your interests. The point is, in the summer, in the city, you’ll find plenty of cool and unique things to outside of the classroom.

My favs? Picnicking with carry-out barbecue from Whole Hog Café or tamales from Doe’s Eat Place, walking my cocker spaniels in Burns Park with soccer games going on, weekend treasure hunting at the oodles of flea markets, estate and garage sales.

These are just a sampling of all the cool summer things to do around here. Central Arkansans – please weigh in with your comments.

We were able to live stream both ceremonies so that no matter where you were, you could watch online in real-time.

But what if you were the one walking across the stage? We have both ceremonies now online for you to watch and relive the big moment.

• Morning ceremony
• Afternoon ceremony

If you want to send the link to your friends or family, but you don’t want them to have to search through the video, you can send them a special url that will start the video at just the right moment.

Find yourself in the video and then use this easy form to create the url.

I woke up the morning after the tornado and felt an overwhelming sadness because it was so close to where I went to graduate school at The University of Oklahoma. Then I began looking on Facebook and texting with my friends still there and seeing that the OU Housing and Food Department were working so hard to help displaced families. I was just there two years ago working for their department while in school, and I know I would be there working around the clock with them now if I was still working for them!

The University of Oklahoma and Norman did a lot for me and being there was a life-changing experience and I want to give back. I want them to know they have friends at UALR, a neighboring institution. If something happened here we would want other universities and housing departments to help us, as well.

So on Sunday, I will head to Oklahoma to help with relief efforts.

Our good friends in the Housing Department at OU have opened their residence halls and dining facilities on campus to shelter and feed displaced families who lost their homes in the tornado. I worked for that department and I’ll be helping them this weekend, as I am familiar with the area.

My plan was to just get help from within Student Housing and then Dean Debbie Gentry suggested the entire campus community could help and the idea has just grown from there.

I am hoping to fill my Suburban with donations from the UALR campus community that I can deliver on Sunday. Please help if you can.

My housing colleagues at OU have said gift cards (Walmart, Target, Visa gift cards, etc.) are especially needed right now. They have tons of stuff and need ways to go buy more.

However, the other critical items are the following:

Thank you in advance to everyone at UALR for being a part of this and helping our friends in Oklahoma and at OU. I know the Moore survivors have lost everything, so anything and everything you can give to them will help!

Please email me at ljpayton@ualr.edu for questions or further information. Thank you all for your consideration in helping our neighbors!

A 3.0 GPA student at Sheridan High, Nick was involved in sports, organizations, and service projects. It was his volunteerism that landed him a CLC scholarship to attend UALR.

“I always wanted to attend college and become either a sports broadcaster or a meteorologist. At a young age I would often get in trouble for talking while the teacher conducted class,” Nick said. “My mother would always say, ‘You better one day find a job to use your voice.’”

Use his voice he did, as an on-air personality for Channel 62 News Live at 5. As a radio, TV, film major, Nick was gaining invaluable, real-world skills. But there was more to college than academics.

“I had several mentors and role models I looked up to for guidance who helped push me to keep going. My mother and father both had a bachelor’s and master’s degree. They completed both degrees after having kids. The chair of RTVF department, Dr. David Guerra, or ‘Dr. G’ as we called him, always kept me on task in my major area,” Nick said. “And when I just needed to talk to someone about life in general, I found myself visiting our CLC teacher and Director of Counseling, Mr. Mike Wingfield in Ross Hall on the 4th floor. I also knew whatever I chose to do in life, I wanted to help and have a positive impact on people’s lives as so many of my mentors did.”

Nick discovered what all students do at some point: you must pursue what you are passionate about … chase your bliss. His path is a great example of doing just that.

When you graduated from college, did you know what your next step would be? How did you know?

I worked numerous jobs while trying to finish my college career. I worked in the dairy department at Kroger on Chenal, as a clerk at Hogman’s Hogpen on University, and as a courier and then escrow assistant at Wilson Associates Law Firm.

It was actually during these hard times that I discovered what I truly wanted to do. I began to think back over my years in college and how much I enjoyed my time as a CLC student. I had the opportunity to serve as a sophomore ambassador and work in the Admissions office under the guidance of Keesha. I always enjoyed giving campus tours, talking to prospects over the phone, and assisting with local recruitment fairs. It was an adrenaline rush very similar to my days on camera. Once I completed my degree from UALR, I noticed a job in the paper for an Admissions Recruiter at the Arkansas School for Math, Science, and the Arts (ASMSA). They offered me my first full-time, benefits eligible job.

Commencement is a big moment. But it is just a moment. What should graduates in the Class of 2013 be doing now?

It is a moment but it is also a proud moment. Enjoy your day because it is your day! Family, friends, and mentors will celebrate in this moment with you. During this time and throughout the summer it is all about job search or if you want to attend graduate school. Apply for the jobs that best fit you. Do not lose hope when you receive a rejection letter or you do not get that dream job.

What about graduate school?

When contemplating graduate school, I think you need to ask yourself a question: Will this help me and give me the knowledge I desire to attain my dream job? For some, that answer can be answered with a bachelor’s degree but for many others it takes an advanced degree to get a leg up on the competition. Personally, my graduate school experience was wonderful.

Anything else you’d like to add?

My goal as a member of the UALR team is to help assist students with their transition from high school to college, retain our students, and graduate our students. I want every UALR student to succeed at the highest levels.

If you are a graduate student enrolled in classes this fall, the UALR Graduate School invites you to participate in their second annual Travel Photo Contest. There are three categories with prizes for the winners in each.

The contest starts Wednesday, May 15 and will end on Friday, August 23. If you are faculty or staff, or not in graduate school, you can still play along but are not eligible for prizes.

How to play:

• First, print the UALR Grad travel pennant.
• Take a photo with the pennant, preferably near a landmark or sign that depicts the location (though this is not required)
• Email the photo to Dana Steele at djsteele@ualr.edu and include your name, ID number, program of study, and the location of the photo.
• One photo per geographic location.

Contest categories:

• Farthest traveled
• Most unique/creative
• Facebook winner (winner determined by the number of likes it receives)

Photos will be posted to an album on the graduate school’s Facebook page and the winners will be announced the week of September 1.

Check out some of the photos submitted to last year’s contest and happy travels!

Dr. Charles Donaldson, Dr. Jeannie Winston, Bill Walker.

Retiring vice chancellors Dr. Jeannie Winston, Bill Walker, and Dr. Charles Donaldson have been fixtures on this campus for many years, helping to usher in several of the university’s biggest initiatives.

• Like building projects such as the residence halls, Trojan Grill, and the Student Services Center.
• The first wireless network at an Arkansas university.
• Community and government relations that put UALR front and center not just for local leaders, but state and federal ones, too.

That’s quite a legacy.

Donaldson had this to say about his more than 40 years here:

“To those who supported me, thank you. To those who didn’t support me, I thank you as well. You helped teach me about strength and perseverance.”

It was a bittersweet moment to share. Unprecedented, as the chancellor told us. Some tears might have been held back.

We wish our three outgoing administrators all the best. We are that much better for their presence.

He would have gone crazy like me when Austin Pfeiffer, a junior from Benton, slugged a fast ball into left field out of Dickey-Stephens Park – a two-run homer that gave UALR a two-run 12th inning victory (5-3) over rival UCA.

A lifelong fan of baseball, my Dad wouldn’t believe that this was the first game of the season watched by his youngest daughter.

Coach Norwood bending the umpire’s ear over a questionable call on a third strike, the little Trojan bat boy scrambling out of dugout to pick up the discarded bat and slap the new batter on his rear, the hotdog with too much mustard, the old man perched at the end of the row behind us in his reserved seat, glove in hand, ready for a foul ball.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

It’s not too late for you to catch a game this season, and our team is coming on strong. The Trojans play their last three home games at Gary Hogan Field this weekend in a series against Florida International: 6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. Sunday.

So, to help our students gear up for finals, I made a request for song, artist, and genre submissions to create the first-ever UALR Finals Playlist. Through Facebook and Twitter, I received dozens of suggestions ranging from classical to dubsteb and even Old MacDonald. Hey, whatever helps you ace that test, right?

Without further delay, here is the Spring 2013 UALR Finals Playlist, also known as, the most interesting playlist of 30 songs ever.

I used Spotify to create this and you will need a Spotify account in order to listen to the playlist. It’s free to download, or you can just look through the list below to create a list on your desired music platform.

Thank-you to everyone who played along and good luck with your finals!