All members of the UALR campus community are invited to gather Wednesday, Sept. 5, for Burgers @ Bailey, the fall tradition where students, faculty, staff, and alumni gather to kick off the new academic year.

The campus picnic will be at 11 a.m. on the lawn of the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center at 28th Street and Campus Drive West. It will feature live music, grilled hamburgers and veggie burgers, cold drinks, chips, and cookies.

“The chancellor is teaming up with the Alumni Association to host our expected crowd of 2,500 friends,” said Christian O’Neal, executive director of the Alumni Association. “And wouldn’t it be cool if everyone wore their Trojan maroon or UALR apparel?”

He said many alums love to visit campus for the picnic and see former professors and administrators. It is a great time for students to make connections with alums with jobs in their fields of interest.

Jason Irby, who first enrolled at UALR in 1981 and earned a B.A. and M.A, will be at the picnic signing copies of his new book, “Love Within Life: A Book of Life’s Shared Experiences.”

Irby, a native of Wabbaseka, is donating a portion of the proceeds from the book to a scholarship he established in 2003 for a graduate student in the Radio, Television, Film Department. He was inspired by the Steve Stephens Scholarship he received, which helped him complete his studies.

“UALR has been my home, heart, and future for the last 30 years,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to give back to the students.”