UALR alum Christian O’Neal is an associate vice chancellor and leads the Alumni Association.

Fall’s nearly here, and what better time to travel picaresque Arkansas to meet up with high school students and parents to spread the word about UALR?

We have teamed up with UALR’s stellar recruiters to talk up our programs, our campus, and our people. And speaking of people, we’ve met some pretty terrific ones along the way, including students from Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (ASMSA); Hot Springs High School; Glen Rose High School; Lakeside High School; and Malvern High School.

At our most recent meet-and-greet event, we took a trip down to the Diamond Lakes area in Hot Springs. While many of the students came undecided, after a few quality conversations with the likes of Dr. Earl Ramsey of the Donaghey Scholars Program (the state’s best honors program) and Dr. Jim Winter (co-director of the University Science Scholars Program), I think it’s fairly safe to say their decision to attend UALR in Fall 2014 became clearer.

I remember in 1994 when the decision to attend UALR became apparent to me. It was largely because of a faculty member who visited Hot Springs High School to speak to a group of students. I was looking for an institution that could offer internships in my selected field of study. What I didn’t expect to uncover was that just 50 miles from home I could have access such a wonderfully intelligent and caring campus community.

The Hot Springs open house was the first effort of the newly formed Hot Springs chapter of the UALR Alumni Association.

A special thanks to the alums who made it possible: Sue and Bob Pine, Bennie Prince, Marcia Smith, and Judge Larry Williams. We couldn’t have done it without them – and they’re great role models for future college students.

Our next road trip is to Texarkana’s Northridge Country Club for an open house at 6 p.m. Oct. 29. We’ll leave the state the following week to meet prospective students and parents at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis. This wouldn’t be possible without our alumni friends in these areas.

If you are a college-bound student living near Texarkana or Memphis, please join us at these fun-filled meet-and-greets. You’ll be impressed with the opportunities at UALR.