Two years ago, Tim Lee began taking American Sign Language (ASL) classes with Connie, his wife of 35 years, who has difficulty hearing.

Connie Lee is skilled at lip reading, but the husband and wife team took ASL classes so they could better communicate with each other.

After completing six hours of coursework through the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Interpreter Education Program, Lee, a training specialist with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center in the College of Business, presented an idea to produce training videos for those who are deaf and hard of hearing.

The center was awarded a $95,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration. He developed a course on how to start a business and how to write a business plan for those who are deaf and hard of hearing. ASL interpreters led the courses, which are posted on YouTube to maximize visibility.

“Deaf people have a hard time getting employment,” Lee said. “Starting a business is the new way to join the middle class for deaf people.”

For his efforts, Lee received the Personal Growth Award at the 2016 UALR Staff Achievement Awards Ceremony April 21 at the Engineering and Information Technology Building.

The ceremony honored three staff members in the areas of personal development, contributions to the campus, and community involvement. It also recognized staff members for years of service, graduation, and retirement.

The Staff Achievement Awards winners were nominated by the campus community, with an independent body selecting the winners. Each received a $1,000 award and a certificate.

This year’s nominees included Aresh Assadi, Charlotte Beck, Kathy Oliverio, Eugene Wilkerson, Katie Becker, Sharonda Lipscomb, Chelsea Young, Drew Glover, Sarah Travis, Andrijana Vukovich, Sharon Kaufman, Karen Lee, Timothy Lee, Shawna Diaz-Davis, and Joan Reed.

In addition to the training course, Lee plans to become a licensed ASL interpreter. He was just three weeks into his third course in ASL when he broke his leg in January, thus cutting his class short. However, Lee plans to continue his classes as soon as possible.

 Ben Fry Service to UALR Award

Recognized as a woman with a “no-student-left-behind attitude,” Amber Smith was named the recipient of the Ben Fry Service to UALR award.

The service award was renamed in honor of Ben Fry, the longtime general manager of UALR’s public radio stations 89.1 KUAR and Classical 90.5 KLRE, who passed away in March.

As coordinator of the Student Services Success Initiatives, Smith leads the African American Male Initiative, African American Female Initiative, the Hispanic/Latino Initiative, and the Charles W. Donaldson Scholarship Academies and Summer Bridge Programs.

She has been an integral part of such campus-wide initiatives as Green Dot, Trojan Touchstones, Suicide Prevention, Sexual Assault Awareness and the Chancellor’s Committee on Race and Ethnicity.

“Her personal touch with students is both unique and refreshing,” said Laura McClellan, finance director for UALR’s College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. “She works with students who are in danger of dropping out to craft solutions to keep them enrolled and progressing toward their degree, even going so far as to pay for student textbooks. For her, a student’s problem becomes her own and she works daily to make sure students have what they need to achieve their goals.”

Service to Community Award

Pamela Bowie, assistant director of admissions at UALR, is the recipient of the Service to Community Award, which recognizes an individual who has been particularly successful in organizing community events or had major achievements in civic, service, or specialty organizations and events.

Bowie has shown her deep commitment to the community through her involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas.

She has served as president of the organization’s auxiliary group, Big League, which plans free activities for mentors and mentees to work on their mentoring relationships. Bowie was named the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas Volunteer of the Year.

 Honoring UALR staff achievements

The Staff Senate Awards Ceremony also honored 13 employees retiring from UALR, including Lavonne Colwell, James “Rusty” Johnson, Jan Austin, Debbie Gentry, Rita Sterling, Carolyn Hiet, Laura Beck, Bob Denman, Nita Copeland, Johnnie Mallory, Dennis Robinson, and Janet Roderick.

In a surprise for Chancellor Joel E. Anderson, who is retiring June 30, Staff Senate President Christopher Hickman presented a slideshow of pictures from Anderson’s lifetime of service in higher education. Afterward, Anderson received a standing ovation from the audience.

“We honor our retirees every year, but we thought this was a poignant time to give Chancellor Anderson a special sendoff,” Hickman said. “He has always been a magnificent supporter of Staff Senate.”

The Staff Senate awarded four employee scholarships, worth $250 each, to employees continuing their education at UALR. Recipients include Colleen Dennis, Koesha Jenkins, Joshua Thomsen, and Belinda White.

In addition to the employee scholarships, Tiffany McAdoo and Sara Squires were each awarded $75 as recipients of the Jerry Crittenden Book Scholarship.

UALR recognized 23 graduating staff members who earned a degree from UALR during the 2015-1016 school year.

The event also recognizes staff members for years of service in five-year increments. This year, staff ranging from five to 40 years of service to the university received certificates.

Three people were honored for 40 years of service to the university, including Jan Dannaway, Suzanne Martin, and Patricia McCord.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes, and the campus had grown a lot,” said McCord, associate registrar. “Despite all the changes, my favorite part of working here will always be helping the students.”

Senior Associate Director of Athletics Gary Hogan was recognized for 30 years of service to UALR. In addition, UALR honored five people celebrating 25 years, eight people celebrating 20 years, 21 people celebrating 15 years, 33 people celebrating 10 years, and 64 people celebrating five-year anniversaries.

The annual event was presented by the UALR Staff Senate and sponsored by Chancellor Joel E. Anderson and the vice chancellors.

In the upper right photo, Tim Lee, a training specialist with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, receives the Personal Growth Award at the 2016 UALR Staff Achievement Awards Ceremony with Interim State Director Laura Fine.