The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Applied Communication will host its first alumni reunion and awards ceremony in conjunction with its final leadership lecture for 2017-18 on Thursday, April 19.

UA Little Rock campus and local community members are invited to attend the festivities to help celebrate the work of faculty, staff, students, and alumni over the past year.

To kick off the evening, alumni and students will gather for a meet and greet at 5 p.m. in the upper concourse of the Donaghey Student Center. A Mexican fiesta buffet will be served.

Following the reunion, the awards ceremony will commence from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Several awards, including the Distinguished Student Scholar Award, Alumni Making a Difference Award, and the Community Partner Award, will be presented to students, alumni, and community members for their contributions to the department both in and outside of the classroom.

Donations to support the Dr. Allan Ward Student Success Endowed Scholarship will be accepted prior to and during the evening’s events.

To wrap up the night, Dr. Andrew Pyle, UA Little Rock alumnus and assistant professor of communication at Clemson University, will give the final lecture in the 2017-18 Leadership Lecture Series. His presentation, “Fostering Positive Communication to Prevent Self-Inflicted Crises,” will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

During his talk, Pyle will draw from concepts and ideas found in his recent work, which examines the ability of organizations to induce self-inflicted crises due to lack of preparation, preventative measures, and poor organizational culture. His topic will cover the successes and failures of self-inflicted crisis management and the practices organizations could implement to cultivate positive communication in their establishments.

Lecture attendees are encouraged to bring a $20 donation, and students a $5 donation with their identification cards.

Parking will be available in the University Parking Deck.

For more information, contact Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter, department chair and professor in the Department of Applied Communication, at axchathamca@ualr.edu, or to click here to purchase tickets.