The final two ads in the second series of UALR’s Difference of Degree advertising campaign are complete in time for one of higher education’s busiest recruitment seasons. The latest ads include two TV spots and companion print ads. Online companion ads are almost complete.

The first ad discusses the many opportunities UALR students and graduates have for good jobs and internships in Arkansas, an opportunity enhanced because of our capital city location. The TV and print ads feature narrator Bill Roehrenbeck, president/CEO of Arvest Mortgage Company, a 1991 UALR finance graduate. UALR grads represent about 25 percent of Arvest Mortgage’s 400 employees.

The TV spot also features these UALR alumni:  Shawn Fitz, a 1990 science and engineering graduate and 1996 MBA graduate who works in the IT department at Stephens Inc.; Dr. Sadie Mitchell, associate superintendent at the Little Rock School District, who has an educational doctorate; Paulette Ward, a criminal justice grad who is a polygraph examiner for the Arkansas State Police; Melissa Reed, a 2006 system engineering grad who is an engineer at Windstream Communications, and two other staff at Arvest Mortgage, Casandra Brown, a 2004 finance graduate, and David Sharp, a 1999 journalism graduate.

Additional print ads highlighting other UALR alumni and their jobs will be developed for this campaign.

The second ad conveys the unique quality-of-life opportunities that UALR and Little Rock offer students who live and learn in a metropolitan setting. The TV and print ad feature narrator Sean Porter, a UALR senior from Little Rock majoring in liberal arts. You may recognize him as a talented Trojan cheerleaders. Many other UALR students appear in this TV spot, which was shot on campus, in the RiverMarket, and at the Big Dam Bridge.

“We thank the many students, alumni, faculty, and staff who gave us ideas for this series and those who volunteered to be featured in the ads,” said UALR Communications Director Judy Williams. “Choosing a university that will be the right fit is a difficult decision for college-bound students. Our goal is to show and tell them through the eyes of real students, faculty, and graduates what they can expect from UALR and what’s so special about our university and about Little Rock.”