UALR’s Sequoyah National Research Center (SNRC) was recently awarded a $56,000 grant by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.
The grant is to hire an archivist and to process the Garrard Ardeneum Collection. Continue reading “Sequoyah National Research Center awarded $56k grant”
UALR graduate Victoria Brown recently joined the Little Rock Police Department as neighborhood watch/public affairs coordinator, where she will be responsible for community programs and outreach.
Brown has an extensive background in public service having worked in education, law enforcement, and public policy and has led the implementation of community programs and initiatives.
Brown has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Philander Smith College and a Master of Public Administration degree from UALR.
She is a recipient of the United Negro College Fund Scholarship, Bush Presidential Scholarship, and a Bowen Law PLUS participant. She also served as a congressional intern under former U.S. Congressman Vic Snyder.
Brown has participated in community service training programs with the Corporation for National and Community Service and law enforcement training with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. She is a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and an avid volunteer.
Jan Davis has been hired as the new director of planned giving at UALR’s Office of Alumni and Development.
Davis pr
eviously worked as director of planned giving for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Her numerous achievements at UCA included the implementation of a planned giving program that resulted in more than $7,000,000 in secured gifts.
While at UCA, Davis also partnered with local attorney to host estate planning seminars for local alumni and redesigned the Legacy society to include documented commitments in the area of wills and trusts
She has served as project manager in research and development Acxiom Corp. in Conway and was human resource manager for the ALLTEL Corp. in Little Rock prior to her work in higher education.
She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, Arkansas Charitable Gift Planning Council board member and member of Faulkner County Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.
Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from UCA in August 1998.
A UALR graduate was recently promoted to assistant chief of police for the Little Rock Police Department, making her the first woman to hold that position in the department’s 149-year history.
UALR alumna Alice Fulk was promoted by LRPD Police Chief Kenton Buckner.
Fulk is a 23-year veteran of the department, having been an administrator in the major-crimes division. Fulk said she believed she had “pushed through that glass ceiling,” in a recent Democrat-Gazette news article about her promotion.
“First and foremost, I’m looking at it like I have a job to do. … Chief Buckner had the confidence in me to do it, whether a male or female,” Fulk said, in the article. “But I do hope it opens the door for females in the future to move up the rank.”
Buckner named Fulk, the most senior captain eligible for the promotion by eight years, as “the best person” for the job.
Fulk holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UALR and a master’s in human resources management.
An anonymous donor has established a $250,000 endowment to benefit the UALR swimming and diving team. The new donor-advised fund will provide additional scholarship support for student-athletes and provide operational support for the Trojan swimming & diving program. Continue reading “Donor establishes major endowment for swim and dive team”
Head men’s basketball coach Chris Beard has announced the addition of Lis Shoshi for the upcoming 2015-16 season.
A 6-11 forward from Peje, Kosovo, Shoshi played the past two seasons at Howard College where he was named the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-WJCAC in 2015.
Before deciding to attend UALR, Shoshi took official visits to Washington State and Texas Tech.
“Lis is one of the most special people I have had the opportunity to coach,” Howard head coach Scott Raines said. “He is just the nicest, hardest working kid you could ever wish to meet, combined with this wonderful package of size and skill on the basketball court. His best basketball is ahead of him and the fans of UALR basketball are going to enjoy watching his continued blossoming.”
Playing under Raines, Shoshi helped lead Howard to a 24-8 overall record and a 13-3 mark in conference play in 2014-15. He blocked 51 shots and nearly averaged a double-double, finishing the year with averages of 9.4 points and 9.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game. He scored efficiently, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 68.9 percent from the foul line.
He posted nine double-doubles on the season, highlighted by a 22-point, 14-rebound, two-block effort against Phoenix College. Four days later, he finished with a line of 13 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks against Wayland Baptist.
“Lis Shoshi is an excellent addition for Little Rock,” Brad Winton of JUCORecruiting.com said.
“He is a 6-11, mobile forward who has the ability to score inside and out. Shoshi is very good on the defensive end and glass as well. He was in the top 30 in the country in rebounds per game at the junior college level and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the WJCAC. Shoshi visited Texas Tech and Washington State before picking Little Rock. Lis Shoshi is a great sign for Chris Beard and the staff at Little Rock.”
The 6-11 forward racked up 15 double-figure rebounding games in 2014-15. He also posted 15 double-figure scoring efforts on the year. Shoshi’s 51 blocked shots were enough to rank in the top 50 nationally. He ranked 16th nationally in defensive boards (210), 20th in total rebounds (305) and 27th in rebounds per game.
“Little Rock’s signing of 6-11 Lis Shoshi is a huge get,” Jerry Mullen of MullenSports.net said. “Shoshi is skilled, mobile and boards. Shoshi will make an impact immediately in the Sun Belt Conference.”
Shoshi blocked multiple shots in 13 outings last season, including a season-high five at Wayland Baptist. He blocked at least three shots in a single game nine times.
As proud parents looked on, the 2015-16 class of UALR Chancellor’s Leadership Corps pledged to learn, lead, and serve their university and their peers. Continue reading “Chancellor’s Leadership Corps makes annual pledge”
More than 1,500 students at UALR have applied for spring commencement, which will be held Saturday, May 16, at the Jack Stephens Center. Continue reading “Record turnout expected for Spring 2015 Commencement”
Two Department of English faculty and an alumnus of UALR will shine a spotlight on the effects of addiction when they host a staged reading of the screenplay, “The Last Baby Angel,” on Thursday, May 14.
UALR faculty members Dr. J. Bradley Minnick and Frank Thurmond join UALR alumnus Samuel Calvin Brown for the event, which is free and open to the public. The reading will be held at 7 p.m. at the Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock.
Set in Saline County and central Arkansas, the screenplay was adapted from the novel of the same name. It is a tough portrayal of lives impacted by meth addiction and production.
The lead character is Mattie Gray, a young girl with an abusive mother who is a meth addict. Her father is her bright spot, until Mattie realizes there is a dark side to the man she knows as “Daddy.”
Meth addiction and meth production are rarely discussed through the eyes of children who are impacted by this struggle everyday in Arkansas and throughout the U.S. Mattie’s story is a nod to those who wait in the wings but fight for survival.
The staged reading will feature talented local actors including Heather Smith, Ricco Ardemagni, Bailey Lamb, Paul Seminara, Stephen Perry, and others.
The novel began during Brown’s work as a UALR student under the tutelage of Minnick in spring 2010.
A casual comment, “Little Rock’s safe until something happens,” a phrase Brown’s father once used, led to the novel’s beginnings. It became Brown’s first book when it was published by Stanley Press in 2012.
For information, contact Mary Ellen Kubit at 501.786.7909 or mekubit@yahoo.com.
UALR senior Saad Azam, only the second Arkansan ever invited back to NASA for multiple internships, is this year’s Edward L. Whitbeck Memorial Award winner. Continue reading “Whitbeck winner heads to NASA”