Year in Review: Top 10 Stories of 2023
What have proven to be the most read stories of 2023 that have captured the attention of the UA Little Rock community?
Coming in at No. 10, this story told the legacy and impact of Howard Williams, a former truck driver who headed the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board for decades. He’s known for his unwavering support for the education and advancement of young construction professionals in Arkansas, including helping to found the Construction Management program at UA Little Rock.
The heartwarming tale of Professor Julien Mirivel, an expert in the field of positive communication, becoming a U.S. citizen 29 years after he first arrived in the country as a high school exchange student is the ninth most popular story of the year.
It’s hard to imagine earning the title of a Distinguished Alumni without being popular at UA Little Rock! The story honoring the winners of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards – Oscar Horton, Bill Mathis, Jr., Stephanie Caruthers, and Nancy Secen – earned its spot in the Top 10 stories of 2023.
2023 has been an exciting year for Dr. Sloan Davidson, director of the School of Nursing at UA Little Rock. A story about her being named to Soiree Magazine’s 2023 Class of Women to Watch proved to be the seventh most popular story of 2023.
UA Little Rock Centennial Campaign Member James Bobo is a well-known personality around campus and Little Rock. The story of Bobo being selected as the 2023 Taste of Little Rock Honoree made the list as the sixth most popular story of the year.
Families are always looking for fun ways to spend the summer months, and a story on a free cybersecurity summer camp for junior high and high school students was very popular at UA Little Rock, coming in fifth on the list.
Student scholarships are always popular with college students and their families, which is why it was no surprise that the announcement of a new matching scholarship for UA-Pulaski Tech students who transfer to UA Little Rock came in as the fourth most popular story of 2023.
The UA Little Rock community was excited to welcome Colin Crawford as the new dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law in July, rounding out the top three stories of 2023.
The penultimate story of last year proved the continued popularity of student scholarship programs across Arkansas. The launch of Trojan Guarantee, a groundbreaking initiative designed to break down financial barriers and empower freshmen to earn a bachelor’s degree with no tuition cost, came in as the second top story of the year.
Coming in as the top story of 2023 is the tale of doctoral student Ranjitha Hariharalakshmanan, who won a prestigious national graduate student award from the AVS for her materials science research into creating a more efficient method of water purification!
