[{"id":94496,"date":"2026-07-30T16:22:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T21:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/?p=94496"},"modified":"2026-07-30T16:22:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T21:22:02","slug":"ua-little-rock-climbs-more-than-700-spots-in-global-education-research-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/30\/ua-little-rock-climbs-more-than-700-spots-in-global-education-research-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"UA Little Rock Climbs more than 700 spots in Global Education Research Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"\nThe University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-rising universities after climbing 749 places in the 2026 AD Scientific Index World University Rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among U.S. institutions, UA Little Rock ranked third for the largest improvement in ranking in the field of education, trailing only Purdue University Northwest and La Salle University, which each jumped more than 800 places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The AD Scientific Index evaluates the research performance of more than 24,000 universities and institutions worldwide. The rankings recognize universities that demonstrate significant growth in research productivity, frequency of scholarly citations, and academic visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis significant increase in our ranking confirms what I have been seeing across campus: UA Little Rock researchers are doing exciting work that is gaining attention well beyond our university,\u201d said Brian Berry, vice provost of research and dean of the Graduate School. \u201cFrom our laboratories to our community partnerships, faculty and students are asking important questions and finding solutions that matter to Arkansas and beyond. It’s rewarding to see their hard work and the growing momentum of research at UA Little Rock recognized in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ranking reflects the university’s growing research enterprise, with faculty securing competitive grants, publishing influential scholarship, and collaborating with researchers across the country and around the world. In the past year, UA Little Rock researchers announced major federal research awards, published work at internationally recognized conferences, expanded research partnerships, and launched new initiatives in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, to chemistry, health sciences, and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic news,\u201d said Dr. Raffaela Lesch, assistant professor of biology, whose research on urban raccoons gained international attention over the past year. \u201cThere’s amazing research happening on campus, and I’m excited to see my colleagues\u2019 hard work reflected in the rankings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those accomplishments are reflected in research taking place across the university. From helping Arkansas farmers conserve water and launching a new cybersecurity research center to studying urban wildlife, advancing battery technology, and expanding hands-on psychology research opportunities, UA Little Rock faculty are addressing real-world challenges while creating meaningful learning experiences for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protecting Arkansas\u2019s Water Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Kent Kovacs, associate professor of economics and finance, is part of a National Science Foundation-funded research team studying how farmers\u2019 attitudes toward risk influence irrigation decisions in the Lower Mississippi River Basin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By combining farmer perspectives with economic and hydrologic models, the project seeks to better understand the pressures agricultural producers face and help guide water policies and conservation programs. The research could help Arkansas balance the economic importance of agriculture with the need to protect groundwater resources for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strengthening Cybersecurity and Workforce Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
UA Little Rock expanded its cybersecurity research and training capabilities with the launch of the Cyberspace Operations, Research, and Education (CORE) Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Established through a $1 million grant from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, the CORE Center brings together research, education, and real-world cybersecurity operations. Faculty and students are working with government agencies, law enforcement, industry partners, and community organizations on projects involving artificial intelligence, digital forensics, critical infrastructure protection, and cyber defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The center also provides students with hands-on experience through a cybersecurity clinic that helps schools, small businesses, healthcare providers, and other organizations identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bringing Worldwide Attention to Student Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Research led by Lesch gained international attention after identifying physical differences in urban raccoons that may point to early signs of domestication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology<\/em>, the study found that urban raccoons had shorter snouts than their rural counterparts, a trait commonly associated with domesticated animals. Lesch conducted the research with 16 students through a course-based undergraduate research experience, using more than 20,000 images submitted to the citizen science platform iNaturalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe study was featured by outlets including NPR, BBC, CNN, and Smithsonian, while social media videos about the findings reached millions of viewers. The attention has led to new collaborations and opportunities to expand the research to other wildlife species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reopening of the Shellam Flake Planetarium this fall will create new opportunities for faculty and students to visualize, explore, and communicate research in immersive ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Designed to support interdisciplinary teaching and research, the facility will allow students to interact with simulations and scientific data that bring complex concepts to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers across multiple disciplines, including physics, geology, and astronomy, plan to use the planetarium to enhance classroom instruction and integrate active research into student learning. The facility will also strengthen public science engagement through STEM programming that connects university research with schools and communities across Arkansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expanding Research Opportunities in Psychology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Department of Psychology has expanded its research capabilities through three specialized laboratory spaces focused on sleep, cognition, and human interaction with artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faculty and students are studying how sleep affects health and performance, how financial stress influences memory and information processing, and how people use and trust increasingly advanced AI systems. The laboratories combine psychology with fields such as neuroscience, computer science, physiology, and data science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the research process, students gain hands-on experience in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and advanced technologies such as brain-activity monitoring, eye tracking, virtual reality, and locally operated AI models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, these projects illustrate the breadth of UA Little Rock\u2019s research enterprise and the role faculty and students play in addressing issues that affect Arkansas and the wider world. The university\u2019s rise in the AD Scientific Index reflects not only increased scholarly visibility, but also sustained investment in research, collaboration, and student opportunity across campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-rising universities after climbing 749 places in the 2026 AD Scientific Index World University Rankings. … UA Little Rock Climbs more than 700 spots in Global Education Research Rankings<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2764,"featured_media":94145,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926,1922],"tags":[35325,35495,35323,2218],"class_list":["post-94496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-research","tag-economic-impact","tag-innovation","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"\nUA Little Rock Climbs more than 700 spots in Global Education Research Rankings - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/30\/ua-little-rock-climbs-more-than-700-spots-in-global-education-research-rankings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Climbs more than 700 spots in Global Education Research Rankings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-rising universities after climbing 749 places in the 2026 AD Scientific Index World University Rankings. ... 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Undergraduate enrollment continues to lead that growth, with headcount up 7%, or more than 325 students, and undergraduate credit hours increasing 12%, as of July 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Growth is particularly strong among new students. First-time freshman enrollment is up 17%, and more than 60 students, while transfer student enrollment is up 29%, more than 100 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese preliminary results show that more students and families are recognizing both the quality and affordability of a UA Little Rock education,\u201d said Chancellor Christina S. Drale. “That reflects years of work to strengthen the value we offer students through affordability, academic quality, hands-on learning, and the support they need to succeed. We look forward to welcoming the first fall class of our second century in just a few weeks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The increase in student semester credit hours is another encouraging sign, Drale said, because it indicates students are enrolling in more coursework as they progress toward their degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCredit-hour growth matters because it reflects students making meaningful progress toward completing their degrees,\u201d Drale said. \u201cOur responsibility now is to make sure every student who joins us this fall has the resources and support to thrive from their first day through graduation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those students will arrive at a university entering its second century with momentum across academics, research, student success, and athletics. Students entering this fall will be the first fall class of UA Little Rock\u2019s second century, as the university began its yearlong Centennial celebration July 1, recognizing 100 years of expanding educational opportunity and serving Arkansas. This summer also marked the university’s move into the United Athletic Conference following the baseball program’s historic season and first appearance in an NCAA Super Regional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The university continues to expand opportunities for students through nationally recognized artificial intelligence research, a growing cybersecurity initiative that provides hands-on learning while serving communities across Arkansas, and a new graduate certificate in health informatics launching this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStudents are looking for a university that delivers both opportunity and value,” said Dr. W. Cody Decker, vice chancellor for student affairs and chief data officer. “These preliminary numbers suggest more students are finding that at UA Little Rock. We still have several weeks before classes begin, and our team will continue working with prospective and admitted students as they complete the enrollment process.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While undergraduate enrollment continues to grow, graduate enrollment remains an area of strategic focus. Preliminary graduate headcount is down 5%, a decline of less than 40 students, while graduate student semester credit hours are down 2%. The decline is concentrated primarily among international students. UA Little Rock is responding by strengthening graduate recruitment, adding workforce-focused programs, and increasing financial support. Beginning this fall, minimum graduate assistant stipends will increase to $10,000 for master’s students and $15,000 for doctoral students \u2014 the university’s largest investment in graduate assistant stipends in more than a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students who are still considering UA Little Rock have time to join the fall 2026 class before classes begin Aug. 24. Eligible incoming freshmen may qualify for the Trojan Guarantee, which covers remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other financial aid is applied, or the university’s Half-Off Scholarship. More information about admissions, scholarships, and enrollment is available at <a href=\"http:\/\/ualr.edu\/admissions\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"ualr.edu\/admissions\">ualr.edu\/admissions<\/a> or by calling 501-916-3127.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Every fall brings a new class of students with their own goals, ambitions, and potential,” Decker said. “We’re excited to welcome them to campus and help them take advantage of everything UA Little Rock has to offer. As we prepare to begin our second century, there’s tremendous energy around where this university is headed, and it\u2019s an exciting time to be a Trojan.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When students arrive on campus Aug. 24, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock expects to welcome a larger student body than it did last fall. Preliminary enrollment figures show <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/27\/undergraduate-credit-hours-up-12-as-ua-little-rock-prepares-to-welcome-the-first-fall-class-of-its-second-century\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Undergraduate Credit Hours Up 12% as UA Little Rock Prepares to Welcome the First Fall Class of its Second Century<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93493,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926],"tags":[33343,6730,23107,35323,35324,35322,33,2218],"class_list":["post-94490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-centennial-campaign","tag-christina-drale","tag-cody-decker","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-learning-environment","tag-program-excellence","tag-scholarships","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Undergraduate Credit Hours Up 12% as UA Little Rock Prepares to Welcome the First Fall Class of its Second Century - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/27\/undergraduate-credit-hours-up-12-as-ua-little-rock-prepares-to-welcome-the-first-fall-class-of-its-second-century\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Undergraduate Credit Hours Up 12% as UA Little Rock Prepares to Welcome the First Fall Class of its Second Century\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When students arrive on campus Aug. 24, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock expects to welcome a larger student body than it did last fall. Preliminary enrollment figures show ... 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Funded by a grant from Forward Arkansas, the program gives aspiring educators immersive, hands-on classroom experience, preparing them to enter the profession with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the Trojan Teacher Residency Program has a strong track record at UA Little Rock, this was the largest orientation of its kind, with dozens in attendance, designed to ensure mentor teachers and teacher candidates shared expectations for the school year. Participants reviewed key program components, such as observation protocols, co-teaching models, and strategies for professional conversations. Sessions clarified roles, responsibilities, and best practices for collaboration, establishing a foundation for a successful year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“This is the first time we’ve opened the orientation to all of our residents and mentor teachers across every program,\u201d said Rachel Eells, director of the School of Education. \u201cWe have a much larger group this year, which means mentor teachers receive more training, and residents have the opportunity to learn from a wider variety of peers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both days featured lunchtime speaker sessions with 2026 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Stephanie Williams of Mountain View Elementary and 2026 Tennessee Teacher of the Year and UA Little Rock alumna <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/10\/teacher-of-the-year\/\">Brandi De La Cruz<\/a> of Collierville High School. These award-winning educators shared stories from their careers and classroom lessons, as well as advice for residents and mentor teachers. Their sessions encouraged discussions on teaching, mentorship, and professional growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>De La Cruz encouraged participants to stay open to new opportunities as they begin their careers, noting that finding the right school and community may take time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“The first school you end up at may not be your forever home,” she said. “I had to keep searching until I found a school where I felt accepted and truly at home.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Williams encouraged residents to view the residency year as a time for growth and reminded them to believe in themselves and their students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I would tell the residents to never underestimate your students and never underestimate yourself,” Williams said. “Take this year to learn, fail, and succeed, and consider all of it a win.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The orientation brought together residents and mentor teachers from a variety of grade levels and subject areas, allowing them to learn from experiences beyond their own classrooms. Participants came from school districts across Arkansas, bringing a wide range of perspectives and experiences to the conversations throughout the event. The opportunity to hear different viewpoints helped participants think through questions and challenges they may not have considered before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As UA Little Rock teacher candidate Clarissa Riddling, who is completing her residency at Little Rock Central High School, said, “Some people have asked questions I had never even thought of. It’s been good to have a community to start this process with.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the conclusion of the orientation, participants left with new connections and a stronger foundation for the year ahead. As they begin their classroom residencies, they will put their preparation into practice while continuing to develop their teaching skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on the impact of educators, Williams reminded attendees, “Educators are the creators of the future.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Education recently hosted a comprehensive two-day orientation for the Trojan Residency Program, bringing together mentor teachers and teacher candidates from across <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/24\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Experienced Mentors Help Prepare UA Little Rock Teacher Residents<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2906,"featured_media":94488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926],"tags":[28389,35495,35568,3510,2218],"class_list":["post-94477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-college-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education-chasse","tag-innovation","tag-rachel-eells","tag-school-of-education","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Experienced Mentors Help Prepare UA Little Rock Teacher Residents - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/24\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Experienced Mentors Help Prepare UA Little Rock Teacher Residents\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Education recently hosted a comprehensive two-day orientation for the Trojan Residency Program, bringing together mentor teachers and teacher candidates from across ... Experienced Mentors Help Prepare UA Little Rock Teacher Residents\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/24\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T20:44:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-27T15:25:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/07\/Trojan-Teacher-Residency-Program-2026_513.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"811\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/24\\\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/24\\\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Koros\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d2d71db64fc5dad90eaff1ce9387967\"},\"headline\":\"Experienced Mentors Help Prepare UA Little Rock Teacher Residents\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T20:44:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-27T15:25:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/24\\\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":572,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/24\\\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Trojan-Teacher-Residency-Program-2026_513.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE)\",\"Innovation\",\"Rachel Eells\",\"School of Education\",\"Student Success\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/24\\\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/24\\\/experienced-mentors-help-prepare-ua-little-rock-teacher-residents\\\/\",\"name\":\"Experienced Mentors Help Prepare UA Little Rock Teacher Residents - 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Earning a spot in the program was a turning point in his academic and professional journey. He hadn\u2019t imagined this path when he first arrived on campus as a business management major, but a presentation by real estate instructor Elizabeth Small introduced him to a career he hadn\u2019t previously considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Ryan’s enthusiasm for the commercial real estate profession is very exciting,\u201d Small said. \u201cConversing with him about his Colliers experience leaves me with no doubt of his future success in the industry. Ryan is a great student and has a natural quest for learning. The Finance Real Estate program in the School of Business is lucky to have him as an enthusiastic and excellent student.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A rising junior majoring in finance with a concentration in real estate, Gillenwater\u2019s internship with Colliers revealed just how many directions the field can take. He spent time with teams in brokerage, property management, and development, gaining a close-up look at everything from property inspections to the complexities of commercial transactions. Each day provided a new perspective, and seeing how different roles work together in the industry deepened his appreciation for the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSite selection was definitely my favorite. We\u2019d work on picking the best spots for companies looking to develop, whether it was land, an old building, or a new location,\u201d he said. \u201cThat internship definitely assured me that I was doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond introducing him to different aspects of the industry, the internship reinforced concepts \u2013 from real estate to finance \u2013 he had been covering in his classes, which became practical tools he relied on throughout his experience. For example, having recently completed a real estate law course, he already understood much of the language and legal concepts he encountered reviewing commercial lease agreements, giving him confidence to contribute to professional conversations. As the internship progressed, those classroom lessons continued to develop into real-world experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The internship didn\u2019t just expand Gillenwater\u2019s knowledge of commercial real estate\u2014he was able to zero in on where he thrives, discovering that brokerage offered just the right mix of a field where he could put his analytical mind to work while building relationships and closing deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“The internship definitely assured me that I was pursuing the right thing,” Gillenwater said. “It’s made me want to keep expanding my network, and it’s definitely made me want to focus on commercial real estate as my career.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As he reflects on his journey, Gillenwater credits changing majors and embracing new opportunities with helping him discover his career path. He emphasizes that some of the most valuable lessons in college happen outside the classroom \u2014 through internships, networking, and saying yes to new experiences. For students considering their own next steps, he encourages them to take chances on opportunities that spark their interest, since those moments often open unexpected doors and lead to the connections and clarity that shape a future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“One thing I always like to say is, what you put into it is what you get out of it,” Gillenwater said. “It’s all about having that interest in wanting to do the things you’re required to do in college. The more you do that, the more you’ll reap the benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead to his junior year, Gillenwater feels more motivated than ever. The knowledge and experience he gained during his internship provided added confidence as he begins his upper-level real estate courses. He hopes to return to Colliers as a second-year intern next summer, building on the foundation he established this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From touring warehouses in the Port of Little Rock to reviewing commercial lease agreements and scouting potential business locations, University of Arkansas at Little Rock student Ryan Gillenwater spent his <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/22\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Colliers Internship Jumpstarts UA Little Rock Student’s Future<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2906,"featured_media":94465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[28370,35323,24765,2218],"class_list":["post-94463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-college-of-business-health-and-human-services","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-school-of-business","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Colliers Internship Jumpstarts UA Little Rock Student's Future - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/22\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colliers Internship Jumpstarts UA Little Rock Student's Future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From touring warehouses in the Port of Little Rock to reviewing commercial lease agreements and scouting potential business locations, University of Arkansas at Little Rock student Ryan Gillenwater spent his ... Colliers Internship Jumpstarts UA Little Rock Student’s Future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/22\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T18:26:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T18:26:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/07\/Ryan-G.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"341\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Koros\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d2d71db64fc5dad90eaff1ce9387967\"},\"headline\":\"Colliers Internship Jumpstarts UA Little Rock Student’s Future\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-22T18:26:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T18:26:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":682,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Ryan-G.png\",\"keywords\":[\"College of Business, Health, and Human Services (CBHHS)\",\"Leaders in the Classroom and Communities\",\"School of Business\",\"Student Success\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colliers Internship Jumpstarts UA Little Rock Student's Future - News - UA Little Rock\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Ryan-G.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-22T18:26:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T18:26:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/22\\\/colliers-internship-jumpstarts-ua-little-rock-students-future\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Ryan-G.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Ryan-G.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":341,\"caption\":\"University of Arkansas at Little Rock student Ryan Gillenwater used what he learned in classes during a summer internship at Colliers that helped him discover his career path. 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In his new role, he will lead strategic communications efforts that highlight the university\u2019s students, faculty, research, and impact across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prior to joining the <em>Arkansas Democrat-Gazette<\/em>, he spent nearly a decade as a newspaper reporter in three states, covering a wide range of beats, with education remaining a consistent focus throughout his career. He earned bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in journalism, graduating summa cum laude as an undergraduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Ryan brings a unique perspective to this role as someone who has spent years telling the stories of higher education,” said Carrie Phillips, chief communications and marketing officer. “He understands what makes a compelling story, values accuracy and authenticity, and already has a deep understanding of UA Little Rock’s mission and impact. We’re excited to welcome him to our team.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his journalism career, he earned statewide recognition for his education reporting. He received the Arkansas Press Association\u2019s 2025 Best Education Story (large daily newspapers) award and was also recognized by Arkansas Press Women for excellence in education reporting in 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While reporting on higher education, Anderson developed an appreciation for the role universities play in expanding opportunity and strengthening communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“While I’ve covered myriad beats during my newspaper career, education has always been one of them, because I genuinely believe in the importance of education, and I have the utmost respect for those who work in the field,” Anderson said. “When I began my job with the Democrat-Gazette in August 2022, Carrie Phillips — and her entire marketing and communications team — stood out to me immediately for their professionalism, proficiency, and sincerity, so I couldn’t be more elated to join this group at UA Little Rock.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anderson looks forward to helping share the stories that define the university\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I fully support the mission of higher education, generally, and UA Little Rock, specifically, especially core pillars of the university like access, attainment, and community engagement,” added Anderson. “Everyone I’ve met in my short time on campus has been nothing but welcoming — a mentality I know everyone also extends to students here \u2013 and I can’t wait to make my contributions to the terrific work already ongoing at this university.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has named Ryan Anderson as director of communications in the Office of Communications and Marketing, effective July 6, 2026. Anderson comes to UA <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/21\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Ryan Anderson Named Director of Communications at UA Little Rock<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2906,"featured_media":94458,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[3203,35323],"class_list":["post-94454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-communications-and-marketing","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ryan Anderson Named Director of Communications at UA Little Rock - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/21\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ryan Anderson Named Director of Communications at UA Little Rock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has named Ryan Anderson as director of communications in the Office of Communications and Marketing, effective July 6, 2026. Anderson comes to UA ... Ryan Anderson Named Director of Communications at UA Little Rock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/21\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T16:14:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T17:17:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/07\/ryan-anderson-headshot-2026_rv.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Koros\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d2d71db64fc5dad90eaff1ce9387967\"},\"headline\":\"Ryan Anderson Named Director of Communications at UA Little Rock\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T16:14:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T17:17:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":439,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ryan-anderson-headshot-2026_rv.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Communications and Marketing\",\"Leaders in the Classroom and Communities\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ryan Anderson Named Director of Communications at UA Little Rock - News - UA Little Rock\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ryan-anderson-headshot-2026_rv.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T16:14:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T17:17:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/21\\\/ryan-anderson-named-director-of-communications-at-ua-little-rock\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ryan-anderson-headshot-2026_rv.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ryan-anderson-headshot-2026_rv.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Ryan Anderson is the new University of Arkansas at Little Rock Director of Communications, effective July 2026. 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The conference is widely considered the world\u2019s premier gathering for artificial intelligence and machine learning research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The achievement places UA Little Rock alongside many of the world’s leading universities,<br>technology companies, and research laboratories, highlighting the university’s contributions to<br>cutting-edge AI research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The paper was co-authored by Agarwal, director of the Collaboratorium for Social<br>Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS) Research Center, Maulden-Entergy Chair, and<br>Donaghey Distinguished Professor of Information Science at UA Little Rock, along with<br>collaborators from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the University of Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>COSMOS is an interdisciplinary research center that studies online behavior and develops data<br>analytics tools to better understand online communities and emerging cognitive threats in online information environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNeurIPS is where many of the most influential advances in AI are first introduced,\u201d said<br>Agarwal, whose research on cognitive security has been recognized by the U.S. Department of<br>War, NATO, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (consisting of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the World Health Organization, and other<br>organizations. \u201cHaving a paper accepted means the research has undergone an extremely<br>rigorous peer-review process and has been recognized by leading experts in the field as making a meaningful contribution to advancing AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As one of the world\u2019s most selective AI conferences, the acceptance process is highly<br>competitive, drawing thousands of submissions from top universities, research labs, and<br>technology companies across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAcceptance reflects both novelty and technical excellence,” said Agarwal, an Arkansas<br>Academy of Computing fellow, an Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) fellow, and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Distinguished Visitor and Senior Member. \u201cFor COSMOS and UA Little Rock, it demonstrates that the research being conducted here is competing successfully on a global stage alongside some of the world’s leading AI institutions. It reinforces that impactful, internationally recognized AI research is being developed right here in Arkansas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Agarwal and his team\u2019s paper introduces MANGO: Multimodal Attention-based Normalizing<br>Flow Approach to Fusion Learning, a new framework designed to improve how AI systems learn from and combine multiple types of information, including images, text, and other data sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research centers on multimodal AI, a type of artificial intelligence that learns from multiple<br>forms of information \u2014 such as text, images, or audio \u2014 simultaneously. While people naturally combine different sources of information to understand the world around them, AI systems often struggle to do so effectively because the data doesn’t always match up in obvious ways. MANGO is designed to help AI better understand and combine different types of data. Unlike many existing AI models that simply merge information together, MANGO identifies which sources are most relevant and how they relate to one another, allowing AI systems to make more accurate and reliable decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe real world is inherently multimodal, so if we want AI to better understand people and<br>complex environments, it needs to learn from multiple sources simultaneously rather than<br>treating each independently,\u201d Agarwal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research like this helps AI evolve to provide more context-aware analysis, enabling systems to<br>make more informed and trustworthy decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily life and industry, MANGO could improve<br>applications across various fields. In healthcare, it could help physicians make more informed<br>decisions by analyzing medical images alongside patient records and clinical notes. In self-<br>driving vehicles, it could improve safety by allowing AI to better interpret data from cameras,<br>radar, and other sensors. The technology could also strengthen security by analyzing social<br>media to identify coordinated influence campaigns or emerging cognitive threats through the<br>combined analysis of text, images, videos, and patterns of online behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUltimately, research like this helps build AI systems that are more reliable, more explainable,<br>and better suited for solving complex real-world problems,\u201d Agarwal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The publication also reinforces the COSMOS Research Center’s role as a hub for collaborative,<br>interdisciplinary AI research. By partnering with researchers at UA Fayetteville and UF, the<br>project demonstrates how UA Little Rock is contributing to advances at the highest levels of the international AI community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis publication further demonstrates that UA Little Rock is producing AI research that is<br>recognized at the highest international level,\u201d Agarwal said. \u201cIt enhances the university’s<br>visibility within the global AI community, strengthens our research collaborations, and creates<br>new opportunities for our students to work on cutting-edge problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, Agarwal and his collaborators plan to expand MANGO to work with additional<br>data types, larger AI foundation models, and real-time decision-making environments while<br>continuing to improve the transparency and reliability of AI systems. Their goal is to develop AI<br>systems that not only achieve high performance, but also operate reliably in complex applications where accuracy and trust are essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disclaimer: This research was funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S.<br>Army Research Office (awards W911NF23S0001, W911NF2410078, and W911NF2510147), U.S. Office of Naval Research, U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Australian Department of Defense Strategic Policy Grants Program, Arkansas Research Alliance, the Jerry L. Maulden\/Entergy Endowment, and the Donaghey Foundation at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Artificial intelligence research from Dr. Nitin Agarwal at the University of Arkansas at LittleRock has earned international recognition after a collaborative paper was published at the 39th Annual Conference on <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/20\/ua-little-rock-professor-nitin-agarwals-ai-research-published-at-worlds-top-artificial-intelligence-conference\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock Professor Nitin Agarwal\u2019s AI Research Published at World’s Top Artificial Intelligence Conference<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2764,"featured_media":92312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926,1922],"tags":[2837,25799,35325,35495,35323,2687,35322],"class_list":["post-94443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-research","tag-cosmos","tag-donaghey-college-of-stem","tag-economic-impact","tag-innovation","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-nitin-agarwal","tag-program-excellence"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock Professor Nitin Agarwal\u2019s AI Research Published at World's Top Artificial Intelligence Conference - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/20\/ua-little-rock-professor-nitin-agarwals-ai-research-published-at-worlds-top-artificial-intelligence-conference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Professor Nitin Agarwal\u2019s AI Research Published at World's Top Artificial Intelligence Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Artificial intelligence research from Dr. Nitin Agarwal at the University of Arkansas at LittleRock has earned international recognition after a collaborative paper was published at the 39th Annual Conference on ... 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Little Rock’s Carrie Phillips Receives CASE Crystal Apple Award for Years of Outstanding Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Carrie Phillips, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s chief communications and marketing officer, has been recognized by her peers in the field of educational advancement for her long and distinguished efforts in that arena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) annual Marketing and Branding Conference on June 22, Phillips received the CASE Crystal Apple Award. Phillips, who chaired this year\u2019s conference, earned the recognition after receiving outstanding evaluations as a speaker at 10 CASE conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Phillips knew a Crystal Apple could eventually be in her future based on her contributions, she thought it was years away, so receiving it now “was a total surprise,” so much so that she was rendered speechless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I’m usually very good at speaking extemporaneously, but I didn’t know what to say,” said Phillips, who\u00a0concluded her term as chair of CASE District IV June 30. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phillips held the role since 2024 after serving as chair-elect beginning in 2022, but she will continue to serve in an advisory role as past chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CASE was her first professional development conference, her first time as a speaker at a professional development conference, and her earliest volunteer service in the profession, so “CASE has been a through line in my career,” which made the recognition all the more special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“This community has challenged me, encouraged me, introduced me to lifelong friends, and given me opportunities I never imagined” when she began attending CASE conferences nearly 20 years prior, added Phillips, whose CASE district conference scores put her over the top toward Crystal Apple recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Within our profession, the CASE Crystal Apple Award is synonymous with the very highest standards of excellence — it recognizes leaders who elevate not only their own institutions but the profession itself — Carrie embodies those qualities every day through her vision, her integrity, and her unwavering commitment to telling the story of UA Little Rock,” said Christian O’Neal, UA Little Rock’s vice president of advancement. “While this honor celebrates her individual achievements, it also reflects the remarkable team she has built and the culture of excellence she inspires.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CASE, a global professional organization composed of colleges, universities, independent schools, and nonprofit institutions, supports professionals in fundraising, alumni relations, communications and marketing, and provides strategy and tools to strengthen enrollment, engagement, and long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“As a fellow CASE Crystal Apple recipient, I thank you for your dedication and the extraordinary talent you have given to CASE programs over the years,” Sue Cunningham, CASE president and CEO, wrote in a letter to Phillips. “Without teachers like you, who give time and expertise so willingly, CASE could not provide the high-quality education for which it is known throughout the world. For setting such high professional standards, and for giving of yourself in service to the profession, we are all in your debt.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phillips “is one of the most dynamic member practitioners in the entire community of over 88,000 professionals,” according to Chase Moore, CASE executive director. “Through her prolific writing and shared expertise through presentations, Carrie has inspired thousands of people. She has contributed to the professional knowledge that shapes educational advancement and (marketing-communications) best practice across the globe.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phillips spearheaded the revitalization of CASE District IV programming, driving engagement to 216% of goal and earning the opportunity to present before the international CASE Board of Trustees. Framework she helped design for District IV — which spans Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas — has since been adopted by all seven other CASE districts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That systems-focused leadership mirrors her work at UA Little Rock, a metropolitan research institution committed to expanding access to education and preparing career-ready graduates for the workforce. Through her involvement with CASE, Phillips has connected UA Little Rock with national best practices and peer institutions addressing similar priorities in enrollment, communications, and institutional positioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“CASE has been a great access point for us to align (UA Little Rock) with best-in-class” protocols, but “we’ve also been leading the way, (and UA Little Rock) has seen the value of CASE for our institution and our professionals here,” Phillips said. O’Neal and Chancellor Christina S. Drale “have been very supportive of my involvement in CASE, recognizing the opportunities it creates for us at UA Little Rock — without that support, this wouldn’t have happened — and it speaks to a culture here of wanting to be the best version we can be for our students.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As O’Neal engages “with advancement and communications leaders across the country, I see firsthand the respect they have for the work being done at UA Little Rock and for Carrie’s leadership,” he said. “Under her direction, we’ve built a Communications and Marketing team within University Advancement that stands alongside the very best in higher education. Our colleagues recognize the creativity, strategy, and results our team consistently delivers, and they often point to the work happening at UA Little Rock as an example of excellence.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phillips remains active in the Public Relations Society of America\u2019s Counselors to Higher Education, presents regularly for the American Marketing Association, and mentors emerging professionals across the country. She’s also been named an <em>Arkansas Money and Politics<\/em> Future Icon, a three-time <em>Top 10 Higher Ed Marketer to Follow<\/em>, and a CASE Circle of Excellence Grand Gold Award recipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Carrie is one of the most talented communications professionals I’ve had the privilege to work with, a trusted colleague, an exceptional leader, and someone who genuinely cares about the people and mission of UA Little Rock,” said O’Neal. “Every day, she challenges all of us to think more strategically about how we tell our story and how we connect with the audiences we serve.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carrie Phillips, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s chief communications and marketing officer, has been recognized by her peers in the field of educational advancement for her long and <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/20\/ua-little-rocks-carrie-phillips-receives-case-crystal-apple-award-for-years-of-outstanding-service\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock’s Carrie Phillips Receives CASE Crystal Apple Award for Years of Outstanding Service<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3905,"featured_media":94441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1926],"tags":[32961,3203,35323],"class_list":["post-94437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-carrie-phillips","tag-communications-and-marketing","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock's Carrie Phillips Receives CASE Crystal Apple Award for Years of Outstanding Service - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/20\/ua-little-rocks-carrie-phillips-receives-case-crystal-apple-award-for-years-of-outstanding-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock's Carrie Phillips Receives CASE Crystal Apple Award for Years of Outstanding Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Carrie Phillips, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s chief communications and marketing officer, has been recognized by her peers in the field of educational advancement for her long and ... 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The event included remarks from UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina S. Drale and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., a graduate of the university, followed by the unveiling of the new signs. During the ceremony, Scott also presented a commemorative proclamation on behalf of the City of Little Rock recognizing UA Little Rock\u2019s centennial celebration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“One hundred years, a centennial, higher education, economic development, the fabric of a capital city: that is the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, (and) I’m a proud graduate of this university,” Scott said. “On behalf of the City of Little Rock, I share my appreciation for this university and its 100 years of steadfast service, 100 years of sacrifice, and 100 years of success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The signs not only recognize\u00a0 the university\u2019s centennial but also its longstanding place in Arkansas and the city of Little Rock. While UA Little Rock has occupied three locations throughout its history, it has called its current campus home for over 75 years, growing alongside the city it has served for a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can’t go to any public square, any pulpit, any process of progress across this entire state and not meet a UA Little Rock graduate,” Scott said. “That\u2019s the type of impact they have.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea for custom signage originated with dedicated UA Little Rock alumnus and Board of Visitors member Larry Golden, who envisioned using the university’s signature maroon color and Trojan head logo to create a more recognizable campus identity and to highlight UA Little Rock’s presence in the surrounding community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStreet signs do more than direct traffic,\u201d Drale said. \u201cThey create a sense of place. They tell people they’ve arrived somewhere that matters. Beginning today, everyone who enters our campus will be welcomed by signs that proudly reflect this university.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The custom signs were made possible through a partnership with the City of Little Rock and the university’s facilities management team. In collaboration with the City of Little Rock and its Public Works Department, the university designed custom street signs and identified key campus intersections for the new signage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The street sign dedication is one of several centennial initiatives recognizing the people, places, and partnerships that have shaped UA Little Rock over the past century while looking ahead to its next 100 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“These signs now become part of that story,” Drale said. “They will welcome prospective students on their first campus visit, families celebrating graduation, alumni returning home, and countless others who will discover all that happens here.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the University of Arkansas at Little Rock celebrates its 100th anniversary, newly dedicated custom street signs are leaving a lasting mark on campus while honoring the university\u2019s century of <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/16\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock Unveils Custom Street Signs for Centennial Celebration<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2906,"featured_media":94426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[112,33343,36048,6730],"class_list":["post-94424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-alumni-association","tag-centennial-campaign","tag-centennial-celebration","tag-christina-drale"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock Unveils Custom Street Signs for Centennial Celebration - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/16\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Unveils Custom Street Signs for Centennial Celebration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the University of Arkansas at Little Rock celebrates its 100th anniversary, newly dedicated custom street signs are leaving a lasting mark on campus while honoring the university\u2019s century of ... UA Little Rock Unveils Custom Street Signs for Centennial Celebration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/16\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T18:42:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T18:52:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/07\/BK_A0082.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Koros\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Samantha Koros\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d2d71db64fc5dad90eaff1ce9387967\"},\"headline\":\"UA Little Rock Unveils Custom Street Signs for Centennial Celebration\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T18:42:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T18:52:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":483,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/BK_A0082.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Alumni Association\",\"Centennial Campaign\",\"Centennial Celebration\",\"Christina Drale\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/\",\"name\":\"UA Little Rock Unveils Custom Street Signs for Centennial Celebration - News - UA Little Rock\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/BK_A0082.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T18:42:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T18:52:32+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16\\\/ua-little-rock-unveils-custom-street-signs-for-centennial-celebration\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/BK_A0082.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/BK_A0082.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Frank Scott Jr., mayor of Little Rock and a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, helps unveil new custom street signs for UA Little Rock along with the university's Chancellor, Christina S. 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Research also illustrates both the “immense impact childhood play has on us,” as well as that play is “essential to our well-being — necessary for physical and mental health.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibit, which opened July 10, remains on display through Dec. 15, and is free and open to the public Monday\u2013Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an individual or group visit to the exhibit, at 333 President Clinton Avenue, email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:downtown@ualr.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">downtown@ualr.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“It’s great that this is available — I love it — I’ll be bringing some folks down here” to see this exhibit while it’s on display, said Aaron Rhoades, a native of Central Arkansas who attended the exhibit’s opening night. “There’s something for everyone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rhoades spent 13 years in Myrtle Beach, S.C., but moved back to Central Arkansas last year because he “missed the sense of community,” a sense that was embodied by this exhibit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I really appreciate this type of local history,” he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The memories section of the exhibit, where individuals were invited to share their personal reflections on childhood play, is a favorite of Cieslak’s, as it demonstrates how “the community collaborates with us, and contributes to what we do at the university,” she said. “We work across disciplines to connect with the community,” and community members could also loan toys for the exhibit in addition to sharing their childhood play memories for the display, gestures that both require “a lot of trust.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nader Afsordeh, who says Star Trek has “always had a special place in his heart,” contributed some of his childhood toys to the exhibit. On opening night, he explained he wanted to see them displayed alongside the rest of the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“It’s interesting, the history of play, and it’s really cool to see” the cross-section of toys, along with their context and explanations, he said. “The older toys are very different than toys today — it was a very different world — I’ve enjoyed” the exhibit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Americans actually preferred handmade toys over mass-produced items until the second half of the 20th century, and “Play in Arkansas” has myriad examples of the former, including a pair of “handmade mountain dolls” from Arkansas, and even a handmade checkerboard from the Spencer Polk family that dates to the 1800s, said Cieslak, a historian and history professor. Another section of the exhibit, “Play in the Time of Hardship,” spotlights how toys aided individuals through trying circumstances, such as the handmade wooden snake crafted by a Russian prisoner of war in France during World War I. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>UA Little Rock Downtown collaborated with several partners on this exhibit, including: Arkansas State Archives (Julienne Crawford and Dr. David Ware), Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) Butler Center for Arkansas Studies (Danielle Afsrodeh and Brian Robertson), Old State House Museum (Samantha Ashley and Lark Buckingham), and the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture (Emily Summers Yarberry and Dr. Jess Porter), Cieslak said. “Although loaning items across institutions is a fairly standard practice, let me stress that we never take it for granted, (as) it does require a substantial amount of work from the loaning curators and teams,” but all four organizations “are absolutely terrific to work with.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carlie Cowgill, programming and administrative assistant at UA Little Rock Downtown — and a graduate of UA Little Rock’s Master of Arts Public History program — is the exhibit’s co-author, participating in every stage of this exhibit’s development, Cieslak noted. Additionally, Stacey Griggs Matchett, a summer intern for UA Little Rock Downtown, was also involved in researching and developing labels for a section of the exhibit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cieslak has heard from several individuals who have explored the exhibit, then experienced memories of their own childhood play rush back to their minds, which “makes this all worth it,” she said. “Hearing that brings such a smile to my face.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite closing in the 1940s, McLeod\u2019s Amusement Park — more commonly known as Happy Hollow — remains fresh in the memories of many Arkansans who have visited “Play in Arkansas,” which highlights the attraction along with other “Arkansas Classics” in Hot Springs, such as Oaklawn Park, the city’s historic bathhouses, an alligator farm, and an ostrich farm, as well as non-Hot Springs sites like Eureka Springs and Crater of Diamonds State Park, she said. “I learned so much about Happy Hollow through this process, and it’s one of the classics in Arkansas.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Located in the historic River Market District, UA Little Rock Downtown is where university students, faculty, and staff meet with the public to discuss, exchange, and implement ideas that aim to make the world a more just and equitable place for all. It serves as a hub of learning, service, and collaborations across the lines of scholarly disciplines, fields of community activism, and individual backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following “Play in Arkansas” will be an exhibit — scheduled to debut in February 2027 — highlighting the history of UA Little Rock, as it celebrates its centennial year in 2026-27. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“We’re very excited to be part of the Centennial festivities and celebrate 100 years of UA Little Rock,” said Cieslak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In \u201cThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer,\u201d Mark Twain observes (through his protagonist) that \u201cwork consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that play consists of whatever a <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/15\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> New UA Little Rock Downtown Exhibit Examines History of Play<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3905,"featured_media":94423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1923,1925,1926],"tags":[36054,36053,36052,35495,12728],"class_list":["post-94419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","category-featured","tag-community","tag-education","tag-history-2","tag-innovation","tag-ua-little-rock-downtown"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New UA Little Rock Downtown Exhibit Examines History of Play - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/15\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New UA Little Rock Downtown Exhibit Examines History of Play\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In \u201cThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer,\u201d Mark Twain observes (through his protagonist) that \u201cwork consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that play consists of whatever a ... New UA Little Rock Downtown Exhibit Examines History of Play\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/15\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T18:12:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T16:43:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/07\/Play-in-Arkansas-opening-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Anderson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ryan Anderson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ryan Anderson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f642c78068d68577d4b4539b8c2afe2\"},\"headline\":\"New UA Little Rock Downtown Exhibit Examines History of Play\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T18:12:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-24T16:43:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":980,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Play-in-Arkansas-opening-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Community\",\"Education\",\"History\",\"Innovation\",\"UA Little Rock Downtown\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arts & Culture\",\"Community\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/\",\"name\":\"New UA Little Rock Downtown Exhibit Examines History of Play - News - UA Little Rock\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Play-in-Arkansas-opening-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T18:12:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-24T16:43:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/new-ua-little-rock-downtown-exhibit-examines-history-of-play\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Play-in-Arkansas-opening-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Play-in-Arkansas-opening-1.jpg\",\"width\":320,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"Several individuals explore the \\\"Play in Arkansas\\\" exhibit at UA Little Rock Downtown July 10. 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By the time he completely lost his sight, he was prepared and able to keep working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bhattacharyya not only taught the man braille, but also how to adapt to his new world. Moments like that have defined Bhattacharyya’s career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UA Little Rock alumnus serves as outreach director for the Helen Keller National Center\u2019s National Outreach Technology Development and Training Program. He travels across the United States helping deafblind individuals use adaptive technology to communicate, work, and live more independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bhattacharyya was born in Kolkata and raised in Telari, a small village about 25 miles away. When he was growing up, the village had no electricity, running water, or paved roads. As someone who was born deaf and gradually lost his vision, Bhattacharyya\u2019s access to communication and information was limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I learned early to become resourceful and independent because many of the services and technology available today simply did not exist,” he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Helping others has become his life’s work. His journey took shape at UA Little Rock, where he found not only an education but the confidence to become a leader in accessibility, technology, and advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His father also impressed upon him the importance of becoming financially independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“My father commanded that I needed to support myself financially because he would not be there forever to give me a hand,” Bhattacharyya said. “That message served as a guiding point in how I pursued all endeavors in life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After attending Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, in 1992, Bhattacharyya transferred to UA Little Rock because of its commitment to accessibility. At the time, universities with comprehensive accommodations for deafblind students were rare. He eventually graduated from UA Little Rock in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/publicaffairs\/politicalscience\/\">political science<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He learned that the university was willing to remove barriers instead of creating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said UA Little Rock provided him with qualified interpreters, note-taking support, textbooks translated into electronic formats compatible with adaptive technology, orientation and mobility assistance, and faculty and staff committed to finding solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“The environment at UA Little Rock allowed me to focus on learning instead of constantly fighting for access,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bhattacharyya also became involved in improving accessibility for future students. Then-Chancellor Charles Hathaway invited students with disabilities to share ideas for making the campus more accessible, leading to the creation of an Americans with Disabilities Act committee. Bhattacharyya served on the committee, helping advocate for improvements such as ramps, elevators, accessible water fountains, and adaptive technology labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“That experience became the foundation for my career in advocacy, accessibility, education without barriers, and technology,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although he earned degrees in political science and <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/rhetoric\/\">rhetoric and writing<\/a>, Bhattacharyya found a career that combined policy, communication, education, and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Political science taught me how laws, government, policies, and public systems affect people’s lives,” he said. “Rhetoric and writing taught me how to communicate ideas clearly and advocate effectively. Technology already was my deep passion, and it became the tool that makes independence with access to communication and information possible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, no two days are the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He conducts technology assessments, teaches people to use screen readers, refreshable braille displays, smartphones, and computers, evaluates emerging accessibility tools, troubleshoots technology, and trains professionals across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the course of his career, he has watched smartphones, artificial intelligence, optical character recognition, GPS navigation, and cloud-based communication tools dramatically expand opportunities for deafblind individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is particularly excited about artificial intelligence and its potential to improve image descriptions, navigation, access to printed information, and real-time communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I’m especially excited about artificial intelligence becoming more integrated into accessibility,” he said. “These technologies have dramatically increased independence and access to information.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His advocacy has extended beyond individual training. Bhattacharyya helped support national efforts that led to the creation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icanconnect.org\/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21172793217&gbraid=0AAAAAoX983cgXvTt14XDVevULYRbARYjz&gclid=CjwKCAjwmdLSBhANEiwAkREMN28by3JRlcawg3_7kWO5hJU03iS1daoLnf_s3zJ_WtG_yu0HVcwqkhoCHEEQAvD_BwE\">iCanConnect<\/a>, a federally-funded program that provides eligible deafblind individuals with free communication technology and training. Today, he manages that program in Florida and Iowa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the national scope of his work, Bhattacharyya says success is measured one person at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“What means the most to me is hearing someone say, ‘I can do this on my own now,'” he said. “Those words are more meaningful than any award or title. The most rewarding part is seeing someone realize they can do something independently that they never thought was possible. Whether it’s sending their first email, shopping online, communicating with family, applying for a job, or returning to school, those moments remind me why this work is so meaningful.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For families and friends of someone who is deafblind, Bhattacharyya encourages people to begin with a simple question, rather than assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Ask the individual how they prefer to communicate,” he said. “There is no single approach that works for everyone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also hopes people remember that deafblindness does not define a person’s abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Never assume that deafblindness limits what someone can achieve,” he said. “With proper training, accessible technology, skilled support professionals, and high expectations, deafblind individuals can pursue education, careers, travel, raise families, and contribute to their communities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bhattacharyya credits UA Little Rock with helping transform the trajectory of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“(That) was a turning point in my life,” he said. “It gave me access to the education, accommodations, mentors, and opportunities that helped me realize my potential.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“The university didn’t simply provide me with a degree,” he said. “It gave me the confidence to become a leader and dedicate my career to helping others succeed.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A man who thought he would lose his job after gradually losing his vision learned braille at the encouragement of Anindya “Bapin” Bhattacharyya. By the time he completely lost his <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/15\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock Alumnus Helps Others Find Independence Through Technology<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2036,"featured_media":94415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[112,35323,83,170,2218],"class_list":["post-94414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-alumni-association","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-political-science","tag-rhetoric-and-writing","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock Alumnus Helps Others Find Independence Through Technology - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/15\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Alumnus Helps Others Find Independence Through Technology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A man who thought he would lose his job after gradually losing his vision learned braille at the encouragement of Anindya “Bapin” Bhattacharyya. By the time he completely lost his ... UA Little Rock Alumnus Helps Others Find Independence Through Technology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/15\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T19:04:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/07\/Bapin.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Justin Bates\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Justin Bates\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Justin Bates\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a8336890d544505fbdbb0f0e689814a7\"},\"headline\":\"UA Little Rock Alumnus Helps Others Find Independence Through Technology\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T17:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T19:04:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":946,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Bapin.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Alumni Association\",\"Leaders in the Classroom and Communities\",\"Political Science Program\",\"Rhetoric and Writing\",\"Student Success\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/\",\"name\":\"UA Little Rock Alumnus Helps Others Find Independence Through Technology - News - UA Little Rock\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Bapin.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T17:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T19:04:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/ua-little-rock-alumnus-helps-others-find-independence-through-technology\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Bapin.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ualr.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/240\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Bapin.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"UA Little Rock alumnus Anindya \\\"Bapin\\\" Bhattacharyya serves as outreach director for the Helen Keller National Center\u2019s National Outreach Technology Development and Training Program. 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