Mission
The Donaghey Student Center (DSC) contributes to the intellect of students by working with the colleges to present events, conferences, and training that aligns with their academic mission of instruction.
Development: The DSC establishes a climate that encourages personal wellness and nurtures individuals to be positive contributors to society.
Service: The DSC supports the mission of the university by providing a diverse facility, programs, and services to enhance the institution’s educational environment and improve the quality of college life.
Community: The DSC is a place of convergence between the campus community and the community of Little Rock and surrounding areas.
Summary Narrative
1) Enhance recruitment and retention efforts to increase enrollment
Staff of the Donaghey Student Center and Campus Recreation host and coordinate many activities to keep students engaged and promote retention, including:
- Intramural Sports was able to begin offering team related sports in the Fall of 2021 in a safe return to play environment. Opportunities were made available for students to participate in person as a team, individually or virtually throughout each semester. Collaborations between the student body and external entities resulted in being able to provide virtual and unique opportunities.
- For the 2022-23 academic year, DSC is interested in looking at tweaking some things that were researched and compared to other universities of our student population and dynamics.
- Aside from traditional programs (i.e. basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and softball), there will be some rebranding of the offerings to include more of your one day, drop-in and/or self-ran events called “flash” programs (i.e. badminton, table tennis, tennis, baggo, bowling, dodgeball, etc.).
- The addition of new exercise equipment was an important step in enhancing recruitment of new students and the retention of current students. The Matrix addition (20 cardio pieces) immediately brought many positive comments as did some simple pieces such as a hex bar, landmine, battle rope, new exercise mats and several kettlebells.
- In addition, the fitness center manager has made a concerted effort to circulate throughout the fitness rooms on a regular basis throughout each day as a way to build relationships by simply asking the students, faculty, staff, and patrons how their day was going and/or providing some advice on their exercise routine. Being out on the floor is essential in customer service as it helps connect a face with a name and lets our members and patrons know that we have someone with exercise expertise in this area.
- Fit/Well program provided recreational opportunities to a diverse campus community, promoted healthy lifestyles, fostered social interactions and implemented mindfulness health-related skills.
- Fit/Well was able to begin offering live group fitness classes in the Fall of 2021 in a safe return to active lifestyle group interactions and university engagement.
- Opportunities were made available for students, staff, faculty, and members to participate in person, individually or virtually in different programs throughout each semester.
- Additionally, with the revival of the Step Challenges, theme components were added to them that provided information for recreation walking-related activities in locations across the United States, Arkansas, and the Little Rock Metropolitan Area. For the 2022-23 academic year, some aspects may be altered that were examined using feedback gained through various assessments. In addition to our traditional programming, the focus will be on offerings that will include more pop-up events.
- The aquatics facility hosted several swim meets that attracted several hundred potential students and parents. During these meets, marketing videos for UA Little Rock were shown
on the video board for all to see.
2) Strengthen student-friendly operations and customer service
- The fitness manager made it a point to lead by example by mentoring and helping the student workers enhance their customer service skills. Some examples include greeting everyone with a smile and positive attitude (e.g. “we are glad you are here..welcome, etc.). Another strategy the fitness manager incorporated was to walk through the fitness areas on both floors to be seen by participants and engage in conversation if the opportunity presented itself. Additionally, the fitness manager helped with cleaning and sweeping as it sent a signal to staff and participants that he cared about our facility. The fitness manager took a hands-on approach in keeping the facility and equipment clean and in good working condition.
- Intramurals was able to get a timer control link through Musco Lighting installed on the intramural fields. This will help provide a better service to students and facility renters. Additionally, it will extend the life of the lightbulbs at the intramural fields.
- DSC and Information Desk partnered with IT Services to replace the Trojan ID System. ID Works had reached the end of life and needed to be replaced. Badgepass is the new card system and it was implemented in August this year.
- A Conference Services survey was sent out this year which received good feedback from those who responded. Service and rooms were rated high with parking given the lowest marks.
3) Improve diversity and inclusion efforts to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students
- The DSC has always taken pride in hiring a diverse staff. This year there were several students from all walks of life, which included international students from the following countries: Peru, India, Brazil, Bosnia, Honduras, Bangladesh, and Russia.
- Fit/Well added “Privacy Statements” to forms and surveys so that users are aware of our practices and feel more comfortable providing sensitive personal information.
- Fit/Well brought the water exercise class back to the schedule for summer. This provides a safe group exercise class not only for participants with joint/mobility issues, but also those rehabilitating from COVID-19 symptoms, such as inhibited cardiorespiratory endurance.
4) Align financial and human resources to operate more effectively and efficiently
- This year the DSC worked diligently with staffing our areas and hours of operation. The ultimate goal was having adequate coverage that translates to being efficient and sufficient at the same time.
- The unit worked very closely with the Office of Financial Aid to use and hire work study eligible students. Trojan Works was another great avenue that supported us in providing student workers for the DSC.
- Aquatics partnered with UA Little Rock Swim Academy to provide lane space for swim lessons. As of June 30, 2022, there have been over 50 participants who have used the program this summer.
5) Promote student development, engagement, and leadership
- The DSC worked with Human Resources to provide a customer service training module for student employees and professional staff. This training helped our staff sharpen skills from phone etiquette to appropriate behavior in the workplace. This training will continue for all new full- and part-time staff.
- DSC hired its first Fit/Well intern from the Health, Human Performance, and Sports Management (HHPS) department during Fall 2021. The intern managed the Fall Step Challenge in addition to some office duties as their project. This fulfilled the requirements of their Health Promotion class, for which an internship is required. With direction from the Fit/Well coordinator, the intern chose the specific trails, created informational slides, sent the weekly emails with the educational material, assisted with marketing, tracked the participants, learned the various facets of fitness program coordination, and learned/improved skills using various portions of the university’s Google Suite. The trails were located in the Little Rock Metropolitan Area.
- Fit/Well continued their partnership with Counseling Services for the Movement Monday’s drop-in campus walk. This provided opportunities for students to engage with faculty and staff in a casual environment, to receive helpful advice and suggestions, and to foster a deeper sense of belonging at the university.
- The DSC worked with the Art Department to paint a mural in the Game Lounge (201T) this year. The class was created and selected specifically for this purpose. Each student drew their best ideas and the staff selected the winner. The class then painted it for the final project.
- Conference Services retained all of its staff except for graduating students. The unit is excited to reopen the student gaming lounge and hire 3-5 students to operate it.
6) Other
- DSC Fitness Center and University District partnered to host a health fair for the surrounding community. There were over 200 participants that were evaluated for blood pressure, body mass index, weight, and height. Nutritional information was presented to the attendees as well.
- Fit/Well program conducted assessments for each Step Challenge offered.
- DSC departments participated in all orientation and recruitment events.
- DSC partnered with eStem to host four soccer games at the Coleman Sports Recreational Complex, along with homecoming and several sports banquets.
- Conference Services was not able to host big groups at the beginning of the academic year due to COVID restrictions. However, these restrictions were lifted this Spring 2022, and were able to host several big groups/camps in the spring and summer. We are still expecting revenue for this fiscal year somewhere near $60,000 which also includes back charges for on-campus departmental events.
At A Glance
Intramural Sports
- Meetings were held with the eSports Club in trying to get their involvement and connect with other universities for eSports leagues/tournaments.
- Conversations, meetings, and surveys were sent out to the student body for feedback to offer an intramural softball league/tournament.
- Various information tables at events (i.e. Discover UALR, Earth Day, Sustainability Day, etc.)
- Speaking engagements with CLC classes about involvement and opportunities they have with Campus Recreation.
- Held weekly student staff meetings and office hours were held during the academic year.
- Launched UA Little Rock Campus Recreation Mobile App
- Estimated downloads since Nov. 2021 – 200
- Number of Sport/Events Offered – 15
- Number of Games Scheduled – 133
- Number of Teams Created – 78
- Number of Participants – 274
- Number of Participants is the count of students who played sports (students who are on multiple teams are counted multiple times).
- Number of Unique Participants – 160
- Number of unique participants is the count of unique students who played sports (students who are on multiple teams are only counted once).
- Number of Participations – 853
- Participations is the count of every time a student participates in a game (as marked on the scoresheet).
- Number of Student Workers – 7
Fit/Well
- Approximately 633 group fitness classes offered (approximately 88 virtual)
- Approximately 4000 Fit/Well participant contacts
- Provided group exercise classes to Bowen Law School students
- Took over the Step Challenges from the Wellness Program, adding national, state, and local elements to provide learning components to generate/increase interest and participation.
- Provided activity and educational programming to UA Little Rock and Bowen School of Law communities through Step Challenges
- Provided Fit/Well programming to Summer Bridge 2021 participants (exposing incoming students to class offerings and nutrition information)
- Partnered with Counseling Services for the Movement Mondays campus walking program.
- Provided fitness class programming to CWDSA students.
Aquatics
- Hosted practices and swim meets for UA Little Rock Women’s swim team
- UA Little Rock Swim Team swim lesson program (400+ participants)
- Hosted Arkansas Dolphins Swim Team (75 swimmers) at university pool
- Hosted Central Arkansas Swim Team (60 swimmers)
- Partnered with Arkansas Game and Fish, Arkansas State Police, Little Rock Fire Department, MEMS SORT Team, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department and hosted aquatic exercises/activities.
- Hosted six high school swim teams (200+ swimmers)
- Hosted Arkansas Canoe Club
- Hosted Arkansas Spring Board diving team
- Hosted Arkansas Masters Swimming
- Hosted Boy Scouts of America
- Hosted US Navy Special Warfare, US Navy National Guard, US Army, US Army National Guard, US Marine Corp, US Air Force, USGS, US Army Jr. ROTC at the university pool.
Conference Services
- Hosted some big annual events such as Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY), cheer camp, Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair (CARSEF), Auburn Tax Seminar, etc.
- AEGIS summer camps and APSI returned this summer for their annual program.
- Adapted the Conference Services’s Coordinator old laptop to serve as the mobile ID station. This was an upgrade of the old desktop computer we had been using in the past.
- All front desk desktops were updated and old ones sent to M&R.
- Installed 4 new ports under the info desk for internet access.
Fitness Center
- Despite lingering COVID concerns among students, faculty, staff, and community members, DSC averaged 500 visits per week (72 visits per day) which was similar to the previous year (2020-2021) when COVID was beginning to spread.
- Financial deposits have grown significantly with new memberships increasing as well as renewal of memberships and a large increase in guest pass purchases.
- Expenses for equipment repairs have been less than $500 for the year.
- The Fitness Center hosted a Science Fair, Tae Kwon Do, and a Mixed Martial Arts tournament in addition to three volleyball tournaments.
- 2021-22 Monthly revenue through April 2022 was $14,041.50.
Assessment 1
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Learning Outcome: Knowledge acquisition/construction/integration and application
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Prepare students for success
Activity or experience being assessed
Customer service training from HR
Assessment artifacts
Survey and focus group
Time period assessment was done
06/01/2022
Results
The focus group showed that students really enjoyed the customer service training. They felt several of the skills learned from the training could transfer over to future positions they may acquire.
We were able to discuss the results during staff meetings with managers of each department and receive feedback from our students. We sent the survey out to over fifty professional and student staff workers and forty of them responded. This gave us a 90% completion rate. Listed below are the questions from the survey.
- Did you find the customer service training useful? 85.7% indicated, “Yes”
- How likely are you to use the skills that you learned in training? 71.4% indicated, “Very Likely”
- Was the training presented in a format that was easy to follow? 100% indicated, “Yes”
- Would you recommend the training to others? 100% indicated, “Yes”
Continuous improvement process
Managers will research other customer service training modules that can help our staff continue to improve the services we offer. We will also contact other peer institutions to see what training they may be offering for students and professional staff.
Stateholder involvement / Communication plan
The DSC will work with Human Resources to make sure we have all the current training available.
Assessment 2
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Operational Assessment
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Strengthen and support the human resources and infrastructure necessary to fulfill UA Little Rock’s mission
Activity or experience being assessed
Create and post QR code throughout the building to be scanned by students, staff, and visitors. Use reports to compare the effectiveness with a goal of improving the DSC facilities. Create a customer satisfaction survey to be administered.
Training on how each supervisor will address and respond to each work order as it comes in.
Assessment artifacts
The survey was distributed to those individuals that had submitted a message to the QR code and left an email for a response.
- Have you used the QR code in the DSC restrooms to report any issues? 71.4% indicated, “Yes”
- Have you noticed the signs with information to report any issues? 85.7% indicated, “Yes”
- Have you noticed a difference in the upkeep of the restrooms since this system was initiated? 71.4% indicated, “Yes”
- How likely are you to report any issues by using the QR code? 71% indicated, “Very Likely”
- Would you recommend this system to other departments on campus? 100% indicated, “Yes”
Time period assessment was done
6/30/22
Results
We found that people were using the QR Code and found it user-friendly on their phones. We also found it easier to get things addressed because numerous managers were seeing the submission.
Continuous improvement process
Based on the findings and results of the survey, we will begin to implement more categories in our DSC submissions. This will allow more managers to be notified of issues in their areas sooner.
WHEN: Changes will be implemented in Fall 2022.
Stateholder involvement / Communication plan
Reports will be shared with the Director of the Donaghey Student Center along with recommendations for improvements. The Director will review current processes and make recommendations for improvement as well for the future.
Assessment 3
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Operational Assessment
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Strengthen and support the human resources and infrastructure necessary to fulfill UA Little Rock’s mission
Activity or experience being assessed
What are students’ and customers’ perceptions of Conference Services?
Assessment artifacts
The survey was distributed to Student Organizations, Outside Community Renters, and Faculty/Staff. We had ten groups respond back to us.
- Did the overall facility cleanliness and appearance meet your expectations? 80% indicated, “Yes”
- Did the room setup meet your needs and expectations? 100% indicated, “Yes”
- How would you rate the billing operations? 60% indicated, “Excellent”
- How would you rate the customer service? 80% indicated, “Excellent”
- Did the audio/visual equipment meet your needs? 100% indicated, “Yes”
- How would you rate the parking accessibility to campus and your meeting/event location? 80% indicated, “Good”
- How likely are you to reserve the facility in the near future? 100% indicated, “Very Likely”
- How would you rate the use of our website and its content? 60% siad excellent and 40% indicated, “Very Good”
Time period assessment was done
6/30/22
Results
After reviewing the results from the survey, we learned that our users were highly satisfied with our services and facilities. Two things that we will look into is enhancing our website and payment options.
Continuous improvement process
We will need to review our website and scheduling software that contains an invoice option. With Astra not being updated anymore, it has become difficult to keep reservations from overbooking.
WHEN: We will begin looking at software options in the fall semester and other options that may be viable.
Stateholder involvement / Communication plan
The Conference Service Coordinator will share results with the Director of the Donaghey Student Center. Together they will use the data collected to make improvements in the areas highlighted in the survey for future events.
Assessment 4
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Student Learning
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Improve diversity/inclusion/equity/and global understanding in the campus community
Activity or experience being assessed
A Peak A Day Sumer 2021 Step Challenge
- Step Challenges were revived and brought into Fit/Well programming in order to:
- Improve community health using an activity that the majority of the community is able to engage in, that can easily be accommodated to fit individual needs.
- Improve community engagement with university programming.
- Increase community knowledge of local recreational venues.
- Provide engagement opportunities for those who are uncomfortable with fitness class participation.
- We added a theme, which called for the participants to walk increasing distances over a six-week period in which they simulated climbing specific mountains in the United States, as if the mountain were laid out flat on the ground.
Assessment artifacts
Online Survey
Form link: https://forms.gle/gmuUmKUjs9xGXAPX9
A Peak A Day Summer 2021 Survey Summary
Time period assessment was done
Summer 2021
Results
Participants who responded reported (Summary highlights):
- The survey was sent to the 132 registered participants, 19 responded (14.4% response rate). Reminders to respond were sent twice after the initial release.
- 52% of respondents found that their activity level increased as a result of participating in the program.
- This program was in the summer prior to the university going to live instruction, and one of the goals during promotion was to help participants feel prepared to return to campus, specifically returning to walking around to perform job duties. 52% of respondents responded that they did indeed feel more prepared to do so.
- 68% of respondents felt that the theme increased their interest in the program.
- All respondents wanted to see the program continue to be offered again.
- Almost half responded that they would be interested in participating in a drop-in weekly walking program.
- We partnered with Counseling Services in Fall 2021 to create Movement Mondays, encouraged by survey results.
- Created a similarly themed program for Fall 2021, focusing on local venues/opportunities
- Educated the campus community regarding walking trails in the Little Rock Metropolitan area.
Continuous improvement process
The theme for summer was received positively, so we decided to use a more local theme for fall, enabling participants to visit locations in person, since they were close to where they lived, or very short drives away. This also increased their knowledge of close, free, and mildly challenging recreation locations.
WHEN: Fall 2022- Different locations will be used.
Stateholder involvement / Communication plan
- Emails to allowed campus listservs
- Flyers posted around campus
- Marquee board advertisement utilized
- Contacted prior participants each time the new version was offered
- Participants encouraged to forward the program registration information to friends/colleagues
