TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Mission
- Letter from Dr. Brad Patterson
- Promotes Student Development Through Intentional Services, Programming, and Structures
- Encourages a Health University Community
- Advocates for the Excluded
- Provides an Environment in Which Students Can Pursue Their Educational Goals
- Future Goals
- Staff Notes
Printable PDF of UA Little Rock Student Affairs 2014-15 Annual Report
issue (flip book) version of UA Little Rock Student Affairs 2014-15 Annual Report
Student Affairs Mission
- Promotes student development through intentional services, programming, and structures
- Encourages a healthy university community
- Advocates for the excluded
- Provides an environment in which students can pursue their educational goals
Letter from Dr. Brad Patterson
Students, Colleagues, and Friends of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
Thank you for your interest in the University’s Division of Student Affairs. The division consists of 10 different departments with one defining purpose: To serve the students of UA Little Rock.
Included in this report are stories of the accomplishments, successes, and extraordinary efforts of the great teams within this area that strive to improve the student experience on a daily basis.
The 2014-2015 academic year was one of surprises, change, and disruption that helped us grow and develop in our professional roles. The year began with the departure of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Dr. Logan Hampton, as he accepted the presidency at Lane College, and the year ended with the retirement of the university ’s first Director of Student Housing, Deb Gentry. Dr. Hampton and Dean Gentry had been at UA Little Rock for many years and their departure was a true loss for the campus.
Despite these challenges the division made great strides and continued to improve services for the campus. Highlights included:
- Receipt of over $10.5 million in extramural funding
- Creation of a new institutional work-study program
- An alternative Spring Break for students and staff to serve those in need
- The launch of a new online student orientation
- A Summer Bridge Academy with outstanding student success rates
- A new study abroad experience for students in the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Scholars Academy
- An active University Behavioral Intervention Team that worked to support overall campus safety
- Extensive service to the campus and community from our Chancellor’s Leadership Corps
- New dining options and services
- Biometric screening for all university employees
- A new annual reporting process
- Enhanced suicide prevention programming
There were many more accomplishments throughout the year that you will see on the following pages.
The division is already off to a great start and we look forward to reporting on this year’s stories, including 100% housing occupancy, the launch of Title IX training, and a revamped homecoming experience.
Best wishes in all your endeavors,
Brad Patterson, Ed.D, Interim Vice Provost and Dean of Students
University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Student Affairs
Promotes Student Development Through Intentional Services, Programming, and Structures
Dean of Students
The Office of the Dean of Students (DOS) supports student learning and personal development through the enforcement of the student code of conduct and promotion of ethical, civil, and responsible conduct. During 2014- 2015, DOS adjudicated 129 disciplinary cases. DOS has also continued to support our students in distress with the development of our University Behavioral Intervention Team (UBIT). This year, 32 students were referred to UBIT for intervention.
Housing
Housing sent a student group on an alternative spring break trip that focused on serving others. Students spent their time in Fort Hood, Texas, where they volunteered at a Boys and Girls Club and painted an old schoolhouse.
New Student Orientation
New student orientation continued to provide entering first-year students, transfer students, and their family members access to the people, information, and services needed for a successful transition to college. Our creation of an online orientation resulted in a product that reflects the robust online offerings today’s students expect.
Participation Statistics:
Fall 2014 (6 General Population/3 Special Population sessions offered)
Total Participation: 711
Spring 2015 (1 on-campus session offered)
Total Participation: 64
Campus Life Non-Traditional
Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society inducted 65 new student members this year. In addition, 10 faculty members were nominated as outstanding faculty mentors for the year.
Our e-mail newsletter continues to be extremely successful. Our open rate was up to 56.7% in May 2015 from 44.7% in August 2014. Also, our click-thru rate topped out at 14.85% this year.
Campus Life Greek Life
- The Greek community at UA Little Rock donated $6,419 and contributed 5,606 hours of community service for the academic year.
- Sigma Lambda Gamma, a multi-cultural women’s fraternity, has been approved to colonize on campus.
- Delta Chi fraternity colonized in Fall 2014 and ended Spring 2015 with 19 members.
Summer Bridge Academy
The Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Summer Bridge Academy (SBA) brought 28 students from around the state to UA Little Rock to work toward bypassing remedial math, reading and writing. Success rates for the students were 92% for reading, 96% for math, and 100% for writing. The program saved an estimated $41,250 in tuition and fees for these students.
Student Affairs Success Initiatives (SASI)
One of the goals for the initiatives is to increase the number of African American and Hispanic/ Latino students who are able to maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher each semester.
GPA:
- 2.5-2.99: 70 students
- 3.0-3.49: 108 students
- 3.5-3.99: 57 students
- 4.0: 22 students
Encourages a Health University Community
Chancellor’s Leadership Corps
Over 100 CLC Scholars volunteered for Burgers at Bailey, an annual tradition that brings together students, faculty, staff, and alumni members. The scholars take this opportunity to provide service to UA Little Rock as well as to network with alumni members and UA Little Rock employees.
Campus Life – Campus Recreation
Participation Statistics – Intramural Sports:
- 2013 – 2014 had 2,507 participants
- 2014 – 2015 had 3,062 participants
22% increase in participation
Dining Services
Simple Servings met the needs of students with food allergies, celiac disease and non-celiac gluten intolerance, providing fresh and flavorful meals prepared without milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts or gluten. The program also attracts students who are focused on ingredients and portion size to control weight, blood sugar and other health issues.
Dining Services continues its focus on sustainability by making the switch from styrofoam to dishes and flatware. To-go food is available through the Choose to Reuse program in which students can obtain reusable containers.
Donaghey Student Center
University District residents received free health screenings and a free one-year membership to the UA Little Rock Fitness Center for participating in the UA Little Rock Growing Healthy Communities Wellness Fair. The event was sponsored by several UA Little Rock entities including the College of Education and Health Professions; the Department of Health, Human Performance and Sport Management; the Fit-Well Program; and Health Services.
The Information & Call Center served a total of 64,251 guests in 2014-15 (face-to-face and phone assistance).
Dean of Students
The Office of the Dean of Students partnered with the University Police Department to develop the university’s Campus Safety Week 2014, including the See Something, Say Something campaign and the A Safe ‘U’ is A Safe You theme.
Health Services
Health Services continues to collaborate with the UA System Office and OnLife Health by offering health education and biometric screenings for UA Little Rock employees. The screening involves measuring height, weight, waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels. Over 300 employees were screened.
2015 marked the 17th consecutive year for Trojan Fest. The staff of Health Promotion, Programs and Education (HPPE) joined with numerous campus departments to offer this social, interactive and educational event which promotes fun without the use of alcohol and other drugs. Over 500 people participated. Of the 267 individuals submitting evaluations, 45% stated they plan to change their behaviors regarding alcohol and other drugs, as a result of this event.
Knowing that many people experience the first symptoms of depression during their college years, Health Services continued to screen for depression using the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 methods. The number of positive results from this screening decreased by 1% over last year. This is a substantial reduction in incidents of depression.
Advocates for the Excluded
Safe Zone
The Safe Zone mission is to improve the overall campus climate and to educate students, staff, and faculty about issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) individuals. Staff of both Health Services and the Disability Resource Center were instrumental in bringing Safe Zone trainings to campus. To date, over sixty employees have been trained, including seventeen from Student Affairs.
Counseling Services
Counseling Services empowers students to overcome barriers to their academic success by:
- Providing counseling services for university students
- Promoting a culture of community by fostering an atmosphere of caring
Counseling Services collaborated with the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Dean of Students, Green Dot, the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the US Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, to facilitate the inaugural UA Little Rock Denim Day on April 29,2015. The focus of Denim Day is to educate, inform, and protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.
Counseling Services facilitated the annual Suicide Prevention Week, September 8-12, 2014. The purpose is to educate the UA Little Rock community about campus mental health resources, to reduce overall stigma concerning behavioral health issues, and to promote help-seeking behavior. The highlight of this event is the Gallery of Hope, where the UA Little Rock community presents works of visual and performance art to help in this endeavor.
Annual Statistics
- 404 Individual Students Served
- 94 First Time Students Served
- 2,257 Individual Clinical Appointments
- 387 Students Served in Group Therapy or Psychoeducational Groups
- 198 Students Screened for Depression
- Over 600 Students contacted through event programming
Disability Resource Center
DRC improved accessibility at commencement by numbering all the accessible seats and providing numbered seating tickets to anyone needing them. This ensured all who needed such a seat got one, a vast improvement over the former method of patrons seating themselves on the honor system.
Provides an Environment in Which Students Can Pursue Their Educational Goals
Bookstore
Reginald “Reggie” Jones did a signing event on campus for his book “Stilettos on Gridiron.” Jones is a former professional football player in the National Football League, an author, and a national keynote/ motivational speaker. Mr. Jones encourages individuals and groups with his signature motto: DREAM. REACH. REALIZE. Stilettos on Gridiron aims to simplify diverse components and concepts of American football, and ultimately give women a new sense of understanding and appreciation for the game.
Campus Life
Scholarship workshops for non-traditional students proved to be beneficial. One student who was solely dependent on student loans was awarded enough scholarship funding to fully pay tuition for the upcoming academic year.
Campus Life Greek Life
Interfraternal Council (IFC), College Panhellenic Council (CPC), and National Pan- Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities’ GPAs improved, as did all fraternity GPAs and all sorority GPAs.
CWDSA
The Charles W. Donaldson Scholars Academy aims to improve educational achievement for all students, to African American students and others who are at-risk of academic failures due to socioeconomic disadvantage, or other factors. This year the CWDSA had 55 participants.
Housing
Occupancy was at 90.2% for Fall 2014 and at 83.6% for Spring 2015. Of students responding to a survey, 65% (n=330) indicated they planned to live on campus in the 2015-2016 year. The overall satisfaction with the housing experience was 5.2 out of 7.
Student Affairs Success Initiatives
2015 CWDSA Global Leadership Experience – A cohort of 21 students, administrators, and staff completed the study abroad, global leadership component of the program during May 17 – June 1, 2015. The group visited Spain and Morocco. All that participated described it as a life-changing, exceptional experience.
Disability Resource Center
DRC collaborated with STaR and the Department of Education Leadership to provide a semester- long Learning Shorts – Best Practices blog series on reframing disability and universal design. Topics included media portrayals of the disability community, removing barriers to inclusion, universal design in online instruction, and creating captions for online video content.
The Stacy Willis Memorial Scholarship was given to a deserving student for a total of $2,500. This scholarship honors Stacy Willis, a dedicated student at UA Little Rock who graduated with honors. Her highest calling was counseling, supporting, and working with students with disabilities to achieve their educational goals. This scholarship honors her to follow through with that calling.
Title IX
Title IX, the federal law that protects the university community from sexual discrimination, harassment, and misconduct in our programs and activities, has been a central focus of Student Affairs this year. Five of the twenty or more investigators at UA Little Rock work within Student Affairs and are handling cases.
In addition, the Office of the Dean of Students has begun an implementation strategy for Haven, an online training module for students about Title IX, with implementation to occur in the Fall 2015 semester.
UALRworks
In an effort to increase student retention, UALRworks had its inaugural year in 2014-15. This program provides financial assistance to students through professional work experience on campus, which creates more financial stability, provides real-world job experience, and prepares students for success beyond college graduation. A total of 120 students participated in the program in 2014-15, earning over $146,057.07 toward their UA Little Rock education.
Chancellor’s Leadership Corps
The CLC welcomed a new class at their annual signing day ceremony that pledged to learn, lead, and serve UA Little Rock and greater Little Rock. The class has an average ACT of 23.3 and a GPA of 3.64.
CLC establishes partnerships throughout the community of Little Rock and across the state of Arkansas for scholars to provide service.
Future Goals
Bookstore
- Grow market share by continuing to make the bookstore students’ and faculty’s first choice by marketing affordable textbook solutions
- Enroll all faculty in Enlight, a web-based platform that simplifies researching and adopting textbooks quickly to determine formats available and the estimated student price for purchase or rental of any textbook
Campus Life
- Increase interaction with faculty and improve faculty and staff advisor service to registered student organizations through enhancement of registered student organization advisor training
- Continue to develop measurable and attainable student leadership development experiences and programs
- Establish permanent meeting space for Greek organizations and continue work toward the creation of Greek Village
Counseling
- Seek membership in the Jed and Clinton Health Matters Campus Program
- Promote Active Minds, a student organization empowering students to speak openly about mental health in order to educate others and encourage help-seeking, and increase membership by 10 students.
Disability Resource Center
- Pursue grant opportunities for programming, outreach, and professional development
- Speak to student and faculty groups to discuss normalizing disability and reducing stigma and stereotypes
Dean of Students
- Develop new and innovative methods to educate the campus community on behavioral standards, disciplinary procedures, and consequences in an effort to maintain and enhance campus safety
- Continue to provide on-going training for members of all judicial disciplinary committees to assure reasonable and consistent due process and adherence to university policy and procedures
- Develop strategies to effectively respond to the demands of students’ parents and family members
- Establish consistent assessment of student satisfaction with programs and leadership development experiences and conduct the same each semester, to include experiences in campus recreation, student newspaper and student government
Donaghey Student Center
- Purchase or lease new strength and cardio equipment for the Fitness Center
- Replace the existing camera surveillance system in the DSC
- Develop a summer youth community program for the University District and surrounding areas through collaboration with other UA Little Rock departments
Health Services
- Expand the Employee Health and Wellness Program
- Increase revenue generation through third party billing
- Accomplish the move to off-site hosting for Medicat (electronic health records program)
Housing
- Demonstrate a measurable increase in student satisfaction in timeliness of work order completion, ease of reapplication process, wireless connectivity, and interaction with faculty/staff outside the classroom
- Explore feasibility of adding more on-campus housing options for varying populations
- Explore and implement new wireless technology and/ or policies to allow for online gaming, wireless devices, and smart TVs
Dining Services
- Develop campus advisory food committee to assist with customer service training for employees; and to enhance menu options and food quality
- Assist with Stop Hunger and No Kid Hungry by partnering with local food bank to collect and donate food items
- Partner with athletics to build school spirit by having the mascot at Trojan Grill on Game Day, and having pep rallies at Trojan Grill
Student Affairs Success Initiatives
- Create and maintain consistent branding and stellar image
- Complete touchstone mapping for refinement of general processes
- Implement fundraising plan to support programs
Staff Notes
Dean Gentry Retires
Debbie Gentry, Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director of Housing, opened
UA Little Rock’s first residence hall in 1992 for 300 residents. She oversaw the addition of five residential buildings, a commons area and the Trojan Grill, as well as residential growth to 1,350 prior to her retirement in June 2015.
Thanks, Dean Gentry!
Vice Provost Hampton
Dr. Logan Hampton left his position of Vice Provost for Student Affairs in July 2014. In this position, Dr. Hampton served as the chief student affairs officer and led the student development and student life programs, including judicial affairs, budgetary and administrative services. He now serves as President of Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.
We wish you well, Dr. Hampton!
Bookstore
Campus Life
Counseling Services
Dean of Students
Dining Services
Disability Resource Center
Donaghey Student Center
Health Services
Housing
Student Affairs Success Initiatives
