UCA PROFILE 
Dr. Cathy Caldwell and Dr. Jeff Young, National Award Recipients 

2002 has already produced two national award winners from the Department of Art. Dr. Cathy Caldwell and Dr. Jeff Young are the winners of the Marion Quin Dix Leadership Award and the Western Higher Education Award, respectively. These awards are presented by the National Art Education Association, which is the largest art education organization in the world.

Dr. Cathy Caldwell
Dr. Cathy Caldwell’s nomination was by an executive committee of the Arkansas Art Educators, the state affiliate of the NAEA. After winning the state-level award, Dr. Caldwell became the recipient of the award on a national level. "It’s a possibility for encouraging young people, especially pre-service teachers, and current teachers to become involved in leadership activities," said Caldwell of winning the award.

"First of all, it was surprising," Caldwell said. " I had to have my husband read the letter because I didn’t believe it." Caldwell also said that it is nice to be recognized, but it is not the reason why she does her job. She sees the award as more of an incentive to keep going. "I want to feel like I deserve it," she said.

As part of the AAE Caldwell served as president, higher education division chairperson, conference chairperson, membership chairperson, and as a board and council member. She also helped to initiate programs that promoted the importance of involving students through special presentations at conferences and through mentoring programs.

"I believe, as educators, we need to model commitment and involvement in our chosen profession," Caldwell said. She also believes that involvement in leadership activities help educators to stay connected to real-world contexts.

Caldwell stated that the award and her leadership abilities are not things that she achieved alone. "It has been a direct result of involvement with the AAE and the faculty in this department," she said.

Caldwell’s interest in art was a derivative of her father being an artist. " I had an easel when I was five," she said. He was her main influence in art, but she had wanted to teach from a very young age. Caldwell wasn’t sure of what area she wanted to teach, until she found that art was a topic which could be both challenging and rewarding if she chose to teach it.

Caldwell then found information about what UCA had to offer. "I had heard of the art program here and was impressed with the department," she said. UCA also had a growing art department, which made her even more interested. Since coming to UCA, Caldwell has found that the university is very supportive of the art education program and has state-of-the-art classroom facilities as well. She has also found consistent grant support.

Outside of the classroom, Caldwell is interested in historical research in art education. Specifically, she is interested in rural schools at the turn of the century and the efforts teachers made to provide art curriculum.

Dr. Jeff Young
Dr. Jeff Young was last year’s Higher Education Award winner for the state of Arkansas. This qualified him to be eligible for the western region higher education award. Dr. Young then became the Western Higher Education Award winner after applications, letters of recommendation and information about his professional work were submitted and voted upon in the application process.

"I feel honored to receive an award like this," Young said. This is because his work is judged by his peers and shows his work to be successful. It is also affirmation for him to continue the way he is teaching. However, since educators are taught to reflect upon and adapt their teaching styles, Young doesn’t feel that the award will change the way he teaches.

Young also appreciates the recognition of his hard work. Being in professional organizations and attending and presenting at conferences has allowed him to see that the hard work has paid off. Young emphasized that though the award is nice, it is not why he has pursued his goals. "It’s like the cherry on top," Young said.

In elementary school, Young knew that he wanted to teach. It was his first art class in junior high, though, that sparked his interest in art. He then blended teaching and art "and it took its natural course." Young found that he enjoyed teaching art so much that he chose to stay at the elementary school teaching level for 14 years before moving to the college-level.

After finishing his doctorate, Young decided that he should pursue teaching at the college-level. "It was time to make a move," he said. He, then, began to look for a smaller college town that would be advantageous for he and his wife to raise their children. Conway met this desire along with Young’s wishes to be involved in an active art department.

"UCA does a great job with the Instructional Development Center," Young said. This has given him good information and has helped him to be a better instructor at the college level. He also feels that the students are the main benefactors because of the efforts of UCA, and he has found that the attitudes of the faculty in the art department and throughout campus have helped him to be a better teacher.

Written by Jake Harvey, Office of Communications