University of Central Arkansas

If the sky is clear Wednesday, March 15, the UCA Observatory will be open for the public to view Mars, Saturn, nebulae, and star clusters through university telescopes. Everyone is welcome to stop by anytime between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The stairs to the observatory are located in the front lobby of Lewis Science Center. Admission is free.

The following presentations, publications and accomplishments were submitted by UCA faculty and staff:

Senior Chad Bradford, a theatre major, was selected as one of two winners of the Region VI Irene Ryan Scholarship during the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival at Tulsa Community College.

The Irene Ryan Scholarship was founded by and named after the late Irene Ryan, who is best known for her portrayal of Granny on ?The Beverly Hillbillies? television show. Bradford received his nomination to attend the festival for his role as Hamlet in UCA Theatre's production of ?Hamlet.? He received $500 for his regional win.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize, RENT, the Broadway musical written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, is coming to UCA?s Reynolds Performance Hall for performances on Wednesday and Thursday, March 15 & 16, at 7:30 p.m.

Several students of University of Central Arkansas voice faculty earned awards during the National Association of Teachers of Singing State Conference, Feb. 23-24 at Ouachita Baptist University.

Tom Farrell, an expert on the tablet PC, gave UCA faculty members a crash course on the new technology during a luncheon hosted by the Instructional Development Center.

The University of Central Arkansas recently competed with three other regional schools for the Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers? Frank Cloud Award of Excellence and came away with top honors.

More than 125 University of Central Arkansas faculty and staff were recently recognized for submitting 130 grant proposals in 2005.

The total amount of the grant proposals for last year was $3.18 million. Grant funding is used for faculty research and academic programs and services.
On Thursday, Feb. 23, the faculty and staff who were instrumental in bringing those dollars into the university were honored during a reception. UCA President Lu Hardin, Provost Gabe Esteban and the deans from various academic colleges were on hand to congratulate the employees on a job well done.

The following faculty recently received grant funding for various programs and projects:

The following presentations, publications and accomplishments were submitted by UCA faculty and staff:

Former CIA Director Admiral Stansfield Turner will lecture at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7 in Reynolds Performance Hall. The event is free and open to the public.