University of Central Arkansas

The University of Central Arkansas yesterday announced a $35 million goal during the kickoff of its first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, "New Vision, New Century: The Centennial Campaign for UCA."

The campaign goal was announced during a pep-rally style event on the campus lawn as hundreds from UCA and the surrounding communities looked on. Tuba players from the marching band helped UCA President Lu Hardin make the announcement by unveiling each number of the goal on the bells of their instruments. As the final number was unveiled, the amount flashed on two large projection screens on opposite sides of a large stage and the marching band began playing the university?s fight song.

The kickoff event also included performances by the UCA Jazz Band and the UCA Marching Band, an appearance by the cheerleading squad, video presentations, festival-style refreshments and a commemorative mug giveaway.

During the program, UCA announced a new record for the largest single private gift to the university, a $3 million bequest from the estate of Mary Ellen White Crow and Jake Crow of Elaine, Ark. The gift will be added to a scholarship the couple established in 2004 for descendents of the White and Crow families as well as students from Phillips and Faulkner counties. The gift was presented to the university by Joe White of Conway, a nephew of the late couple. "The University of Central Arkansas is so honored that Mr. and Mrs. Crow decided to invest their estate in the students at UCA. This gift will provide thousands of scholarships for full tuition and books to over 40 students each year, adding up to thousands of students for generations to come," UCA President Lu Hardin said.

The university also recognized a private gift by Robin Nix of Jonesboro to purchase new uniforms for the UCA Marching Band. Nix, who was drum major and a member of the band when he attended UCA in the 1960s, said, "I knew last year they really needed uniforms. The uniforms were 15 or 20 years old, and the band itself had grown so there weren?t enough for them, so they marched in T- shirts. I met with President Hardin to talk to him about some uniforms, and as he is so good at doing, he convinced me to help out. So I committed to buy 275 uniforms."

The kickoff of UCA's first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign coincides with the centennial anniversary of the institution's founding. "We decided that there would be no better time for launching our first campaign than during our 100-year anniversary," said Vice President of Advancement and Development Kelley Erstine. "We are delighted to make this announcement today of our campaign goal and excited to say that we have already raised almost 60 percent of the goal. Our fundraising staff has worked hard to make this first campaign successful, and we appreciate the willingness of our alumni and friends in stepping up to support our efforts."

Since the campaign fundraising efforts began in 2004, UCA has raised over $18 million for three areas identified as priorities for the campaign: endowments, facility enhancements and annual support.

The university is seeking support to establish endowed funds for student scholarships, faculty resources and program needs. Endowed funds are permanently established with the UCA Foundation. A minimum of $10,000 is required for endowment. Once a fund is endowed, only the interest from the fund is used to support an area of the donor?s choosing.

The university has also identified several facility enhancement needs for academics, athletics and campus beautification. Academic priorities include new buildings for the College of Business, College of Education, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the nursing program. The athletics department is raising funds for upgrades to facilities such as the baseball field, new construction for soccer and track and the relocation of the tennis courts.

Funds are also being raised through annual pledges that will be used to build the Foundation?s Margin of Excellence, or unrestricted, fund and to add to existing endowments for scholarships and program support. The majority of UCA?s annual support is raised during the foundation?s bi-annual phonathon.

For more information on UCA?s Centennial Campaign or how to make a donation, contact the UCA Foundation at 501-450-5288, toll free 1-800-981-4426 or email campaign@uca.edu.

About 90 UCA students and staff members were official volunteers at Tuesday's ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High School.

UCA's volunteer contingent was by far the largest of the higher education institutions, and UCA conducted a training session in advance of the ceremony and provided transporation to and from Little Rock for the volunteers.

By participating in this historic event, the students had the experience of a lifetime and were able to meet the dignitaries in attendance.

Letha J. Mosley was recently appointed to a 3-year term on the American Occupational Therapy Association's Commission on Education. She is serving as a representative for post-professional occupational therapy programs until 2010.

The University of Central Arkansas today will officially launch its first-ever fundraising campaign with a major rally on campus.

The event will take place at 3 p.m. on the front lawn of McAlister Hall. UCA will announce its latest multi-million dollar gift and unveil the overall goal for the campaign.

Join UCA family and friends for an afternoon of music, food and festivities as UCA President Lu Hardin and the UCA Foundation kick off "New Vision, New Century: The Centennial Campaign for UCA" at 3 p.m. on the front lawn of McAlister Hall. Listen to the UCA Jazz Band and Marching Band, enjoy refreshments and learn how UCA's first-ever fundraising campaign is helping to build a new vision for a new century by providing private funds for student scholarships, faculty and program support and resources, as well as capital projects for academics and athletics.

The Arkansas Humanities Council has awarded a $6,305 grant to UCA's Humanities and World Cultures Institute under the direction of Interim Director Donald Jones, Associate Professor of History. The grant will enable UCA to better meet the needs of high school students and teachers and establish a model that can grow each year to attract a wider radius of participant high schools.

The main objective will be for humanities faculty to help prepare students to compete in UCA's Humanities Fair, held in November during National Arts and Humanities month. This year, teachers and students, both locally and by videoconference, will be encouraged by UCA Philosophy Professor Jacob Held to think philosophically when they interpret this year's selection of "The Tipping Point," by Malcom Gladwell. "The Tipping Point," which touches on issues of social action, public policy, fundamental values and commitment, and ethical, social interaction, does so in an accessible and not overly trivial way, so that high-school students will be able to address these issues and contemplate their place in the world without feeling overwhelmed.

By developing their own ideas for projects inspired by the book -- which could be fiction or nonfiction writing, video or Power Point presentations, podcasts, skits, or poems -- they will show their ability to think like humanities scholars. The projects that the students develop and submit will be judged by a committee of UCA scholars and high school teachers and then presented by the students at the Fair.

A second objective of the annual fair will be to convey the importance to all citizens of a post-secondary humanities education. Students will be invited to experience the intellectual excitement of "My First Day at UCA" by attending selected humanities courses in session and listening to professors delivering introductory lectures to courses in history, philosophy, literature, anthropology, and gender and area studies.

Dee Lance, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, has been selected to serve on the ETS-Praxis workgroup to prepare questions on Language Disorders for the national certification examination in Speech-Language Pathology. Lance has published extensively in this area, and also serves as a site visitor for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation.

In its centennial year, the University of Central Arkansas has set an all-time record with 467 international students registered for the Fall 2007 semester. This new record number represents a 48 percent increase in international admissions from the Fall 2006 semester, and this is the fourth consecutive year in which UCA has experienced growth in international enrollment.

"UCA has increased its international student population from 210 in 2002 to 467 in 2007," said UCA President Lu Hardin. "UCA's Director of International Programs, Jim Brosam, deserves a great deal of credit for recruiting from 61 different countries. This international diversity is critical to a well-balanced learning environment. Students will have the opportunity to learn from other cultures."

Students from 61 countries currently attend UCA. The top five countries represented on campus are: China (119), Japan (81), Honduras (31), Niger (22) and Kazakhstan (14). The 467 international students on campus will eventually join an estimated 4,000 international alumni and former students who have attended UCA.

"International students play a vital role in promoting campus diversity," said Jim Brosam, Director of International Programs at UCA. "They bring different viewpoints and ideas that enrich the learning process. With record enrollments, UCA is now being recognized around the world as a first choice for prospective international students seeking to obtain a degree from an American university."

Jason Parker, a history professor at Texas A&M University, will present a lecture this Friday at 2 p.m. in Irby 215. His topic will be "The American Lake or the Castro Caribbean? The United States, the Cold War, and the Decolonization of the West Indies."

Oxford University Press will soon publish Parker's new book, entitled, "The United States, Race, and Empire in the British Caribbean, 1937-1962." Parker's lecture is sponsored by the History Department and Phi Alpha Theta, UCA's student honor society in history.

J.D. Swanson, an assistant professor of Biology, last weekend conducted an eight-hour seminar on Shotokan Karate at The Pennsylvania State University. Participants included around 100 students from a variety of area universities, including Penn State, Penn College of Technology, Lycomming College, Cornell University, and Bucknell University. Swanson is the Southern Regional Director of the International Shotokan Karate Federation, and also teaches free group exercise classes in Shotokan Karate for UCA students and faculty at the HPER center.

David Dussourd in the Department of Biology recently attended the 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Chemical Ecology in Tsukuba, Japan. Dussourd co-organized with a Japanese scientist a symposium on Insect-Plant Interactions and delivered a presentation entitled, "Behavioral sabotage of plant defense: Chemical releasers of trenching by insect herbivores."

J. David Taylor, PhD, PT, CSCS, an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, recently completed a study titled "The Impact of Electronic Mail Versus Print Delivery of an Exercise Program on Muscular Strength and Aerobic Capacity in People with Type 2 Diabetes." The study has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Angie Renee Elizandro and Rosemarie Dickinson were honored as the recipients for the 2007-08 Robert W. McLauchlin Graduate Scholarship at a reception hosted by the UCA Graduate Council last Thursday.

The Robert W. McLauchlin Graduate Scholarship Fund was endowed in December 1995 after the death of Dr. Robert M. McLauchlin, then Dean of the Graduate School. The scholarship provides funds to graduate students who have been admitted into the Graduate School with full-qualifications and who are enrolled for nine (9) or more credit hours per semester. The scholarship is renewable for the second semester as long as the student maintains a grade point average of 3.0 and continues full-time study. Selection of the award winner/s is competitive and based on academic performance, school and community involvement, and financial need. The selection is made by a committee of UCA graduate faculty and administrators.

Elizandro, a native of Little Rock, graduated from the University of the Ozarks in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She received a Masters of Science in School Psychology from UCA last spring and is currently enrolled at UCA in the School Psychology Ph.D. program. Elizandro feels that working in the field of school psychology will allow her to have a positive impact on children and make a difference in their lives.

Dickinson is from Conway and has been a student at UCA since 2001. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Health Sciences-Physical Therapy in May 2005, and she began her Physical Therapy Graduate program in August 2005. Along with a demanding course load, she has also worked as a Graduate Assistant in both the HPER Fitness Center and in the PT Department. Recently, she has begun assisting a faculty member with a research study in comparing the efficacy of different forms of surveys and questionnaires on perceived balance with nursing home/assisted living residents.

Students interested in applying for the McLauchlin Scholarship should contact the UCA Foundation Scholarship Committee, Buffalo Alumni Hall, UCA Box 4986, Conway, AR 72035-4986 or call 501-450-5288. Applications must be submitted early in the spring semester each year. Selections are made mid-spring for the fall semester.

Roger Pauly, a history professor in UCA's College of Liberal Arts, has served as the project historian for the AETN original documentary "Their Journey," an Arkansas accompaniment to "The War," the new Ken Burns film about World War II currently airing on PBS.

Pauly's supervisory duties for "Their Journey" also included the creation of an online oral history project called "In Their Words," as well as a related exhibit at AETN's headquarters.

"Their Journey" will be broadcast again this Saturday, Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m., and the exhibit will open this Thursday, Sept. 27, with a free public reception from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information about the event, contact Darbi at dblencowe@aetn.org or call 1-800-662-2386.

Victor A. Puleo, Jr., CFP ?, assistant professor of insurance and risk management in UCA's College of Business, has accepted an invitation to serve as the Editor of the Risk Management Section Newsletter, a quarterly professional publication of the Society of Financial Service Professionals (FSP). This is a two-year appointment. His responsibilities as Editor include determining the general direction of the newsletter and soliciting and reviewing articles for inclusion in the newsletter. The Risk Management Section Newsletter is read by over 3,000 members of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. Puleo's two-year term begins with the October 2007 edition.

The University of Central Arkansas will use a federal grant to create an interdisciplinary Chinese studies program that will include an emphasis on Chinese language and culture.

Dr. Hui Wu in UCA's Department of Writing was awarded a two-year Title VI grant of $166,339 from the U.S. Department of Education for her proposal entitled, ?Improving the Asian Studies Curriculum through a Focus on China.? The funds will be used to support faculty members who are developing China-related courses across various academic fields, as well as students who will study Chinese in the Chinese language immersion program at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, which is one of the best in China.

?This project, the first of its kind in Arkansas, will meet urgent student and state needs in cross-cultural understanding and communication demanded by the world economy and politics increasingly connected to China,? Wu said. ?We will add a Chinese language minor and eventually a major in Chinese studies to the existing Asian studies program at UCA.?

Built on UCA?s commitment to international education, the Chinese Studies program will:

--Improve the Asian studies minor through course revisions and the addition of an emphasis in Chinese studies;
--Add a Chinese language minor as the backbone of the program;
--Develop a language immersion program to support Chinese studies;
--Support faculty development in curricular internationalization, including K-12 Chinese teacher preparation; and
--Enhance student exposure to Chinese culture through showcasing Chinese performing arts.

For these objectives, UCA has completed the groundwork through curriculum and faculty development and outreach to Arkansas schools. For example, UCA has built a partnership in China for the language immersion program and will offer the first Chinese language class in spring 2007. It has supported more than a dozen faculty members to attend national workshops on teaching about Asia.

UCA will soon hire a tenure-line specialist in Chinese language and change the current visiting positions in Chinese history and literature to tenure hires. Currently, a general education course, Global Environment of Business, reaches more than 300 undergraduates each year. The International Studies Major has been approved by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The East-West Regional Center at UCA, a regional center designated by the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii, held a regional workshop in 2005 and will host another one in February 2007. More important, the Arkansas State Board of Education has approved Chinese as an additional subject in foreign language education, and the Arkansas Department of Education has invited UCA to be its partner to develop a Chinese teacher preparation program.

The two-year funding period will witness the development of an interdisciplinary Chinese studies curriculum through an inter-college consortium, the development of a Chinese minor enriched by language immersion, and art activities to reach out to schools and enhance UCA students' exposure to Chinese culture. By the end of the funding period, UCA will have a Chinese language minor to support Chinese studies as an integral part of the Asian studies curriculum and will begin to develop Chinese studies into a major in order to provide Arkansas schools with Chinese language teachers within five years.

The operation of this grant at UCA engages 11 faculty members from four colleges: UCA?s College of Fine Arts and Communication, UCA?s College of Liberal Arts, the UCA Honors College and the UCA College of Business.

The grant includes $5,000 to support the upcoming performance of the Shaolin Warriors at UCA, as well as underwriting for UCA faculty and students to take the half-semester course ?Survival Chinese for Travelers? in Spring 2008.

UCA's Department of Housing & Residence Life has been selected to host the 2007 Annual Resident Assistant Conference for the Southwest Association of College & University Housing Officers (SWACUHO). The regional conference consists of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, and parts of Louisiana and Missouri.

Resident Assistants from colleges and universities around the region will come to UCA to learn new and exciting program ideas, brush up on leadership skills, and explore new trends in Student Affairs. UCA hosted the conference in 1998, but it has not been hosted by another Arkansas institution since then. Housing and Residence Life staff submitted a bid to host the RA conference at the regional conference in February 2006.

The conference will take place on the UCA campus Oct. 12-13 in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center. 400 people are expected to attend.

Tina Mankey, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, has been named Arkansas's delegate to the Representative Assembly of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The Representative Assembly (RA) is the policy-making body of the Association (the "Congress" of AOTA). In this position, she will represent all Arkansas occupational therapists to the national organization. Mankey has been a faculty member in the Department of Occupational Therapy since 1997.

Rifat Akhter of UCA's Sociology department and co-author Kathryn B. Ward (Southern Illinois University - Carbondale) recently were notified that their paper "Globalization and Gender Equality: A Critical Analysis of Gender Empowerment in the Global Economy" was accepted for publication in the book series Advances in Gender Research, volume 13 (2009).

The University of Central Arkansas will kick off its first-ever comprehensive fund-raising campaign, ?New Vision, New Century: The Centennial Campaign for UCA,? next Thursday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. on the front lawn of McAlister Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

During the kickoff, UCA President Lu Hardin and volunteer leaders of the campaign will announce the university?s latest multi-million dollar gift, the largest in UCA history, and the campaign goal will be unveiled.

As a part of UCA?s centennial year celebration, university leaders decided to kick off the first-ever comprehensive fund-raising campaign. The campaign will provide funds for student scholarships, faculty and program support as well as capital projects for academics and athletics.

Gifts to the campaign reside with the UCA Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization established to support the needs of the university that are not met by state funding. Gifts are tax-deductible and can be designated to any area at the donor?s discretion.

The pep rally style kickoff event will include music, food and festivities for alumni and friends, faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the surrounding communities. The UCA Jazz and Marching bands will perform, videos will be shown on large screens and UCA leaders will tell how the campaign is helping to build a new vision for a new century. A giveaway commemorating UCA?s centennial anniversary will also be distributed.

For more info about the event, the centennial campaign or how to make a gift, call UCA Advancement at (501) 450-3378.

The U.S. Postal Service will hold a Passport Fair this Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Conway West post office located at 1060 Hogan Lane.

To obtain a passport at that time, a passport application (Form DS-11) must be completed in advance. For an application, and for more information about fees and what to bring (photos, proof of identity) visit usps.com/passport.

Alex Fayman, assistant professor of finance in UCA's Department of Economics, Finance, Insurance & Risk Management, will present his paper entitled, "Banks, IPOs, Dividends, and Takeovers" at the Financial Management Association Annual Meeting on Oct. 14.

Noel Campbell, associate professor of economics in the same department, will publish two articles in the coming months: "Did Caplan Catch a Leviathan?" will appear in the Fall 2007 edition of Southern Economic Journal; and "The Black Box: Unraveling Business Succession" will be part of the Fall 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship.

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," the HBO movie based on the book by UCA alumnus Dee Brown, took home the award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie at the 2007 Emmy Awards on Saturday night.

Brown received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from UCA in 1988.

Published in 1971, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is one of the foremost works documenting the systematic subjugation of the American Indian during the latter half of the 19th century. It has sold nearly five million copies and has been translated into 17 languages.

James T. Clemons, author of "Crisis of Conscience: Arkansas Methodists and the Civil Rights Struggle," will speak on campus tomorrow at 1:40 p.m. in the UCA Student Center Ballroom.

Clemons' lecture is timed to coincide with the activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock's Central High School.

Clemons is Professor Emeritus of Wesley Theological Seminary and a retired clergyman of the United Methodist Church. His book features personal stories by Arkansas Methodist pastors, laypersons, and community leaders -- including former U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers, former U.S. Surgeon General M. Jocelyn Elders, and acclaimed poet Miller Williams -- who lived through the struggles for civil rights in the 1950s and saw their congregations and other institutions rocked by the tumultuous events of the history-making era. The book also depicts the desegregation of Hendrix College, the prophetic role of Philander Smith College in civil rights activism, and the experiences of other Arkansas Methodist institutions in the great freedom struggle that caused many of the states church members to realize they could no longer reconcile their belief in God with participation in a segregated society.

Margaret McGee, Nancy Reese, and Kevin Garrison of UCA's Department of Physical Therapy presented a poster titled "Reliability of balance measurements obtained utilizing the AccuGait portable force platform in children with spastic cerebral palsy," at the 2007 Annual Conference of American Physical Therapy Association in Denver, Colo. At the same conference, David Taylor, also of the Department of Physical Therapy, presented a poster titled "Impact of a supervised strength and aerobic training program on muscular strength and aerobic capacity in people with Type 2 diabetes."

Hao Liu, Reta Zabel, and Myles Quiben of the Department of Physical Therapy recently presented a poster titled "Fall as a side effect of using assistive ambulatory devices: A preliminary pilot study," at the 4th World Conference of Physical Therapy in Vancouver.

UCA's annual Careers in Public Service Day will take place tomorrow at the UCA Student Center.

The program is designed to raise awareness of career possibilities in the public and non-profit sectors and to provide UCA students with information on graduate programs in the fields of public administration, public policy, sociology, international studies, and political science.

The day's events begin with a noon luncheon featuring keynote speaker John Selig, Director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Three panel discussions will follow, focusing on federal government, state & local government, and non-profit organizations.

For information about the panel discussion participants and other details about Careers in Public Service Day, visit www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/politicalscience/publicservice.htm.

The University of Central Arkansas recently announced the establishment of two endowments by the Nabholz Charitable Foundation.

The Charles Nabholz Community Development Institute Endowment and the Nabholz Athletic Facilities Endowment were established as a result of a $100,000 gift from the Nabholz Charitable Foundation.

In expressing appreciation for the gift, UCA's Vice President of Advancement and Development Kelley Erstine said the Nabholz family and their construction company have long been an integral part of the campus and community. ?They have been wonderful partners and we certainly appreciate their willingness to be a part of our fund-raising efforts,? he said.

UCA Athletic Director Brad Teague said the endowment for athletic facilities would help the university begin making upgrades and enhancements that will be important for the move to Division I status.

The endowment for the Community Development Institute (CDI) establishes an operating fund for the two-decade-old institute, which has mostly operated on sponsorships, grants and registration fees. UCA?s CDI was the first in the nation and remains the flagship institute, brining individuals from across the nation to campus to learn about community development.

Robert Pittman, executive director of CDI, said community development is about making communities a better place to live, work and play. ?Thanks to the help of the Nabholz Foundation, we are going to try to do even greater things,? he said.

UCA President Lu Hardin said, "All across the nation, communities are benefitting from the skills we are teaching in the Community Development Institute, and I am so proud that this program now has an endowed operating fund and that it is named in honor of Charles Nabholz and the Nabholz family.?

Charles Nabholz, chairman of the Nabholz Charitable Foundation, said he was surprised and honored that the CDI endowment was named for him. ?UCA has certainly benefitted our company and the entire community by the economic impact it provides. We have enjoyed the many activities we have participated in on campus, we love UCA and look forward to a continued partnership,? he said.

For more information on donating to the Nabholz Athletic Facilities Endowment or the Charles Nabholz Community Development Institute Endowment, contact the UCA Foundation at (501) 450-5288 or toll free 1-800-981-4426.

Terri Hebert and Jeff Whittingham, assistant professors in UCA's Department of Teaching, Learning, and Technology, have been appointed to the National Middle School Association Program Review Board. This board makes decisions about national recognition of middle level teacher preparation programs that use the NMSA/NCATE-Approved Middle Level Teacher Preparation Standards.

Michael Hargis, of UCA's Department of Marketing and Management, had the article ?Integrative Self-Knowledge Scale: Correlations and Incremental Validity of a Cross-Cultural Measure Developed in Iran and the United States? accepted for publication in The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied. Co-authors on the publication include Nima Ghorbani (University of Tehran) and Paul Watson (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga).

Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, the navigator on the Enola Gay, which performed the first atomic bombing mission to Hiroshima, Japan, will be honored at a reception on Monday at UCA.

Van Kirk is coming to UCA in advance of the Sept. 23 premiere of two World War II documentaries on the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN): "The War," a seven-part film by Ken Burns; and "Their Journey: A Veterans' Tribute Tour," a 90-minute AETN production about 47 World War II veterans from Arkansas who traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit the National World War II Memorial in a four-day "Tribute Tour" in June.

"Their Journey" will air at 5 p.m. on Sept. 23, to be followed by "The War" at 7 p.m. For a complete list of related programming and events, visit www.aetn.org/thewar.

The Arkansas Zeta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity at the University of Central Arkansas was awarded the highest individual chapter honor during its 52nd biannual Conclave in Atlanta, Georgia. The Buchanan Outstanding Chapter Award recognizes chapters that excel in all areas of chapter operations, including academics, recruitment, finances and member development.

SigEp has consistently ranked first in academics and membership among all UCA fraternities. Most recently, the chapter's cumulative grade point average was 3.25, which exceeds by 0.4 points the University?s interfraternity council average of 2.85. With over 100 members, the chapter maintains active campus and community involvement, serving in active roles with student government, with the University?s new student orientation program, and in philanthropic efforts to raise money for the Fraternity?s national charity, YouthAIDS.

Founded in 1901 in Richmond, Virginia, Sigma Phi Epsilon is the largest collegiate fraternity with more than 14,000 undergraduate members at 260 chapters nationwide. With its commitment of "building balanced leaders for the world's communities," the national fraternity devotes nearly $1 million annually to support its educational and developmental programming.

M. Douglas Voss, assistant professor of marketing and logistics, co-wrote an article accepted for publication in Logistics Quarterly. Co-authored by David J. Closs of Michigan State University and Daniel French, the paper is entitled "What Should I do to Secure My Supply Chain?" and focuses on food supply chain security.

The research, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (University of Minnesota), was part of a larger effort to assess supply chain security best practices in the food industry, and this particular study focused on food manufacturers and distributors and examined the differences between firms' security implementation and performance as it varies by firm size, scope of operations (domestic v. international), and scope of activities (i.e. manufacturing, retailing, distribution). The work further detailed the differences between "best in class" security performers and other firms.

The University of Central Arkansas recently announced the endowment of a private scholarship for freshmen walk-on softball players.

The Michelle Short Scholarship Fund was established through the UCA Foundation in memory of the late Michelle Short, a freshman softball walk-on who died in a car accident in 2004.

The scholarship was started by Short?s parents, Kevin and Kerry Short of Mayflower, with additional contributions being made by family and friends. The Michelle Short Scholarship Fund Fishing Tournament, held annually on Lake Dardanelle, also benefits the scholarship, bringing the total of the endowment to nearly $50,000.

During the reception, UCA President Lu Hardin invited the Shorts, former Softball Coach Natalie Shock and current Softball Coach Steve Kissel, along with Athletic Director Brad Teague, to help unveil the endowment plaque for the scholarship. It will be displayed on the Donor Wall of Honor in the lobby of McCastlain Hall. This plaque features a unique detail - the outline of a softball with Short?s jersey number, 13, on the ball.

Hardin called the scholarship a tremendous contribution. ?Many young ladies will have a better opportunity thanks to your generosity,? he told Short?s family and friends.

Teague said endowed scholarships for student athletes are critical. ?We have almost 400 student athletes and only 185 scholarships available. We are so proud of what you have done for us by endowing this scholarship.?

For more information on donating to the Michelle Short Scholarship Fund, contact the UCA Foundation at (501) 450-5288 or toll free 1-800-981-4426.

Marc Hirrel, of UCA's biology department, will present an introduction to the Leopold Education Project (LEP) entitled, "A Taste of Leopold," this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the South Fork Nature Preserve on Greers Ferry Lake.

Hirrel is the state coordinator of the Leopold Education Project, which is an innovative, interdisciplinary, critical thinking, conservation and environmental education curriculum based on the classic writings of the renowned conservationist, Aldo Leopold. The Leopold Education Project teaches the public about humanity's ties to the natural environment in the effort to conserve and protect the earth's natural resources.

"A Taste of Leopold" is open to junior high and high school teachers or anyone else interested in "Lessons in a Land Ethic," the interdisciplinary conservation curriculum developed by the Leopold Education Project. It is designed to increase students' awareness of the land and inform them about how to make responsible choices for our planet, while simultaneously teaching important social, collaborative and critical thinking skills. Lessons in a Land Ethic meets many Arkansas curriculum standards for Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Certified Educators earn 6 hours of professional development and can apply for Conservation Education support under Act 799.

The cost for Saturday's program is $5, which includes a copy of "A Sand County Almanac," sample activities, dutch oven dessert, and a $5 rebate on the October 6 LEP Educator Workshop at UCA.

To register and/or obtain additional information about "A Taste of Leopold," please contact Marc Hirrel at march@uca.edu, or at 501-450-3229. Learn more about LEP at www.lep.org.

Garry Craig Powell, assistant professor in the Department of Writing, has had his short story, "The Moving Crucifixion," accepted for the next issue of McSweeney's, the literary magazine edited by Dave Eggers.

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln will visit UCA on Thursday to tour the Physical Therapy Center and attend a reception with students and faculty.

UCA has one of the leading physical therapy programs in the nation.

Lincoln has been an important congressional supporter of physical therapy, and she is the lead Senate sponsor of a bill to allow patients to have direct access to physical therapy through Medicare.

Representatives from the American Physical Therapy Association and the Arkansas Physical Therapy Association will come to UCA for Lincoln's visit.

The University of Central Arkansas today has a student enrollment of over 12,500, the largest in its history. More students continue to enroll today, so a higher official figure is expected by Monday.

"We are pleased with UCA's fall enrollment of over 12,500," said UCA President Lu Hardin. "UCA has added 350 additional parking spaces and we are in the process of taking bids on the new $15 million College of Business building that will provide additional office and classroom space.

"Currently we are comfortably housing 3,800 students, and with our present campus structure, we should easily be able to add another 1,500 students over the next few years. And while we are satisfied with the fall enrollment figure, the telling statistic is UCA's 55 percent graduation rate."

At over 12,500, UCA's student enrollment remains the second largest in Arkansas. UCA also has the second-highest retention and graduation rates of any public university in the state. Only two public universities have a graduation rate above 50 percent: The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, at 59 percent, and UCA, at 55 percent.

This year's increased enrollment continues a five-year surge of growth for UCA. Student enrollment at UCA was 8,500 in 2002, and it soared to 12,300 by 2006 -- an almost 50 percent increase.

Furthermore, UCA intentionally limited the extent of its growth this year to allow its infrastructure to catch up with the dramatic enrollment growth of the last five years. This intention was evident in the implementation several months ago of two policies. The first policy increased the admission requirement formula, which directly resulted in the rejection of 350 applicants who would have been accepted under the old formula. The second policy increased the minimum ACT score required for a full tuition scholarship from 25 to 27.

With infrastructure needs being addressed this year, Hardin will return to his aggressive approach toward increasing student enrollment, projecting UCA's student enrollment next year to reach 13,000.

UCA is comfortably the second-largest university in Arkansas according to the generally accepted comparative measure of student enrollment, known as full-time equivalency (FTE), as compiled by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.

Although today is the eleventh day of classes at UCA, which is the deadline for Arkansas public colleges and universities to report their student enrollment figures to the state Department of Higher Education, UCA will wait until Monday to submit its official enrollment number, in order to include students who are enrolling today.

Former UCA golfer Stan Lee yesterday became the youngest USGA Senior Amateur winner in history when he won the 2007 championship at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan.

According to the USGA, "At 55 years and five days, Lee surpassed the previous record of 55 years, three months and 18 days set by Bill Bosshard in 1991."

"I cannot believe it," Lee told the USGA. "It is a dream come true. I?m still kind of pinching myself to see if this is real or not. What an honor to win a USGA event. I?m just tickled to death."

Lee, who lives in Heber Springs, played golf professionally in the PGA and is a former Arkansas state amateur golf champion.

UCA students who graduated from an Arkansas high school or completed the GED in Arkansas after December 31, 2006 may be eligible for an additional $1,000 a year toward paying their education expenses.

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education recently introduced the Arkansas Higher Education Opportunities Grant, which provides $1,000 a year for full-time students and $500 a year for part-time students.

The application deadline for the Fall 2007 semester is Oct. 1.

For more information, visit heog.adhe.edu, or call 800-547-8839 or 501-371-2000.

Krishnapraveen Yadlapalli, a graduate student in UCA's Department of Biology, won the Alan and Marian Kohn Fellowship awarded by the University of Washington's Center for Cell Dynamics (CCD) at Friday Harbor Laboratories.

The fellowship, worth $2,000, was presented in recognition of Yadlapalli's work on sensory detection and processing of water flow information. Yadlapalli was advised by UCA Biology associate professor James A. Murray.

The Center for Cell Dynamics (CCD) at Friday Harbor Laboratories is a National Center for Systems Biology sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Bolivia native Andrea Ramos Inchauste, a freshman at the University of Central Arkansas, will appear as a leading soloist in the Songs Unlimited School of Singing 3-week Artist Residency for Fall 2007 in La Paz, Bolivia. The Residency, co-sponsored by Songs Unlimited and the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia, is offered to honor the Bolivian National Conservatory during its Centennial Celebration. Artist Residency activities begin with a major public concert of Vocal Chamber Music in La Paz, followed by a Master Class in Collaborative Piano Art for selected piano students, and culminating with a daytime educational concert in the nearby Bolivian city of El Alto.

Ramos began her musical studies at the Bolivian National Conservatory, later continuing with Russian professor Irina Efanova in piano and with Armenian soprano Karina Stepanian in voice. She led the soprano section and was soprano soloist with the Bolivian Choral Society, and later she was a soloist with the Bolivian National Symphony Orchestra.

In January 2007, as a result of her musical and artistic achievement at the Songs Unlimited School, Ramos received a full tuition scholarship from UCA, where she is pursuing a bachelor?s degree in vocal performance. After only one semester here, because of her excellent academic record, her achievements in musical studies and service to the university, she was awarded a UCA Foundation grant of full room and board expenses for the remainder of her undergraduate studies.

Songs Unlimited is a non-profit corporation with offices in Conway and La Paz dedicated to the worldwide promotion of the Art of Song. Activities in support of that goal include presentation of Songs Across the Americas Festivals during alternate years in various parts of the Western Hemisphere. Those Festivals began in August 2003 in Bolivia and continued most recently in May 2006 in Conway. In Arkansas and Bolivia, Songs Unlimited carries out projects designed to bring deeper cross-cultural understanding through classical and popular music.

Songs Unlimited has organized various musical artist interchanges between Arkansas and Bolivia, beginning with a U.S. State Department cultural tour of Bolivia commemorating the centennial of the death of American soprano Marion Anderson, by former award-winning student of UCA soprano Kristin Lewis.

Songs Unlimited helped to secure a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residency Fellowship at UCA for Ricardo Estrada, musical director of the Philharmonic Society of La Paz, during the Spring semester 2000, and the enrollment at UCA that same year of cellist Alejandro Villegas of Bolivia. In January 2007, the two organizations collaborated to bring UCA mezzo-soprano Jennifer Crippen to Bolivia as a leading singer in the Philharmonic Society of La Paz production of Rossini?s "The Barber of Seville."

John Snider, a graduate student in UCA's Biology Department, was one of only four national recipients of the Vernon I. Cheadle Student Travel Award, which is presented by the Botanical Society of America.

Snider was recognized for his papers, "Differences in chlorophyll fluorescence temperature optima of young and mature leaflets of Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra L.)" and "Gas exchange and leaf temperature changes in Smooth (Rhus glabra L.) and Winged (Rhus copallina L.) Sumac." His advisor at UCA is Biology professor John Choinski.

The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees will hold its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting tomorrow, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m.

The meeting will take place in the Board of Trustees Conference Room in Wingo Hall on the UCA campus.

An agenda for the meeting is available at:

http://www.uca.edu/divisions/admin/board/documents/070907botagenda.pdf

Noted environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver the inaugural Farris Lecture at the University of Central Arkansas on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

The event, which will be free and open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the UCA campus. After his address, entitled "Crimes Against Nature," Kennedy will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience, and a book signing will follow.

The Farris Lecture is a new endowed lecture series established through a gift to the UCA Foundation from UCA alumna Elizabeth Farris and Dr. William Sorrels. It is named in honor of Farris' father, former UCA President Jeff Farris Jr., during whose tenure the UCA Honors College was founded 25 years ago by Norbert Schleder. This year's event also serves as the UCA Centennial Lecture for the Honors College.

An invitation-only reception will take place at 5 p.m. in UCA's Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center, which adjoins Reynolds Performance Hall.

For more information about the lecture and related activities, call the UCA Honors College at (501) 450-3198.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's "Heroes for the Planet" for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group's achievement helped spawn more than 125 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe.

Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and president of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law's Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio. Earlier in his career, he served as assistant district attorney in New York City. He has worked on several political campaigns, including the presidential campaigns of Edward M. Kennedy in 1980, Al Gore in 2000, and John Kerry in 2004.

Among Kennedy's published books are the New York Times bestseller Crimes Against Nature (2004); The Riverkeepers (1997); and Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr: A Biography (1977). His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Nation, Outside magazine, the Village Voice, and many other publications. His award-winning articles have been included in anthologies of America?s best crime writing, best political writing and best science writing.

Kennedy is a graduate of Harvard University. He studied at the London School of Economics and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. Following graduation, he attended Pace University School of Law, where he was awarded a master's degree in environmental law.

UCA faculty and staff can receive free Benefits tickets to three UCA Public Appearances shows during the current season. The tickets are released three weeks prior to the first performance of the selected show. (See dates below.)

On the ticket release day or thereafter, faculty and staff may call UCA Ticket Central at 450-3265 during regular box office hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday), or they may visit the box office in person. A valid UCA I.D. is required. All tickets are released on a first-come, first-served basis and are "pending availability."

The performance date(s), the name of the show, and the Benefits ticket release dates follow:

September 13 & 14 -- 100 Years of Broadway: August 23
September 28, 29, & 30 -- A Ride With Bob: September 7
October 15, 16, & 17 -- Barrage: September 24
October 24 & 25 -- 3 MO' Divas: October 3
October 30 -- Shaolin Warriors: October 9
December 11 -- Larry Gatlin Concert: November 20
February 5, 2008 -- Brazilian Guitar Festival: January 15
February 21 & 22 -- Lula Washington Dance Theatre: January 31
February 26 & 27 -- Cirque-Works Birdhouse Factory: February 5
March 6 -- The Big Phat Band: February 14
April 15 & 16 -- East Village Opera Company: March 25
April 24 -- Carmen: the Ballet: April 3

All performances are at 7:30 p.m., except the September 30 performance of "A Ride With Bob," which is a 3 p.m. matinee.

UCA students can obtain their free tickets by presenting their valid UCA I.D. at the Reynolds Box Office. UCA students' Benefits shows are Barrage, Shaolin Warriors, and East Village Opera Company. UCA students may receive one free ticket to Gordon Goodwin?s Big Phat Band, an Artist in Residence show sponsored by the College of Fine Arts & Communication.

For more information, visit www.uca.edu/reynolds or www.uca.edu/publicappearances.

Garry Craig Powell, assistant professor in the Department of Writing, was a finalist in the novella category in the William Faulkner/William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition.

Sunday's River Valley & Ozark edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette shined a spotlight on UCA's Baum Gallery of Fine Art and art instructor Pat Larsen:

As Conway artist Pat Larsen begins his 38th year of teaching art at the University of Central Arkansas, he has received yet another honor in a long list of achievements.

The advisory council of UCA?s Friends of the Baum Gallery of Fine Art organization has selected Larsen as the first Arkansas artist whose work will be featured in the new Collector?s Portfolio project. Signed, dated, limited-edition prints of his oil on canvas, Ozark Ridgeline, will be made available for persons joining the Friends organization with a membership donation of $100 or more. Prints are suitable for framing and conservation in the presentation portfolio.

Barbara Satterfield, director, Baum Gallery of Fine Art, said sponsors of the 2007 Collector?s Portfolio project are Exhibition Associates of Conway and an anonymous donor.

?I?m really honored by this,? Larsen said during a recent visit at the gallery. ?I?m glad to finally be able to pay back the university for all it has done for me. There?s not a whole lot you can do as a starving artist. I see this as a great way to give back to the university.? ...

Satterfield said advisory council members will annually select an Arkansas artist to feature in the portfolio project. Council members include UCA alumni and residents of the central Arkansas area. The 2007-2008 Council includes Emily Fraize and Pat Proctor of Little Rock, Neil Vannoy of Morrilton, and Melanie Conner, Nancy Fesler,Nancy Mitchell, Frank Roland, Dianna Winters and Greg Wren of Conway.

The Friends of the Baum Gallery organization supports art exhibits and art education through membership donations that benefit Baum Gallery programming.

?We have such a great group of council members, with great ideas,? Satterfield said. ?The Collector?s Portfolio gives our members a way to acquire great Arkansas art works - with our appreciation for their support of the Baum Gallery. Thanks to our 2007 sponsors, the Collector?s Portfolio is a win-win for everybody.?

Membership in the Friends of the Gallery is tax-deductible and proceeds benefit Baum Gallery programming. All Friends members receive exhibit announcement cards and invitations to special events. Membership donations of all amounts are appreciated. Friends membership information and a membership form may be found on the gallery Web site www.uca.edu/cfac/baum. Click on the ?Friends? navigation bar on the home page.

Click here to read the full article.

And for more Baum Gallery news, check out its new online newsletter at: http://www.uca.edu/cfac/baum/September_2007_Newsletter.pdf

UCA alumni received eight of the 21 CPA certificates awarded by the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy during its April-May Testing Window.

The UCA graduates who passed the rigorous exam were John D. Albritton, Susan E. Held, Courtney E. Lampkin, Nathan P. McLaughlin, Muhammad A. Qureshi, Amber N. Sherrill, Victoria L. Temple, and Elizabeth A. McCarron.

Becoming a CPA involves "Three Es" - Education, Examination, and Experience. The Uniform CPA Examination is administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 14-hour exam consists of four parts: Financial Accounting & Reporting, Business Environment & Concepts, Auditing & Attestation, and Regulation. The exam may be taken during four Testing Windows each year.

Arkansas requires 150 hours of college credit to sit for the exam, including certain business and accounting courses with minimum grade requirements. In addition, Arkansas requires candidates to have one year of experience providing accounting, attest, management advisory, financial advisory, tax or consulting skills.

Mark Spitzer, assistant professor of writing, was a semi-finalist in the novel category of the 2007 William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. His review/essay "Towards a Less Bogus Definition of Creative Nonfiction ? la Apocrypha" was recently accepted for publication in Projected Letters.

Stephanie Vanderslice, also an associate professor of writing, has, with her frequent collaborator Dr. Kelly Ritter of Southern Connecticut State University, been named a guest editor of College English, a leading professional journal for the college scholar and teacher. College English publishes articles about literature, rhetoric-composition, critical theory, creative writing theory, linguistics, literacy, reading theory, and professional issues related to the teaching of English.

The special issue Dr. Vanderslice will be editing, titled "Creative Writing in the Twenty-First Century," will appear in 2009.