University of Central Arkansas

Emmy award winning AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton will be the guest speaker for the observance of World AIDS Day.

The event, "Catching, Coping and Conquering: The Fight Against HIV/AIDS," will be held Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in Doyne Auditorium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. The speech is free and open to the public.

The University of Central Arkansas Chapter of Keep a Child Alive and The Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. are hosting the event.

The acclaimed documentary film The Linguists will be shown at the University of Central Arkansas on Monday, Nov. 23 to mark the approval of the first linguistics degree program in Arkansas.

The 65-minute film will be shown at 7 p.m. in Stanley Russ Hall Room 103. The showing is free and open to the public.

The new linguistics degree, approved this fall, will enroll its first students at UCA in January.

The University of Central Arkansas and the City of Conway have joined the 470 communities across America that have signed an Armed Services Community Covenant expressing their commitment in support of the military.

The University of Central Arkansas, Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Conway vowed to build a partnership among various groups in support of service members and their families.

The community covenant was presented during UCA's annual Veterans Day Celebration at Estes Stadium on Nov. 11. Copies of the covenant will be on display in the Conway City Hall, the Conway Chamber of Commerce and other public buildings.

Renowned ecological farmer and author Joel Salatin discussed the government's role in farm politics and the recent movement toward healthier foods during the closing lecture of UCA Honors College Challenge Week.

Several hundred people attended the lecture at the Wally Hall Ballroom at the Arkansas Statehouse Convention Center on Nov. 12. The event was co-sponsored by Heifer International.

Salatin is the author of several books including Holy Cows and Hog Heaven, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, and Family Friendly Farming. He and his family operate Polyface, Inc., a pasture-based organic farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

The University of Central Arkansas will become a tobacco-free campus beginning July 1, 2010.

The Board of Trustees approved a policy Nov. 6 that mirrors the state law that prohibits tobacco products on campus. The use of tobacco products will not be allowed on the grounds, any vehicle owned or leased by the university and all university-owned building including off-campus housing. The ban includes smokeless tobacco products.

Anyone using tobacco products on campus could face a fine from $100 to $500, according to the state law.

Faulkner County veterans will be the guests of honor at a patriotic Community Tailgate as part of the University of Central Arkansas's annual Veterans Day celebration.

The Community Tailgate is slated for Nov. 11 outside of Estes Stadium.

UCA has acknowledged the contributions of service men and women since 1996. This year, the UCA community wanted to do more to thank veterans for their service.

The University of Central Arkansas Honors College recently hosted a technology workshop in Washington for the National Collegiate Honors Council.

The conference was held Nov. 1 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Washington, DC.

UCA Honors College has emerged as a nationally-recognized leader in online learning communities and project-based pedagogies and was selected to lead the workshop, said Rick Scott, dean of UCA Honors College.

Ten women will be vying for the title of Miss University of Central Arkansas during the scholarship pageant Friday, Nov. 6 at Reynolds Performance Hall.

The pageant begins at 7:30 p.m. and is hosted by Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority. Tickets are $5 for students with their student ID card and $10 for the public. Tickets will be available at 5:30 p.m. the day of the pageant.

The University of Central Arkansas will host a select group of political scientists and practicing politicians to discuss the topic of "The Impact of Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Civil Society Organizations upon American Federalism."

The conference, called "A Global Dialogue on Federalism," is scheduled for Nov. 6.

Those attending the conference will discuss the preparation of a report on how American federal institutions have shaped party and interest group politics and civil discourse in the United States. Scholars will also look at how American federal governance has been affected by those same parties, interests, and civil society.

Ohio University Professor Roger C. Aden will deliver a lecture on relationships among sports teams and fans Thursday, Nov. 5 at the University of Central Arkansas.

The lecture, "Sports Fans and the Teams They Love (and Love to Hate)", is based on Aden's most recent book Huskerville: A Story of Nebraska, Football, Fans, and the Power of Place. The book gives an in-depth look at the football landscape in the state of Nebraska and the relationship between the fans and Cornhusker football.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the lobby of Thompson Hall on the UCA campus.

Julia Robison, the University of Central Arkansas’s associate director of Student Financial Aid, has been awarded the Outstanding Service Award by the Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

The award was announced during the association’s fall conference held Oct. 22-23 at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. It is given to individuals for their exceptional contribution to the association and to their profession.

“I did not expect this award,” Robison said. “I am truly honored and appreciate the association giving me this award. As upcoming president, I plan to do my best to live up to the expectations of this award.”

Robison started her career at UCA in August 1995 as a counselor. In 1997, she was promoted to assistant director. She was named the associate director of Student Financial Aid in 2001.

Before coming to UCA, Robison worked in financial aid at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

Robison has been a member of the Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators since 1995. She has served on the association’s Financial Aid Awareness Committee and the Fall Conference Committee. In 2005, Robison was elected to the AASFAA Board as delegate at large. She was elected President-Elect of the association last year. Her term as president begins 2010.

The Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators is made up of representatives from colleges, universities, lending institutions and scholarship organizations. The association also provides scholarship opportunities to students in the state through organization fund-raisers.