Brandy Pate ’98 was honored as the Alumni Service Award recipient, and Spencer Gordy ’07 was the inaugural Young Alumni Award recipient.

The UCA Alumni Service Award is presented to an individual or couple who, through their deeds or actions, reflect and recognize the importance of the UCA Alumni Association and demonstrate extraordinary commitment, dedication, service and loyalty to the university.

Pate currently is clinical instructor I in the Department of Occupational Therapy at UCA. She has been a chapter adviser for Alpha Sigma Tau for approximately 20 years. She serves on the interview committee for the Student Orientation Staff (SOS) and has volunteered with UCA’s interprofessional education clinic. She is a former mentor for the UCA Alumni Association Mentor Connection and former board member for the Greek Alumni Advisory Board.

“To give back and stay connected is something that is vital to the success of collegiate students. College is such a time of growth and adjustment. I have watched so many college women attain their dreams, and I am the biggest cheerleader for them along the way,” Pate said. “The distinction is quite an honor. I have loved serving and will always serve in some capacity to UCA.”

The Young Alumni Award was established to recognize alumni with exceptional career, public service or volunteer achievements that bring honor to UCA.

While a UCA student, Gordy served as vice president of Sigma Tau Gamma and was a team leader of SOS. He was a member of the Association of Future Alumni and was a board member of All Greek Council. He served as a UCA Ambassador and spirit chair of Bear Den. After graduating, Gordy earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

“It is the single biggest honor bestowed upon me in the form of an award. I have such a deep passion for this university, and to have a reciprocated appreciation back from the institution creates such an emotional feeling,” Gordy said. “To think of the numerous young alumni from all over the world who have already done countless incredible and amazing things is inspiring, and to be considered among those is very humbling.”

Parks is director of economic development at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce. While a student at UCA, Parks was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, the Student Government Association and Student Orientation Staff. He earned a bachelor’s in insurance and risk management and an MBA.

Porterfield is director of client services at Best Association Management. As a student, she was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars on campus. Porterfield earned a bachelor’s in public relations with a minor in honors interdisciplinary studies.

Robertson earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. He is store manager of his family’s company, Cousins Office Furniture of Conway, Rogers and Searcy.

Voegele is a life member of the UCA Alumni Association. She is the 2017 Alumni Service Award recipient and a charter member of the Women’s Giving Circle. She earned a bachelor’s in kinesiology and exercise science. As a student, Voegele was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority and worked on the staff of The Scroll.

Their three-year terms end June 20, 2022.

The UCA Alumni Association Board of Directors develops and oversees the programs and budget of the association to advance the interests of the group. Dues-paying members elect the 20-member board.

Tapley is the first officer to represent the UCAPD at the FBI National Academy, and he was one of two police officers to represent Arkansas at this session.

The FBI National Academy consists of 10 weeks of advanced communication, leadership and fitness training. Participants must have proven records as professionals within their agencies to attend. On average, officers have 21 years of law enforcement experience.

Tapley is a 25-year veteran of the UCAPD. He currently serves as the operations commander for the department and has oversight of patrol operation.

“The FBI National Academy is the pinnacle to any law enforcement professional’s career,” Tapley said. “I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by the FBI and UCAPD Chief John Merguie to represent the UCA Police Department. It was an outstanding learning and networking experience.”

The FBI class included 256 officers from law enforcement agencies from 34 countries, five military organizations and nine federal civilian organizations. A total of 52,282 graduates have completed the FBI National Academy since it began in 1935. The academy is held at the same facility where the FBI trains its new special agents and intelligence analysts.

Tapley earned a Bachelor of Science in 1997 from UCA. He has a combined total of 28 years of law enforcement experience with most of those being at UCA.

In this role, Thomas will establish the collective vision and direction of the offices within enrollment services, which includes Academic Advising, 51��¥, Financial Aid, the Registrar and Transfer Services. He will also work collaboratively with faculty, staff and other administrative leaders to develop and achieve the university’s strategic enrollment goals.

He began this position July 1 and reports to Patricia Poulter, provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs.

“He brings considerable experience to the role, and I am confident Dr. Thomas will be a great asset to UCA and the community,” Poulter said.

Thomas most recently served as the director of Retention and Student Success at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Prior to that, he was the director of the Academic Advising and Retention Center at Western Kentucky University. He also served that institution as assistant director of Undergraduate Advising Practices for three years.

“I am incredibly excited to be a part of the UCA team and serve as the associate vice president for Enrollment Management,” said Thomas. “My interactions with the faculty, staff and students of the 51��¥ have shown me what an exciting time this is for UCA.”

Thomas earned a bachelor’s in organizational communication and public relations and a master’s in human services from Murray State University. He earned his Doctor of Education in educational leadership (postsecondary) from Western Kentucky University.

A student who transfers from each participating two-year college — including Arkansas State University-Beebe, University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton and the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College — is eligible for a Bear Partner Scholarship.

Brodsky, a junior, transferred to UCA in the fall 2019 semester from UACCM. The Conway native is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting.

At UCA, she is a member of the Accounting Club and prospective member of Beta Alpha Psi, through which she has learned more about her field of interest and served the Conway community. At UACCM, Brodsky was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a peer math tutor.

“I am extremely grateful for being chosen as the recipient of the Bear Partner Scholarship,” she said. “It is very humbling to receive this great benefit from UCA. This scholarship has enabled me to focus my resources of time and effort to achieve my academic goals and be a good representative of UCA.”

Brodsky aims to become a certified public accountant after her studies.

UACCM selected Brodsky for the award, which covers tuition and mandatory fees up to 15 hours per semester for four semesters or through when the student completes a bachelor’s degree.

Three more scholarship recipients — one from each Bear Partner institution — will be awarded next spring for the fall 2020 semester.

The 51��¥ hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Integrated Health Sciences Building on the UCA campus.

The new 80,000-square-foot, four-story facility will be home to the School of Nursing and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, along with the Nabholz Center for Healthcare Simulation and Interprofessional Teaching Center to be utilized by the entire College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

“This new facility will have an immediate impact on the nursing shortage in Arkansas by immediately providing room for 50 more nursing students,” said UCA President Houston Davis. “Since more than 90% of our health care graduates stay in the state to practice, this is very good news for Arkansans.”

The integrated design of the building aims to foster an interprofessional educational environment that is most conducive to replicating real-life health care scenarios. This means students will participate in clinical and simulation experiences that require collaboration with all majors within the college.

“We’re creating an environment for our students that replicates the collaborative environment they will enter as graduates,” said Jimmy Ishee, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. “These transformative experiences prepare our students for internships, employment and, ultimately, for careers providing exceptional health care.”

The first floor will house the Interprofessional Teaching Center where students will learn and work alongside each other instead of independently, creating a modern health care team.

The third floor of the building will house the Nabholz Center for Healthcare Simulation. The state-of-the-art simulation lab will more than double the space of the current simulation lab and provide students with carefully programmed lifelike training scenarios. The remaining two floors will contain classrooms and office space for faculty and staff.

“As one of the state’s leading providers of health care professionals, this cutting-edge facility will further enhance UCA’s role as a thought leader and innovator in meeting the professional health care needs of the state and region,” Davis said.

The College of Health and Behavioral Sciences is the largest college at UCA, accounting for more than 34% of undergraduates and 42% of graduate students. The college has more than 1,200 affiliations and contracts with health care entities across the state, while students participate in approximately 420,000 hours of clinical, internship and practicum hours annually.

Located at Western Avenue and Bruce Street, the Integrated Health Sciences Building is scheduled to be open for the fall 2021 semester. Planning and architecture for the facility are by Taggart Architects. Nabholz Construction is the general contractor for the project. Primary funding for the project is provided through a $37.7 million bond appropriation by the 51��¥ Board of Trustees.

Additionally, a $5 million fundraising campaign is underway for facility and equipment support. Gifts to the building project are honored through the naming of specific spaces within the facility. These named spaces will remain for the life of the building. Those interested in making a gift to the building can contact Maegan Dyson ’06, ’10, senior director of development, at 
mdyson@uca.edu or (501) 499-4674.