Arkansas has the nation’s highest rate of food insecurity, according to a recent study by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. To help tackle this issue, the 51��¥ offers the Bear Essentials Food Pantry to combat hunger in our campus community.

Walking into the Bear Essentials Food Pantry, located at the Physical Plant, one can see and smell fresh bananas, apples and more in baskets on a nicely finished centralized table. Volunteers stock shelves with canned goods, cereal and pasta while industrial-sized refrigerators hum as they hold eggs, milk and more fresh items. It is a bright place welcoming students, faculty and staff to shop without worrying about price during a time of increased food costs and insecurity. This vital service continues to impact campus through continued donations, partnerships and volunteerism.

This year marks the food pantry’s 10th anniversary, and its progress from a closet to a bustling center shows the dedication of UCA’s campus community to ensure there are no hungry bears.

“Since 2014, the goal of the Bear Essentials Food Pantry has been to combat food insecurity among the UCA community,” said Wendy Holbrook, UCA’s assistant vice president of engagement, leadership and service.
The Bear Essentials Food Pantry opened in 2014, in Old Main because the founders of the pantry—Brian James, Reesa Ramsahai, Marvin Williams and Melissa Shock—recognized the problem of food insecurity on campus. A student had met with Williams in the Academic Advising Center and had stated she’d “had little to nothing to eat the last couple of days,” so he took her to the cafeteria and paid for her meal.

After that, James and others on campus started food drives which evolved into James’ idea to have a food pantry on campus. As the birthplace of the pantry, the room at Old Main served campus well from 2014 to 2020, but more space was needed, so it moved to the Physical Plant where it has continued to see increased need.

The pantry served more than 400 individuals in the first full month of the fall 2023 semester, an increase of more than 29% from the same time period in 2022. Since August 2023, 279 new people have registered to use the pantry.

According to USDA guidelines, a meal equals 1.2 pounds of food and grocery products. In August, 326 students and employees received 7,000 pounds of food. In October 2023 alone, there were 728 visits by individuals from UCA’s campus community needing food assistance. The total number of visits in the year 2023 was 6,338, an increase of more than 23%.

The success of the pantry over the last decade is attributed to the generosity of the UCA community and partnerships with Aramark, Arkansas Food Bank, the Green Bear Coalition and more from across campus and the surrounding community to help make all of this possible. The most recent partnership with Aldi provides much-needed fresh produce, including apples, bananas, pears and more.

The surrounding community also provides great assistance through partnerships. In addition to Aldi, the Arkansas Hunger Alliance also donates food. Conway Morning Rotary adopted the pantry’s tuna shelf this year. Others, including Kroger and ADHE make monetary donations for the purchase of foods and products. KidzWorld Childcare sends weekly milk donations.

The food pantry is run completely by donations and volunteers. Donated refrigerators and freezers make it possible to keep eggs, milk, meats, and fruits and vegetables available. Monetary donations also make it possible for the pantry to purchase foods and products their customers need at a discounted rate.

A UCA ID is required but only to record the number of visitors on a particular day. Shopping bags are provided as customers enter. Volunteers keep food records by recording the bags’ weight once the shoppers finish so transactions are anonymous. Unlike many other food banks, shoppers are able to choose the items needed.

The mindful recycling and reusing of materials also play a major role in what the food pantry does. If there is ever fresh food that goes beyond its expiration date, it is sent to be used as compost for campus gardens which, in turn, grow fresh produce that goes back to the pantry. Materials such as baskets, paint, shelves, plexiglass and other building materials are all repurposed and used to make the space welcoming; a space meant to show respect for the customers or shoppers who frequent it.

The food pantry’s impact has been felt by a wide range of people on campus, especially students.

“UCA’s food pantry has helped me get to senior year. Sometimes funds are tight in college and I depend on this resource to get my next meal. Without it, I don’t know what I’d do,” said Abby, a senior at UCA.

“The pantry has been very useful. It seems like a haven for many students, including myself. Having access to food is extremely important as it impacts everything,” added Casey, another student.

Will Baker, the pantry’s coordinator, sees the impact being made every day. “Knowing that we’re making a difference not only on campus but in our community,” is his favorite part of being coordinator. “One student described his situation to me and said he doesn’t know what he’d do without the pantry, so that feeling of knowing that you helped that person speaks volumes of how important this resource is,” Baker said.

While it has grown in the past decade, the need still persists. Food drive events throughout the year across campus include the Annual Homecoming Food Drive, the annual staff Winter Feast and Spring Pie-in-the-Face, UCA’s annual Day of Giving, Student Government Association drives, departmental contributions and more. Fresh produce is contributed by the Green Bear Coalition garden on campus. Aramark donates fresh produce, bread and cereal.

Help also comes from generous alumni donors such as Sue Voegele ’62, who, upon hearing about the Bear Essentials Food Pantry in 2021, decided she wanted to donate to help feed hungry bears. Voegele said, “I heard a talk about it and said, ‘Oh! I want to help with that!’”

Faculty and staff, through planned annual giving, may join the Torchbearers to contribute funding through one-time donations or continued payroll deductions.

“It’s great to know that the 51��¥ Bear Essentials Food Pantry is helping students and colleagues that we see every day – and knowing that this resource would also be available to us if we need it! Supporting the pantry is a simple and easy way to make a tangible, positive impact on the UCA community,” said Jeffrey Padberg, a biology professor.

The Bear Essentials Food Pantry’s mission is clear: to have no hungry bears on campus. The legacy is one best expressed by Baker, “I hope that our legacy will be that we did everything we could and helped everyone we could with what we had. I hope that everyone that comes through these doors feels welcomed and understands that we are one big family!”

For more information on how to support the Bear Essentials Food Pantry in the fight against hunger, visit .

For some Arkansas students, the dream of going to college begins to fade as early as middle school as they begin to question their ability to succeed in college.

The 51��¥ has been selected as the recipient of $30 million in funding as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP).
51��¥ is the first university in Arkansas to receive the GEAR UP statewide grant, which the university’s College of Education will facilitate for programming to prepare students for the pathway to college.

The GEAR UP Arkansas project is designed to increase academic opportunities and student preparedness for disadvantaged and at-risk students. This program aims to help students achieve a 19 on the ACT, making them eligible for additional scholarships before entering college. The project will target sixth- and seventh-grade students from high-poverty and low-performing districts across the state. The current grant funding involves more than 3,400 students.

The program launched in November 2023. Leaders and superintendents from 11 districts across the state attended the kickoff meeting to discuss what the program entails and how the university plans to work with them to implement an effective GEAR UP Arkansas program. As part of the kickoff activities, representatives from the university visited school districts, talked with students, and laid the groundwork for the GEAR UP program.

“Knowledge is power. We are going to impact both students and their families by helping them grow in the area of college and teaching them how to navigate the pathway to college,” said Charlotte Parham, GEAR UP program coordinator and associate professor at the UCA College of Education. “We hope we increase the number of students that graduate from college in Arkansas.”

The Arkansas Division of Higher Education’s 2021 report shows that 89% of Arkansas students graduate from college which is, above the national average of 87%. However, it is estimated that nearly half of the undergraduates in the state will need remediation classes in college-level subjects.

“We talk a lot about being college ready, but oftentimes we don’t talk about the pathway,” said Parham. “We want to help students, families, and school districts navigate that pathway so that if those students decide to attend college, they will know what it takes to get there. 51��¥ is the lead in that effort.”

As the lead in that effort, the university oversees and implements various programs to assist students, their families, and the school districts participating in GEAR UP. Aspiration, entry, and academic preparation are three areas of college preparedness covered by the program. As many students in these communities don’t consider college as an option, the college aspiration area is designed to change their mindsets by redefining their personal narratives of who they can become. The college entry area focuses on families, preparing them to become allies for their children’s pathway to college by informing them about applications, scholarships and more. The academic preparation area provides students with academic skills that will assist them in entering college and having a successful college experience.

“The focus is preparing students to be successful in higher education,” said Victoria Groves-Scott, dean of the College of Education. “Children will get the opportunity to imagine careers, explore college opportunities, and have more resources to set them on a path toward success. Regardless of the child’s intent to go to college or technical school, GEAR UP will give them a platform to imagine possibilities for the future.”

For the university, working with these families and school districts across the state is vital because it will give UCA a presence within these communities.

“Even if they’re not in our cohort, these schools and families are going to see UCA in their community, and I think that’s going to have a big impact on the university,” said Parham. “We are building and developing partnerships with these sixth- and seventh-grade students. We’re bringing them to campus and building rapport. As a faculty member, I want these students to see themselves at college, and it would be amazing if they could see themselves at UCA.”

“The College of Education is extremely community-focused,” said Groves-Scott. “The large majority of faculty have worked in K-12 schools and are deeply committed to the success of all students. The GEAR UP grant strengthens these connections and will forge new connections with school districts outside our geographic region. The impact will be profound and grow exponentially over the years of the grant.”

Knowledge is power. We are going to impact both students and their families by helping them grow in the area of college and teaching them how to navigate the pathway to college.
Charlotte Parham
GEAR UP Program Coordinator and
Associate Professor at the UCA College of Education

The 51��¥ Aviation Academy is a pilot training program where students obtain the knowledge, skill and aeronautical experience necessary to meet the requirements for pilot certification. With multiple pilot licensure options available, including a private license, instrument rating, and commercial license, students of the program have ground opportunities followed by flight training. Located at the growing Conway Regional Airport, the academy utilizes brand-new, state-of-the-art Tecnam planes with all glass cockpits featuring the newest technology.

The idea for the academy began a little over a decade ago, but it took time for the idea to take off according to acting director Brad Teague, “I can remember being sent to other states to research their aviation programs. Then after some discussion as to where it would fit in our degree programs and mission with no clear resolution, it kind of got put on the back burner.” Teague, himself a certified pilot, never forgot about it, though.

And, in 2022, UCA President Houston Davis learned of growing community interest in an aviation program and visited with Conway Regional Airport Director Jake Briley about the idea. The discussion that ensued showed all the possible paths to make it happen.

In July, Teague will hand over the reins of UCA athletics to Matt Whiting and assume the full-time role as the program director. The Aviation Academy is operated by the UCA Division of Outreach and Community Engagement in partnership with Central Flying Service of Little Rock, the City of Conway and Conway Regional Airport. The program will enhance the local economy while working to address current and future pilot shortages which will be good for UCA, Central Arkansas and beyond.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the aviation industry will see a projected average of 17,000 job openings annually for airline and commercial pilots over the next decade. This program will assist in meeting that demand as Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders noted for November’s announcement.

She said, “I couldn’t be more grateful for the combined efforts at the 51��¥, the City of Conway and the Conway Regional Airport to spearhead this initiative. Our state faces critical skilled worker shortages in industries like aviation. It will take all of us working together on new projects like the UCA Aviation Academy to overcome these challenges and lead Arkansas’ economy into the next decade and beyond.”

Sanders described Conway as “our state’s fastest growing city last year.” And, much like the aviation industry and UCA’s aviation program, the city is “taking off with jobs and businesses opening up left and right.” This new program opens the door for UCA to partner with the city to bring even more opportunities to the “City of Colleges”.

“This partnership between the City of Conway and the 51��¥ is a prime example of the leadership process at work. It’s what makes Conway special,” said Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry. “We’re confident the UCA Aviation Academy will bring more students to the 51��¥ and greater visibility to the Conway Regional Airport.”

Zane Harris, one of the students in the first cohort for this program, agreed as he feels this a great opportunity which will broaden horizons for all involved. “I think this program will help fill the need of having additional pilots across the nation and in central Arkansas. Also, this program is really unique since there are no prerequisites or degree requirements. I hope this program will open the door for people who are looking for high-quality flight training and spread awareness of the amazing opportunities aviation provides,” Harris said.

Additionally, this innovative program launches a new era for continuing education by offering a model of specialized certifications and career training in tandem with the potential of earning a degree if a student decides to expand their horizons even further.

John Gardner, a U.S. Air Force retiree and first cohort aviation student, while working towards his commercial certification and his desire to fly, has also thought of fulfilling another dream: earning his degree. “I am a retired U.S. Air Force aircraft mechanic that has always had a desire to learn to fly. I saw the program on UCA’s Facebook page and thought now is the time to go after my dream of flying.

“Honestly, when I started the program I had not given this any thought as I am the oldest student in class. The thought of continuing and finishing a degree at my age is another dream this class has rekindled so I will probably be looking into coming back to school,” Gardner said.

“The flexibility of this academy allows students to first pursue their workforce training needs if that is their main goal but also provides them a path to continue or pursue other degree options with the university if desired,” said UCA President Houston Davis.

“Many students may prioritize securing their commercial pilot certificate to immediately work in the industry while other students will choose to attend UCA for another degree but also want to do their pilot training while in college.”

The new Aviation Academy shows UCA’s dedication to student development, innovative training programs, community partnerships, economic impact and more for years to come. Davis said, “This innovative program is a win for the students, the industry, the city, the state and the university.”

The 51��¥ had the 10th anniversary of its annual Day of Giving on March 7, 2024.

As part of Day of Giving, alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, friends and family members are challenged to donate any amount during the 24-hour campaign to support the university. By raising funds from this event, the university can support a wide range of programs, providing assistance for both students and faculty with academic opportunities, financial assistance and more.

The university’s first Day of Giving took place in 2015. The Day of Giving concept was very new then, and several universities were still experimenting with the idea. During that time, the university needed additional funds for its emergency student fund, which supports tuition and books for students. To raise money for the fund, the university decided to create its own Day of Giving. In 2015, UCA had a student population of over 11,000 students, and the goal of the first Day of Giving was to raise at least one dollar from each student. That year, the event raised more than double its estimated goal. Inspired by the event’s success, UCA made the Day of Giving an annual event.

UCA’s Day of Giving 2017 focused on its Annual Fund, which supports emergency student funds, faculty grants, and other programs. In 2018, the university expanded the event to include 40 funds across its foundation. Each of the 40 funds represents a different aspect of campus life, including student affairs, athletics, community outreach and more. In subsequent years, the event was opened to all funds across UCA’s foundation.

“Day of Giving has allowed my office to supplement the financial needs of the student groups we work with,” said Angela Jackson ’88, ’90, the associate dean and director of the Office of Diversity and Community. “Since year two of our time as a featured fund, we have enlisted the help of students who benefit from our office’s services to create videos to share on social media. We have also held a couple of phone-a-thons, which allowed students to contact potential donors. All the money received as a part of Day of Giving goes back into student programming and small book scholarships. The Day of Giving platform allows us to raise funds for student activities that can’t be funded using the operating budget.”

Jackson continued, “The impact of this important funding benefits the campus community because those donations provide an additional source of funding that can be used for scholarship purposes and outside-the-box research and programming ideas. Most importantly, it gives our alumni an opportunity to give back. People are inspired to give to causes they believe in and will donate more because of that.”

“To me, it goes right back to the students, so every dollar you give here at UCA turns around and goes right back to the students, impacting their collegiate experience in some way,” said Haley Fowler ’06, senior director of Annual Giving. “Whether through a new building, scholarship dollars, or classroom equipment, students get to have that hands-on experience. The impact to me is campus-wide. It impacts everyone with all the different opportunities they will get to learn inside and outside the classroom.”

“Each year, I find this Day of Giving and the celebration to be an especially poignant expression of the dedication and love our students, our faculty and staff, donors, and friends have for our university. And after 10 years, this particular Day of Giving is no exception,” said UCA President Houston Davis.

In this year’s 2024 Day of Giving, 2,369 donors from 41 states and 73 countries worldwide contributed $1,466,334, of which 36% were students. Over the last decade, the event has raised a total of $6,664,420 from 19,008 donations.

“Day of Giving is an incredible success, both today and over the last decade. It’s humbling to see our alumni and friends who give year after year on Day of Giving, but perhaps even more exciting to see when someone is inspired to give for the very first time,” said Fowler. “To me, the event’s greatest success is just educating our community and our alums about the impact of fundraising and what it can do for our campus, what it can do for our departments, our programs, our colleges, and just how impactful a donor’s donation can be. To me, that is the Day of Giving’s greatest success; it’s just allowing our constituents to give back.”

The 51��¥’ Department of Occupational Therapy celebrates its 50th anniversary of accreditation this year with events inviting the campus and surrounding community to see the impact this innovative program has had since its establishment in 1970 and accreditation in 1974.

UCA’s occupational therapy (OT) program was the first in Arkansas and the only occupational therapy program in the state until 2017. Ahead of its time, it has continued to teach students innovative strategies through its mission, sponsoring Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs), campus partnerships, community partnerships, study abroad opportunities and capstone experiences.

“At that time, there were around 13 OT programs in the U.S., so that was in 1970 when they hired our first program director and chair to get it started here,” according to department chair Tina Mankey. “We were the first and only program in Arkansas until 2017. So, we were the only one for over 40 years.”

The history and time invested are a large part of what makes UCA’s OT program unique. Mankey credits experienced faculty, innovative coursework, and partnerships with making it an outstanding program. “We’re not new at this. We have very experienced faculty who have all been in the classroom or teaching for many years. Our curriculum has a very strong research background. We’ve been very fortunate to have very qualified research faculty. Plus, we’ve been doing this for a long time,” Mankey said.

For the year-long celebration, they are having public events each month in 2024 to highlight what they have been learning and to welcome and thank the community for their support, including symposiums, capstone presentations, podcasts, a community and university partnership recognition day, and a celebration on the lawn in April.

The notable celebration, appropriately scheduled during Occupational Therapy Month, involved faculty and a cohort of over 140 students on the UCA Stripes. October promises a space at Homecoming Tailgate for OT alums to reconnect, and December closes, highlighting all of the partnerships, on campus and off, that have made this program such a success through the years.

Current student Amber Scott, a native of Houston, Texas, liked the challenge of going to different places. “I’d never visited Arkansas before, and I’d heard really good things about UCA, but what stood out to me with UCA was the program itself. The OT Program strives for professionalism, community-based service and the learning opportunities they have for their students. The experiences I’ve had within these few months are ones I never would have dreamed of as a little girl or even during undergrad. I knew that this was the place where I needed to be,” Scott said.

The overall mission of this program is to foster a sense of community through relationships with peers, faculty, campus partners, community partners, and, most importantly, the diverse populations of patients these scholar-practitioners work to serve. Part of this design is met through the RSOs from the School of OT. These organizations include Students of Pre-Occupational Therapy or SPOT, Phi Theta Epsilon or PTE, the Student Caucus for Diversity in Occupational Therapy or SCDOT, and the Student Occupational Therapy Association or SOTA.

Jacob Whitworth ’23, reflecting on his time in OT’s student organizations, said, “In SOTA, we had Backpack Day where we would go out around campus and spread the word on how to manage backpacks appropriately so as not to cause harm later in life and reduce unneeded stress. I was also a part of SCDOT, our diversity club, where we began reaching out to underserved populations to advertise OT as a career path they may not have known about.”

Third-year student Joniya Flowers agreed that her time in OT’s student organizations greatly impacted her feelings of inclusion and learning. “I proudly identify as a 51��¥ Bear, having entered campus in 2018. Throughout my academic journey, I immersed myself in campus life and various leadership positions in multiple organizations such as SCDOT and SOTA. This fostered my sense of belonging and made UCA not just a place of learning, but a home.”

The occupational therapy program offers specialized student organizations and partnerships with other departments, enriching the experiential learning experience for students. The Integrated Health Sciences Building at UCA offers interprofessional learning opportunities in departments such as nursing, physical therapy (PT), psychology and more. This interaction and collaboration prepare students for teamwork scenarios to offer holistic treatment options for patients, building connections within their healthcare community for the future.

Additionally, the program’s instruction style teaches students to think independently to develop more inclusive treatment methods and to go out to the communities they wish to serve. These unique experiences come from the capstone class, or experience, which is devised by the student.

Mankey said, “Our mission with our capstone is for our students to spend significant time in the community. We want to make the greatest impact on community and practice, so we encourage our students to return to their hometown or wherever they plan to go after graduation and help meet a need the community might have had.”

And more impact comes with the expanded reach of the capstone classes nationwide and internationally. Scott, reflecting on her trip working with mothers and infants in Africa, explained how it taught her the importance of community. “We were working on the basics: just being able to sit up or crawl or roll over. We taught them these things at the clinic so they could do them at home with their child. Being there showed me how culture affects everything. It impacts how we look at health.”

“OT is excellent with community engagement,” Scott continued. “When coming into the program, the very first semester, they tell us that it won’t just be classroom learning. They get you in the community-actively-whether that’s going into the schools, going to nonprofit organizations, staying in-state for fieldwork experiences, going out of state, or if you want to go out of the country. It’s available to students. They make sure that you’re thriving.”

UCA’s OT program has participated in numerous organizations, such as Go Baby Go, to assist children with mobility issues. They have sponsored a program that assists those caring for patients with brain injuries. Different Strokes is another program using golf for those with disabilities. They are also working on making partnerships with local businesses to assist those on the Autism Spectrum with gaining employment.

With that, the legacy of UCA’s OT program is already strong. It promises a future of significant impacts on our campus community, local community, state, national, and global communities as our students broaden their horizons and work to fulfill and serve the mission of this program.

Mankey sees a bright future going forward from the 50th anniversary. “While some of our programs continue, we also want to strive to keep doing more. We want more programs and more impact for individuals. We want the 51��¥ OT program to stay the premier program in the state. We have so much to offer,” Mankey said.

“As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, UCA’s OT program is committed to continual growth and positive evolution,” said Flowers. “We are dedicated to assessing areas of improvement, implementing positive change and enriching the lives of our students while contributing positively to communities within and beyond our campus.”

A new location for the Veterans and Military Resource Center officially opened at the 51��¥ during the spring semester of 2024. The newly renovated building will now be shared by both the Veterans and Military Resource Center and the Office of Student Success. The facility offers new amenities, such as a study room, computer lab, kitchen, lounge, meeting room and veteran’s benefits processing office.

Formerly, the resource center was located in a small suite within Harrin Hall. Since the center’s relocation, the space has provided more services and space for active-duty military and veteran students.

The resource center moved into its new location a week after the 2023 fall term ended. The center was outfitted with new furnishings for its grand opening in February 2024.

“The center has been in the works for a few years,” said Greg Pelts, director of the Veterans and Military Resource Center. “I came on board working at UCA with the veterans office two years ago, and it was already a concept then. The veterans office’s primary focus was just processing benefits, which is still extremely important and will always be one of the main pillars of what we do. But we knew that when it opened, we would be expanding the scope of what we did in numerous ways. You know the old saying, ‘If you build it, they will come., UCA has built it, or I should say refurbished an existing building, and the students are coming. But I truly believe that over time, we will see an increase in our military student population here at UCA because word will get around.”

The Veterans and Military Resource Center is designed to assist student veterans, dependents and active-duty military members as they seek to better understand and access their education benefits. Several services are available at the center, including assistance with medical claims, access to VA loans, processing military benefits and more. To maximize their chances of success, the resource center assists veterans in adjusting to civilian college life. To help veteran and active military students connect with the community, the center will also provide various forms of outreach.

A significant initiative to help students make that transition is opening a chapter of the Student Veterans of America organization, a nonprofit organization committed to addressing the needs and concerns of American military veterans in higher education.

“Many of these military and veteran students have had some fascinating experiences. They’ve done a lot of things that few people can say they’ve ever done,” said Pelts. “They’re used to a certain structure that the military has that the civilian world doesn’t. With each, there’s a transition that they’ve got to make, and some of them need a little help making that transition. For many of the veterans and currently serving military members on campus, they often get that feeling that they’re a fish out of water, that they don’t quite blend in with everybody, but we’re giving them an opportunity to congregate.”

The relocation allows the resource center to encompass a much larger space and provide many more amenities for students. Once a small suite, the resource center is now equipped with a kitchen, lounge area, study room, computer lab, processing office and meeting room for visiting professionals and speakers. In addition to providing a quiet work environment for students, these areas also provide them with a safe space to gather and relax between classes.

“Being able to go from our cramped room in Harrin Hall to having a brand new, revamped center where we are currently located has been a blessing not only for our work-study students but for our military-connected students on campus,” said Tyler Tichenor, an active member with the Arkansas Air National Guard and a senior criminology major. “There can’t be enough said for how much our director Greg Pelts has been able to rejuvenate this program and get it back on the right track to ensure our students have as seamless a semester as possible while knowing that we have a place made just for them. Being able to go to work every day and see students come to hang out, discuss the news and work on homework in a safe place has been very rewarding to watch.”

“The center has only been used for roughly three months. Already, I see regulars visiting and using the space as they please,” said Tyler Gavin, an Army veteran and student majoring in anthropology. “These people are student veterans, current service members who attend National Guard and Reserve drills on the weekends, and the dependents of service members who have been gifted the benefits that their parents earned serving our country. I have made more friends at this center in the past three months than in the entirety of 2023 when this center did not exist on campus. Having a space to interact with other veterans and service members is the highlight of my day, and it’s the only space I spend my free time on campus, and I know other student veterans that share that feeling.”

“I believe that the new Veterans and Military Resource Center has a genuinely positive impact on the military-affiliated students here on the UCA campus,” said Robert Walker, a retired Army veteran and student. “I have talked with students from other universities who sought out our center to get guidance for receiving benefits at their schools. At its most basic level, the center provides a detail-oriented and streamlined avenue to process students, VA benefits so that they can focus on their studies. On a deeper, more personal level, I believe that the UCA Veterans and Military Resource Center and the students that populate it provide a location to connect with others on a shared academic path to success. With over 400 students using VA benefits on campus, we certainly have a large community to rely upon for information, encouragement and support.”

The atmosphere was electric as people cheered in anticipation as darkness spread across the 51��¥ on April 8, 2024, for the solar eclipse.

Will Slaton with the Department of Physics and Astronomy knew, after viewing a partial eclipse in Missouri in 2017, that the event of a total solar eclipse in 2024 would make history in Arkansas.

“I came back and started talking to my [department] chair, Dean Addison, Provost Poulter, and just pushing that up the chain and saying, ‘We have got to be able to have something for Arkansans.’ What we saw in Missouri was amazing, so I am happy we were able to have a welcoming, open environment, an open campus for people to be on the Stripes, and a STEM outreach where people were talking with scientists and science students about different aspects of science and technology,” said Slaton.

When asked about the event, Director of Astronomical Facilities Scott Austin agreed that this eclipse was special. “During totality, the Moon covering the Sun will look like a black hole in the sky surrounded by the Sun’s corona.

The sky will look like late evening twilight and will be dark enough to see the brighter stars and planets that will be up. The temperature will decrease, and birds and other animals will think sunset is occurring. For UCA, this will be a total solar eclipse. For any particular spot on the Earth, the occurrence of a total solar eclipse is rare, with an average frequency of one per 375 years,” Austin said.

As the date drew near, years of planning came to fruition on UCA’s campus. Notable pre-eclipse events included eclipse or space-themed talks and lectures from scientists, including NASA astrophysicist Amber Straughn; Eclipse planetarium shows at the Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium; a lecture from Morton Brown ’96, creator of Luna: Eclipse Superhero inflatable; and a session on how to capture images of the eclipse with 2016 UCA Distinguished Alumni Award winner James Neihouse, and book reading by children’s author Darcy Pattison.

The campus hosted two watch parties on eclipse day. A countdown to totality was performed at Estes Stadium while viewers listened to eclipse-themed music. The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics hosted learning activities for children and adults, including scientists, to answer questions about the eclipse.

Across campus from Estes, in front of the College of Business, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences hosted Dog Barkanalia and “Put the World on Paws,” an event in which guests were invited to bring their dogs and crocheted afghans and then donate them to local animal shelters. The event included music, a dog costume show, a puppy kissing booth, and many vendors.

More than 3,000 visitors came to the university for the eclipse event. Visitors came from across America, Canada and beyond to experience totality, an event that would not occur again until 2045.

Sarasota, Florida, residents John Kampmann and Michelle Flynn planned to observe and photograph the eclipse in Uvalde, Texas, until weather reports indicated cloudy conditions. After some research, they decided to come to UCA for the viewing experience.

“Conway is a delightful town, and this campus is beautiful,” said Michelle. Being dog lovers, the two opted for the Barkanalia viewing event. “The fact that this university has a partnership with dog service programs and is so supportive of that makes my heart happy,” she said. “This is an incredibly impressive event. It is just so family-friendly and welcoming.”

Meanwhile, at Estes Stadium’s watch party, Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Wendell Manning of Monroe, Louisiana, was preparing to experience totality after a four-hour drive. “I was watching PBS, and Arkansas had a special on watching the eclipse in the state. I saw some of the activities in Conway and the events the university was hosting, so I decided to drive up. We had several people I know from Monroe who’ve taken off and come up here. I’m excited to be here.”

President Houston Davis said, “What I loved about the day was all that work was about providing this educational moment. We had families and young people excited about science, about the relationship to this event, to their education, and their schooling. That, to me, was worth it all, but a lot of work went into it. We had a lot of people: Dr. Will Slaton, Dr. Gayle Seymour, and Amy Whitehead, who had worked for years to prepare for today. We had a marvelous event on the UCA campus. It was a great day for Arkansans to experience that special moment. It was a great day for Conway. It was a great day for UCA.”

Past perceptions of college life may include the experience of being confined to a campus of intellectuals who are muddling through papers and exams to earn a degree and move on to a career. But today’s experience at the 51��¥ moves far beyond that. 51��¥ is a dynamic campus of faculty and student-scholars who use their opportunities to learn more about the world by going out and helping others through education, understanding, and service, not only on our campus but also in surrounding communities and across the globe.

Our colleges and departments are now enriching lives by broadening the college experience, raising social awareness, and educating students to impact the world after college–before they’ve even walked across the stage at graduation.

College of Health and Behavioral Sciences

On March 9, 2024, the first Women’s Health Fair was held at UCA’s Community Care Clinic and hosted by the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. This community outreach event was funded by a UCA Foundation faculty grant awarded to assistant professor Brittany Allman-Tucker. The event aimed to unite UCA students from CHBS and women in Central Arkansas by providing education about women’s health using fitness, nutrition and health testing with prescribed exercise/nutrition plans. This fair provided experiential learning opportunities while connecting students with women wanting to learn more about improving their health.

The fair featured two phases for participants: health screenings/tests and prescriptive exercise/nutrition plans. The health screenings, which included heart rate/blood pressure/BMI readings, aerobic performance/cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular power/strength and endurance, and nutrition tests and prescriptions, were conducted by UCA students majoring in exercise and sport science, nursing, and nutrition.

“We should be prescribing exercise and nutrition the same way we think about prescribing drugs. After a woman has visited the testing rooms from phase one, and based on the outcome of the screenings, we’re going to prescribe exercise and nutrition that will specifically improve her health,” said Allman.

Graduate dietetics and nutrition therapy student Kjerstin Hall said, “By providing free and accessible health education, community members can take control of things they may not have been aware of.”

Tracy Clifft, a nurse educator and graduate student, agreed that this event benefited her learning and the community of participating women. “I developed a health history tool used in the health assessment phase and, met some great people and made new friends. I was privileged to make a positive impact on the women in our community,” Clifft said.

Allman hopes that this event continues, “We want to show central Arkansas what UCA has to offer, what we are doing. We want to connect with the community.”

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

When asked about outreach opportunities in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Dean Tom Williams said, “As for our community outreach, I want to assert that it really is part of who we are as a college, but our particular instance worthy of recognition is Dr. Alejandro Gonzalez’s course La Frontera.”

This three-part course and service-learning experience, started in 2017, focuses on the U.S. /Mexican border, the controversy surrounding migrants crossing and the question of identity within cultures. Through texts, music and films, students begin their analysis on campus; then the course takes them to the physical location where they serve in a humanitarian respite center. Students serve by cooking and serving meals, sorting and handing out clothing, and playing with the children of those seeking refuge. This course and journey are where the academic meets the personal.

For Gonzalez, an immigrant himself, this is a life-changing learning experience for his students. When asked about the most memorable part of the trips through the years, he said, “It was watching a student kick a ball back to a child who had just traveled many miles with their parent. No extensive language skills were needed. It was a child getting to play and a student connecting with them. That simple moment showed that human empathy doesn’t need language.”

Austin Orvin ’19, who has taken the journey twice stated, “It makes learning the Spanish language settle in more, and it is an experience that sticks. You get to see the sense of relief on a weary traveler’s face when they know there is help for them. It makes you grow to see the humanity of people helping other people.”

College of Business

This is the 7th year that the United Way of Central Arkansas has partnered with the UCA accounting department to host the IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

The program began because one of the pillars of the United Way is to help people in the community work toward financial stability for themselves and their families.

The average cost of tax preparation for even a basic tax return can be several hundred dollars. The United Way recognized that many low-to-middle-income families often don’t have the extra income in their budget to pay for tax preparation. This meant that often the people who needed their tax refunds the most didn’t have access to those dollars.

United Way had clients in need, and UCA had the experts-in-training with upper-level students in accounting. This partnership proves beneficial for everyone. Associate Professor of Accounting Ashley Phillips said that this program has provided real-life learning opportunities for accounting students, great returns for the taxpayer, and a positive impact on central Arkansas’ economy.

“One of the biggest benefits is learning how to communicate with clients when they [the students] start preparing the returns and start having questions. They have to call the taxpayer. So they learn to communicate with people of all different sorts of backgrounds. This helps the taxpayers too. This program has saved the local community around $60,000 in tax preparation fees. That’s real money,” Phillips said.

In 2023 alone, through the VITA program partnership, 329 tax returns were completed, and more than $300,000 in refunds were returned to clients and circulated to the local economy.

Everyone benefits from the VITA program partnership with UCA’s accounting students. Students learn and connect with diverse clients. Clients save money on filing fees and receive much-needed tax refunds. The local economy gets a boost. And the biggest plus? Campus and community connect.

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

UCA’s Robotics Club, composed of engineering physics and computer science majors with faculty mentor professor William Slaton, hosted its first robotics competition in January. This unique event brought 19 teams of Arkansas middle and high school students to compete, with winning teams securing a spot in the statewide robotics competition.

“Competition day is fun but exhausting,” Slaton explained, “Every UCA student I spoke with during the event was excited about hosting at the university and wanted to do it again. The competition would not be successful without active and hands-on work by the Robotics Club.”

Robotics Club member and senior physics engineering major Aitenbi Satanov was a scorekeeper during the competition, and he enjoyed the outcome because of the impact he felt the event made.

“I haven’t volunteered much before, so it felt really good to do something for the campus community and possibly give high school students an impactful experience. I believe this kind of event encourages students to continue their pursuit of robotics and shows them that there’s plenty of events possible for what they are interested in,” Satanov said.

Associate biology professor Ben Rowley served as a faculty judge for the event due to personal interest in engineering, problem-solving skills, and future students.

“I’ve judged in several science competitions, but never a robotics competition. I was a little nervous since I’m a biologist, but I’m interested in engineering and robotics. I love mechanical solutions to problems, so I wanted to see how these students put together solutions to the problems at hand and test them out,” Rowley said.

When asked about the effect competitions like this have on UCA’s campus community, Rowley said, “I think it’s important for these students to see a traditional college campus. Exposing them to who and what we are is an excellent recruitment tool. If a 10th grader sees us, sees what we’re like and what we do, and likes it, then maybe they decide to come here a couple of years later. That’s a win for them and us.”

College of Education

For K-12 students facing challenges from dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities, making it through a literacy class can be so daunting that hope for future educational opportunities may seem completely unattainable. The work with current educators, future educators, and state school districts in partnership with other universities from around the nation in UCA’s Mashburn Center for Learning in the College of Education, is giving hope to those students.

Inspired by their children, Dr. and Mrs. J.D. Mashburn established this center in 1991 to provide educators with research-based instructional strategies for students with special needs. The mission is, “to give you [the educator] the vision that the ultimate goal of true education is to plant the seed of self-worth in the heart of each student.”

In partnership with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning, Arkansas schools, and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Mashburn Center for Learning hosts professional development training for educators from around the state, workshops for current UCA education majors and more. By teaching the most recent methodologies, educators gain fundamental knowledge that they can take back to their classrooms.

Patty Kohler-Evans, co-director of the center, said, “Our mission is really an outreach mission. And we teach using the methodology and it’s grown so much that it is now part of the state system. It’s growing all the time.”

Rene Calhoun, co-director, added, “We try to help the districts build their own capacity and sustainability by having their own professional developers on site. We also send out our educators in training.”

While the program is geared towards students with disabilities, both Kohler and Calhoun agreed that the methods may be effectively used in all classrooms for all students with effectiveness.

“We hope that Dr. Mashburn’s dream will continue to ensure success for all teachers and students,” Kohler-Evans said.

Schedler Honors College

A study abroad experience from over a decade ago has evolved into a transformational learning opportunity that has assisted a Rwandan village by bringing in Bears from UCA’s Schedler Honors College.

In 2010 professor Leah Horton got to know three Rwandan students studying and living in what was then STEM Residential College. The Presidential Scholars related how science was taught in their schools in Rwanda and asked how they could plan on teaching when they returned during the summer months. Horton, the three scholars, and five more UCA students traveled back to Rwanda that summer to teach science in primary schools. While there, they visited a traditional Rwandan village displaced due to deforestation and heard the stories of a people trying to navigate a new way of life where needs were great and resources were few.

The village had no electricity, and deforestation made firewood especially hard to come by. This led to the group’s chance encounter with an engineer working with a nonprofit organization to build industrial-size rocket stoves in an orphanage.

Horton learned the rocket stoves run from small pieces of wood and burn hot, making them more fuel efficient. On return trips, including the summer of 2023, students learned how to build and set up these stoves in Rwanda for the villagers.

Through the years, connections have formed as Horton and her students have come to know these villagers. Horton was affectionately named “Momma Cooper,” reflecting their custom of calling a woman after the name of her firstborn once she becomes a mother. Everything came full circle in summer 2023 when Cooper traveled to set up stoves, and meet those who had nicknamed his mother from the pictures she showed them.

“My mother started the Rwanda study abroad program when I was pretty young, so I grew up hearing stories and seeing pictures from her trips. Once I decided to come to UCA, I knew that I wanted to go to Rwanda with the program and experience it for myself,” Cooper said.

For the students in the Honors College, traveling to Rwanda to learn and serve has had profound effects, and Horton hopes the legacy continues.

Horton said, “The world’s problems are big and messy, and we’re not going to completely solve all of them, but small actions can make a big difference in people’s lives. We haven’t solved the problem of poverty in this village, but we’ve made a difference in the lives of the people we’ve worked with, and that’s important.”

The 51��¥, radio station KUCA, also known as “The Bear 91.3,” is a 5,000-watt non-commercial education station, now located inside a new state-of-the-art studio suite on the main floor of the Ronnie Williams Student Center.

“We want to invigorate this space,” says Robin Williamson, vice president of the Division of Student Affairs. “This is the first floor of the Student Center, which feels like the heart of campus activities. We want this to be a space that students can be proud of and feel like it’s their home like it’s a space where you can relax, enjoy, engage and have some fun experiences.”

The station, formerly known as KASC-FM, began broadcasting on October 10, 1966. In 1998, the Conway commercial radio station KCON-AM, owned by former 51��¥ Board member and longtime “Voice of the Bears” Bill Johnson and under the direction of Monty Rowell, was going to cease operations. Wanting to save the station, Johnson offered the station to the university. Former UCA President Win Thompson agreed to take the station to keep it alive and in the community and give the students a station of their own. The new KCON studio, now merged with KUCA, was moved into the basement of the Ronnie Williams Student Center.

The station has gained more opportunities since its relocation to the main floor of the Student Center, both in size, technology and streaming capabilities, allowing it to stream content internally and on platforms such as TuneIn Radio and Apple Music. This has enabled the station to reach a much broader audience than just the campus community.

In addition, the station’s relocation has increased its student interaction and programming. A total of 55 hours of student programming are available each week on the station, and over 40 hours have been filled by students, which is expected to continue rising.

“Working here has been awesome because now I get more interaction with general students; instead of just five or six of my managers, I have an opportunity to meet and greet,” said Steve Owens, director of broadcast services.

“The opportunities that they [the students] have available to them is more than other campuses allow. Even in the ones that have radio stations, students don’t get the same opportunities that they do here. It’s fun because we let the students determine where they want to take their show.”

“We saw the opportunity for the radio station not just to be an interesting attraction for people to see in the building but also a means of engaging students and getting them involved,” said Colin Stanton, student center director. “This radio station is 100% funded by a $5 student fee, so the students pay for it. The students, under Steve Owen’s leadership, run it, operate it, and so it’s theirs.”

Through student programming, KUCA provides an opportunity to any full-time or part-time UCA student in good standing with the university to participate in the on-air activities, production and programming, promotion and management aspects of the station. The station produces more than student programs throughout the week, allowing students to come to the studios to record and distribute their podcasts and shows.

“It’s a student station that is supposed to be run by the students,” said Owens. “They go out in the real world and use the skills they learn here, whether it’s even television or talking on air. It gets you more familiar with talking in public spaces and working on your pronunciation and enunciation. So, it still provides real-world experience and skills. Students get to take ownership of their station now, which is something I’m very excited about.”

“My time at the radio station has undoubtedly been one of the most rewarding experiences during my college years,” said Jack Starnes, a junior film major and a student manager at KUCA. “After transferring to UCA at the beginning of my sophomore year, the radio became not just a workplace but a source of genuine friendships and a supportive work family. My show, Jacko Starr’s Radio Bonanza, is one of the longest-running radio shows still on air for KUCA. I started in the fall of 2022, and to this day, it is still going. Overall, collaboration is at the heart of our success here at KUCA. Each member contributes a unique skill set, and the synergy that arises when we come together is truly special. The collective empowerment and shared dedication to execution create an environment where not only are goals achieved but a sense of camaraderie and accomplishment permeates throughout the team. It’s this collective spirit that transforms challenges into opportunities and makes our endeavors at The Bear 91.3 both impactful and fulfilling.”

When 2024 Miss UCA Kennedy Holland was an elementary school student, she took note when a friend in a wheelchair couldn’t access their school’s playground equipment. Since then, she has made it her mission to bring about change by informing area schools and communities about the need for inclusive playgrounds. This cause is the platform for her campaign educating and advocating for the implementation of accessible playground equipment statewide.

Holland was crowned Miss UCA 2024 on Nov. 12, 2023. A Greenwood native and sophomore communication major, she is on the pre-occupational therapy track with the goal of earning her doctoral degree in occupational therapy. She will be UCA’s 60th representative in the Miss Arkansas Competition in June.

Her drive for competition began when she was young and involved in 4H agriculture. “I started showing cattle at the county fair at four years old, and that very week I discovered the county fair pageant,” Holland said. “I asked my mom if I could enter, and she promptly told me ‘No.’ The next year I was just as interested and asked again, and she gave in. I was ecstatic because I won my age division! Unbeknownst to me, I was the only one in my age division, but that crown added fuel to the fire, and they haven’t been able to drag me off the stage since that moment,” said Holland.

Years later, she was ready for the Miss UCA Scholarship Competition. “I’ve been involved with the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Organization for several years, and I always knew I wanted to represent my university at Miss Arkansas,” Holland said. That winning moment at the Miss UCA Scholarship Competition brought her full circle from being the only one entered in her age category at the county fair years ago to representing an entire university at the state level.

“When I heard my name, I could physically feel the joy and excitement flow through my body. After the competition, the directors were kind enough to host a reception with 50 of my closest friends and family members. Seeing everyone that came to support me and being able to hug their necks meant the world to me–it’s a day I’ll never forget,” said Holland.

Holland volunteers her time and effort to multiple causes. She is involved in Alpha Sigma Alpha, Students of Pre-Occupational Therapy, StuMo, and the Public Relations Student Society of America. Prior to her collegiate career, she also founded a nonprofit organization, Compassion Legacy, an organization she started on her 16th birthday. This organization seeks to fund adaptive structures for playground equipment and raise awareness for equability for children with special needs.

Holland remembered, “I’ve always had a heart for kids with special needs. During COVID, I was taking a walk through a park when I stumbled upon a wheelchair-accessible swing set. It was at least 30 yards away from the rest of the playground equipment, the chains were rusted, the grass was growing around the structure, and the concrete sidewalk was cracked leading up to the swing. I started to think about all the accessible playground equipment I had ever seen, and I came to the conclusion that I had never seen any.”

She’s made it her mission to change that by bringing awareness and writing legislation that will mandate funding for accessible playgrounds across the state of Arkansas.

As one who actively looks for opportunities to give back, Holland credits her parents for inspiring her on that journey. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t actively involved in some form of service. It’s something my parents instilled in me from a very young age, and I genuinely enjoy volunteering in any capacity! People laugh because my idea of a romantic date is community service.”

Her love for the campus community shows in her enthusiasm for representing UCA at the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Competition. When asked what one word she would use to describe the community, she replied, “Warm. Everyone on campus, students, administrators, and professors, have warmly welcomed me. The buildings have a warm and rich history. Walking on campus gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I have never been in a place where the people, conversations, encouragement, and atmosphere is so warm.”

As Miss UCA 2024, Holland wants to be “an effective ambassador for this campus. I want to be involved in philanthropies, campus events, athletic events–you name it, and I want to do it!” She wants her legacy at UCA “to be known as the Miss UCA who was compassionate and genuine. I want to be known as the girl who befriended everyone. I want to be known as Kennedy Holland, the girl who went on to great things but never forgot where she came from and who helped her achieve those dreams.”