- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Avinash Thombre Takes an In-depth Look at Culture and Communication in New Book on India

John Hill — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:58:47 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has released a new book offering insight into intercultural communication and culture across India. Dr. Avinash Thombre, a professor of applied communication, and his co-author Dr. Ramesh Rao, a professor in the Department of Communication at Columbia State University, recently published “Communicating Across Boundaries: The Indian Way.” “This book is really a stab at describing the complex culture of India,” Avinash said. “I’m from India, and every time I travel back to India it’s a different place. People are different, and the communication patterns are different. In many ways, India has changed and yet has remained fundamentally the same for the last 4,000 or 5,000 years. It has the same core traditions, more or less same way of communicating, and the same beliefs. The best way to describe it – it’s ever changing and never changing.” As is known, India is a multifaceted, multicultural nation with a rich tradition of ethnic, religious, linguistic, social and cultural mores, beliefs, and practices. The 500-page book published by Indica Publishers offers insight into understanding how people from India deal with difference, how they perceive one another, and how they deal with religious, caste, and regional conflicts through the lens of communication studies. “This is a unique book,” Avinash said. “There are many books that talk about the business aspect of India, but not the evolution and impact of communication in India.” The book is the second edition of Thombre’s and Rao’s first book, “Intercultural Communication: The Indian Context.” Thombre said this edition features new case studies and the latest examples in every chapter along with additions and feedback suggested by professors and students who have used the book in their classes. The book also features a new chapter, “Jāti/Kula/Caste and their Impact on Communication.” “The chapter starts with explaining the Western view of the Caste system, then it talks about the castes in India and its origins,” Thombre said. “The last caste is the most controversial as they are sometimes called the untouchables. We explore how communication between the castes works in Indian society and how the system is transformed in many ways into more or less an economic-based system with the possibility of jumping between castes.” A native of Pune, India, Avinash has lectured in India, Trinidad and Tobago, and Argentina. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, a B.A. from Indira Gandhi National Open University in India, and an M.S. and Bachelor of Science from Bangalore University in India. He has previously worked as a reporter with the Times of India and wrote about health, environment, education, and new technology issues. “” can be found on Amazon.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Launches Leadership Academy to Provide Professional Development Opportunities for Business Community

John Hill — Wed, 12 May 2021 21:57:56 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has launched a new Leadership Academy to provide customized and affordable professional development training for local businesses and organizations. The Leadership Academy provides leadership development to support professional growth within the organization. The Leadership Academy offers a variety of training in areas including business decision-making, personnel management, and communication. Courses are offered in person or in hybrid learning. “The need for the Leadership Academy came from the industry,” said Dr. Otmar Varela, director of the Leadership Academy and professor of management. “After conducting several focus groups last year with local business experts in leadership development, we realized the need for the academy. We believe this program offers a tremendous opportunity to provide unique training for the business community.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Leadership Academy is a joint effort between the School of Business, the Department of Applied Communication, and the Office of Extended Education. “I love that the School of Business and the Department of Applied Communication are teaming up on this venture,” said Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter, chair of the Department of Applied Communication. “We both have offered these types of workshops separately for years, but teaming up allows us to expand our offerings and tailor them to the needs of specific businesses in the community.” Training programs are tailor-made for each organization. The Leadership Academy experience begins with a client meeting to understand their specific needs. An expert facilitator will assess the organization and collaborate with the clients to create a custom-learning curriculum that supports the needs and goals of the organization. Clients are able to design their own curriculum and set the schedule and learning method that best fits their organization. Courses are offered in a variety of topics including strategic decision-making, performance management, and public speaking for professionals, as well as diversity management, emotional intelligence, and workforce engagement. The Leadership Academy faculty members will also work with organizations to create a personalized training that adapts to the attributes of participants. “I am thrilled that the School of Business and the Department of Applied Communication will be offering the Leadership Academy to Little Rock,” said Dr. Jane Wayland, dean of the College of Business, Health, and Human Services. “Businesses will be able to customize the training they need at a reasonable cost. High-quality instruction is assured by using full-time faculty who are experts in their fields.” The faculty instructors in the Leadership Academy include Drs. Naeem Bajwa, Richard Woodridge, and Otmar Varela from the School of Business as well as Drs. April Chatham-Carpenter, Gerald Driskill, Kristen McIntyre, Julien Mirivel, Bailey Oliver, Avinash Thombre, and Carol Thompson from the Department of Applied Communication. Christine Cotton serves as the partner from the Extended Education office. McIntyre, director of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Communication Skill Center, has collaborated with Varela for many years on offering communication workshops to business students and is excited to see the effort expand to the Leadership Academy. “It’s exciting to see our years of collaboration together formalized in the offering of such a valuable program,” she said. For more information on the Leadership Academy, including a free assessment of your organization’s training needs, contact Dr. Otmar Varela at oxvarela@ualr.edu or visit the Leadership Academy’s website.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock offers fall courses dealing with how to study and cope with pandemics

John Hill — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 22:13:49 +0000

The fall 2020 semester is right around the corner. If you are still looking for an interesting class to take, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has some unique options: studying the science of epidemiology and pandemics and coping with a pandemic: mind-body communication and yoga. HHPS 4300: Epidemiology in Health Education will be held online and is a required course in the Health Education and Health Promotion Program. “It’s extremely important to understand the distribution of diseases in planning a health program,” said Dr. Amar Kanekar, associate professor of health education and health promotion. “It gives a strong background for community health specialists.” The class is open to all undergraduate students. Students will discuss the basics of epidemics and pandemics and how to investigate disease outbreaks. Students will learn what an epidemiologist does, how diseases are transmitted, how to prevent the spread of diseases, and how to describe and interpret data from disease outbreaks. “Epidemiology is one of my research interest areas,” Kanekar said. “Everything is so applicable to what we are experiencing right now with the pandemic. There will be examples that involve COVID-19, but the class doesn’t focus entirely on the coronavirus, though I am sure everyone will be talking about it. The class is mainly about the conceptual understanding and underlying concepts of epidemiology as applicable to chronic and infectious diseases. I think the students will understand more of the science behind disease prevention after living through a pandemic.” The second course, ACOM 4313/5313: Seminar in Communication – Coping with a Pandemic: Mind-Body Communication and Yoga, will be held online and will equip students with essential life skills that probe the mind-body communication as connected to yoga. “A lot of the students are going through mental and physical stress from COVID-19,” said Dr. Avinash Thombre, professor in the Department of Applied Communication and a certified yoga and Ayurveda instructor from the Kaivalyadham Yoga Institute. “My area of specialty is health communication, and I wanted to offer theory and praxis related to mind-body communication and my practice of yoga.” The class will cover self-care techniques during COVID-19, the need for mind-body communication during a pandemic, yoga as a pathway to mind-body communication, and personal self-transformation opportunities through mind-body communication.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock announces college-level Faculty Excellence award winners

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 14:10:12 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Faculty Excellence Awards by honoring 17 of its top faculty members at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, in the College of Engineering and Information Technology Auditorium. Since 1989, when the first award was given, the event has provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle. A panel of external judges will review the achievements of the college-level winners and select the university-wide winners in the categories of teaching, research, and public service. The three university-wide winners will each receive a cash prize of $5,000. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the awards ceremony in the Engineering and Information Technology Building lobby. For more information, contact the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Office of the Provost at 501-569-3204. The following is a list of college-level winners: Public Service

Avinash Thombre, professor of applied communication, College of Social Sciences and Communication
Linda Holzer, professor of music, College of Arts, Letters and Sciences
Beth McMillan, professor and chair of the Department of Earth Sciences, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
Alicia Mitchell, visiting assistant professor of law and director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, William H. Bowen School of Law
Clifford Franklin, associate professor of audiology and speech pathology and research integrity officer, College of Education and Health Professions

Research/Creative Endeavors

Tusty ten Bensel, associate professor of criminal justice and graduate coordinator, College of Social Sciences and Communication
Mariya Khodakovskaya, professor of biology and interim associate dean, College of Arts, Letters and Sciences
Mary Yang, associate professor of information science, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
J. Lyn Entrikin, Charles Baum Distinguished Professor of Law, William H. Bowen School of Law
Bronwyn MacFarlane, professor of gifted education, College of Education and Health Professions
Guarav Kumar, professor of accounting, College of Business

Teaching

Cheryl Johnston, senior instructor of applied communication, College of Social Sciences and Communication
Naoki Hakutani, associate professor of music, College of Arts, Letters and Sciences
Jin Wook Lee, assistant professor of systems engineering, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
Lindsey Gustafson, professor of law, William H. Bowen School of Law
Jeffrey Carmack, associate professor of nursing, College of Education and Health Professions
Ahmad Naeem Bajwa, assistant professor of management, College of Business

Professor, grad use health entertainment to battle childhood obesity in Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 14:52:22 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and alumnus are using health entertainment and education to fight childhood obesity in Little Rock. This fall, Dr. Avinash Thombre, professor of applied communication, and Philip Bryant Sr., a 2016 graduate of the applied communication program, received a $1,000 grant through The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. They used the money to put on a pilot childhood obesity pilot program that utilizes entertainment education to emphasize the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. During the month of October, Thombre and Bryant hosted one-hour workshops in the aftercare program of three schools in the Little Rock School District, where the students have a combined student BMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 or more. Thombre and Bryant gave presentations to about 100 students at David O. Dodd Elementary School, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, and Brady Elementary School. Thombre played “Dr. Hombre,” while Bryant, 72, of Little Rock, played “Dr. Feelgood.” “My research is about diffusing new ideas, especially in the health arena,” Thombre said. “How can we take new ideas and diffuse them in society to bring about change? We have this issue of childhood obesity in Arkansas. One of my former students, Philip Bryant, wrote a jingle about promoting fruits and vegetables. He is very animated around kids. The kids all started singing along. The kids asked a lot of questions, and they just loved it. This is the way we think we can bring about a community change.” Bryant said he was inspired to write a song to encourage healthy eating in children after seeing many instances where parents are feeding their children junk food. “I’m a writer of poetry, poems, song, prose, and short stories,” Bryant said. “When I see a need, it seems like after I dwell on it for a time, then I write about. I see so many people raising their young children and not feeding them enough fruits and vegetables. I feel that these children are going to end up with diabetes and poor health in the future. That gave me the energy to write a song.”

Dr. Avinash Thombre (left), professor of applied communication, and Philip Bryant Sr. (right), a 2016 graduate of the applied communication program, received a $1,000 grant through The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.

The song, called “Veggies and Fruits,” begins with a call to eat healthier. It can also be. “My name is Dr. Feelgood and listen to what I have to say,” the song begins. “I am going to tell you what you must do every day. Each your veggies and eat your fruits, because these are the foods that are healthy for you. Now diabetes used to be just for old folks, but teenagers and young children are getting it, and that’s no joke.” In the second half of the workshop, Thombre talked about the problems associated with being obese, including diabetes, hypertension, and kidney failure. He also spoke about his personal cultural background of growing up eating healthy and staying healthy. Thombre and Bryant used the grant money to buy fresh fruits and vegetables for the children to eat. After another round of songs with Bryant, the students tried fresh produce like apples, carrots, grapes, oranges, broccoli, celery, and asparagus. “This project is a message to educate people all over America,” Bryant said. “Each individual person can do a better job of taking care of their own health. Stop eating things that taste good and start eating things that do good for the human body.” After the success of the pilot workshops, Thombre and Bryant are looking to expand the program to spread the message to a larger audience. They have already received workshop requests from other schools, churches, and community organizations. “From every angle, it feels like a good way to keep our students involved in the program, to do something for the community at large, and to help the children,” Thombre said. “In the future, I think the students from my health communication classes can get involved. I’ve done other promotions, but I think this has been the most fun because it has a jingle. It’s heartening to know that the kids are loving this. There are other groups who are needing this message disseminated on a larger scale. We need to do more of these things so that we can curb childhood obesity before it becomes even more of a major issue like the opioid crisis.” In the upper right photo, Philip Bryant Sr. (Dr. Feelgood) had diagnosed this tomato as a healthy food choice! Photo by Ben Krain.

Third annual Leadership Lecture Series to begin this fall

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 15:29:43 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Applied Communication will host its third annual Leadership Lecture Series beginning Thursday, Sept. 27, and continuing through the rest of the academic year on select Thursdays. The first lecture, titled “Embracing Super Hybridity: Implications for a Positive World,” will be presented by Dr. Avinash Thombre, professor in the Department of Applied Communication, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27. The lecture will explore current research on hybrid cultures and make a case for embracing larger models of diversity in order to create a better social world through positive communication. Bruce Trimble will present “Language Matters: Our Role in Destigmatizing Health Issues” on Thursday, Nov. 1. The lecture will provide attendees with a better understanding of mental health conditions and available treatment options, as well as a challenge to reframe mental health care as healthcare. Trimble is the director of business development for The BridgeWay Hospital and has served on the Arkansas Suicide Prevention Council since 2015. He received a master’s degree in interpersonal and organizational communication from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Tamidra Marable will present “Leading Transformational Change” on Thursday, Feb. 7. The session will explore transformational change through practical examples that focus on skills needed and tools that support leading transformational change initiatives. Marable is the performance initiatives leader for Heifer International and received a master’s degree in applied communication from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The final lecture of this year’s series will be presented by Tonya Oaks Smith on Thursday, May 9. In this lecture, listeners will unpack their perceptions and learn to hold public communication to a higher standard. Smith is the executive director of university communications and marketing at Louisiana Tech University. She has previously served as executive director of marketing and communications at Henderson State University and director of communications at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law. She received a master’s degree in applied communication from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. All lectures will be held at 7 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter A. To register and purchase tickets, visit the .

��Vlog��ý Little Rock has one of top online communication degrees in the country

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 14:53:39 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s online Applied Communication program has been ranked among the best in the country. Higher education information and resource provider highlighted ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on its list of the. “Our editors noted that University of Arkansas at Little Rock offers a nationally ranked online bachelor’s in communications at a reduced fixed rate for digital students, regardless of residency status,” said Jamie Weitl, communications manager at Best Communications Degrees. Rankings were based on tuition value, national profile of the program, student-faculty ratio, curriculum, professional experience of faculty members, and specialized services tailored for online learners. The 120-credit-hour Bachelor of Arts in Applied Communication program teaches students how to use a positive communication framework to ethically lead by analyzing messages, developing messages, anticipating communication barriers, accomplishing communicative goals, embracing difference, and influencing discourse. “The faculty came up with these program goals after much brainstorming and a needs assessment from the industry, which shows that employers look for skills in graduates such as the ability to make presentations, communicate effectively, ethically influence others, and create and edit reports based on research,” Program Advisor Dr. Avinash Thombre said. In addition to approximately 60 main campus students, 40 students are now enrolled in the online program that began in 2015. Graduates often find employment in jobs like public relations officer, copywriter, human resources manager, corporate trainer, conflict mediator, information officers, and development and fundraising directors. “I have talked to several students who try to seek quality education as they try to balance their family and work life,” Thombre said. “We work with students on a one-to-one basis, understanding their career goals and advising them to get into classes which will help them hone skills in intercultural communication, conflict management, organizational communication, and group communication.” For more information about the online degree, contact Thombre at axthombre@ualr.edu, or Chair Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter at axchathamca@ualr.edu, or the department office at 501.569.3158.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host study abroad trip to Argentina

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 13:10:07 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock students have the chance to study abroad in Argentina this fall. Students in the Nov. 15-22 trip will investigate concepts related to cultural hybridity, health disparities, and communications. Participants will stay in Buenos Aires and visit parliament, attend a soccer match, take tango lessons, and visit a farm, among many other activities. Dr. Avinash Thombre, professor of applied communication who will lead the trip, described Argentina as the perfect country to explore a hybrid culture, with immigrant populations from Italy, Germany, Spain, Syria, and China. “Over the last 100 years, these immigrants have intermarried and created a hybrid culture which is unique,” Thombre said. Students will meet for six classes in October and November to learn the theory of cultural hybridity, self identification, personal transformation, and intercultural communication. While in Argentina, they will discuss communication and culture with students and faculty from the University of Buenos Aires. They will also interview Argentinians who have mixed European and Indian ancestry to understand the process of hybrid identity formation in a modern society. The cost of the educational trip is $3,000. Students must enroll by Aug. 15. For more information, contact Dr. Thombre at axthombre@ualr.edu. Partial scholarships are available through the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Study Abroad office. Contact Emily Cox at ebcox@ualr.edu or 501.569.3376 for more information.

Sustainability Committee funds green campus initiatives

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 18:31:49 +0000

Three professors are hoping to make the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus a little greener with the help of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Sustainability Committee. The Sustainability Committee awarded three $2,500 grants for innovative research and teaching proposals geared toward the development and promotion of the principles of sustainability. Avinash Thombre, associate professor of applied communications, will develop communication strategies to assist in the Sustainability Committee’s effort to make ��Vlog��ý Little Rock a zero-waste university. The Environmental Protection agency defines zero waste as a diversion rate of 90 percent or greater, meaning that at least 90 percent of all waste produced on campus must be kept out of the landfill. Thombre will work with the committee to spread the principles of zero waste among campus stakeholders and assess the readiness of the campus community to become a zero waste university. To achieve this, he will conduct focus groups and create a survey to research attitudes toward sustainability on campus and use the data to create an interactive website. Serhan Dagtas, professor of information science, was awarded a grant for his project, “Switching to alternative fuels on campus and beyond.” Dagtas is researching the feasibility of using compressed natural gas and electricity as clean power alternatives for university-owned vehicles. He also plans to create an online tool that will help universities and state and government agencies evaluate clean energy options in their transportation and procurement decisions. Noureen Siraji, assistant professor of chemistry, received a grant for her project, “Green Tunable Materials for Sustainable Energy.” She will research a low-cost way to generate electricity through dye sensitized solar cells. Grant funds can be used for travel, educational materials, equipment purchases, field trips, and guest speakers. The Sustainability Committee promotes healthy environments, economies, and societies, starting with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus.

India Fest to kick off April 30

Jenny Lambert — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 17:00:58 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty, staff, and students are invited to join the 2017 India Fest Sunday, April 30. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Amphitheatre of the River Market Pavilion located in downtown Little Rock. The goal of the festival is to bridge cultures, generations, and communities through a day of unity. Visitors can participate in a number of displays and exhibitions as a way to learn more about the Indian culture. Along with displays, attendees can look forward to experiencing Indian cuisine, fashion, and entertainment, as well as other cultural and educational presentations. Items will be available for purchase. The festival is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Avinash Thombre at axthombre@ualr.edu or 501.683.7026.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Avinash Thombre Takes an In-depth Look at Culture and Communication in New Book on India

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Launches Leadership Academy to Provide Professional Development Opportunities for Business Community

����Vlog��ý Little Rock offers fall courses dealing with how to study and cope with pandemics

����Vlog��ý Little Rock announces college-level Faculty Excellence award winners