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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:06:37 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will honor a Benton student who passed away from cancer last year with a posthumous business degree during the university’s fall commencement ceremony on Dec. 14.�� Tandie Kenser, 51, of Benton passed away Aug. 24, 2018. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock senior was only 23 credits shy of completing her dream of graduating from college. Kenser’s mother, Gennie Adair, will travel from her home in Vancouver, Canada, to receive her daughter’s degree. “I feel very honored to get her degree, and Tandie would be too,” Adair said. “It’s wonderful that the university is doing this for her. She had one more year to go, and I really thought she would live long enough. I used to pray that she would live long enough to walk down that stage, but she just didn’t make it.” When Kenser was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2011, her doctors told her she only had a few years left to live. Kenser considered how she wanted to spend her final years and decided to rectify her only regret: never earning a college degree. “There’s so many people who think they are too old or it’s too late, but it’s not,” Kenser said in a 2018 interview. “I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I love walking on campus. I like every professor I’ve had. It’s brought me joy.” In 2015, Kenser joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with the goal of earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in business analytics. With no time to waste, she immediately signed up for 18 credit hours. Shannon Gwinn, director of Student and Career Services in the College of Business, advised her to start with nine credit hours, a well-intentioned suggestion that was immediately rebuked. “She pointed her finger at me, and said, ‘Not only am I going to take 18 hours, I’m going to make a 4.0,’” Gwinn recalled, adding that it was the start of a beautiful friendship.�� “Tandie would be thrilled and honored to receive her degree,” Gwinn said. “It was her ‘bucket list,’ and she knew she didn’t have much time to earn her degree. Life threw a lot to Tandie, and she overcame it all except for cancer. I can only imagine the party she would be throwing for her family and friends to celebrate this.” Kenser did get the opportunity to celebrate her educational achievements. She completed 90 of the 120 credit hours she needed to graduate and was taking two additional classes when she entered hospice care on June 14, 2018. “She called me every single day,” Adair said. “She had never complained until the last phone call when she was taking summer classes. She called me and said, ‘I don’t know what I’ve read.’ She was so sad that she couldn’t comprehend what she read. That was the beginning of the end.” Instead of a funeral, Kenser told her family she wanted a party to celebrate life. The celebration, which included a mock graduation, was held June 30, 2018, at the home of Kenser’s daughter, Jessie Wright, in Bismarck, Arkansas, with faculty, staff, and classmates from the College of Business in attendance. Dean Jane Wayland recalls how excited Kenser was to wear a graduation cap and gown that ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Bookstore gave her as a gift. “Tandie was an incredible woman,” Wayland said. “She embraced learning all she could even during the most difficult times during her illness. She participated fully in all the opportunities of the college and encouraged her fellow students. She made friends easily and instilled joy to all around her.” During her college career, Kenser strived to be the best. She maintained a 4.0 GPA, all while serving as ambassador for the College of Business who constantly hosted study sessions for her classmates.

Tandie Kenser (seated) and her mother, Gennie Adair (center) visit Cindy Wallace (left) and Shannon Gwinn (right) in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Business. Photo by Ben Krain.

“Tandie was simply amazing in so many ways,” Gwinn said. “She formed study groups with other students for almost every class she was in. She never gave a student an answer, but brought them along in the journey of learning how to achieve the answer. She was responsible for bringing the Reality Fair to our college.” Similar to the Game of Life board game, participants in a Reality Fair choose a career with a salary. They go to stations to make selections for housing, transportation, insurance, healthcare, and then must make a balanced budget. “We have continued to do the Reality Fair and have expanded it to high schools,” Gwinn said. “We went to Hall High School this semester, and it was well received from the students. That is because of Tandie and her passion for financial literacy.” Adair recalled a time when her daughter had undergone eight hours of chemotherapy and insisted that she be taken directly to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock afterward so that she could attend an extra-credit lecture about earthquakes. “She always wanted to keep that 4.0,” Adair said. “She felt she would let me down if she got less than 100 percent. I told her that was garbage. She could never let me down. The one thing I can say about going to the university is that she absolutely loved it. I really believe this is what kept her alive long past her expected survival. She only had a 25 percent chance of living two years, and she lived seven years and a month.” Last year, Adair started a scholarship in her daughter’s name to benefit non-traditional students attending the College of Business, and she is looking forward to meeting the first recipient of the scholarship during her trip to Arkansas. Adair and Kenser, who were both working single mothers during their lives, wanted to help single parents who are going to college. “I would say to younger students that it’s never too late to do what you want,” Adair said. “I didn’t go into policing until I was in my 30s. I was about the oldest one in the police academy at the time, and I was in the top of my class. Tandie and I are so alike in so many ways. When you want something when you are older, you do it because you want to, not because you have to. I think we are all capable of things far greater than we think we are. Hopefully, Tandie’s scholarship fund will help someone every year who really needs it. Tandie knew about the scholarship and was really thrilled that people would know how hard she tried to finish.” While Kenser will not get to walk across the stage to receive her own diploma this fall, her mother believes she found a sense of peace in the months before she died and no longer held any regrets about pursuing a college degree. “Life is not fair,” Kenser said in 2018. “Fair is just a four-letter word at our house. I’m not a sad person, though I leak a little now and then. I never thought I was getting out of this alive, so I’m redirecting. I’ve been able to give things away and see people enjoy them. I have a lot of love from my family and support from my school, and I know that I’ve been very blessed. I don’t have one thing that I wanted to do that I haven’t done.”

Students to give back with Day of Service at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 13:21:59 +0000

Students entering sixth to 12th grade can learn the importance of community service and earn volunteer hours by participating in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus’s Day of Service on Tuesday, June 26.�� Students will have a variety of community service projects to choose from, including assisting the Saline County Humane Society in preparing supplies and essentials for shelter animals and baking goods for police officers and firefighters. The students also will create a mural to be donated to Habitat for Humanity as well as write to servicemen and women stationed overseas. “Students will also network with one another, meet with representatives from our local community partners to learn the importance of giving back, and create their own checklist of random acts of kindness that can be spread through Saline County and surrounding areas,” said Angela Paladino, academic advisor and program coordinator at the Benton Campus. “This is a perfect day project for any student who is in need of volunteer hours for extracurricular activities or scholarships.” The Day of Service class will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $25, which includes breakfast, lunch, and a T-shirt. For more information and to register, contact Angela Paladino at 501-860-6003 or arpaladino@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus holds free community education classes

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 16:21:19 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Benton Campus will hold a free summer series of non-credit community courses to help participants learn the basics of running a computer and a smartphone as well as Facebook and Microsoft Office.�� “After a very positive response from the members of our local community in Saline County, this hands-on summer series will walk participants through the very basic uses of a computer, such as start up, email, storing documents, and launching popular programs, as well as the basics of other pieces of popular technology,” said Angela Paladino, academic advisor and program coordinator at the Benton Campus. The courses include: May 15: Basic Functions of a Computer June 12: Basic Functions of Microsoft Office July 17: Basic Functions of Facebook Aug. 7: Basic Functions of a Smartphone The free classes will be held at the Benton Campus at 410 River St. from 9-10:30 a.m. For more information and to register, contact Angela Paladino at 501-860-6003 or arpaladino@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock adds bachelor’s degree programs on Benton Campus

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:46:03 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Benton business leaders are taking steps to make getting a college degree more convenient and affordable for people living in Saline County and surrounding communities.�� Beginning next fall, students will be able to complete two new bachelor’s degree programs at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus. The degree programs include a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. The programs are open to recent high school graduates, transfer students, and students who left college and want to complete a degree. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor Andrew Rogerson announced the new degree offerings during a Sept. 26 news conference on economic development called by Benton Mayor David Mattingly at the Benton Municipal Complex. “Our university’s commitment to Saline County is to provide a better pathway to a four-year degree,” Rogerson said. “To achieve this goal, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock must find creative ways to make college more accessible and affordable—and ensure that students graduate in a timely way with a meaningful degree that sets them up to thrive in careers and life.” �� Mattingly said the two degrees will benefit Benton residents and aid in economic development of the city. “I am sure the new two degrees – Interdisciplinary Studies and Business Management – will be successful and assist in our continued partnership to strengthen economic development in our community,” he said. “Education has always been the key to a community’s vitality, and we are most appreciative of the growth in educational offerings that are being implemented here in Benton.” At the Benton Campus, the interdisciplinary degree allows students to customize their degree plan to fit their professional needs. It combines three minors – two from the social sciences and a third from any discipline. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is teaming with the Mayor’s Office and the Benton Campus Advisory Board to raise scholarship funds specifically for students who want to attend the university in their local community at the Benton campus. These scholarships, along with other university scholarships and financial aid, will be available to qualified entering freshmen and transfer students.

Benton Mayor David Mattingly and Chancellor Andrew Rogerson shake hands during a news conference announcing new bachelor degree programs at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus. Photo by Lonnie TImmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

In addition, the university has already secured partnerships with six Saline County businesses to offer paid internships that will allow students to earn college credit while on the job:

Bryant branch of Arvest Bank, owner-operator of 16 community banks in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas.
Saline Memorial Hospital, a Benton hospital that has served residents of Saline County and surrounding areas for 60 years.
Access Control Devices, Inc., (ACDI), which specializes in print management software and helps organizations lower their print costs and environmental impact.
Pear Tree Wealth Management, an independent financial planning and wealth management firm that helps clients with their financial goals and life’s dreams.
Ferguson’s Furniture, one of Saline County’s oldest furniture retailers.
Slim Chickens, a casual dining restaurant that’s one of Saline County’s newest businesses.

“In a nutshell, this initiative gives students the convenience and cost savings of taking classes close to home, the ability to work and go to college or find a paid internship with college credit, and the opportunity for scholarships and financial aid,” said Rogerson. “That’s what affordability and accessibility is all about.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has partnered with the City of Benton for more than 40 years. The collaboration started in 1975 with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock providing evening college courses at Benton High School. In 1995, in partnership with the Saline County Education Association and Benton city leaders and the business community, the university opened the Benton Campus in the heart of the city. About 250 students are currently enrolled in classes on the campus, which offers full student services including financial aid, admissions, academic advising on site, as well as computer labs, and student lounge areas.

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree

Students to give back with Day of Service at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus holds free community education classes

����Vlog��ý Little Rock adds bachelor’s degree programs on Benton Campus

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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree

Students to give back with Day of Service at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Campus holds free community education classes

��Vlog��ý Little Rock adds bachelor’s degree programs on Benton Campus