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

Briscoe Named University Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:22:02 +0000

Dr. David Briscoe, a professor of sociology, has the distinction of being the first ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty member appointed the honorific title of university professor.�� This is a special honor conferred only upon active faculty in recognition of an extended period of exemplary service in a spirit of collegiality to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as well as a combination of service in their profession and to the public through their professional activities.�� In order to achieve the distinction, faculty members must have been a full professor for 10 years and have gained wide recognition at the national or international level for their sustained excellence in service, teaching, research, or creative activity relevant to their respective disciplines and academic roles. “I am beyond words that the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas conferred the distinguished title of University Professor on me,” Briscoe said. “It’s historical in the sense that I became the Inaugural University Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. It means the world to me.”�� Briscoe is known for a legacy of teaching excellence at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock that stretches for nearly three decades. He is the 2021 recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching as well as the 2020 recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service. “This is a historic year for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as we recognize our first Distinguished Professors and our first University Professor,” Provost Ann Bain said. “These outstanding faculty have had long standing careers that have been, and continue to be, full of accomplishments. Their dedication to their profession, our university, and our students is commendable. We are thankful to have the opportunity to honor our faculty with these prestigious awards.” Since beginning his career at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1992, Briscoe has been awarded nearly 60 honors, including being named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence twice, voted among the Best of the Best Professors three times by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student body, and receiving the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award four times. He supports student-athletes as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative and serves on the National Phi Kappa Phi Awards Committee, the Chancellor’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee.�� “Dr. Briscoe is tireless in his service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, its students, and the wider community,” said Dr. Krista Lewis, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. “It seems that hardly a week passes in which I, in my role as department chair, am not contacted by students, community members, or organizations who wish to reach out just to praise the service and care that Dr. Briscoe has extended to them.” In addition to his teaching and university service, Briscoe has participated in the Boy Scouts of America for 55 years. As a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Briscoe became the inaugural national chairman of Learning for Life, an academic and character development program serving more than 1.7 million students throughout the United States.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Honors Briscoe, Agarwal, and MacFarlane as Top Professors of 2021

John Hill — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 16:15:03 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has selected Drs. David Briscoe, Nitin Agarwal, and Bronwyn MacFarlane as the 2021 winners of the Faculty Excellence Awards.�� Briscoe, professor of sociology, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Bailey Teaching Award and will receive a $5,000 award. Briscoe began his teaching career at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1992 and has consistently been honored for excellence in teaching and public service over the past three decades. Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Information Science, was named the Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavors winner and will receive a $5,000 award. Agarwal is an internationally known researcher who pioneered work in the social computing discipline. He launched the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), which was designated last year as a research center by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. MacFarlane, professor of gifted education, received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award and will receive a $5,000 award. She has contributed extensively to public service in the field of gifted education and serves as a nationally elected and recognized leader in the National Association for Gifted Children. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock annually celebrates the achievements of the top professors of the year who are making a difference in the community through their contributions in teaching, research and creative works, and public service. This is the highest honor ��Vlog��ý Little Rock awards its faculty members. “Our faculty excellence winners represent the university’s commitment to superb instruction, outstanding research, and community service,” Provost Ann Bain said. “Each of the winners has made immeasurable contributions to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community and to the lives of their students and colleagues. We thank them for their service.” Created in 1989, the Faculty Excellence Awards has provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty for the past 32 years and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle, and the Bailey Foundation. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Board of Visitors selected the university-wide winners from the 12 faculty members who were selected as the top faculty members for the 2020-21 academic year in each of the three categories in their respective colleges and the William H. Bowen School of Law. Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching – Dr. David Briscoe, professor of sociology�� Briscoe has created a legacy of teaching excellence at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock that stretches for nearly three decades. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in criminal justice from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a Ph.D. in sociology from Southern Illinois University.

Dr. David Briscoe

He began teaching at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1992 and has been consistently honored for excellence in teaching and public service. Briscoe has been awarded nearly 60 honors; earned professional development certification from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Oxford Round Table; and was twice named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence. He has received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award four times and received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award in 2020. Briscoe is known as an advocate for students with disabilities and was voted among the Best of the Best Professors three times by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student body. He serves on the National Phi Kappa Phi Awards Committee, the Chancellor’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee.�� As the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, Briscoe assists with the certification and undergraduate education of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student-athletes, serves on a number of committees at the Sun Belt Conference, and served as a panelist at the 2019 Inaugural Diversity Summit. He is also well-known and admired for his role as a national volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. As a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Briscoe became the inaugural national chairman of Learning for Life, an academic and character development program serving more than 1.7 million students throughout the United States. He also has the distinction of being the first African American in the state to serve on the Boy Scouts’ national executive board as well as the first African American in the country to be selected as the Alumnus of the Year in 2013, where he was chosen from among 50 million alumni of Boy Scouts. Faculty Excellence Award in Research – Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished professor of Information Science Agarwal is an internationally distinguished researcher whose pioneering work in the social computing discipline has significantly advanced this fledgling area and helped open many doors for innovation for the scientific community. His primary research interests are in social computing, (deviant) behavior modeling, studying group dynamics, influence, trust, collective action, social-cyber forensics, health informatics, data mining and privacy aims to be at the vanguard of the ever-evolving online behaviors.

Dr. Nitin Agarwal

At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, he created the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), which was designated as a research center by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in 2020.�� “STEM education needs to be research-driven so that we can expose our students to cutting-edge technologies to prepare them as the next generation workforce that is capable of developing innovative solutions to real-world problems,” Agarwal said. “Our students are the lifeblood of research projects at COSMOS. Our mission is to conduct competitive research, transition research from publications to practice, and inspire thought leaders that communicate science to society and contribute to the social good.” COSMOS has produced more than two dozen projects, published 10 books and more than 200 publications, and three important tools: Blogtrackers, YouTubeTracker and Focal Structure Analysis. In the past year, COSMOS has assisted the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office track scams and disinformation related to COVID-19 that led to the development of COVID-19 Misinformation Tracker. “Our research examines some of the very complex and interdisciplinary problems that challenge science and society alike,” Agarwal said. “For a meaningful impact, we partner with educators, researchers, businesses, practitioners, journalists, policymakers, defense and security agencies across our state, nation, and the world.” Since joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2009, Agarwal has brought in more than $10 million in funding for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from sponsors like the U.S. Army Research Office, U.S. Office of Naval Research, U.S. Air Force Research Lab, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Most recently, Agarwal edited a IEEE Internet Computing special issue on cyber social health that highlights developments of social media analytics used to gain a better understanding of online human behavior, as research in social media analytics has seen significant development of new and advanced techniques. and his co-editors, Drs. , , and , introduce a conceptual design that demonstrates modeling at cognitive, neural, and social levels for cumulative measurements in prediction, explainability, and mitigation of misinformation.�� Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service – Dr. Bronwyn MacFarlane, professor of gifted education Bronwyn MacFarlane has contributed extensive public service in the field of gifted education. She has served as a nationally elected and recognized leader in the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) in the roles of chair of the STEM Network with more than 1,000 members and chair of the Counseling and Guidance Network, which serves over 700 members.��

Dr. Bronwyn MacFarlane

For three years, MacFarlane wrote the popular column “The Curriculum Corner” in NAGC’s national magazine, “Teaching for High Potential.” She also serves as an editorial assistant and guest editor for the academic journal “Roeper Review.”�� MacFarlane has served as chair or a representative on more than 25 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock committees, on over 15 national and state education committees, and has held or continues to hold several state and national leadership positions in gifted education. In Little Rock, MacFarlane is a regular volunteer judge and guest speaker for events like the Central Arkansas Regional Science Fair, Arkansas 4-H, and Girls in STEM Leadership Conference. She provided expert commentary in interviews to the local media for parents to support children’s learning and mental health during the pandemic.�� MacFarlane has received national and international recognition in the field of gifted education. Some of her awards include the Early Leader Award from the National Association for Gifted Children in 2018, the Wedge Distinguished Scholar Award at Western Kentucky University in 2017, and the Challenger Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education Association in 2016 for her cutting edge book “STEM Education for High Ability Learning.”�� She twice received the Faculty Excellence Award for Research, for the College of Education in 2014 and for the College of Education and Health Professions in 2019. She has been named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence, received the New Faculty Teaching Commendation, and twice received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award.�� “Public service is integrated into my work, and my activities focus on ways to develop talent in different settings,” MacFarlane said. “My service activities at each level, whether local, university, state, national, or international, can be best summarized as contributing my time and expertise to supporting the talent development of others. Whether I am volunteering locally, evaluating federal projects and university programs, or speaking to parents and teachers about education, I am always focused on doing what I can to support someone’s talent development and growth.”

Briscoe, MacFarlane, and Anson receive Faculty Excellence Awards from CHASSE

John Hill — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:41:30 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE) has selected Drs. David Briscoe, Bronwyn MacFarlane, and Ed Anson as its 2021 Faculty Excellence winners. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock annually celebrates the achievements of the top professors of the year who are making a difference in the community through their contributions in teaching, research and creative works, and public service. This is the highest honor ��Vlog��ý Little Rock awards its faculty members. Created in 1989, the Faculty Excellence Awards have provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty for the past 32 years and is made possible through contributions by the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle, the Bailey Foundation, and UMR.�� Briscoe, MacFarlane, and Anson will compete for the university-wide Faculty Excellence Awards, which will be announced April 15. Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching – David Briscoe, professor of sociology in Department of Sociology and Anthropology Briscoe said he learned the value of education early in life when he attended a one-room school in Mars Hill, North Carolina, during the period of racial segregation in the South in the late 1950s. “The school had a legacy because my father and grandfather attended the school when they were students,” Briscoe said. “The school only went to the 6th grade. In many ways, I never thought I would go any further.”

Faculty Excellence nominee David Briscoe. Photo by Ben Krain.

Briscoe would go on to earn undergraduate (‘80) and graduate (85′) degrees from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (’93). He has taught at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for nearly three decades, beginning his career in 1992. During that time, Briscoe has been awarded nearly 60 honors, earned professional development certification from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Oxford Round Table, and was twice named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence. He has received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award four times and received the Faculty Excellence in Public Service award for the College of Social Sciences and Communication in 2020. Briscoe is known to enthusiastically advocate for students with disabilities and was voted among the Best of the Best Professors three times by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student body. He serves on the National Phi Kappa Phi Awards Committee, the Chancellor’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee. As the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, Briscoe assists with the certification and undergraduate education of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student-athletes. He is also well-known and admired in his role as a national volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. As a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, Briscoe became the inaugural national chairman of Learning for Life, an academic and character development program serving more than 1.7 million students throughout the United States. Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service – Bronwyn MacFarlane, professor of gifted education in the School of Education Bronwyn MacFarlane has contributed extensive public service in the field of gifted education. She has served as a nationally elected and recognized leader in the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) in the roles of chair of the STEM Network with more than 1,000 members and chair of the Counseling and Guidance Network, which serves over 700 members.�� For three years, MacFarlane wrote the popular column “The Curriculum Corner” in NAGC’s national magazine, “Teaching for High Potential.” She also serves as an editorial assistant and guest editor for the academic journal “Roeper Review.”

Faculty Excellence nominee Bronwyn MacFarlane. Photo by Ben Krain.

“From classroom and district gifted program responsibilities to nationally elected leadership roles, Dr. MacFarlane has served in many leadership capacities where she gently challenges those around her in developing new ideas, approaches, and products,” said Dr. Debbie Dailey, chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Central Arkansas. “Her valued service leadership contributions support the bridge from scholarship to best teaching practices in local schools and classrooms and beyond to benefit individuals and improve their educational experiences.” MacFarlane has served as chair or a representative on more than 25 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock committees, on over 15 national and state education committees, and has held or continues to hold several state and national leadership positions in gifted education. In Little Rock, MacFarlane is a regular volunteer judge and guest speaker for events like the Central Arkansas Regional Science Fair, Arkansas 4-H, and Girls in STEM Leadership Conference.�� She provided expert commentary in interviews to the local media for parents to support children’s learning and mental health during the pandemic.�� MacFarlane has received national and international recognition in the field of gifted education. Some of her awards include the Early Leader award from the National Association for Gifted Children in 2018, the Wedge Distinguished Scholar award at Western Kentucky University in 2017, and the Challenger Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education Association in 2016 for her cutting edge book “STEM Education for High Ability Learning.”�� A professor for only 13 years, she has been recognized with the Faculty Excellence Awards three times in the past seven years. She twice received the Faculty Excellence Award for Research and Scholarship for the College of Education in 2014 and for the College of Education and Health Professions in 2019. She has been named a Distinguished Teaching Fellow for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Academy of Teaching and Learning Excellence, received the New Faculty Teaching Commendation, and twice received the Graduate and Retention Advocate Award.�� “Public service is integrated into my work, and my activities focus on ways to develop talent in different settings,” MacFarlane said. “My service activities at each level, whether local, university, state, national, or international, can be best summarized as contributing my time and expertise to supporting the talent development of others. Whether I am volunteering locally, evaluating federal projects and university programs, or speaking to parents and teachers about education, I am always focused on doing what I can to support someone’s talent development and growth.”�� Faculty Excellence Award in Research – Edward Anson, professor of history in the Department of History

Faculty Excellence nominee Edward Anson. Photo by Ben Krain.

As a specialist in the Hellenistic Era, Anson has contributed significant research in the field of ancient history during his 45 years as a professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He is considered an expert in Alexander the Great studies. His latest books, “The Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great,” and “Ptolemy I, Soter: Themes and Issues” will be published in 2022. His most recent publications include “Philip II, the Father of Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues” in 2020. In the same year, Anson also co-edited “Affective Relations and Personal bonds in Hellenistic Antiquity: A Festschrift Honouring of the Career of Elizabeth D. Carney” with Dr. Monica D’Agostini and Dr. Frances Pownall. “His publications on Macedonia military innovations, defining ethnicity, the chronology of the early Hellenistic period, and the career of the green commander and administrator Eumenes under Alexander and the early successor have transformed modern scholarship on these topics and have become the standard ‘go-to’ references by other scholars,” said Dr. Pownall, professor of classics at the University of Alberta. His overall publication record includes numerous books, more than 50 articles or book chapters, and over 50 encyclopedia entries with peer-reviewed journals and presses. He also serves as associate editor of “Ancient History Bulletin,” an assessor for classics for the Australian Research Council, and a fellow of the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Hellenistic Studies.

��Vlog��ýLR professor elected president of Boy Scouts of America Council

Jenny Lambert — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 13:30:43 +0000

Dr. David Briscoe, professor of sociology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has had a passion for Boy Scouts since the age of 13. For the past 22 years, he has served on the board of the Boy Scouts of America Quapaw Area Council, assuming several different roles, including council commissioner. In April, he took on the role of council president and has already been elected for next year’s 2017-18 term. As president, Briscoe now leads an executive board of 60 community leaders ranging from judges and doctors to business administrators. Their council covers 39 of the 75 counties in Arkansas. Growing up in Mars Hill, North Carolina, living in the days of segregation, Briscoe did not see life panning out this way. During his youth, there were no black scout troops in his community, only a white troop uptown. One day, after being bused to an all-black school in Asheville, North Carolina, he encountered someone that would change his life forever. “I ran into a black kid, and he had an old, battered Boy Scouts handbook,” Briscoe said. The young man, Robert Degraphenreed, was a scout in a black troop in the city. “I didn’t know anything about the scouts, and he let me borrow his book. I was so overtaken with what was in that handbook that my mission in life as a 13-year-old was, one day, to become a boy scout.” Briscoe was so determined to live out this dream that he skipped lunch for a week to save enough money to buy the young man’s handbook for $1. Fifty-two years later, Briscoe holds on to that handbook as a reminder of his first encounter with the Boy Scouts. Briscoe has also received several awards and accomplishments over the years, including the Distinguished Eagle Award. This award is given for distinguished service in a scout’s profession as well as in his community for at least 25 years after attaining the level of Eagle Scout. Although much time has passed, Briscoe remains committed to the scouts. “I love scouting as much today as I did when I was a kid,” said Briscoe. “It gave me focus, and I believe in the scouts’ movement and message.” To Briscoe, scouting reinforces his faith. As the oath states, Briscoe does his best to do his duty to God, his country, and obey the Scout Law.

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

Briscoe Named University Professor at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Honors Briscoe, Agarwal, and MacFarlane as Top Professors of 2021

Briscoe, MacFarlane, and Anson receive Faculty Excellence Awards from CHASSE

����Vlog��ýLR professor elected president of Boy Scouts of America Council

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

Briscoe Named University Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Honors Briscoe, Agarwal, and MacFarlane as Top Professors of 2021

��Vlog��ýLR professor elected president of Boy Scouts of America Council