/news-archive/tag/brenda-thomas/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 09 Jun 2021 13:52:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2021/06/09/barger-recounts-45-year-career-at-ua-little-rock-bookstore/ Wed, 09 Jun 2021 13:52:11 +0000 /news/?p=79230 ... Barger Recounts 45-Year Career at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore]]> Byron Barger, assistant manager at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore, has just achieved something that few in the workforce do nowadays, having worked and retired from the same place for his entire working career.听 鈥淚 enjoyed working at the university all these years,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淲hen we became Barnes & Noble, we were still part of the university family. That is the way Barnes & Noble wanted it to be, for us to see familiar faces on campus. I enjoyed working with the university. They took good care of us over the years.鈥� Barger grew up in Mabelvale and first joined the bookstore after graduating from John McClellan High School in 1976. 鈥淚 was 18 when I started. I was going to come to school at 糖心Vlog传媒LR, but a friend of mine who I graduated high school with had gotten a job, and he thought I could get on at the bookstore,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was hired by Rick Burton, who was the shipping supervisor at the time. The bookstore was located in the two-story building in front of the library.鈥� One of the things that Barger loved the most about working in the bookstore was the opportunity to get to know all the new students and employees. 鈥淲orking in bookstore retail is different from anything else,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淚 would have students come in that I would help every semester. They get familiar with you being the go-to person for textbooks. Brenda Thomas would call me the book guru. I enjoyed meeting new professors, seeing old ones retire, and building relationships with students.鈥� Barger has spent the majority of the last 45 years working in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore. His favorite administrators over the years include Preston Slayden, a retired dean of students, and Dr. Charles Donaldson, a retired vice chancellor. 鈥淥ur working relationship with them was so fantastic,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淭hey were my favorite people. I was aware of them when they were in graduate school. They student taught at my junior high school.鈥� When Barnes & Noble leased the bookstore in 1993, Barger shared his knowledge by mentoring other campus bookstores throughout the years. 鈥淚 got to help mentor other stores learning the process for Barnes & Noble,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淚 got to teach other stores the process of the book business. Barnes & Noble had taken on a store at Grambling State University. For the first two or three years, I went there and I helped train the staff down there. I would come in and the manager would ask me to show them different things. They would call me if they had questions. I have done that with many other stores during my career.鈥�听 Throughout his bookstore career, Barger is also thankful for the great managers he鈥檚 worked with. 鈥淚鈥檝e had three great managers,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淢aybeth Johnston was there for a few years, and then they hired Rick Burton, who was over shipping and receiving. I worked with him for 20 years and he recently passed away. He was great.鈥� In addition to Burton, Barger has worked the longest with Brenda Thomas, current manager of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore. 鈥淏renda came on board, and she鈥檚 been a wonderful person to work for,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淪he and I just clicked. She鈥檚 been a great boss, and I enjoyed working with her. Since she鈥檚 been there, Brenda and I have been the only constants. That鈥檚 the reason we鈥檝e got to be good friends and coworkers.鈥� After working with each other for more than two decades, Thomas said it鈥檚 hard to imagine life without Barger at the bookstore. 鈥淚 have worked with Byron for 21 years! He is one of the nicest people I know,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e is always willing to do whatever is needed to take care of the faculty, staff and other members of our Bookstore family. We will miss him but I am happy for him and his retirement!鈥� Barger, 62, and his wife, Malenda, live in Avilla and have six children. They first had Nathan and Nicole and then adopted four more kids: Jaime, Marcus, Joshua, and Cam. Barger said he is already enjoying retirement and is spending time with his family and keeping busy with home improvement projects. 鈥淚 feel great about retirement. I鈥檓 on a perpetual long weekend,鈥� Barger said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been semi-retired for quite a while because my wife had gotten COVID and pneumonia. She had cancer last year and survived that but she said COVID was worse than cancer. I like retirement so far. Right now I am taking care of my wife. We have a big camper trailer, and we will be doing some camping around Arkansas when she gets better. I always said when I retired I鈥檇 have plenty to do. I鈥檝e already painted three rooms in the house.鈥� In the upper right photo, longtime 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore employee Byron Barger, center, celebrates his retirement with Richard Harper, left, Kristin Nelson, center, and Brenda Thomas, right.听]]> /news-archive/2021/02/23/book-grant-award-recipients/ Tue, 23 Feb 2021 20:55:08 +0000 /news/?p=78409 ... Campus Bookstore Doubles Number of Student Book Grant Award Recipients]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Campus Bookstore awarded a total of $25,000 in student scholarships for the spring 2021 semester, a $15,000 increase over previous semesters. This increase in the scholarship enabled the Bookstore Advisory Committee to select double the number of recipients to receive the book grant awards, adding much needed support for students within the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community. According to the bookstore manager Brenda Thomas, they were able to give out a total of 50 book grant awards. Award recipients include 36 undergraduate students: Andrew Harden, Andrea Vargas, Ashley Gray, Bernard Gaer, Cami Lambert, Chaney Callahan, Clayton Hughes, Cory Gibson, Ebony Jackson, Faviola Alba, Haley Hankins, Jackson Jones, Jalen Black, Jasmine Morrow, Joy Allen, Kenedie St. Mary, Lakendra Mackey, Madison Harper, Makayla Harville, Makayla Machen, Maria McNeill, Meghan McClain, Morgan Morrow, Noah Eggensperger, Reanna Hamm, Shanna Hastings, Shuntele Carroll, Stephen Malec, Sydney Miller, Takeria Toombs, Teylen Patterson, Tiarra Richardson, Timothy Croft, Tonya Anderson, Victoria Corley, and Yashvi Adhvaryu. In addition, the grant was awarded to graduate students Cassandra LaBahn, Eureka Ice, Kasha Greer, LaKeisha Matthews, Latoya McCoy, LeCole White, Viola Schaeffer; and William H. Bowen School of Law students Daniel Vega, Hayley Ferguson, Lina Nguyen, Morgan Topping, Nicole Schaum, Noel Ahaneku, and Sarah Dika. 鈥淚 felt ecstatic and thankful when I found out that I was awarded the book scholarship,鈥� Matthews said. 鈥淚 have never been awarded a scholarship like this before, and this award encouraged me about my learning opportunities for the upcoming semester.鈥� The recipients represent a multitude of majors from marketing to social work, finance, art, nursing and engineering, to name a few. McNeill, an undergraduate studying health education and promotion, said this award allowed her to purchase books without any out-of-pocket expenses.听 鈥淭his, in turn, allowed me to work fewer hours during the semester and spend my time studying instead,鈥� McNeill said. Eggensperger, an undergraduate social work student, said this award gave him the opportunity to own his textbooks rather than rent them. 鈥淭his is invaluable as the content I’m currently learning will be the foundation of my career as a social worker,鈥� Eggensperger said. 鈥淚鈥檓 honored to have been a recipient of this award.鈥� This award not only assists students with purchasing textbooks, but it also allows them to access their books on time and begin the semester prepared for classes. 鈥淚 was able to go directly to the bookstore and get what I needed to be equipped for the semester studies,鈥� said White, a graduate social work student. 鈥淭hank you so much 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock!鈥� According to one recipient, this can make all the difference for students, especially now. 鈥淎wards like this are important, especially during the trying times and uncertainty we are experiencing right now,鈥� said Ice, a graduate student. 鈥淚t takes away the burden of having to pay so much for books, which are expensive. Student debt is such a heavy burden for millions of people like me, especially minorities. I’m grateful for this opportunity.鈥� Ferguson, a Bowen law student, said that while this award was not enough to cover the entire cost of her books, it relieved a great deal of stress surrounding the furthering of her education. 鈥淟aw school textbooks are extremely expensive, and it was so hopeful to be able to have part of them paid through this award,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淲hen I heard I got this award, I felt an instant relief of stress because I would not have to work extra hours in my second job to be able to afford my textbooks. I was able to relax and enjoy my Christmas break. Scholarships such as this one are so important, especially to law students, because the cost of furthering education is so expensive.鈥� As an undergraduate social work student, Mackey said this award allowed her to take care of her children鈥檚 needs rather than paying for her own supplies. 鈥淲ith scholarships and grants, an individual can feel that they are worthy of receiving an education just like everyone else,鈥� Mackey said. 鈥淧arents can feel like they are not taking money out of the house to continue their education.鈥� Eligibility for the scholarship included a minimum 2.5 GPA, six completed credit hours for graduate students, and nine completed credit hours for undergraduate students. The Bookstore Advisory Committee also considered leadership qualities, academic achievements, community service, and financial need. 听 鈥淲hen I received the email that I had been selected for the book grant award, I felt overjoyed, honored, and highly appreciative,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淭his award afforded me the opportunity of alleviating the financial stressor, which allowed me to focus more on my academic progress and the continuation of my education goals.鈥� An undergraduate finance student echoed this statement, saying the recent pandemic has added significant financial strain on families such as his, but receiving this award allowed him to look forward to a successful semester. 鈥淭his book grant meant a lot to me as this was the first scholarship award I have received as a student,鈥� Malec said. 鈥淏eing able to purchase my books with this award has greatly helped me and my family. Thank you to all involved in making this book grant award happen. I appreciate it very much.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2020/11/23/ua-little-rock-bookstore-seeks-applications-for-2021-book-grant-awards/ Mon, 23 Nov 2020 14:06:17 +0000 /news/?p=77967 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore seeks applications for 2021 Book Grant Awards]]> The bookstore will award $500 scholarships to 50 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students through its 2021 Book Grant Awards. The Bookstore Advisory Committee will consider academic achievement, leadership, community service, and financial need when selecting the winners. The scholarship is open to undergraduate students who have completed nine credit hours and graduate students who have completed six credit hours. Applicants must have a minimum 2.5 GPA.听Previous Book Grant Award recipients are not eligible. Interested students can apply for the scholarship by filling out the . The deadline to apply is Friday, Dec. 4. Contact Bookstore Manager Brenda Thomas at 501-569-3245 or brthomas2@ualr.edu for more information.]]> /news-archive/2020/02/06/bookstore-awards-10000-in-scholarships/ Thu, 06 Feb 2020 15:11:23 +0000 /news/?p=76127 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock campus bookstore awards $10,000 in scholarships]]> Award recipients include law students Sarah Fendley, Raegan Massey, Markita Watts, and Rachel Williams; graduate students Morgan Dlouhy, Mary Melissa Miller, and Andrei Trapizonian; and undergraduate students Jade Beshears, Alexandria Brown, Destiny Brown, Michael Davis, Megan Hall, Jordan Holyfield, Jordan Jackson, Sherlyn Leprozo, Taylor Lunsford, Joshua Merriweather, DeShawn Parks, Meagan Pennington, and Natasha Sullivan. 鈥淚t is an honor and privilege to assist the university with student retention and growth, while supporting the university鈥檚 mission to improve students鈥� lives,鈥� Bookstore Manager Brenda Thomas said. Improving student lives is exactly what the Book Grant Awards have done. 鈥淭he book grant has been a great blessing,鈥� said Fendley, a law school student. 鈥淭his is one of my most expensive semesters for books. The grant helped offset the cost of my semester and saved me from adding that much more to student loan debt.鈥� Graduate students echoed Fendley鈥檚 appreciation. “I am honored to have been selected for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock 2020 Book Grant Award scholarship,鈥� Dlouhy said. 鈥淭his scholarship allows me to obtain the materials necessary to excel in my courses as I pursue a master’s degree in business administration.” Miller, an art history graduate student, said being awarded the book scholarship has been very helpful for covering expenses at the onset of the semester. 鈥淭he scholarship has allowed me to purchase books needed for my classes and not have to worry about having the correct book on time,” Miller said. “Thank you so much for this award!鈥� Trapizonian, an international MBA student, said he is especially grateful for the award since international students have limited opportunity to work and earn money while pursuing a degree. 鈥淭his is my final semester in the MBA program, and I want to finish strong by staying focused on my studies,” Trapizonian said. 鈥淭he Book Grant Award helped reduce my education expenses and has made a positive difference in my semester already.鈥� When reviewing student scholarship applications, the Bookstore Advisory Committee considered academic achievement, leadership, community service, and financial need. To be eligible, students needed a minimum 2.5 GPA and six completed credit hours if a graduate student or nine completed credit hours if an undergraduate student. Parks, an accounting and professional sales major who also serves as a resident assistant, said he especially appreciated that his pursuit of good grades has been acknowledged through a scholarship that helps pay for expensive books. 鈥淏eing able to receive a book grant is an awesome blessing,鈥� Parks said. 鈥淚t’s great to see my hard work acknowledged in the form of this scholarship. Thanks 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock!鈥漖]> /news-archive/2018/11/16/2019-book-grant-awards/ Fri, 16 Nov 2018 15:10:00 +0000 /news/?p=72709 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore seeks applications for 2019 Book Grant Awards]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Campus Bookstore will award up to $10,000 in student scholarships for the spring 2019 semester.听 The Bookstore will award $500 scholarships to 20 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students through its 2019 Book Grant Awards. The Bookstore Advisory Committee will consider academic achievement, leadership, community service, and financial need when selecting the winners. The scholarship is open to undergraduate students who have completed nine credit hours and graduate students who have completed six credit hours. Applicants must have a minimum 2.5 GPA. Interested students can apply for the scholarship by. The deadline to apply is Friday, Dec. 1. Contact Bookstore Manager Brenda Thomas at 501-569-3245 or brthomas2@ualr.edu for more information.]]> /news-archive/2018/07/31/tax-free-weekend-2/ Tue, 31 Jul 2018 14:46:26 +0000 /news/?p=71240 ... Customers can shop tax free at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore Aug. 4-5]]> Back-to-school shoppers can take advantage of the state鈥檚 tax-free weekend with great deals at the Aug. 4-5. Textbooks, school supplies, and Trojan-themed clothing are among the items people can buy at the bookstore during the state鈥檚 48-hour tax holiday. Bargain hunters are invited to take advantage of the tax-free weekend in person from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4 at the bookstore, which is located on the first floor of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Donaghey Student Center. Those who prefer the convenience of ordering online may get the tax-free discount both Saturday and Sunday at . Online orders must be placed by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, to qualify for the discount. For more information, contact the bookstore at 501-569-3245. More information about the tax-free weekend can be at the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration website.]]> /news-archive/2017/11/28/2018-book-grant-awards/ Tue, 28 Nov 2017 16:39:47 +0000 /news/?p=68671 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bookstore seeks applications for 2018 Book Grant Awards]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Campus Bookstore will award $10,000 in student scholarships in spring 2018.听 The Bookstore will award $500 scholarships to 20 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students through its 2018 Book Grant Awards. The Bookstore Advisory Committee will consider academic achievement, leadership, community service, and financial need when selecting the winners. The scholarship is open to students with a minimum 2.5 GPA, undergraduate students who have completed nine credit hours, and graduate students who have completed six credit hours. Interested students can apply for the scholarship by filling out this online application. The deadline to apply is Friday, Dec. 1. Contact Bookstore Manager Brenda Thomas at 501-569-3245 or brthomas2@ualr.edu for more information. ]]>