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

Art Friends Offer ‘6×6’ Creations

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:18:03 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR Friends of the Arts (FOA) will host the fundraising event “6×6 ‘at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012 in the Applied Design Studio in University Plaza, Suite 300.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased over the phone at 501.683.4353 or by emailing Rivka Kuperman at rekuperman@ualr.edu.In its second year, the funds for 6×6 help support the university’s fine arts programs: art, theatre arts and dance, and music.

Attendees to the 6×6 event are treated to a silent auction of all of the submitted pieces, wine, and hors d’oeuvres. Throughout the evening the Department of Music will provide entertainment and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will feature costumes from resident designer and Interim Chair Yslan Hicks. FOA is a volunteer organization dedicated to the support of art, music, and theatre arts and dance. For more information about the organization or to join, contact the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) at 501-683-4353.

Foundation Supports Re-Entry Students

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:03:12 +0000

The Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco has designated ��Vlog��ýLR as the only institution in Arkansas to administer the group’s Re-Entry Scholars Program, providing scholarships for former students to complete their degrees. The foundation will provide first-year funding of $50,000 for at least 12 scholarships targeted to:

Students who have experienced a cumulative gap in their education of five years or more.
Undergraduate students pursuing their first baccalaureate degree.
Working students between the ages of 25 to 50.
Students demonstrating financial need not necessarily listed on their federal student financial aid application.
Students showing academic promise and a commitment to obtaining their degree.

The scholarships will provide $4,000 for full-time students and $2,000 for students who are enrolled part-time. “These grants are not intended for graduate students or students seeking an additional degree,” said Andy Lynch, program officer at the Osher Foundation. “Preference should be given to newly matriculating students and in the second year of the program and beyond; returning Osher Reentry Scholars who have reapplied and continue to meet all other criteria may be given preference as well.” Bernard Osher, a patron of education and the arts, established the foundation in 1977 to seek to improve the quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. A native of Biddeford, Maine, and a graduate of Bowdoin College, Osher began his career managing his family’s hardware and plumbing supply business in Biddeford, Maine, before joining Oppenheimer and Co. New York. He relocated to California and became the founding director of World Savings, the second largest savings institution in the United States, which was sold to Wachovia Corp. in 2006. A collector of American paintings of the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, Osher purchased the fine art auction house of Butterfield & Butterfield in 1970 and oversaw its growth to become the fourth largest auction house in the world. In 1999, he sold the company to eBay. Osher currently serves as president of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Foundation and vice-chair of the American Himalayan Foundation. He is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. “We are honored to be working with the Osher Foundation to help reach a segment of students who are thinking about returning to school to finish a degree but need a financial helping hand to get back into the classroom. This program will help them do that,” said Laurie Ann Ross, corporate and foundation relations officer in the ��Vlog��ýLR Office of Development. To apply, see the Private Scholarships Site.

Campaign Dollars Grow Scholars

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:18:57 +0000

One of the goals of the “It’s Time for ��Vlog��ýLR” campaign was to assist Arkansas in attracting high-achieving students by increasing scholarship opportunities. Leigh Wing is one of those deserving students. Thanks to generous donors, ��Vlog��ýLR now has more than 2,000 privately funded scholarships awarding $1.1 million annually. Wing, who began playing violin at age six, is one of those who are already benefiting from funds raised during ��Vlog��ýLR’s first comprehensive campaign thanks to the Eleanor Orts Francis Scholarship. When she was a child, her mother would drive her an hour each way from their Idaho potato farm to study at the nearest university. Wing earned a degree at Brigham Young University, majoring in the humanities with an emphasis in Spanish and a minor in music. She was seeking a second degree in music when the birth of her first child put further education plans on hold. Seventeen years and four children later, the family is back in Arkansas in her husband Carlton’s hometown. She is pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree in music at ��Vlog��ýLR. While maintaining a 4.0 grade point average and raising a family, Wing plays violin with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. “I came to ��Vlog��ýLR under the recommendation of Andrew Irving, co-concertmaster for the ASO,” Wing said. “He had been working with me on my talent and recommended I finish my education at ��Vlog��ýLR and study under Meredith Maddox Hicks. I was familiar with Miss Maddox Hicks’ talent and felt that she could help me grow in my ability and musicianship.” With the help of the scholarship established by the estate of the late ��Vlog��ýLR professor Eleanor Orts Francis, Wing can accomplish her long-delayed educational goals. She is on track to receive a post-baccalaureate degree in music in 2013 and has plans to seek a master of music degree. Francis, who died in 2009 at the age of 96, taught English at ��Vlog��ýLR for 33 years and was an accomplished violinist, often playing with ��Vlog��ýLR’s Community Orchestra. Her life’s work and passions live on in the trust she established endowing scholarships in English and music. Awarded to a full or part-time student who is seeking a degree in music, the Eleanor Orts Francis Scholarship is a renewable award that takes into account academic accomplishment and financial need, with academic accomplishment being the determining factor. “I am so grateful for the educational opportunity ��Vlog��ýLR has afforded me. Not only am I growing as an artist, I am connecting with a community of artists in central Arkansas,” she said. “I am so impressed by the quality of the teaching that has helped me to grow as a musician and with the partnerships ��Vlog��ýLR has forged with the professional music world that have provided me with opportunities to grow as a performer.” “��Vlog��ýLR has been a gateway to more opportunities for me here in Little Rock.”

��Vlog��ýLR’s First Campaign Tops $103 Million

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:18:13 +0000

It started with a goal of $75 million and launched at the start of the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. But today, ��Vlog��ýLR officials brought the institution’s first ever comprehensive fundraising campaign to a close, announcing a final tally of $103.6 million in gifts and pledges. “The energy surrounding the announcement of ��Vlog��ýLR’s first-ever comprehensive campaign was unparalleled in the history of the university,” said campaign chair Haskell Dickinson. “The campaign reflects the enthusiasm and vision that will catapult Arkansas into a new era of economic growth.” He announced the final results at an end-of-campaign celebration for top donors Tuesday evening, April 10, at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall.

Dollars Grow Scholars Leigh Wing’s story..

The seven-year campaign, “It’s Time for ��Vlog��ýLR,” created 211 new privately funded scholarships, added electrical and mechanical engineering options in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT), dramatically increased the number of nursing graduates by establishing the Willard and Pat Walker Nursing Scholarships, and founded the Stephen Harrow Smith Endowed Dean of Business. The campaign received 15 gifts of more than $1 million, led by a $12 million gift from the George W. Donaghey Foundation and a $6 million gift for engineering from the Trinity Foundation. A $1 million endowment from the Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust established the Sturgis Charitable Trust Nanotechnology Chair. The resulting investiture of Dr. Alexandru S. Biris, director and chief scientist of the Nanotechnology Center at ��Vlog��ýLR, continues the trust’s legacy of education and economic advancement in Arkansas. A gift from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation established the African American Male Initiative, a mentorship program that assists African American male students with retention and graduation at ��Vlog��ýLR. Just as significant was the outstanding support that came from the ��Vlog��ýLR faculty and staff. Tallies show that three percent of the total campaign dollars came from gifts from ��Vlog��ýLR faculty and staff. “Generous giving by our campus community set the stage for our comprehensive campaign,” said Bob Denman, vice chancellor for development and campaign manager. “Our success is due in part to their early campaign participation and leadership.” A total of 18,605 donors participated in the campaign. The Office of Development processed a total of 103,306 gifts and pledges, 85 percent of which are already realized. The original campaign goal of $75 million was achieved 18 months early. Buoyed by the early success, campaign leaders pressed ahead by raising the goal to $100 million, which was surpassed earlier this year. Of the funds raised, 46 percent was dedicated to direct program support led by the Trinity Foundation’s $6 million for mechanical and electrical engineering programs. Another 24 percent went to facility support, including helping to build and furnish the new Engineering and Information Technology Building, the completion of the Jack Stephens Center, the renovation of the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, the new Trail of Tears Park, Coleman Park, and the Trojan Grill student restaurant. Student support received 20 percent of the campaign’s total, primarily in the form of scholarships. Two-thirds of the new scholarship accounts are earmarked for endowment. ��Vlog��ýLR now has more than 2,000 privately funded scholarships awarding $1.1 million annually. Faculty support received six percent of the funds, including endowments for the deans of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT), the William H. Bowen School of Law, the College of Business, and the chief scientist in the Nanotechnology Center. The remaining four percent of the gifts were unrestricted. “The stage is now set,” said Chancellor Joel E. Anderson. “We now have more donors and prospects engaged at the end of the campaign than the beginning or mid point, and we have built a philanthropic culture to serve the campus well into the future. “Haskell L. Dickinson II led our volunteers with passion and discipline. He expected and received great volunteer support and spent countless hours with our development staff on solicitation calls. His enthusiasm for our mission was evident, giving not only his time but his hard-earned financial resources as well. His exemplary leadership is deeply valued and appreciated by our entire campus.”

Faculty, Staff Spearhead Campaign Success

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:57:01 +0000

On April 11, ��Vlog��ýLR will release the results of its first comprehensive fundraiser campaign, “It’s Time for ��Vlog��ýLR,” and when the final tallies are told, much of the credit for its success will go to the institution’s faculty and staff. “Not many institutions can boast a campus giving rate like ��Vlog��ýLR,” said Jennifer A. McDonough, partner in the firm of Bentz Whaley and Flessner of Minneapolis, a philanthropic consulting firm. “The strategic decision to involve faculty and staff at all levels of the giving initiative continues to impact results that most would be envious of.” The university will reveal the results of the seven-year campaign on April 10 at a reception for its top donors, but analysis of initial results of campaign gifts indicate how belief in and support for ��Vlog��ýLR’s mission by its faculty and staff primed the pump for corporate and community giving. “��Vlog��ýLR faculty and staff further validating their good work by giving to the campaign sure made it easier for me to give,” said Haskell Dickinson, who also agreed to chair the campaign. “I know from my campaign work that the faculty and staff giving rates positively impacted other external funding sources.” Although figures won’t be final until April 11, initial tallies show 3 percent of the estimated $100 million-plus total came from faculty and staff gifts. “Generous giving by our campus community set the stage for our comprehensive campaign,” said Bob Denman, vice chancellor for development and campaign manager. “Our success is due in part to their early campaign participation and leadership.”

Spectac��Vlog��ýLR to Honor Jack Kinnaman

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:18:54 +0000

Jack Kinnaman, a 2004 inductee into the ��Vlog��ýLR Athletics Hall of Fame and one of ��Vlog��ýLR’s most substantial supporters over the past quarter century, will be the honoree at the fourth annual Spectac��Vlog��ýLR on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Jack Stephens Center. Kinnaman founded Kinko Constructors Inc., a Little Rock based construction company, in July 1973 and served as its president and CEO for 27 years. In late 2000, Kinnaman sold the company to four longtime employees and formed Kinnaman Consulting LLC, a consulting firm with an emphasis on construction dispute resolution. He owned and operated Kinnaman Consulting until his retirement in 2006. A major supporter of ��Vlog��ýLR Athletics, Kinnaman’s contributions to the department are highlighted by numerous renovations and additions to the ��Vlog��ýLR baseball facilities. Most notably, Kinnaman’s work includes the construction of the Trojans’ indoor practice facility and Wheeler Complex, which houses the player clubhouse, meeting room, umpire locker rooms, and coaching suite at . In 1988, Kinnaman provided construction work involved with the installation of new turf at what was then Curran Conway Field at no charge to the university. The building of the Trojans’ first indoor hitting facility in 1990 came next, followed by the construction of the Wheeler Complex in 2001. Kinnaman also built a new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility and press box for the Trojans during the renovation of Gary Hogan Field in 2004. He also provided renovations to the men’s and women’s basketball offices, volleyball offices, and men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms in the mid-90s at no cost to the university. Kinnaman was instrumental in starting ��Vlog��ýLR’s construction management program. In support of the program, he has funded the Jack Kinnaman Constructor Endowed Scholarship and the Phyllis Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship in memory of his first wife. He is also leaving a bequest in his will to endow an athletic scholarship and to provide additional funding for construction scholarships. Outside of his contributions to ��Vlog��ýLR, Kinnaman’s work includes the expansion of Little Rock National Airport, the Pavilion in the Park shopping center, and several projects for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Kinnaman is a member and former National President of the American Institute of Construction (AIC), where he co-authored the AIC Code of Ethics and was a two-time recipient of the National AIC Professional Constructor Award. He is the founding member of the Arkansas chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, and in 1996 was named “Business Executive of the Year” by Arkansas Business. In 2002, he was inducted into the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame. In addition to ��Vlog��ýLR, he has served on the Construction and Architecture Advisory Committees at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Clemson University, Southern Arkansas University Tech, and John Brown University.

Phonathon Raises More Than Funds

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:12:58 +0000

The following contribution is courtesy of Sarah Lindsey Harrison, manager of annual giving in the Department of Development. We’re coming to the end of The Fund for ��Vlog��ýLR Fall Phonathon, a six-week effort conducted every year where current ��Vlog��ýLR students reach out to alumni, previous donors, and friends to ask for their support of The Fund for ��Vlog��ýLR. The Fund, ��Vlog��ýLR’s Annual Fund, provides a source of unrestricted donations that go to support the needs of students on campus. “The ��Vlog��ýLR Phonathon has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the university, its history, and the opportunity to talk with people who want to support it,” said junior Mikelle Moore, a business management major from Milwaukee, Wis. In addition to asking for donations, student callers must be prepared to answer questions about the university, its history, current events or updates on campus. “At first, it was a little intimidating, but you get into a rhythm and feed off the energy of everyone else,” said Kimberly Gulley, a junior social work major from Magnolia. “It is really great to see that the money we are raising is directly impacting the lives of students such as myself.” Learn more about the Fund for ��Vlog��ýLR here.

In Memoriam: Walter C. ‘Buddy’ Coleman

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:42:48 +0000

Walter C. “Buddy” Coleman, whose family and farm have been neighbors of ��Vlog��ýLR since the campus was established, died Monday, Oct. 24, just days after he and his family were honored for their support for Trojan athletics. He was 83. “Buddy and his family have been going on five generations of supporting young people in Arkansas, not just through athletics,” said ��Vlog��ýLR Athletic Director Chris Peterson. “You name it, the Coleman family has been instrumental in enhancing the lives of those youths.” Last December, Coleman’s sons – the fifth generation of Coleman dairymen – presented ��Vlog��ýLR a gift of 10 acres of what was part of the oldest dairy farm west of the Mississippi to make possible a recreation and sports complex. The complex, nearing completion at Asher and University avenues, will make Little Rock eligible to host sanctioned track and field events. “I grew up in Central Arkansas and remember as a kid touring the dairy and drinking chocolate milk,” said Bob Denman, executive director of development at ��Vlog��ýLR. “And anyone who played ball either played on a Coleman Dairy team or played against them. Buddy Coleman was a vital part of sports development in Central Arkansas. This new sports complex at the site of the old dairy will be a tribute to his life and work.”

Rain Inaugurates New Trail of Tears Park

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:04:37 +0000

A deluge of rain failed to stop a ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 12, to dedicate the newest piece of the ��Vlog��ýLR campus that restores and remembers — the Trail of Tears Park on the banks of Coleman Creek. “Anytime we can create and preserve green space for our people, it is a moment to celebrate,” said Gov. Mike Beebe. The governor attended the dedication of the park that once was a collection of broken asphalt and unusable cement block buildings. Now it is a tranquil entrance to campus on the south and a tribute to the thousands of native people who stopped by the creek as they made their forced march to the west on the Trail of Tears. “I feel the heartbeat and the footsteps of those who came through here,” said Sue Folsum, executive director of cultural events, historic preservation, and museums for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Kirk Perry, administrator of the Division of Policies and Standards of the Chickasaw Nation, represented his tribal leaders at the dedication and welcomed the rain. “It is a good day for Coleman Creek to get good water,” he said. “This is one small way to preserve a way of life.” The 4.5 acre park is near the site where thousands of Choctaw and Chickasaw people stopped for water on their way to Indian territories. It was known as the Trail of Tears, the federal government’s forced migration of native people to Indian lands in what is now Oklahoma and points west. “Old maps show that the old Southwest Trail went through the intersection of Asher and University avenues,” said Dan Littlefield, director of ��Vlog��ýLR’s Sequoyah National Research Center. “It was a resting place where they repaired their wagons and watered their horses. We have to use our imaginations to understand what they went through — it was one of the coldest winters of the time.” The $650,000 donor-financed park project has restored the area to its natural state with native trees, rocks, and grasses. Chancellor Joel E. Anderson said the park project is the first in a community- and campus-planned rehabilitation of Coleman Creek. The project, described in ��Vlog��ýLR’s Master Plan, “On the Move,” calls for the creation of a 47-acre greenway reaching the full length of campus with lush vegetation, bicycle and walking trails, benches, and bridges. Landscape engineers believe the Trail of Tears Park and subsequent Coleman Creek Greenway will be the biggest project of de-urbanization in the history of Arkansas. Ninety-year-old Janie Butler, whose grandmother’s house still stands diagonally from campus on Asher Avenue, attended the dedication. She celebrated the work that has been done to restore Coleman Creek, where she often swam as a girl. “This is wonderful,” she said. “It’s going to be fun to get back to the creek.”

$1.15 Million Endows Business Deanship

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:41:40 +0000

Trustees of The Stephen Harrow Smith Revocable Trust announced a $1.15 million gift to ��Vlog��ýLR to establish a dean’s endowment and seminar room for the College of Business that will honor the late Little Rock financier. J. French Hill, chief executive officer of Delta Trust and a trustee of the Smith Trust, said the gift would establish the Stephen Harrow Smith Endowed Dean of Business and the Stephen Harrow Smith Seminar Room in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development Building, which houses the College of Business. “The purpose of the Stephen Harrow Smith Endowed Dean of Business is to honor the memory of Stephen Harrow Smith, recognize his lifetime of exemplary business leadership, and his passionate belief in America and its free market economy,” Hill said. The gift also will provide for the greatest need in the College of Business and may include student scholarship, internships, study abroad, career placement, and competitive support for gifted and talented students and faculty. “Leadership is key to maintaining the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Business as a leader in business education and economic development,” said ��Vlog��ýLR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson. “The trustees of the Stephen Harrow Smith Trust have helped to ensure the strength of our business programs by providing endowment resources for the business dean. We are grateful to the trustees of the Stephen Harrow Smith Trust for honoring Mr. Smith’s memory in this important way.” The gift also will make possible several enhancements near the newly named Stephen Harrow Smith Seminar Room on the third floor the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development. Those include an interactive touch screen LCD video wall and full color 12-foot LED stock market ticker along with continued support for seminar room care and equipment. “This gift marks a significant milestone for the College of Business and helps ensure that we will continue to make significant contributions to the growth and viability of our businesses, communities, and state,” said Dr. Anthony F. Chelte, dean of the College of Business. “The Stephen Harrow Smith Endowment will provide the resources necessary to help achieve the college’s mission to provide high quality business education, serving as a catalyst for economic development across the state of Arkansas, and to continue to provide career-ready, well-prepared, and outstanding students for Arkansas’ business and broader communities.” After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a degree in economics, Smith returned to his hometown of Little Rock in 1933 and began pursuing his main interest, investments. He worked for three small investment companies until World War II broke out and he was stationed at Wilmington, Del., Air Base as administrative officer for the Ferrying Division of the Air Transport Command. After the war, Smith returned to Little Rock and joined Walter R. Bass Investments until 1957. When Bass died, Smith bought the firm and operated it as Harrow Smith Co. until he retired in 1987. Smith also served on the boards of the Visiting Nurses Association, the local Red Cross, the Metropolitan YMCA, and the Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery Board.

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