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

Sandra Robertson Greenwood retires after 40 years at ��Vlog��ýLR

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 13:20:02 +0000

A longtime administrative leader at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Dr. Sandra Robertson Greenwood, will retire after four decades at the university. She will be honored during a 4 p.m. reception Tuesday, Sept. 20, her 70th birthday, at the Legends Room in the ��Vlog��ýLR Jack Stephens Center. As the director of budget and strategic initiatives, Sandra has been responsible for the development of the university’s annual operating budget and for the annual request for state appropriations for 24 years. She began her long career at the university as a learning lab coordinator, where she oversaw developmental programs in English, math, and reading. During her eight years in this position, she co-founded the Arkansas Association for Developmental Education and served as the association’s secretary. During her career, Sandra held a variety of leadership positions at ��Vlog��ýLR, including serving as the interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2003 and again from 2011 to 2012. While serving as the executive director of community college relations and extended programs from 1998 to 2003, she worked hard to develop partnerships with the state’s community colleges. As part of that role, she led the statewide effort to develop an Associate of Arts in teaching degree for community colleges, which was funded by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. She also earned a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund scholarships for community college transfer students pursuing a technology-related major. During her career at ��Vlog��ýLR, she served as assistant to the provost, director of institutional research, executive assistant to the chancellor, and chief of staff for the chancellor. In addition, she serves as an adjunct faculty member in the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Education and the . Dr. Joel E. Anderson, who retired as chancellor of ��Vlog��ýLR over the summer, worked with Sandra for 21 years. He described Sandra as a talented leader and role model. “Dr. Sandra Robertson is an extraordinary woman, and her many years of service and many leadership contributions defy easy summary,” Anderson said. “She was always willing to take on any job, large or small—whether to clear up a confusing $5 budget question or to serve longer than expected as interim provost. Her career has spanned a time of change in the role of women in American society, and Dr. Robertson has been a notable role model and mentor for women on campus and in the community.” Sandra earned a bachelor’s degree in English and communication from Ouachita Baptist University and a master’s degree in communication from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. In 1994, she earned a doctorate in higher education administration from ��Vlog��ýLR. She also completed a Kellogg postdoctoral fellowship in community college leadership at the University of Texas at Austin and attended the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University in 1997. Sandra served on the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation board of directors, the Arkansas Women’s Leadership Forum, the Committed to Education Foundation board of directors, and the Single Parent Scholarship Board. In addition, she has held several leadership positions as a community volunteer for the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce leadership program.

��Vlog��ýLR emeritus dean to lead national leadership academy for university administrators

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 14:23:30 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock emeritus dean has been selected to lead a national leadership academy for new administrators in higher education. Angela Sewall, an emeritus dean and emeritus professor of the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Education, will lead the annual. The academy will take place June 26-30 at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower. It is held each summer for new deans, department chairs, and other academic administrators looking to advance their careers. During the workshop, participants learn to manage finite resources, utilize development and public relations resources, strengthen leadership skills, understand the conflicting interests of scholarship and administrative responsibilities, and build a network of peers. “There really is no place where people can be trained in these roles,” Sewall said. “I think it is very important to give back to the profession and help each other. I had 16 wonderful years of experience as a dean at ��Vlog��ýLR. I have seen academia from all angles, and you have an obligation to share that with your colleagues.” The academy is led by faculty members who are experts in educator preparation and administration. In addition to Sewall, the leadership team includes Walt Gmelch of the University of San Francisco, John Henning of Monmouth University, Kandi Hill-Clarke of Indiana State University, Patricia McHatton of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Jennifer Roth of Fort Collins High School. Prior to her 16-year tenure as dean at ��Vlog��ýLR, Sewall held a variety of positions in public education as a teacher, director of student services and assistant principal, principal, and associate superintendent for school operations. Sewall served as special assistant for accountability and alternative learning programs prior to moving to ��Vlog��ýLR as an associate professor in 1992. In 1997, Sewall was promoted to professor and began serving as dean of the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Education. She was a teaching dean who taught doctoral courses, chaired dissertations, and served on thesis committees. Under her leadership, ��Vlog��ýLR was one of only a few universities to receive the Investing in Innovation (i3) grant to improve early literacy. The College of Education also partnered with the Promise Neighborhood planning committee on a Harlem Promise Zone planning grant during her tenure and received numerous Javits grants in gifted education, a National Science Foundation AIMS grant regarding STEM and advanced placement courses, and a UTeach grant in the STEM areas. Sewall continues to work with the Arkansas Education Deans Council as well as the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. She has authored numerous nationally and internationally published journal articles, some book chapters, a monograph, and a book. Sewall is also a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national meetings. Her particular research interests are in the areas of school policy, law and leadership, and assessment. Upon her retirement in 2013, Sewall was awarded emeritus status by the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. She continues to write, publish, and work with colleagues in the state as an Arkansas AIMS mentor and a Teacher Evaluation Support System trainer and with other projects as requested by educational colleagues in the state and around the country. Her latest project has been the creation of webinars, in partnership with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, for the Wallace Foundation’s Principal Pipeline Initiative. The program helps urban school districts develop a much larger corps of effective school principals and determine whether this improves student achievement across the districts, especially in the highest needs schools.

Anonymous donor gifts ��Vlog��ýLR with $300,000 for student success initiatives

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 31 May 2016 21:23:06 +0000

An anonymous donor has given the University of Arkansas at Little Rock a $300,000 contribution toward student success initiatives in the College of Education and Health Professions. The college’s Student Success Center will receive $100,000 a year for the next three years. Established in 2015, the center provides services for prospective and current students within the College of Education and Health Professions to help them achieve academic and professional success. “On behalf of the students and faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions, I would like to commend the donor for this commitment to enhance the support we offer students to reach their educational and professional goals,” said Zulma Toro, ��Vlog��ýLR executive vice chancellor and provost. One of the many students who has received assistance from the Student Success Center is Kenneth Edwards, a 25-year-old senior majoring in K through 12 special education. After the center staff helped him transfer from a mathematics program to special education, Edwards also utilized their services when he found himself struggling academically. “I thought about dropping out, but the center connected me with people in counseling services,” Edwards said. “They also told me about scholarships, tutoring sessions, and volunteer opportunities. Without their support, I wouldn’t be in college, and I wouldn’t have the grade point average necessary to have my scholarships and continue my education.” Thanks to this help, Edwards is on track to graduate in May 2017. He is a substitute teacher at St. Theresa Catholic School in Little Rock and also works for (P.A.R.K.), a nonprofit organization established by former NFL player Keith Jackson that provides afterschool and summer programs for students in eighth grade and on to help ensure they graduate from high school. Leah Thorvilson, director of development and external relations for the College of Education and Health Professions, said the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, was motivated by a desire to help ��Vlog��ýLR students succeed. “The donor came to us and said, ‘I want to help,’” Thorvilson said. “The donor was really drawn toward the Student Success Center because the donor saw it as an investment in students.” The gift will be used to establish a student emergency support fund and to support the funding of a master’s level social worker responsible for implementing academic success initiatives. The social worker will monitor the academic progress of students utilizing the center by developing an early alert and warning system that will notify the social worker if a student’s grades are falling so intervention measures can be taken. Other duties of the social worker will include developing additional student success initiatives, applying for grants to support the center, and developing community relations to facilitate support services for students. In addition, the social worker will establish a referral system for students services, including tutoring, mentoring, counseling, health services, and financial management. The gift will also be used to establish a support fund for students who have emergency situations, which include having funds to purchase necessities such as food and clothing and paying unexpected bills – emergencies that often cause a student to drop out of school. “Students will be able to request support ranging from being able to purchase a tank of gas or help them pay tuition costs,” Thorvilson said. “If a student’s car breaks down, that may be the tipping point of whether they can continue in college or not.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ýLR students from the College of Education and Health Professions work in Dickinson Hall. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III.

Dean Sewall to retire July 1, Hughes appointed interim dean

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 21:54:19 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Zulma Toro-Ramos recently announced the retirement of Dr. Angela Maynard Sewall, dean of the College of Education. Dr. Gail D. Hughes, ��Vlog��ýLR associate professor of educational leadership, has been selected as interim dean. Dr. Sewall has served for the past 16 years as dean. She came to ��Vlog��ýLR in 1992 having previously worked as a high school teacher, director of guidance, principal, and associate superintendent for school operations in the Little Rock School District. While at ��Vlog��ýLR, Sewall helped create the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, one of the first two doctoral programs on campus. During her tenure, every program in the college that could achieve national recognition successfully reached that quality benchmark, according to Dr. Toro. Sewall has served in leadership roles in multiple state and national organizations including the Arkansas Leadership Academy, the state Professional Licensure Board, the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE), and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). She also serves as a member of the newly formed Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Commission working with university accreditation of school personnel preparation programs. In addition, her work has been recognized nationally with the awarding of the Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Award, the Project Innovation Award from Education for her writings on assessment, and most recently, with the Edward Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions for Teacher Education from AACTE.

Gealt Elected to EAST Executive Board

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:36:05 +0000

Dr. Michael Gealt, dean of ��Vlog��ýLR’s College of Science, has been elected to the executive committee of’s Board of Directors.

Established in Greenbrier, Ark., as as antidote for bored, at-risk students, the EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) educational model focuses on student-driven service projects accomplished by using teamwork and cutting-edge technology.

Students identify problems in their local communities and use tools such as global positioning system and geographic information system (GPS/GIS) mapping, computer assisted design (CAD) software, 3-D animation suites, virtual reality development, and more to develop solutions, collaborating with civic and other groups in the process.

“EAST has been instrumental in helping students develop an interest in using math and science to solve community problems,” Gealt said. “EAST students have impressed me with their enthusiasm and strong work effort. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to help EAST in their educational efforts.”

Earlier this year, a team led by Gealt and College of Education Dean Angela Sewall established a collaboration between their colleges to recruit more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates into teacher prep programs so they can teach in these critical areas in public schools.

The new ��Vlog��ýLRTeach program answers Gov. Mike Beebe’s call to increase the number of secondary school science and mathematics teachers by recruiting more STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – undergraduate students into public schools.

The Governor’s Workforce Group selected ��Vlog��ýLR to receive $216,000 to support participation in the national UTeach program. Other state universities selected in the program were the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and University of Central Arkansas.

The ultimate goal of ��Vlog��ýLR’s collaboration is to replicate the UTeach program that started at the University of Texas in Austin and has been replicated at universities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and more.

Last August, Beebe announced a $2.68 million initiative involving several programs, including UTeach, New Tech High Schools, where where students are taught practical applications for their class programs; and EASTcore, a program to expose students to Project-Based Instruction in STEM disciplines.

��Vlog��ýLR-Trained Teacher Selected as NSTA Fellow

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:42:29 +0000

Lundon Pinneo, a graduate of ��Vlog��ýLR’s master’s program in secondary education with an emphasis in science education, has been selected by the National Science Teachers Association as a member of the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy. She joins a select group science educators in their second or third year of teaching who are being recognized by NSTA. Each fellow will receive comprehensive membership in NSTA. They will also receive training at the National Science Teachers Association meeting in San Antonio in April with all expenses paid. Pinneo also will participate in e-mentoring opportunities with other teachers from around the country and share teaching opportunities with other new teachers. She will be recognized at a reception in San Antonio in the spring. Pinneo currently teaches biology at Maumelle High School in the Pulaski County Special School District. “Ms. Pinneo is an outstanding teacher, and the College of Education is pleased that she has received this well-deserved recognition” said Dean Angela M. Sewall. “As a new science teacher, Ms. Pinneo goes above and beyond to help her students to both understand and excel in biology.”

Robinson Named Distinguished Scholar

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:10:54 +0000

Gifted education expert Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the ��Vlog��ýLR Jodie Mahoney Center for Gifted Education, has been named the 2012 Distinguished Scholar by the National Association for Gifted Children. Robinson, professor and coordinator of the graduate programs in Gifted Education in ��Vlog��ýLR’s College of Education, is immediate past president of the National Association for Gifted Children. She is also past president of Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education and the Arkansas Association for Gifted Education Administrators. The award will be presented to Robinson at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the group’s annual convention in Denver. Her Distinguished Scholar Address “What Can We Learn From Creative Lives?” will be presented the next day. “Ann has a continued record of distinguished scholarship and contributions to the field,” said Dr. Bruce M. Shore, professor emeritus at McGill University in Montreal. “Concurrent with decades in university and organizational leadership, Ann remains a wonderfully productive, creative, and inspiring scholar; a successfully funded researcher, a mentor for researchers and professionals, a resourceful and original scholar, a collegial collaborator in scholarship and administration, and a gem of a person.” Robinson is a national leader in gifted education. Her most recent empirical work focuses on the effect of school intervention on students and teachers, research resulting from multiple-year field studies funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Her work has made ��Vlog��ýLR an international university leader in gifted education. Earlier this year, she won the $5,000 ��Vlog��ýLR Faculty Excellence Award in Research, an honor sponsored by Pepsi. An example of her work is the Jodie Mahony Center at ��Vlog��ýLR, founded by Robinson and named for the late state legislator responsible for a vast body of educational legislation and policy. The center has been the hub of the intervention research studies carried out in schools, the Advanced Placement professional development for teachers, and the services to children through the Summer Laureate/University for Youth program. “It is immensely rewarding not only to be able to work with colleague scholars like Dr. Ann Robinson, but also to see that others in her field of scholarship research, teaching, and service, also recognize and appreciate Dr. Robinson’s talent, dedication and contribution to the field of gifted education.,” said Dr. Angela M. Sewall, dean of ��Vlog��ýLR’s College of Education. “Robinson came to ��Vlog��ýLR in 1986. She earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from the University of Wyoming and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Purdue University in 1983.

Alum Wins National Teaching Award

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:00:26 +0000

When carpal tunnel syndrome cut short Vickie Logan’s dental hygiene career in 1986, the Little Rock University alumna chose to go back to school and become an educator. The decision paid off for Logan, as she is one of two teachers in Arkansas to receive the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Logan, who also earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from ��Vlog��ýLR, teaches Advanced Placement biology at Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School in Little Rock, where she has been since 2003. When she was in high school, Logan elected to go to college close to home so that she could continue teaching dance class at Joel’s House of Dance, even though she received full-ride scholarships to several universities. She attended Little Rock University and got pre-dental training before getting a degree in dental hygiene from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis. She began working at a periodontal practice in Little Rock in the late ’60s, and got her bachelor’s of science degree in biology at ��Vlog��ýMS. She also taught a once-a-week class at the ��Vlog��ýMS campus. However, a disability forced her to give up her dental hygienist job mid-career. So she returned to her alma mater, by that time called the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She received a master’s in secondary education and became the first student in the new doctorate of education program. At first, Logan said the carpal tunnel kept her from writing any more than a few minutes at a time. She recorded her classes and often took oral exams. “��Vlog��ýLR has always been innovative in meeting the needs of non-traditional students,” Logan said. “That pretty much describes me – started going to college while in high school, often attended while working full time and caring for two small children, and attended while seriously disabled.” Logan was able to parlay her health career into a successful one in science education. Upon getting her degrees, Logan worked as an administrator and curriculum specialist for the Little Rock School District, then dean of academics at the Arkansas School for Math and Sciences in Hot Springs, and eventually became the superintendent of the Bryant School District. Her emphasis on science is evident throughout, from helping to revamp the science fair at Fuller Junior High to bringing much-needed technology to the classrooms at J.A. Fair High School. As chairman of the science department at Parkview, she coordinates the science symposium and teaches AP-level biology classes. Her leadership already has earned her several accolades, including the 2009 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement and the AGATE Award. She has been honored for her contributions to education in Arkansas by three governors: Frank White, Bill Clinton, and Mike Huckabee. The Presidential Award is the highest honor given to teachers of mathematics and science. Honorees are selected by a panel of scientists, mathematicians, and educators. This year, 97 teachers received the award. As a recipient of this latest honor, Logan will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation. She and Stephanie Muckelberg of the Bald Knob School District will attend an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

DOE Coordinator Named to Land Board

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:28:43 +0000

Frances J. Frazier, program coordinator for the Department of Educational Leadership in the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Education, has been appointed to the Little Rock Land Bank Board of Directors by Mayor Mark Stodola. The Land Bank is an arm of the city that purchases vacant lots that are not being cared for and old deteriorating houses that have been abandoned with the intention of re-selling them at a low cost so they can be put back in use. It plays a key role in urban revitalization.

UTeach Initiative Starts at ��Vlog��ýLR

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:59:18 +0000

Educators in several ��Vlog��ýLR colleges are working together to recruit more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate students into teacher prep programs with the goal of adding teachers in these critical areas at public schools. This ��Vlog��ýLR initiative got a boost last week when the Governor’s Workforce Group selected the university to receive $216,000 to support participation in the national UTeach program. Other universities in the state selected for the program were the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Central Arkansas. Dr. Michael Gealt, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, and Dr. Angela Sewall, dean of the College of Education, worked with several ��Vlog��ýLR faculty in their respective colleges to write a grant proposal to the UTeach Institute to support the ��Vlog��ýLRTeach initiative on campus. The collaboration answers Gov. Mike Beebe’s call to increase the number of secondary school science and mathematics teachers by recruiting more STEM undergraduate students into public schools. The ultimate goal of ��Vlog��ýLR’s collaboration is to model itself after the UTeach program, which began at the University of Texas in Austin and has been replicated at universities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and more. “It’s a great program,” said Gealt, whose alma mater – Temple University – implemented the program in 2008 with 20 students. “That number has grown to 145 this year. Our goal at ��Vlog��ýLR is to increase our science and mathematics education graduates from three per year to 30 per year.” A major thrust of UTeach is to recruit college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math to become teachers in those areas. The UTeach program provides an initial course to participants at no charge. In the program, ��Vlog��ýLR will hire Master Teachers with K-12 teaching experience to mentor students in the program. “Experience at other universities indicates that students interested in teaching science and mathematics increased tenfold with this program, that 90 percent of the graduates are still teaching a year later, and that 80 percent are still teaching after five years,” Sewall said. Last August, Beebe announced a $2.68 million initiative involving several programs:

UTeach, a program to recruit college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math to become teachers in those areas.
New Tech High Schools, where students are taught practical applications for their class programs.
EASTcore, a program to expose students to Project-Based Instruction in STEM disciplines.

“We’ve got to get more folks interested in STEM education in high school so that when they go to college, they’re not afraid of engineering, they’re not afraid of mathematics, they’re not afraid of science,” Beebe said in his STEM Works announcement.

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

Sandra Robertson Greenwood retires after 40 years at ����Vlog��ýLR

����Vlog��ýLR emeritus dean to lead national leadership academy for university administrators

Anonymous donor gifts ����Vlog��ýLR with $300,000 for student success initiatives