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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Creates Four New Schools to Increase Student Success

John Hill — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 14:20:25 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has created four new schools to better serve students and meet the needs of Arkansas’s capital city. The academic reorganization combines the leadership and academic programs of several smaller departments into schools that better align with the university’s mission of supporting student success, teaching, collaboration, and research opportunities. The combination of the academic programs into four new schools will improve administrative efficiency and encourage constructive interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research among involved faculty. The new schools began operation on July 1, and each school will be headed by a director that will be selected by an academic search committee. The new schools include the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology and the School of Physical Sciences in the Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as well as the School of Literary and Performing Arts and the School of Human Inquiry in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Studies, and Education (CHASSE). The School of Engineering and Engineering Technology brings together the departments of systems engineering and engineering technology. The school will include the university’s programs in electronics and computer engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology, mechanical engineering, and electrical and computer engineering. Dr. Srikanth Pidugu, professor of mechanical engineering technology, is serving as interim director of the school. The School of Physical Sciences joins the departments of chemistry, physics and astronomy, and Earth Sciences. The new school will include the bachelor’s degree programs in chemistry, geology, physics, as well as minors in astronomy, chemistry, environmental geology, geology, and physics. Dr. Tansel Karabacak, professor of physics and former chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is the interim director of the school. “To better serve our students, we have reconfigured smaller departments into a school model. This model allows us to modify positions to focus on our programs and ensure that student needs are met,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the Donaghey College of STEM. “The new associate dean is focused on the pre-health programs and lab and classroom improvement. The program coordinators are available to ensure student needs are addressed in a timely manner. The new structure improves our efficiency and ability to serve students.” The School of Literary and Performing Arts combines the Department of Theatre and Dance, the Department of English, and the Department of Music. Dr Kris McAbee, associate professor of English, and Stacy Pendergraft, associate professor of actor training, are serving as interim co-directors of the School of Literary and Performing Arts. The School of Human Inquiry will combine the Department of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology into one academic unit. The school also includes the religious study and gender study minor programs. Dr. Michael Norton, the former chair of the Department of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies and a professor of philosophy, is serving as the interim director. “These new schools allow for greater interdisciplinary collaboration that will benefit students and our community,” said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of CHASSE. “The programs in the School of Human Inquiry help us visualize and analyze culture and ourselves. Programs in the School of Literary and Performing Arts invite us to experience the human condition through the arts. In this way, both schools help us make sense of and engage in our communities, both large and small. I am impressed and inspired by the school directors and program faculty who are everyday creating new opportunities for students and other stakeholders, and I look forward to sharing school innovations as they emerge.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Welcomes Brittany Straw as Director of Career Services

John Hill — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 14:24:13 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has named Brittany Straw as the new director of Career Services. “We are thrilled to welcome Brittany to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, where Career Services is housed. “Brittany is a dynamic and visionary leader. Her experience and enthusiasm make her the ideal person to build on the investments the Donaghey Foundation has made in Career Services over the last couple of years.” Straw is looking forward to making Career Services a useful and innovative center to help ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and graduates find great internships and careers. In her new position, Straw is responsible for managing Career Services, advising students and recent graduates on career readiness and job search processes, overseeing a professional development and career skills program for students, and running career fair and career exploration programs at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been very welcoming,” she said. “What makes this a great place for me is the energy I’ve seen for Career Services. I want to help our students find rewarding careers. If students have great careers, they will have more opportunities as alumni to give back to future students. Students come here to better their career and for career development, so I think it’s important that we have new services and tools to help them be successful.” Before joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Straw served as the assistant director of Career Services at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where she increased the Career Track Razorbacks faculty partners by 160 percent by enhancing and scaling the Career Track Razorbacks Professional Development program. She also was working on implementing a new diversity, equity, and inclusion career readiness programs for students. A native of Batesville, Straw is a first-generation college student who learned the importance of hard work and higher education by participating in the Upward Bound program at Lyon College. Originally a ballet minor, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Science in Vocational-Technical Education from Arkansas State University. Straw started her career as a career consultant at Arkansas State University, where she provided career counseling services to around 1,000 students at the university’s Career Management Center. She also worked as a career counselor with ASU’s Career Services. After six years in career services, Straw joined the executive board of the Arkansas Association of Colleges and Employers. She has served in various roles including student recruitment and relations coordinator, past-president, president, and president-elect. Straw loves to give back to the field and hopes to become more involved on a regional level. “I love higher education,” Straw said. “I started off in the First Year Studies Program and then I went to financial aid. A mentor recommended I try career counseling, and I fell in love with being able to help students reach their goals. I am a leader who helps people achieve their career goals and live their dreams.” Straw is implementing several new initiatives at Career Services. She will hire a new career specialist this fall to help more students develop their career skills and develop a guide for professors to help students learn career competency skills in the classroom. With funding from the Donaghey Foundation, Brittany is piloting a new program underwriting internships at non-profit, governmental, arts, and start-up entities that typically cannot afford to pay student interns. She is also incorporating work study positions and non-academic graduate assistants into Handshake, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student career portal. Both of these initiatives are designed to enhance equity in career exploration, one through experiential learning opportunities and the other in the student job search and application process. Career Services has two upcoming events for students who are looking for career experience. During the week of Sept. 20-24, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is partnering with JCPenney for a Suit-Up event that will give students a 30 percent off coupon to help with the purchase of business clothes. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will host a Virtual Career Fair from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Deitz becomes National Association for Gifted Children Board Member

John Hill — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:04:38 +0000

Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Children at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has been elected as a state representative to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Board of Directors, the largest advocacy association focused on the needs of talented children and adolescents in the U.S. Through education, advocacy, community building, and research, the NAGC aspires to help individuals who work to improve the growth and development of gifted and talented children. “Serving the children, their families, and educators of our state has prepared me for the national position,” said Deitz. “My chief role and responsibility at the state level was to advocate for all children to develop their gifts and talents, and now I will be able to do that at the national level.” Deitz is one of 15 elected board members with the responsibility to read and research current issues, engage deeply in conversations, and help the board reach a consensus on issues that impact children. She also has volunteered for the NAGC Conference Committee, where she previously attended for over 20 years, to ensure equal representation and inclusiveness. Upon leaving the Little Rock School District as the secondary coordinator for gifted services, Deitz is currently a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty member going on six years in the Jodie Mahoney Center, where they work alongside the School of Education to help teachers obtain their gifted and talented licensure. “The University of Arkansas Little Rock is very fortunate to have a national leader in gifted, creative, and talented education on our campus at the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Children and past NAGC president. “Dr. Deitz has recently completed her term as the president of our state organization, Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education, and is now joining the board of directors of the National Association of Gifted Children. She brings creativity, diplomacy, and keen insight to her new role as an NAGC Board member. To be sure, we appreciate her here in Arkansas, but it is also very gratifying to know that her superb leadership and her gracious collegiality are recognized across the country.” Deitz has been actively involved in NAGC since she began as a graduate student here at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She has frequently presented at the national conferences, served as the chairperson for NAGC’s Middle Grades network, and wrote many articles on gifted education. She won the A. Harry Passow Classroom Teacher Award in 2007 and was named Doctoral Student of the Year in 2013 by NAGC. Along with her career, she served as the president of Arkansas for Gifted and Talented Education organization for two years from 2018-2020. The nationally recognized advocate’s success was no small feat running against two other well-qualified applicants and now, thanks to her, Arkansas will have a voice at the national level. Deitz’s first aim is to engage and network with the 47 states who have NAGC affiliate memberships in meaningful conversations and to support the affiliates in reaching their goals. “I’ve been in gifted education for most of my teaching career and having the opportunity to serve at the national level is truly an honor,” said Deitz. “I’m thankful to NAGC’s membership for the opportunity to serve in this capacity.” Deitz received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University. She completed her master’s degree in gifted education and a doctorate in education leadership with a co-emphasis in gifted education from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has played a critical role in shaping my professional career,” said Deitz. “I’ll carry my Trojan spirit with me as I take on my new leadership responsibilities with NAGC.”

Shellam makes $100,000 donation to create endowed scholarship for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock art students in mother’s name

John Hill — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 21:23:13 +0000

A Little Rock woman has made a $100,000 donation to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create an endowed scholarship in her mother’s name for senior art students. Leslye Shellam, the daughter of Linda Blaine Flake and L. Dickson Flake, created the scholarship to honor her mother’s love of art. “Though recognized as ‘gifted’ from an early age, Linda knew that knowledge and experimentation to new, unfamiliar ideas kept her work fresh and inspired,” Shellam said. “The endowment in her name is intended to allow an art student more time for curiosity and self-exploration to channel their talent into a lifelong contribution to the rest of us who may need to be reminded of the ‘undefined’ that encourages personal creativity of all forms in each of us.” The Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Art Scholarship will benefit senior undergraduate students studying the visual arts in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Mrs. Flake was a longtime practicing painter and considered painting a vocation and an avocation,” said Joseph Lampo, director of development and external relations. “Both she and her husband Dickson Flake had been active members of the Little Rock community for many years. I can’t think of a better way for a community member to honor someone than to provide support for students at the local metropolitan university studying a subject important to that person. We are grateful to Leslye Shellam for her appreciation of the need for this support.” Linda Blaine Flake was a native of Little Rock who attended Central High School through the 11th grade. Her father, Fletcher Clement Jr., was a civil engineer whose work took him and his family to places all around the world, including Canada, Morocco, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Colorado. She graduated high school in North Africa and later attended school in Gstaad and Neuchatel, Switzerland. She developed a love of the arts at a young age. Drawing and painting helped Flake navigate her early school years when the family moved frequently because of her father’s job. She had a summer job in Africa as a draftsman with the Corps of Engineers and another in the mapping section of the Arkansas Highway Department. After she married Dickson Flake, the couple moved to Detroit where their daughter, Leslye, was born. After the Flakes returned to Little Rock to be near family and friends, she studied and developed her art skills while her husband established a successful commercial real estate business.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock studio art major Caleb LeFevre presented Leslye Shellam with this charcoal drawing to thank her for her support of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock art students. Photo by Ben Krain.

Flake continued her passion for creating art by studying at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She also participated in a painting master class invitational in Maine, and attended workshops in China, Guatemala, Mexico, Bali, California, and New Mexico. She was a successful artist who showed her work at the former Art on the Green Gallery in Conway, Arkansas, as well as the well-remembered Heights Gallery in Little Rock. She was an active member and former president of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists and also worked in other mediums. She and Townsend Wolfe, past long-serving director of the former Arkansas Arts Center, now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, had an exclusive extended two-person exhibition of their work inspired by their visits to Asia, when China was still not fully open to the Western world. “My mother, Linda Blaine Flake, was an exceptionally intelligent and insightful woman,” Shellam said. “Art was the vehicle that kept her challenged and questioning established guidelines in life as well as her career. Linda’s artwork was not produced by what might interest a prospective buyer, but was an outpouring of what she wanted to share of her soul with others. By not defining herself in a specific category, she stayed open and embraced many mediums which facilitated rewarding life experiences, spurring even more creative and personal achievements.” The scholarship, to be awarded to a rising senior, will provide assistance for any education related expenses, including tuition, books, fees, and room and board. At the end of their senior year, the scholarship recipient will also have the opportunity for a solo exhibition of their work in one of the art galleries at the Windgate Center of Art and Design. “We’re delighted and gratified by the gift of the Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Scholarship,” said Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “This unique scholarship, which provides annual funding for a solo student exhibition, will give us the opportunity to highlight the talents of an outstanding graduating senior each year.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock studio art major Caleb LeFevre, left, was awarded the first Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Art Scholarship by philanthropist Leslye Shellam during a celebration of World Art Day at the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Photo by Ben Krain.

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.

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Creates Four New Schools to Increase Student Success