- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/fifty-for-the-future/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 25 Aug 2021 13:30:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Names Elizabeth Small as New Business Industry Liaison /news-archive/2021/08/25/elizabeth-small-business-industry-liaison/ Wed, 25 Aug 2021 13:30:56 +0000 /news/?p=79671 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Names Elizabeth Small as New Business Industry Liaison]]> Elizabeth Small, primary instructor for the Real Estate program in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 School of Business, will take on an additional role with the university as director of business networks.听 will help drive industry engagement and will be based at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown beginning this fall.听 In this expanded role, she will work with central Arkansas businesses to explore ways to partner and engage with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. This comes as the university is expanding continuing education programs and doing more to promote the work of university faculty, students, and graduates. As Arkansas鈥檚 only metropolitan university, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is committed to partnering with industry to better understand its needs and expand the workforce in central Arkansas.听 鈥淓lizabeth鈥檚 reputation as an industry leader is well established,鈥 according to Dr. Ann Bain, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost. 鈥淗er ability to understand the needs of the workforce and help coordinate a university response will better support our outreach efforts.鈥 Small earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Hendrix College and a Master of Business Administration from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Prior to joining 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, she served as chair of PDC Construction and president and CEO of PDC Companies. In addition to being a college instructor, Small is also an Arkansas real estate licensee broker as well as a member of several boards, including the Affordable Housing Association of Arkansas, Rotary Club of Little Rock, Fifty for the Future, and Arvest Bank. 听 听 听 听]]> Little Rock couple鈥檚 $37,000 gift endows business scholarship /news-archive/2019/06/27/kelleys-gift/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 15:00:36 +0000 /news/?p=74624 ... Little Rock couple鈥檚 $37,000 gift endows business scholarship]]> University of Arkansas at Little Rock business and finance students can now look forward to an additional scholarship to help them complete their dream of finishing a college education, thanks to a generous gift from a community-minded Little Rock couple. 听Henry 鈥淗ank鈥 Kelley Jr. and his wife Stephanie have donated $37,000 to the A.P. Vibhakar Endowed Scholarship, named in honor of Dr. Ashvin Vibhakar, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 long-time Joe. T. Ford Chair of Finance. 听鈥淚 am touched and honored to have this scholarship endowed in my name,鈥 Vibhakar said. 鈥淚 am thankful to Hank and Stephanie, who I consider to be my close friends and family, for their gift. Hank was one of my MBA students in the 1980s, and having a past student honor me this way gives me the sense that I have a made a difference in the community.鈥 Chancellor Emeritus Joel Anderson created the scholarship in 2009 with a $5,000 gift, and the Kelleys鈥 donation brings the scholarship鈥檚 endowment to $50,000. Now that the endowment has reached that level, the scholarship will be awarded annually to a 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock minority student majoring in international business or finance. 听Hank Kelley and Vibhakar are both members of the . Kelley, incoming president of Rotary 99, said his new responsibility led him to understand how important higher education is to the future of Little Rock.

听 听Dr. Ashvin Vibhakar

鈥淭he scholarship that Stephanie and I funded is a recognition of Ashvin Vibhakar’s service to his students and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥 Hank Kelley said. 鈥淲e share membership in Rotary 99 of Little Rock with many other members of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community, and Stephanie and I know Little Rock’s trajectory is directly tied to having a student-focused research university in our city. We know no better way to express our appreciation to Ashvin and Diane as friends than to help fund this important scholarship in his name.鈥 Chancellor Andrew Rogerson, also a Rotarian, said the university is indebted to Hank Kelley and other donors like him in central Arkansas who understand the importance of helping 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock thrive.听听 鈥淗ank and Stephanie are pillars of the community who have given their hearts and souls to Little Rock,鈥 Rogerson said. 鈥淭heir latest gift to support business scholarships is yet another investment in the future of this university that will help us cultivate future leaders in central Arkansas.鈥 听Hank Kelley is the CEO, partner, and executive broker in his brokerage and property management firm, . He received an MBA from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, both with honors. In addition to his Rotary membership, Kelley is involved with the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Foundation, Baptist Health Foundation Board, Fifty for the Future, and the Board.听 Stephanie Kelley works as a Pilates instructor, coach, and mentor in the community. She is a graduate of Mount St. Mary Academy and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where she and Hank met. The couple has four children and nine grandchildren.听 Hank and Stephanie Kelley (photo above right) have endowed a scholarship in honor of Dr. Ashvin Vibhakar (photo above left), chair of finance at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to honor Troy Wells with Distinguished Alumni Award /news-archive/2018/05/03/troy-wells/ Thu, 03 May 2018 17:07:51 +0000 /news/?p=70409 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to honor Troy Wells with Distinguished Alumni Award]]> Baptist Health president and chief executive officer Troy Wells often gets asked for career advice. What he explains to young people is that his own career success started with a simple word: Yes. 鈥淢y philosophy is say yes and see what happens,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of value for young people to realize when you say yes and want to be part of something, and don鈥檛 worry about the money, good things happen. You should want to add more value before you expect something in return. It may not work for everybody, but it has worked for me.鈥 Wells will be honored during the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration at 11:30 a.m. May 11 in the Great Hall of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor presented by the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Wells also will deliver the keynote address at this year鈥檚 commencement ceremonies on May 12. Before heading to college, Wells was like many young people. He knew what he liked studying, but he didn鈥檛 have a definitive career plan. He went to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in microbiology. 鈥淚 was oriented toward medicine, but two years in, it didn鈥檛 seem like something I wanted to do,鈥 Wells said, 鈥渂ut I did love the sciences, and I was good at it.鈥 After graduating in 1994, Wells took a year off. He traveled, built houses with his dad, and applied to graduate schools. He chose 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Master鈥檚 Degree in Health Services Administration (now offered at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences). 鈥淚 wanted to be in Arkansas, and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock had this program that was pretty unusual and rare at the time. I saw people being successful coming out of the program,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hat made this very workable for me was it was designed so that you could work during the day and go to school at night. It was something I could manage financially and not walk away with a ton of debt.鈥 Wells also remembers the faculty support he received. 鈥淚 felt a sense that the faculty cared about us. They were interested in students being successful. I wasn鈥檛 a number. The faculty knew what I was good at and where I would be good in terms of employment,鈥 he said. Years later, Wells recruited future employees from the graduate program he knew so well. 鈥淚 stayed connected with John Baker, one of the original faculty founders of program, and I鈥檓 still in touch with him 26 years later,鈥 Wells said. After completing his master鈥檚 degree in 1997, Wells entered a two-year fellowship at the former St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital in Hot Springs, where he learned the administrative workings of a hospital. 鈥淎t the end of the fellowship, I had a chance to stay on or go to Newport to run a small hospital,鈥 Wells said. 鈥淚 was 26 and single and in a place in life where I could take a risk, so I went to Newport and ran an 86-bed hospital for six or seven years.鈥 When the hospital was sold, Wells was out of a job. He was interviewing all over the country when he got a call from Russ Harrington, former CEO and president of Baptist Health. 鈥淗e said, 鈥業 want you to come to work for us. I can鈥檛 tell you exactly what the job is,鈥欌 Wells recalled. 鈥淚 agreed to take a job, not knowing what it was or what I would be paid. It was a handshake. Russ asked me, 鈥楧o you want to be here?鈥 And I said yes. I was happy. I knew it was right.鈥 Since joining in 2006, Wells has had many job duties, including vice president of clinical services, vice president of Practice Plus, chief executive officer of Arkansas Health Group, and senior vice president of Administrative Services. He became the chief executive in June 2014, becoming only the third person to hold this title since World War II. 鈥淲hat I enjoy most is working with people to serve people. That鈥檚 what gets me up in the morning,鈥 he said. 鈥淏eing in healthcare, you have to want to do things for other people. That鈥檚 why our organization exists. We are a faith-based, not-for-profit health system. I know there鈥檚 a mission we are here to fulfill, and I have the ability to affect that.鈥 Wells is active. He serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, as well as on the boards for Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, Parkway Village Inc., the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Rotary Club of Little Rock. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Arkansas Executives Forum, Young Presidents Organization, and Fifty for the Future. He and his wife Mary live in Little Rock and have two children – Catherine, 10, and Charles, 6. Baptist Health CEO Troy Wells is the recipient of the 2018 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Distinguished Alumni Award. Photo by Sara Reeves.  ]]> Joel Anderson recognized for outstanding civic work /news-archive/2017/01/05/joel-anderson-civic-work/ Thu, 05 Jan 2017 20:50:16 +0000 /news/?p=66050 ... Joel Anderson recognized for outstanding civic work]]> Anderson was awarded the William F. Rector Memorial Award for Distinguished Civic Achievement during a Dec. 16, 2016, luncheon at the Robinson Center. Fifty for the Future, a civic organization of Pulaski County business leaders, has given the award since 1976 in honor of William Rector, a community leader in Little Rock for more than 25 years. Anderson was surprised to receive the award: He wasn鈥檛 even aware he was in the running for the prestigious award. However, Anderson was honored to be recognized by Fifty for the Future, an organization that includes many of the city鈥檚 鈥渂usiness movers and shakers.鈥 鈥淚 believe the award reflects, at least in part, a recognition by the business community of the university鈥檚 significant contributions to the progress of the city and the region,鈥 Anderson said. The award comes with a $2,500 contribution to a charity of the winner鈥檚 choosing, which Anderson donated to the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

Legacy of community involvement

Anderson became 糖心Vlog传媒LR chancellor in 2003, bringing with him more than 30 years of university and community service. Anderson鈥檚 45-year career at the university ended with his retirement in June 2016. He had previously served 糖心Vlog传媒LR as provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and as founding dean of the Graduate School. During Anderson鈥檚 tenure as chancellor, the campus completed several major building projects including the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, the Donaldson Student Services Center, the Nanotechnology Center, the Coleman Sports Complex, the Jack Stephens Center, the University Plaza shopping center purchase, the Coleman Creek Greenway Project, and three residence halls. Among the numerous highlights of Anderson鈥檚 service as chancellor are the recent partnership with eStem to build a new high school on the university鈥檚 campus; the expansion of doctoral programs; completion of a $103 million comprehensive campaign, and the creation of the George W. Donaghey Emerging Analytics Center. He has served on 10 boards, including the Arkansas Symphony and United Way. He chaired the boards of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation and the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority. He also served as president of the Rotary Club of Little Rock. He earned degrees in political science from Harding University, American University, and the University of Michigan and completed the Harvard one-month Institute for Educational Management. Anderson, a native of Swifton, and his wife, Ann, a native of Huntsville, have three sons and five grandchildren. They will be seen at Trojan basketball games, and are active members of the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ. ]]>