Chancellor Andrew Rogerson welcomed more than 200 people who attended the event at the new center at 333 President Clinton Ave., which will host weekly lectures, some non-credit classes, and provide rental space.

鈥淔rom the beginning of my tenure at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, there was a lot of encouragement for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to develop a visible, engaged presence downtown,鈥� Dr. Rogerson said. 鈥淲e understand the importance of making our vital urban campus relevant and accessible here in the heart of the city. We wanted a space that honored the past, engaged the present, and imagined the future, and that is what this multi-use space reflects.鈥�

The new center will serve as a bridge to the main campus and will provide university information, student recruitment and promotion of outstanding programs.

鈥淲e will have informative and entertaining lectures, lunchtime panel discussions, career-enhancing short courses, and certificate programs of benefit to the downtown community, and a place for our faculty to offer the community highlights of their cutting-edge research,鈥� Rogerson said.

Newly elected Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, an alumnus of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, spoke at the grand opening and praised 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 efforts.

鈥淚’m so grateful to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock for having the forethought to bring this downtown center to fruition,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 great thriving city must have a great thriving university. This space will connect all areas together.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown Director Ross Owyoung announced the center鈥檚 weekly lectures series, beginning Feb. 6, and Extended Learning classes beginning in March. The non-credit extended learning classes include two-day writing workshops, led by Sally Crisp, faculty emerita in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Department of Rhetoric and Writing, and Sherry Rankins-Robertson, associate professor of rhetoric and writing.

鈥淭elling Your own Stories鈥� will be offered March 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. 鈥淲riting Family Stories鈥� will be offered April 13 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The weekly lectures will feature 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty members discussing issues in science, health, community, the arts and other topics. The lectures will be presented on Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. at . The schedule is as follows:

Feb. 6 – 鈥淭ales of A Wandering Microbiologist,鈥� 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Chancellor Andrew Rogerson

Before becoming chancellor of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Andrew Rogerson spent 30 years as a researcher and professor in eight universities and two government laboratories. Fascinated by the hidden, and continually engaged in the possibilities of the invisible, Dr. Rogerson has worked on a diverse range of research projects all united by the fact they have involved microbes. Rogerson鈥檚 research was funded by various federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This fun lecture requires no prior knowledge of science. Enjoy a rare opportunity to discover the enthralling life of microbes through the life鈥檚 work of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 chancellor.

Feb. 13 – 鈥淭he Art of Positive Communication: How Small Behaviors Create Your Best Moments,鈥� Julien Mirivel, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Communication

This talk is an introduction to the art of positive communication. It is built on the premise that “the spoken word, spoken honorably and well, can make a difference that no other form of communication can equal.” In the talk, I share a simple model to inspire the audience to communicate more positively. With personal examples and stories, the talk will invite everyone to practice concrete behaviors that will have a positive effect at work, at home, and in the community. By the end of the talk, every person in the audience will be able to create their best moments and to connect with others more deeply.

Feb. 20 – 鈥淧overty, Food, and Nutritionism,鈥� Don Willis, assistant professor of sociology

Food is more than its nutritional and caloric content. It can shape our identity, our social relationships, and even act as a resource to blur or distinguish people across social categories. Dr. Willis will discuss a particular form of poverty鈥攏amely, food insecurity鈥攁nd how it impacts lives and health through social, or non-nutritional pathways, such as one鈥檚 sense of social positioning in an unequal world. In asking this question, he also grapples with more fundamental questions about the character of food itself, and its role in shaping social experiences such as trust and belonging. Come for a fresh take on the role of food in shaping unequal lives.

Feb. 27 –  鈥淣onprofit Capacity Building Strategies,鈥� Kirk Leach, assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs

Dr. Leach will  discussing collaboration and social entrepreneurship in the context of nonprofit capacity building. The goal for the discussion is to engage nonprofits in a shared learning environment, to learn with, and from each other.

March 6 – 鈥淩eligion and Community Engagement in Little Rock,鈥� Rebecca Glacier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs

Attendees at this talk will learn about religion, politics, and community engagement in Little Rock. Using data from more than 2,000 congregants and 200 clergy in Little Rock, Dr. Glazier will share information about the benefits of faith-based community engagement and take suggestions for questions and topics for the 2020 Little Rock Congregations Study survey of congregants.

March 13 – 鈥淒eviant Mobs of the Internet: Bots, Trolls, and Misinformation,鈥� Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Information Science.

Social media platforms are widely used for sharing information, but they can also be used to disseminate propaganda, hoaxes, and fake news to influence the public. The availability of inexpensive and ubiquitous mass communication tools has made such malicious acts more convenient and effective. This talk will touch upon various research efforts that demonstrate how disinformation campaigns work and examine the critical link between blogs and other social media platforms ( YouTube, Twitter, Facebook). Using socio-computational models that leverage social network analysis and cyber forensics,  leading coordinators of disinformation campaigns are identified. The talk also will highlight tactics, techniques, and procedures used by groups to propagate disinformation. Prominent cases of massive disinformation campaigns in the Baltic region and NATO鈥檚 military exercises will be discussed.

All lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ross Owyoung, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown director, at 870-501-2700 or rlowyoung@ualr.edu.

More information is available online.

Photos by Benjamin Krain