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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to share Moroccan adventures with community, honor Miguel Lopez

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 15:41:14 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a community event on Friday, Nov. 8, recounting the adventures of 17 students who competed at the International Model Arab League conference in Morocco in October.�� The community event, free and open to the public, will take place from 5-8 p.m. at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock.�� The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which represents 22 countries. From Oct. 17-26, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students served as representatives of Sudan, Kuwait, Oman, Tunisia, and Morocco in the conference simulation, followed by a cultural immersion in Morocco. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s School of Public Affairs will present the inaugural ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Model Arab League Alumni Excellence Award to Miguel Lopez, Hispanic resource officer for First Community Bank. Lopez graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in political science, graduate certificate in nonprofit management, and master’s degree in public administration. As an active member in the community, Lopez serves on the boards of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Board, Just Communities of Arkansas, Harmony Health Clinic, Museum of Discovery, and Goodwill of Arkansas Education Initiatives. “Miguel Lopez is an outstanding ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alum who attended our first trip to the International Model Arab League in Morocco in 2016,” Glazier said. “Since then, Miguel has become an active community leader. We hope that hearing about his journey will serve as an inspiration to students who hope to become leaders like him.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students ride camels while camping in the Moroccan desert. Photo by Larry Rhodes.

The event will also feature a silent auction with items brought back from Morocco, including hand-crafted rugs, jewelry, tea glasses, pottery, and scarves. Framed photographs from Morocco taken by Larry Rhodes, learning technology coordinator in the College of Social Sciences and Communication, will also be available for sale. All funds raised from the silent auction will go to the creation of a new scholarship fund to help students who have participated in Model Arab League simulations study abroad. First Community Bank has generously donated $2,500 toward the new scholarship. In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco, the largest mosque in Africa. Photo by Larry Rhodes.

Five staff members receive Staff Senate, Crittenden Book scholarships

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 01 May 2019 13:09:17 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Staff Senate has recognized five staff members who are bettering themselves by pursuing degrees while working full time.�� Two ��Vlog��ý Little Rock staff members received a $250 Staff Senate Scholarship: Doniece Allen, an administrative and data specialist at MidSOUTH, and Zedralyn Butler, regional team leader and CHRIS trainer at MidSOUTH. With a current 3.5 GPA, Allen is pursuing a Master of Education degree in adult and professional learning as well as a graduate certificate in learning systems technology education. She wants to use her education to train and develop staff within a business by creating unique curriculum and work aids that are tailored to adult learning styles. Butler is a single mother of three children, including 1-year-old twins, who plans to graduate in spring 2020 with a master’s degree in sports management. The winners of the Jerry Crittenden Employee Book Scholarship winners include Colleen Godley, career services program coordinator at William H. Bowen School of Law; Larry Rhodes, learning technology coordinator in the College of Social Sciences and Communication; and Christina Smith, director of development and external relations in the College of Social Sciences and Communication. The first recipient, Godley, plans to graduate in the spring 2020 semester with a Master of Science in business information systems. Additionally, she is working on graduate certificates in financial data analytics and management. Rhodes went back to school at age 42 to pursue not one, but two degrees. After chaperoning a trip to Morocco in 2016, he realized that photography and storytelling are his greatest passions. He is working toward bachelor’s degrees in applied communication and international studies as well as minors in information technology and Middle Eastern Studies. After completing his degrees, Rhodes dreams of working as a cultural documentarian and using his skills to help people around the world tell their stories. After what Christina Smith recalled as some “gentle prodding” from Dr. Julien Mirivel, interim dean of the College of Social Sciences and Communication, she is pursuing her Doctor of Education in higher education administration. In the future, Smith hopes to lead fundraising efforts at a university. In the upper right photo,��Richard Harper, immediate past president of Staff Senate (right), presents the Crittenden Employee Book Scholarship to Larry Rhodes (left), Christina Smith (middle), and Colleen Godley (right). Photo by Ben Krain.��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Staff Achievement Award winners

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 18:32:51 +0000

Ashia Hall Muhammad believes helping those in need is her calling.�� Muhammad, assistant director of the McNair Scholars Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, spends more than 500 hours a year volunteering with Jack and Jill of America, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education. For her efforts, Muhammad received the Community Service Award during the April 20 Staff Achievement Awards Ceremony at the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. Muhammad was joined by Larry Rhodes, instructional technology specialist for the College of Social Sciences and Communication, who received the Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Award, and Victoria Rand, administrative assistant for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who was the winner of the Personal Growth Award. The campus community submitted nominations for the Staff Achievement Awards, with an independent judge selecting the winners. Each winner received $1,000. The ceremony also recognized staff members for years of service, graduation, and retirement. “The achievement awards really highlight the incredible staff at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Staff Senate President Laura McClellan said. “Reading the nomination letters is such a source of encouragement. Our staff are dedicated, creative problem-solvers devoted to our students and to the work we all do on campus. It’s been my honor to be on the achievement awards committee.” This year’s nominees include Jesse Ball, Katie Becker, Deborah Cook, Heyam Dannawi, Shawna Diaz, Trakenya Dobbins, Nihal Erian, Terry Harrison, Darrell Heath, Randy Henslee, Devon Holiman, Kim Jackson, Rachel Jones, Stephanie Jones, Karl Lenser, Meaghan Milliorn, Geoff Nash, Kathy Oliverio, Mia Phillips, Victoria Rand, Andrew Robbins, Andrijana Vukovich, Estelle Wells, Cheryl Wilcox, and Angela Willis. Lindsay Wheeler and Amber Krum are the recipients of the $250 Staff Senate Scholarship for employees continuing their education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, while Frances Frazier won the $75 Jerry Crittenden Book Scholarship. Sodexo, Disability Resource Center, and Mickey’s Cakes and Sweets sponsored the event, which was hosted by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Staff Senate.

Community Service Award

Muhammad is president of the Greater Little Rock chapter of Jack and Jill of America. In this position, she partnered with St. Mark Baptist Church and Engineering for Kids of Central Arkansas to host a free robotics summer camp for middle school students. From 2014 to 2016, she was on the National Public Relations Committee for Jack and Jill of America, where she developed social media guidelines and marketing and branding campaigns for the organization. With Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Muhammad is part of a team that meets with 40 local high school students every month to provide workshops on college, career exploration, community service, and environmental ownership. She believes it’s important to foster community service in the next generation. In the past year, Muhammad and the high school students she mentors organized a college fair, made blankets for the homeless and fed them, and cleaned up a local park. Muhammad is the president of the Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education, where she has served on the executive committee for six years. Marty Mayfield, fiscal support analyst in the Academic Success Center, nominated Muhammad for the award.

Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Staff Senate President Laura McClellan (left) and Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Award Winner Larry Rhodes (right)

Rhodes is described as a dedicated and invaluable staff member. In addition to his regular duties, Rhodes serves on the university-wide technology initiative and as the photographer and graphic designer for the College of Social Sciences and Communication. His work greatly increased the profile of the college. “It is difficult to capture Larry’s commitment to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and this college in words,” wrote Dean Lisa Bond-Maupin, one of two people who nominated Rhodes for the award. “It does not seem enough to say that he is by far the most dedicated employee I have encountered in 25 years of higher education.” “Larry’s day-to-day mode of operations is to exceed expectations, continuously improve, show kindness, and contribute where he is needed most,” Bond-Maupin wrote. “He is a wonderful, warm ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community member known to volunteer to take wedding or family photos for a strapped colleague.” Rhodes also put his photography skills to use while serving as a chaperone for a group of 15 students who traveled to Morocco in November 2016 to attend the International Model Arab League. “Larry was not only an excellent traveling companion; he turned out to be an incredible photographer,” wrote Dr. Rebecca Glazier, who also nominated Rhodes for the award. “The students documented our travels through a blog, and Larry provided most of the pictures. When we got back to Little Rock, the students were able to share their adventures with the community through a public event that prominently featured Larry’s photographs.”

Personal Growth Award

Staff Senate President Laura McClellan (left) and Personal Growth Award Winner Victoria Rand (right)

Rand is described as an independent, hardworking employee who strives to learn new things. Haydar Al-Shukri, interim chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, nominated Rand for the award. “She is a brilliant woman, with the ability to grasp complex ideas and find practical solutions to difficult problems in the shortest possible time,” Al-Shukri wrote. “Throughout her work at the department, she expressed the ability of independently conducting scientific study. She is invariably pleasant, polite, and professional, but she is tenacious and aggressive in going to the heart of any project she works on.” In the upper right photo, Staff Senate President Laura McClellan (left) honors Community Service Award Winner Ashia Hall Muhammad (right).��

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to share Moroccan adventures with community, honor Miguel Lopez

Five staff members receive Staff Senate, Crittenden Book scholarships

����Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Staff Achievement Award winners

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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to share Moroccan adventures with community, honor Miguel Lopez

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Staff Achievement Award winners