- University News Archive - Vlogý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/linda-stauffer/ Vlogý Little Rock Mon, 02 Dec 2019 16:57:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 40th anniversary of ‘See-a-Song’ joins communities, celebrates success, inspires the continuing pursuit of access and quality interactions /news-archive/2019/12/02/40th-anniversary-of-see-a-song/ Mon, 02 Dec 2019 16:57:23 +0000 /news/?p=75784 ... 40th anniversary of ‘See-a-Song’ joins communities, celebrates success, inspires the continuing pursuit of access and quality interactions]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Interpreter Education Program celebrated its 40th anniversary Nov. 16 with a special edition of “See-a-Song,” a public performance of songs presented in sign language.  Deaf community member Ernest Northrup and former faculty member Eddie Schmeckenbecher emceed the celebration before a full house of students and community members in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Interpretation was provided by Beth Smith and Katie Becker of Communication Plus+ Interpreting Services. “I would love to give you all my appreciation for keeping the Interpreter Education Program going,” Schmeckenbecher said. “Keep it up and we’ll all come back and do this again in 40 more years!” Former and present program faculty were presented certificates of appreciation in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the program. Special recognition was given to program coordinators Daniel Burch (1979-1981), Mindy Hooper (1981-1982), Myra Taff-Watson (1982-2004), Dr. Sherry Shaw (2004-2007), and Dr. Linda Stauffer (2007-present). “Mama Ella” Irby was honored for her 20 years of service in the ASL (American Sign Language) lab, while Jackie Stubblefield, class of ‘86, was honored as the first person of color to graduate from the program.
Schmeckenbecher celebrates "Mama Ella" Irby's dedication to the Vlogý Little Rock ASL lab. Photo by Brad Simms.

Schmeckenbecher celebrates “Mama Ella” Irby’s dedication to the Vlogý Little Rock ASL lab. Photo by Brad Simms.

“For me, what’s important is that many wonderful people throughout the decades have built up this program to do right by the communities and create a legacy of qualified interpreters,” said ASL major Madisyn Turner. “It is fun and rewarding to be able to talk with the community in a way that creates quality interactions.” Since 1979, Vlogý Little Rock’s interpreter program has been developing professionals who provide linguistic and cultural facilitation between individuals who are hearing and individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing.  “I started studying ASL because I find the language to be intriguing,” said ASL major Libby Williams. “But really, it’s all about access. To be able to put on a performance like See-a-Song that grants access to cultural experience is very rewarding.” Northrup stressed the importance of continuing to train future generations of interpreters. “We need interpreters in our hospitals and doctor offices, in our schools, and in our communities,” Northup said.  “I see many of you that are here tonight out in the community working as graduates of this program. Thank you.” ASL major Cora Majan shared her perspective and appreciation for the program. “I really love the interpreter program,” Majan said. “It’s a great culture to immerse yourself in and teaches you a lot. There are only 13 accredited bachelor’s programs in the country, and we are lucky to have one of those programs here in Little Rock.”
ASL students Maria Huntley and Aaron Johnson perform "The Boy is Mine." Photo by Brad Simms.

ASL students Maria Huntley and Aaron Johnson perform “The Boy is Mine.” Photo by Brad Simms.

In total, 18 songs were performed through artistic interpretation. Vlogý Little Rock See-a-Song student performers included Turner, Williams, Majan, Christy Bacon, Levi Boyd, Ashleigh Chatfield, Bethani DeAscentis, Oksana Durkee, Maria Huntley, Aaron Johnson, Scarlett Quick, Emili Towater, and Clayton Williams. Schmeckenbecher and senior instructor Jami Hollingsworth also performed. Four Tulsa Community College students traveled from Oklahoma to perform in See-a-Song. Brooke Blackmon, Shannon Erwin, Megan James, and Dana Kerbo are participating in the Interpreter Education Program at Vlogý Little Rock.   The Vlogý Little Rock Interpreter Education Program established a partnership with Tulsa Community College in 2008. Students who earn an associate degree in interpretation can pursue a bachelor’s degree from Vlogý Little Rock via a hybrid model of distance education. Twenty-five students from Oklahoma have graduated with a bachelor’s degree since the joint partnership began. Five more will graduate spring 2020. “This distance model of interpretation affords AA graduates from the Interpreting Program in Tulsa the opportunity to further their education with a bachelor’s degree from Vlogý Little Rock, something that is not available in Oklahoma,” Program Coordinator Linda Stauffer said. “A bachelor’s degree is required for national certification.”  Since 1979, Vlogý Little Rock has produced a total of 503 interpreters for individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing. Four students will graduate this December and another five in May 2020.
Northrup and Schmeckenbecher celebrate the 56 faculty members who have contributed to the Vlogý Little Rock Interpretation Education Program since 1979. Photo by Brad Simms.

Northrup and Schmeckenbecher celebrate the 56 faculty members who have contributed to the Vlogý Little Rock Interpretation Education Program since 1979. Photo by Brad Simms.

]]> Vlogý Little Rock professor assists group working to standardize Chinese Sign Language education /news-archive/2017/08/25/professor-assists-standardize-chinese-sign-language-education/ Fri, 25 Aug 2017 15:00:56 +0000 /news/?p=67729 ... Vlogý Little Rock professor assists group working to standardize Chinese Sign Language education]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor traveled to China this summer on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to advise a group of hearing impaired Chinese professors who are working to standardize Chinese Sign Language and start interpreter education programs in Chinese universities.  Dr. Linda Stauffer, professor and program coordinator for the bachelor’s degree program in American Sign Language/English interpreter education at Vlogý Little Rock, traveled to China June 13 for a 10-day trip as both an interpreter and a representative of interpreter education. “In China, the country is so vast that the dialects of sign language vary drastically,” Stauffer said. “Deaf people from the North and the South cannot communicate easily.” The group of Chinese professors, led by Dr. Zheng Huan of Chongquing Normal University, spent the past seven years creating a standardized version of Chinese Sign Language that they hope will eventually be taught to hearing impaired students in all of China. The group also plans to create an interpreter education program at the university level. “Right now, there are no interpreter education programs in Chinese colleges,” Stauffer said. “Interpreters are grown out of the community, but there is no standard education or testing.” Stauffer spoke to the group about the history of sign language in the U.S., about bachelor degree programs in interpreter education, and about national certification standards for interpreters.
Dr. Linda Stauffer visits with a group of professors and students working to standardize Chinese Sign Language and develop interpreter education programs in China.

Dr. Linda Stauffer visits with a group of professors and students working to standardize Chinese Sign Language and develop interpreter education programs in China.

“I think they were very fascinated by my talk,” Stauffer said. “They see they have a long way to go, but they are very excited for the future,” Stauffer said. “My goal is to become a resource for the group as they may need me in the years ahead.” Stauffer hopes to return to China and help the group start interpreter education programs in local universities. Dr. Amy Knopf, a Vlogý Little Rock alumnus who is now the chair of the St. Cloud State University Department of Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, asked Stauffer to go to China as an interpreter. The group met with the to discuss opportunities for education exchanges and cultural immersion between the university and the institute. Interpreting during the trip was an interesting experience for Stauffer as it included four languages. Speeches were often interpreted from Chinese to Chinese Sign Language to English to American Sign Language and vice versa. “Even though we didn’t speak each other’s language, we could share some deaf culture stories in a way that transcended language,” Stauffer said. “Sometimes, shared experiences trump languages.”  ]]> College of Education and Health Professions honors top faculty, staff, and students /news-archive/2017/04/20/college-of-education-and-health-professions-awards/ Thu, 20 Apr 2017 13:10:50 +0000 /news/?p=66921 ... College of Education and Health Professions honors top faculty, staff, and students]]> College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Ortega received the Faculty Above and Beyond award at the college’s annual awards ceremony April 7 in Dickinson Hall. In addition to teaching four classes and coordinating the second-largest graduate program on campus, Ortega took on additional administrative responsibilities due to the departure of the program support person. “Dr. Ortega is extremely humble and has continued to go above and beyond for his students, peers, the program, the college, and Vlogý Little Rock,” Jason Kushner, professor of counselor education, wrote in his nomination letter. “He is highly regarded as a motivated, professional, detail-oriented, inspiring professor who uses his extensive knowledge of the field of rehabilitation in informing the next generation of practitioners in the area of disability students and rehabilitation.” Linda Stauffer, associate professor of interpreter education and program coordinator of the Interpreter Education Program, received the Faculty Excellence in Teaching award for the college. “Dr. Stauffer’s commendable record of teaching exemplifies the caliber and type of individuals many universities desire among faculty members,” said Dr. Glenn Anderson, Stauffer’s co-worker and assistant professor of the American Sign Language and English Interpreter Education program. Cari Reeves, director of the Environmental and Spatial Technology program, received the Trojan Excellence Award, which goes to an outstanding College of Education and Health Professions staff member. Sara Fruechting, assistant professor of nursing, and Catherine Crisp, associate professor of social work, were the recipients of the Dean’s Awards. The student award winners include:
  • Outstanding Associates Degree Seeking Student: Dawn Moline, nursing major
  • Outstanding Bachelors Degree Seeking Student: Josh Gray, interpreting major
  • Outstanding Master’s Degree Seeking Student: Suzanne Rogers, communications and speech disorders major
  • Outstanding Doctoral Degree Seeking Student: Lindsey Sloan, audiology major
At the ceremony, departmental friends were recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to the College of Education and Health Professions, including:
  • Friend of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Department: Little Rock School District
  • Friend of the School of Counseling, Human Performance and Rehabilitation: Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  • Friend of the School of Education: Dr. Danyell Crutchfield Cummings, director of testing and evaluation at Little Rock School District
  • Friend of the Jodie Mahony Center: Family of Martha Gaunt Bass
  • Friend of the School of Social Work: Dave Hoffpauir
  • Friend of MidSouth: Shelia Garrett, cessation section chief for the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program at the Arkansas Department of Health
  •     Friend of the Vlogý Little Rock Speech and Hearing Clinic: Martha Alman
]]> Vlogý Little Rock announces college-level Faculty Excellence Award winners /news-archive/2017/03/28/ua-little-rock-faculty-excellence-award-winners/ Tue, 28 Mar 2017 14:31:58 +0000 /news/?p=66672 ... Vlogý Little Rock announces college-level Faculty Excellence Award winners]]> “Faculty excellence winners underscore Vlogý Little Rock’s commitment to quality instruction, innovative research, and service to the community. Our faculty’s dedication to these fundamental principles continue to be the bedrock of our institution,” said Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Dr. Deborah Baldwin. A panel of external judges will review the achievements of the college-level winners and select the university-wide winners in the categories of teaching, research, and public service. The three university-wide winners, who will each receive a cash prize of $5,000, will be announced during the Faculty Excellence Awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m. April 13 in the Engineering and Information Technology Building Auditorium on the Vlogý Little Rock campus. A reception will follow in the Engineering and Information Technology Building lobby. Since 1989, when the first award was given, the event has provided a way to recognize the great work of Vlogý Little Rock faculty and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, and the Vlogý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle.  The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Vlogý Little Rock Office of the Provost at 501.569.3204. The following is a list of college-level winners:

 Public Service

  • Allison Holland, director of the University Writing Center and senior instructor of rhetoric and writing, College of Social Sciences and Communications
  • Cynthia Johnson, advanced instructor of accounting, College of Business
  • Laura Barrio-Vilar, assistant professor of English, College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences
  • Michael DeAngelis, assistant professor of earth sciences, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
  • Suzanne Penn, associate professor of clinical law, William H. Bowen School of Law

Research/Creative Endeavors

  • Mengjun Xie, associate professor of computer science, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
  • Michael Flannery, professor of law, William H. Bowen School of Law
  • Tansel Karabacak, associate professor of physics and astronomy, College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Teaching

  • J. Lyn Entrikin, professor of law, William H. Bowen School of Law
  • John Talburt, professor of information science and Acxiom Chair of Information Quality, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
  • Kathryn King, assistant professor of anthropology, College of Communication and Social Sciences
  • Linda Holzer, professor of music, College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences
  • Linda Stauffer, associate professor of interpreter education and program coordinator of the Interpreter Education Program, College of Education and Health Professions
  • Otmar Varela, associate professor of management, College of Business
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