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

Holzer Awarded Honorific Title of University Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 13:05:26 +0000

Dr. Linda Holzer, a professor of music at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock since 1995, has been promoted to university professor, an honorific title for outstanding professors. Holzer is only the second ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor who has received the title of university professor. She joins Dr. David Briscoe, university professor of sociology, who was the first ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty member to earn this honorific promotion in 2021. This is a special honor conferred only upon active faculty in recognition of an extended period of exemplary service in a spirit of collegiality to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as well as a combination of service in their profession and to the public through their professional activities. “As I’m celebrating the end of my 28th year on faculty at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, I’m very moved to receive this honor,” Holzer said. “I feel fortunate to have a job where my focus is on musical meaning and creativity.” In order to achieve the distinction, faculty members must have been a full professor for 10 years and have gained wide recognition at the national or international level for their sustained excellence in service, teaching, research, or creative activity relevant to their respective disciplines and academic roles. Holzer has become well known for her advocacy on behalf of Arkansas composers Florence Price and William Grant Still. Price was the subject of Holzer’s dissertation at Florida State University. In 2018, Holzer’s work helped Price to be honored with the Music Teachers National Association Foundation Fellow Award. This year Holzer honored Price’s memory in a celebration at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on April 9, which was declared Florence Price Day. She has also been a featured speaker on the Clinton School of Public Service Speaker Series in November 2019, lecturing about Price and Still in advance of historic concerts by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. On stage, highlights from her concert performances include an October 2021 concert at the Clinton Presidential Library, performing Price’s Piano Quintet in A Minor with members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra on the prestigious River Rhapsodies Series, and performing as a soloist abroad in Austria and Slovenia under the auspices of the State Department in May 2018, giving recitals of music by American women composers.

Dr. Linda Holzer attends the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame celebration in 2018.

While she specializes in piano performance, Holzer is grateful to have had the opportunity to teach a broad variety of classes over the years. One of her more unique classes is Exercises in Creative Thinking, an interdisciplinary learning experience for students from all majors. “We explore creative thinking skills and techniques that anyone can acquire to add more creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness to their life and work,” Holzer said. “I enjoy that course especially because many students may not self-identify as creative. This class is designed to awaken creative skills in anyone. By the end of the semester, it’s not unusual for students to have pleasantly surprised themselves by what they can do.” She has served the university in a variety of roles, including as team leader for Teaching with Technology in the former College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS), and most recently as secretary for the college assembly for the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education. Holzer’s next performance will be a Sept. 23 recital at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. This will include selections by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov and Syrian American composer Kareem Roustom as well as the Arkansas premiere of Gwyneth Walker’s piece “Riddle Variation.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Employee Holds Summer Arts Camp for 6-12th Grade Students

John Hill — Tue, 24 May 2022 21:38:25 +0000

Neff Lankford, an instructional designer with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s eLearning office, will host an integrated summer camp for up to 50 students in grades 6-12 this summer. Lankford, who graduated in May from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a master’s degree in education in the Learning Systems Technology Program, runs a nonprofit, Alliance of Arts Inc., with her husband, Terence Lankford, a middle school principal at ScholarMade Achievement Place. The couple has combined their skills to provide this camp. “I’ve been doing dance camps for about 10 years, and my husband has been doing band camps for about six years,” Lankford said. “This is the second year we’ve collaborated to integrate band, dance, and academics into this wonderful comprehensive summer program for the youth.” The Alliance of the Arts Inc. Summer Arts Intensive Camp will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 1 through June 18. The three-week hybrid camp will offer a variety of activities in the arts, music, dance, academics, and outdoor activities. During the first two weeks of camp, participants will attend camp online on Mondays and Wednesdays and in-person on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Horace Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School. They will learn about math, English language arts, dance, and music. There will be 11 instructors for the camp. For the academic lessons, each student will take an assessment at the beginning of the camp so that students receive an individualized tutoring program through August. The Arkansas STEM Coalition has provided 40 laptops for participants to use during the camp. During the final week of camp from June 15-18, students will stay at the Arkansas 4-H Center to participate in a movie and a campfire, ziplining, swimming, canoeing, archery, and arts and crafts to create a Father’s Day present. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture planned the schedule at the Arkansas 4-H Center. The camp will conclude with participants performing during the Juneteenth in Da Rock celebration at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on June 18.

Students participate in the 2019 Alliance of the Arts summer camp.

The camp is being funded through a $25,000 grant Lankford received after completing a grant writing class at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Alliance of Arts Inc. is one of 20 community foundations in Arkansas selected to receive funding from Facebook, Inc. to manage grant making to support Black communities and Black-led nonprofits. The Community Foundation, in partnership with the Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative, provided grants of up to $25,000 to support programs and initiatives specifically designed to impact Black people and communities in the Little Rock metropolitan area. “We do this camp to make a difference in the community,” Lankford said. “We want to see more students grow in their talents and gifts. We want them to be more confident when they are taking standardized tests and auditioning for college scholarships. We invest in professional developments so that our instructors feel prepared and confident that we can increase test scores in the central Little Rock areas. We also want to increase skills in the performing arts sector, while teaching students that learning is fun!” The camp has a registration fee of $75. Visit for more information and to register.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Professor Helps Honor Famed Composer Florence Price

John Hill — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 16:44:26 +0000

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has declared , as Florence Price Day in honor to celebrate the achievements of the famous Arkansas pianist and composer on her birthday. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Dr. Linda Holzer, professor of music and coordinator of classical piano studies, will be instrumental in leading celebrations of Florence Price’s life, music, and career. Holzer has dedicated many years to studying the legacy of Price and promoting her music through concerts, conferences, and lectures. “Florence Price made history in 1933 when the Chicago Symphony gave the world premiere of her Symphony No. 1 in E Minor under the baton of maestro Fredrick Stock,” Holzer said. “She became the first African American woman composer to have a work performed by a major American orchestra. It’s vital that we recognize her in Arkansas as part of Arkansas cultural heritage, as well as a trailblazer in American music history.” Holzer will be featured as a performer and a scholarly presenter in various events connected with Florence Price Day. The celebratory events include:

Holzer will give a presentation about Price and William Grant Still, another famous Arkansas composer, at 10:30 a.m. April 6 at Central High School. The event will be hosted by Dr. Brice Evans, director of instrumental music at Central High School.
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center will host a free concert in honor of Price at 6 p.m. April 9. Holzer will perform solo piano selections and accompany songs performed by Nisheedah Golden, mezzo-soprano, and Ron McDaniel, baritone. Participants must register for the event .
University Television will broadcast “A Discussion of Arkansas Composers” on April 4. This program about Price and Still was originally filmed in 2019 at the Clinton School of Public Service with Holzer and conductor Andrew Grams. Broadcast times are at 3 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m., on Cable Channel 61/1095, U-Verse Channel 99, or .
will air the concert “Two Creative Voices from Arkansas: Florence Price and William Still Grant” on April 6 at 3 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m., and April 8 at 4 a.m., noon, and 8 p.m.
K��Vlog��ýR will broadcast the radio documentary “Gathering the Pieces: the Florence Price Legacy” on KLRE 90.5 on April 10 at noon and K��Vlog��ýR 89.1 April 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Arkansas PBS will broadcast a new episode, “Florence Price and the Great Migration,” on the “Great Performances” series at 8 p.m. April 15. Host Scott Yoo of “Now Hear This!” filmed the episode in Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Chicago.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alum Marquese McFerguson is using spoken word poetry and hip-hop to make a difference

John Hill — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:40:44 +0000

Spoken word poetry became a lifeline for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus Marquese McFerguson, an assistant professor of intercultural communication at Florida Atlantic University, to express his thoughts and emotions during the turbulent time following the death of his mother in 2005. “During my final semester of undergrad studies, my mother passed away,” McFerguson said. “She had been battling cancer. It was a time in my life when I was a senior in college, and I questioned whether I would be going back to finish college. You don’t meet many 21-year-olds who don’t have a living parent. I started writing and journaling to process my emotions.” McFerguson later shared his poetry at an open mic night in Little Rock. When he realized this his words resonated with the audience members, that was the beginning of a promising career that has already led to extensive traveling across the country (and as far as the United Kingdom) to share his work. “I had no idea when I started writing that spoken word poetry would allow me to travel to over 20 states,” he said. “I had no idea I would be writing poetry books for kids. It’s been an amazing journey. Sometimes you think you have life figured out, but little things pop up that become mountains that change the direction of your life, and poetry has been one of those things for me.” McFerguson is a Little Rock native who earned his bachelor’s degree in studio art from Ouachita Baptist University. He joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and earned his master’s degree in interpersonal and organizational communication in 2010. “I enjoyed my time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” McFerguson said. “It was equally amazing when I took classes with Dr. (Carol) Thompson, Dr. (Kristen) McIntyre, and Dr. Avinash Thombre. It allowed me to better understand the field of communication studies. It was a good time, and it challenged me academically. Being a first-generation college student, no one could tell me what it was going to be like. It informed my decision to get a Ph.D. I’m very thankful to the faculty there.” After finishing his degree at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, McFerguson continued his career in education by working as a student support specialist at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, director of college and career advancement at Little Rock Preparatory Academy, and as a career coach at ��Vlog��ý-Pulaski Technical College. After deciding to get his doctorate, McFerguson earned a Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of South Florida in 2020. His dissertation explored the intersection of hip-hop, home place (a concept developed by bell hooks), and Black masculinity. As an assistant professor, McFerguson studies contemporary Black popular culture and hip-hop studies. He’s teaching a class this semester that examines the history of spoken word poetry and slam poetry. “We look at the different ways you can use these tools of poetry and apply them in everyday life, since I know not a lot of people have aspirations to be a poet,” he said. Now that McFerguson is a professor, he’s reminded of conversations from long ago with Dr. Thompson where “we would talk for hours about the freedom to teach the classes you want to teach.” While he’s had a love of hip-hop since 13, when Outkast just dropped their second album, McFerguson is still pleasantly surprised by the fact that he can study hip-hop as part of his academic role. “When I heard Outkast, it was the first time I heard hip-hop artists that sounded like me. You could hear the Southern slang they used,” McFerguson said. “It was like I was listening to an older uncle share stories. Hip-hop filled that male void I had in my life. I started studying hip hop. When I found out I could write articles about hip-hop research, I was like, ‘I can do this for a living,’ I still pinch myself sometimes. I just published two articles on hip-hop. I teach workshops, and students get the chance to learn about other cultures through the lens of hip-hop.” McFerguson brought his knowledge of hip-hop to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock last year as part of the 2020-21 Leadership Lecture Series in a talk entitled, “Between Hip-Hop, Communication, and Community Building.” Among his recent honors, McFerguson served as the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Artist for Black History Month in February. He’s thankful to Christina Shutt, director, Courtney Bradford, curator, and Brian Rodgers, community liaison, for the opportunity to share his poetry with his hometown. He’s previously worked with the MTCC to provide student workshops when McFerguson was a poet in the Foreign Tongues Poetry Troupe, an artistic organization that travels, conducts workshops, and performs poetry in Arkansas and throughout the U.S. As the MTCC’s artist of the month, McFerguson wrote and performed a signature series of poems inspired by MTCC exhibits and figures like Bayard Rustin, Sue Cowan Williams, Pharoah Sanders, and the North Little Rock Six. “It was an amazing opportunity,” McFerguson said. “The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center holds a very special place in my heart. It was a great opportunity because the previous artists of the month were visual artists, so this was the first time they reached out to a performance artist. A lot of times, people don’t think of spoken word as an artform. It was amazing to be able to write poetry about Arkansans and those that are often overlooked but have made significant contributions.” McFerguson was especially interested in exploring often overlooked events in Arkansas history. As an example, McFerguson pointed out that almost everyone has heard of the Little Rock Nine who integrated Central High School in 1957. However, few people have heard of the North Little Rock Six, a group of six Black students from Scipio Jones High School who attempted to desegregate North Little Rock High School in 1957. The North Little Rock School District would not desegregate until 1964, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. “I had a chance to learn about a lot of Arkansans,” McFerguson said. “You hear about the Little Rock Nine, but you never hear about the North Little Rock school integration attempt. I learned about people and things that had an impact on my life, but I never knew about.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alum Brian Rodgers Brings African American History to Life at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

John Hill — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 21:58:40 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate is leading the education and preservation of African American history in Arkansas through his work at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Brian Rodgers of Little Rock serves as the historian and community liaison at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a Little Rock museum created to honor the story of the Mosaic Templars of America and the African American history in Arkansas. “I love being a part of Mosaic,” Rodgers said. “I get to tell untold stories. I get to research African American history in the state and tell those stories to people who may not normally be exposed. I would always tell my groups that African American history is Arkansas history. It’s hard to extract one from another. The example I always give is the Little Rock desegregation crisis. It’s African American history and it’s Arkansas history. It’s just the perspective from which it is told that makes it different.” Rodgers is a two-time graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2015 and a master’s degree in public history in 2018. “I absolutely loved it,” Rodgers said. “The history department was very welcoming. The department had open door policies, so there were times when I would stop by when I had a break between classes and see what the professors were researching. I enjoyed being one of the students engaging in the Phi Alpha Theta and going to some of the off-campus picnics. Even now, pre-Covid, I was still getting invited when there were after-hours history department events.” Rodgers began his successful career at Mosaic while still a Trojan. After completing an internship as an undergrad, Rodgers was hired as the public information officer for a six-month assignment. After five years as an academic success coach at Pulaski Technical College, Rodgers returned to Mosaic in his current role. As the museum’s historian and community liaison, Rodgers is responsible for leading tours, interviews with the media, conducting research, setting up exhibits, and adult programming. He’s also responsible for annual events like the Juneteenth celebration, a Christmas-themed event called Coco and Carols, and a Black Artists program that is part of the museum’s Black History Month events. Rodgers is definitely looking forward to exciting events in 2021. Mosaic is currently under construction to open a children’s gallery that will be dedicated to how to talk to children about race. Mosaic will also host a traveling Smithsonian exhibit on the Green Book, a travel guide created in the early 20th Century that listed safe accommodations and restaurants for Black travelers. “It was so dangerous for Black travelers to travel the country because there were sundown towns and racial violence was prevalent through the South and the Midwest,” Rodgers said. “The exhibit is comprised of different artifacts from places along the stops. There were several Green Book stops in the city of Little Rock, most of which have been torn down. Velvetech Beauty School was one of the stops, and it’s really cool to have some of their artifacts.” In his ongoing research, Rodgers is looking at the role of the Black church and the development of the Black middle class in central Arkansas, the origin of Juneteenth celebrations in Arkansas, and the rise of the Black middle class in Little Rock. His advice for college students to be successful is to find out what you love and find a way to have that in your life and career. “Oftentimes as incoming freshmen, we tend to navigate or make our way to the careers that we think are the most lucrative,” Rodgers said. “Out of high school, I was a chemical engineering major, but once I discovered my love of history, college seemed easy.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to hold panel discussions on African American and LatinX politics, Arkansas hate crime legislation

John Hill — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:47:21 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host two virtual panels on Thursday, Oct. 29, discussing African American and LatinX politics and the proposed Arkansas hate crime legislation. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of World Languages and the Multicultural Center will host a virtual event, “The Black & Brown Electorate: A Roundtable Discussion on African American & LatinX Politics and the 2020 Election,” from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 29. Dr. Cristina Bejarano, professor of political science at Texas Woman’s University and Dr. Kendra King Momon, professor of politics at Oglethorpe University, will give presentations on the current state of politics in the African American and LatinX communities. The speakers will host a roundtable discussion following the presentations. Those interested in attending may register at the. During the second event, the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law OutLaw Legal Society and Black Law Students Association will host a virtual panel to discuss hate crime legislation in Arkansas. The “Legislating Against Hate: A Conversation on Proposed Hate Crime Legislation in Arkansas” will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 29. Arkansas is one of only three states in the U.S. without a hate crime law, but there is a bipartisan effort to pass hate crime legislation during the next legislative session. The proposed legislation would “enhance penalties for offenses committed due to a victim’s race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, homelessness, gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, disability, or service in United States Armed Forces.” The panel will include Theresa Beiner, dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law, Arkansas Sen. Jim Hendren, Arkansas Rep. Fred Love, and Eric Reese of the Human Rights Campaign. Christina Schutt, director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, will speak on the historical impact of hate-based crime in Arkansas. The event may be.

Grant will support purchase of Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail markers to honor Elaine 12

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 13:49:51 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity received a $4,000 grant from Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock’s Social Justice Advocacy Committee toward the purchase of markers for the 2019 Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail. This year’s event will honor the Elaine 12, a group of black sharecroppers who were convicted of murder and sentenced to death by all-white juries in the wave of quick, unjust criminal prosecutions of black people that followed the Elaine Massacre of 1919. The convictions of six of the Elaine 12 were overturned in the landmark Supreme Court ruling, Moore vs. Dempsey, in 1923. Following their release from prison, most members of the Elaine 12 fled the state and changed their names. Many of them lived the rest of their lives in exile, fearing for their safety, with their family members never knowing what happened to them. The markers will be unveiled at a ceremony in the fall as part of a conference at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Elaine Massacre. The Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail was created by the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity in 2011 to acknowledge the sacrifices and achievements made by those who fought for racial and ethnic justice in Arkansas. The trail begins in front of the Old State House Convention Center on Markham Street and will eventually extend to the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park. Each honoree’s name is commemorated with a 12-inch bronze marker on the trail and a biography on the trail’s website. New markers are added to the trail each year in a public ceremony that also recognizes civil rights activities of the past and those who work for racial equality today. The ceremonies have honored sit-ins and freedom rides, the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, the desegregation of downtown Little Rock, the efforts of professionals in the areas of medicine and healthcare, politics and law, and economic advancement, as well as Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller. Last year, the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail was named a part of the.

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

Holzer Awarded Honorific Title of University Professor at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Employee Holds Summer Arts Camp for 6-12th Grade Students

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Professor Helps Honor Famed Composer Florence Price

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Alum Marquese McFerguson is using spoken word poetry and hip-hop to make a difference

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Alum Brian Rodgers Brings African American History to Life at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to hold panel discussions on African American and LatinX politics, Arkansas hate crime legislation