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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Students, Community Members to Discuss Study Abroad Trip to Spain and Religious Tolerance Efforts in Aug. 31 Panel

John Hill — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 20:42:36 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a free community panel where students will share their experiences studying abroad in Spain and prominent community members will discuss efforts to promote religious tolerance in Arkansas and their experiences with prejudice.�� The panel discussion, entitled “Together Little Rock,” will take place in the Legends Room of the Jack Stephens Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31. The panel will include Mayor Frank Scott Jr., Dr. Sara Tariq, co-founder of the Madina Institute and board member for the Interfaith Center, the Hon. Annabelle Imber Tuck, board member for the Interfaith Center and Congregation B’Nai Israel in Little Rock and the first woman elected as a justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and study abroad participants Torri Richardson and Nick Junker. The students who attended the trip, all part of the course, will also be in attendance to talk about their experiences abroad and share photos and souvenirs with the audience. Students who went on the trip include Steve Abouem, Armando Arellano, Madison Ellis, Scott Filek, Owen Hayes, Nicholas Junker, Kenedy Kuchinski, Torri Richardson, Misty Roberts, Alexander Shahegh, and Isaac Thomas. Dr. Rebecca Glazier, professor in the School of Public Affairs, accompanied the students on this trip as their faculty advisor. The group spent 12 days in Spain this summer visiting spots in Madrid, Toledo, Granada, and Salobreña. “Most of them had never been out of the country, and some hadn’t even been on an airplane before,” Dr. Glazier said. “I’m glad they were all able to come. We went deep and saw much more than just the top tourist attractions, and it was a unique experience that the students wouldn’t have gotten by themselves or with a tour group.” One of the most significant activities was the opportunity to connect with a nonprofit organization centered in Spain called Arco Forum. It is run by refugees, mostly from Turkey, who have set up cultural programs and efforts to help other Muslim refugees integrate to Spain. “The students had a lot of fun, but the trip also opened their eyes to Islamophobia and prejudice in the country and around the world,” Dr. Glazier said. “This event will be a good way to open that conversation here in Little Rock and ask what we can do better and how we can better connect with their community.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Conversation about War in Ukraine May 5

John Hill — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 12:58:40 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will hold a conversation about the war in Ukraine on Thursday, May 5. The event, “,” will be held at 6 p.m. May 5 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. The event is free and open to the public. Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, will discuss the Russian-Ukraine war, including if the conflict could have been prevented and what actions the international community should take in the present day to deal with the invasion. The event will also look at the United Nations response to the war, the possible role of the International Criminal Court, how to evaluate Russian concerns about NATO, how members of the community can help with the crisis in Ukraine, and how to discern between credible news coverage and misinformation surrounding the war. “The idea for the event emerged after getting frequent questions about the war from members of our community,” said Wiebelhaus-Brahm. “My goal is to provide community members with ideas and resources to help them analyze the multiple dimensions of the conflict that are on their minds.” The event is sponsored by the and Arkansas WAND. For more information, contact Dr. Wiebelhaus-Brahm at ejwiebelhaus@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s graduate programs named to 2022 U.S. News and World Report Rankings

John Hill — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 19:19:12 +0000

Several graduate programs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were named in the 2022 Best Graduate School rankings by U.S. News and World Report.�� Some of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s top graduate programs listed in the most recent U.S. News and World report include: 36th in Best Criminology Schools, 39th in Best Part-time Law Programs, and 111th in Best Public Affairs Programs. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock also ranked in the #154-202 category in Best Engineering Schools.�� “These rankings from U.S. News and World Report confirm what we have known for some time,” said Dr. Brian Berry, vice provost of research and dean of the Graduate School. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has a lot to offer in graduate education. These programs are shining examples of the great things that happen at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Criminal Justice has been ranked 36th in the . The School of Criminal Justice is home to the state’s only doctoral program in criminal justice as well as two master’s degree programs, one of which is completely online. “We are thrilled that our Criminal Justice and Criminology program is being nationally recognized by the U.S. News and World Report,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice. “Our school is dedicated to ensuring that we provide the best possible education for our undergraduate and graduate students through innovative teaching strategies, one-on-one mentoring, and community-engaged research. It’s exciting that our colleagues across the nation see this too.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law has been ranked 39th among the . Part-time law programs play a vital role in legal education, as they allow working professionals to balance a career while earning a law degree through evening and weekend courses. Bowen offers the only part-time law program in Arkansas. In specialty rankings, Bowen was ranked 25th in Best Legal Writing Programs and 52nd in Best Dispute Resolution Programs. Bowen has also been noted as one of the law schools where graduates have considerably lower average indebtedness and graduate with an average student loan debt of under $70,000. “We are pleased our part-time program has been recognized by U.S. News,” said Dean Theresa Beiner. “With our location in the state capital and our low student debt, we are proud to offer our working students a quality education that allows them to accomplish their career goals.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Public Affairs brings together academic, applied research, and training units that share a focus on government, politics, nonprofit organizations, and public service. The School of Public Affairs houses a Master of Public Administration degree as well as graduate certificate programs in nonprofit management and conflict mediation. The program has been ranked 111th in .

Glazier signs contract to publish book on how teachers can build rapport with students in an online environment

John Hill — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 15:35:59 +0000

While most have embraced the importance of online education because of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Rebecca Glazier has been researching its importance for the past decade and has plenty of advice to share. Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has signed a contract with John Hopkins University Press to publish her new book on connecting with students in an online environment. The new book is titled, “Connecting in the Online Classroom: Teachers, Students, and Building Rapport in Online Learning.” The experimental and survey research in the book demonstrate how teachers and students can make human connections in online classes as well as how those connections lead to significant improvements in student success. “Even before COVID-19, more students than ever were taking online classes,” Glazier said. “Online higher education can increase access for students who have previously been unable to attend college, including rural students, students of color, low-income students, non-traditional students, and working students.” Higher education is also facing an online retention crisis, Glazier said. Online students are at risk of failing classes, dropping out of college, and ending up with student loan debt and no degree. “Students in online classes fail and drop out at significantly higher rates than students in face-to-face classes,” Glazier said. “This book is about how faculty can make real human connections with the students in their online classes by building rapport with them to reverse this crisis and help their students succeed.” The personal touch brought by faculty members is even more critical to student success during a pandemic, when students might be struggling with financial or emotional issues. “When students connect with faculty, they learn more, earn higher grades, stay enrolled, and are more likely to graduate,” Glazier said. “When they take sterile online classes without a human faculty presence, online retention rates plummet, and students are much less likely to succeed. Making real human connections is really critical for learning online.” While this is Glazier’s first academic book, she’s published 34 articles and book chapters, including five articles on online teaching with two under review. With so many students taking online classes during the pandemic, Glazier is worried that educators may be more focused on technology. A multi-year teaching experiment conducted in her own political science classes shows that making online classes a welcoming place for community and connection resulted in increased students grades and a 13 percent increase in retention. Glazier partnered with Dr. Heidi Skurat, a professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, to conduct an experiment to see if they could improve student retention with only a small amount of rapport-building. In results discussed in depth in the book, Glazier and Skurat found that students who spent as little as 10 minutes in online classes designed with rapport in mind – elements as simple as having a picture of the professor, a welcome message, a flexible late-work policy, and automatic feedback on quizzes – were significantly more likely to say they intended to stay enrolled in the course. “The book is filled with evidence-based strategies that faculty can implement in their online classrooms right away to build rapport with their students and help them succeed,” Glazier says. The book will be available in summer 2021. In the meantime, Glazier is sharing her message of the importance of human connection in online education through workshops, blog posts, and podcasts on and has recently been featured in an with Helix Education.

Williamson heads ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s School of Public Affairs

John Hill — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 13:25:54 +0000

Dr. Anne Williamson, a nationwide expert in housing policy, has been selected as the new director of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “It’s a real honor to join such a talented faculty and a school with marvelous programming,” Williamson said. “The faculty has a strong commitment to community engagement and to issues of social equity. I would like to build on the excellent work that is already happening so that we can be part of the solutions for issues facing communities in the state and the country. We hope to serve as an example of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and how scholars can be strong collaborators in the community.” Williamson brings to the table extensive leadership experience in university research centers as well as public service research projects that help local communities. “Professor Williamson brings with her leadership experience, expertise in the public and private sectors, as well as with university research centers,” said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education. “She is adept at working in multidisciplinary teams on pressing community issues such as fair housing and youth homelessness. She is lauded as an exceptional teacher. Her visionary leadership will enhance our ability to collaborate with our community and city as we educate future leaders.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Public Affairs brings together academic, applied research, and training units that share a focus on government, politics, nonprofit organizations, and public service. This includes the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium, which provides management training for leaders in the government and nonprofit organizations. Housed in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, the School of Public Affairs is home to the Master of Public Administration, graduate certificates in conflict mediation, and nonprofit management, as well as a minor in nonprofit leadership studies. The school’s undergraduate programs of study include political science, international studies, legal studies, and community management and development. The school contains 10 faculty members and about 200 students. Williamson joins ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, where she served as the Victor and Caroline Schutte/Missouri Professor of Urban Affairs and director of the L.P. Cookingham Institute of Urban Affairs. She earned a Ph.D. in public administration and policy from the University of Georgia and has served on the faculty of the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Alabama. In her new role, Williamson plans to lead the School of Public Affairs to become more engaged in the community and to work with partner organizations to create effective collaborations and solutions to issues at the city, regional, and state levels. “The world is made up of complexities where no single sector or organization alone can create and implement the solutions that we need,” Williamson said. “When we get into interdisciplinary research and community engagement, this is how we will have the most positive impact in the world. Our mission is to be a source of education and community engagement on issues affecting people and communities.” One of the programs that Williamson plans to bring to Little Rock is Impact KCK, which was established in 2015 to reduce homelessness among students in the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools. The program reduced student homelessness in KCKPS by nearly 50 percent in less than three years. “Impact KCK began in the poorest of the 105 counties in Kansas,” she said. “By using effective collaboration and social service innovations to reduce poverty and housing instability, this has resulted in 95 percent housing stability in the families with children served. That was important before the pandemic. Now, it is tough to calculate the amount of people who are facing housing instability or homelessness.” Her research areas include housing policy, community development, citizen participation, and tax policy. “All of these areas are interrelated,” Williamson said. “I look at how states have made use of federal resources for affordable housing, participation in public meetings by historically underrepresented groups, and effective means for community collaboration to address complex issues like public student homelessness.” Before working in higher education, Williamson held leadership roles in state government and the private sector. She has served as director of the Office of Research and Analysis and as a development manager for Georgia’s affordable housing rental programs at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Williamson has led more than 25 externally funded public service research projects, including HOPE VI evaluations, housing needs assessments, citizen participation assessments, community program evaluations, and others. In addition, she has been recognized by the U.S. District Court (South Florida District) as an expert in housing policy. She works to bridge teaching, research, and community engagement activities through university outreach for the benefit of students and the community at large.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to offer French politics course with option to study in Paris

John Hill — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 16:46:30 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is offering a new course on French politics, led by Dr. Christopher Williams of the School of Public Affairs, during the fall 2020 semester with an option to study in France during the Thanksgiving break. The French Politics course combines a three-credit, face-to-face semester course with the option to earn an extra credit through a 10-day trip over the Thanksgiving break to study in the French cities of Paris and Lyon. The cost of the trip is $1,850 and will take place from Nov. 19-29. In the course, students will develop a critical understanding of modern French politics and society. During the study abroad trip, students will meet with multiple political stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, members of the media, and interest groups. “We will be meeting a representative of President Emmanuel Macron’s party, as well as leaders of the radical left democratic socialist party,” Williams said. “We will also have an opportunity to talk with people in the French media, including reporters from the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the world famous newspaper Le Monde. Finally, we will meet with the leaders of the militant French labor unions.” Highlights of the trip include a free day in Paris, a French Revolution walking tour, a visit to Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, eating Thanksgiving dinner at the famed Brasserie Georges in Lyon, and a cultural visit to the Resistance and Deportation History Center and Montluc Prison in Lyon. For more information, visit the or contact Williams at cjwilliams6@ualr.edu.

Glazier awarded grant to create international religious freedom course

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:28:39 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and international studies scholar has received a grant from Notre Dame’s Global Religion Research Initiative to develop a new international religious freedom course that will be offered at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for the first time in spring 2020. Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor of political science, said the desire to create the new course came from her research with the Little Rock Congregations Study, a research project she began in 2012 to study the effects of religious organizations on community engagement in Little Rock.�� “This course also connects to my community-based research project, because students will go into the community to attend and learn about faith communities in Little Rock,” Glazier said. “Additionally, community members and religious leaders will attend our class to talk about their experiences with religious freedom in the United States and in other countries. The students will all write stories about the places they visit, which will be available for the public on the Little Rock Congregations Study website.”�� This course examines the topic of religious freedom from a global perspective, evaluating how religious freedom is understood across cultures and religious traditions. Students in the course will study contemporary controversies surrounding religious freedom, consider the role of religious freedom as one among other human rights, the role of religious freedom in diplomacy, and the relationship of religious freedom to violence and terrorism. “We will discuss religious freedom from a global perspective and then connect it to our local communities,” Glazier said. “We will discuss what religious freedom is like for women who wear veils in France, Christians who face hardships in China, and the conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India. The students will attend religious services in different denominations and religions around the city. This will give them a chance to understand religion from a global perspective, and then see how these religions are practiced in the local area.”�� The course is funded by a $4,000 grant from the, which is dedicated to supporting the study of religion in global perspective in order to address two weaknesses in contemporary scholarship, namely the neglect of religion as a subject of study in the social sciences and relative neglect of religions outside of the North Atlantic region. The initiative is funded by the Templeton Religion Trust of Nassau, Bahamas, and will fund more than 150 research proposals by distributing $3.1 million to scholars of global religion.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students to compete at International Model Arab League in Morocco

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 13:17:50 +0000

Seventeen University of Arkansas at Little Rock students will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to experience the unique culture of Morocco while serving as international diplomats competing at the International Model Arab League conference.�� The students depart for Morocco Oct. 17 and return on Oct. 26. The students and their majors include Mariam Bouzihay, psychology; Sydney Brazil, philosophy; Madeline Burke, international studies; Prince Beasley, special education; Ryan Bourgoin, Molly Edwards, Landon DeKay, Anika Partlow-Loyall, Claire Mitchell, and Madison Rodgers, all political science; Solomon “Ra’phael” Davis, philosophy and international studies; Brittany Fugate, history; Maria Romero, marketing and international business; Issac Thomas, history and political science; Allie Woodville, political science and anthropology; Colin Davies, political science, psychology, and criminal justice; and Kaitlin Zakrzewski, criminal justice and anthropology. 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. The conference will convene at the Université International de Rabat, where ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students will act as representatives of Sudan, Kuwait, Oman, Tunisia, and Morocco. They will tackle diplomatic panels on defense, Palestinian affairs, refugees, social issues, and environmental affairs.�� “Model Arab League is a fantastic experience for students since they are able to take on the perspective of another country and learn how to use diplomatic skills to resolve international problems,” said Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor of political science who will be leading the trip. “This is an amazing opportunity for our students, and one that few students get to have.” Additionally, the students will experience a cultural tour of Morocco, including camel rides and camping in the Merzouga Desert. They will also visit the Todgha Gorges, a series of limestone river canyons in the High Atlas Mountains, Casablanca, and parliament, where they will meet with Moroccan political leaders. Sophomore Landon DeKay of Maumelle is looking forward to the trip: “I am looking forward to immersing myself in a new culture that I have never experienced before,” DeKay said. “This is my first time traveling internationally, and it will be a great experience. I am most looking forward to the desert excursion, where I will be riding a camel for the first time.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Middle Eastern Studies program is subsidizing the trip to promote study abroad opportunities for students, so the students are only paying $1,000 each to go on the trip. “This trip is designed to make study abroad accessible for students who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity,” Glazier said. “This can be a life-changing experience for students to be immersed in a completely different culture and new location. That is why the Middle Eastern Studies Program is creating a new scholarship to fund study abroad opportunities. We hope to provide an opportunity to travel to Morocco every other year in the future.” The students will be writing a daily blog of their adventures in Morocco that can be viewed on the School of Public Affairs website and will host a public event to discuss the trip and award the first ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Model Arab League Alumni Excellence Award on Friday, Nov. 8 at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Downtown. In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student Andrea Elias rides a camel through the Moroccan desert during the 2016 trip to the International Model Arab League in Morocco. ��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students conduct research with Little Rock Congregations Study

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 13:13:10 +0000

Three ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students are helping to uncover the secret to successful community partnerships between religious and nonprofit organizations in Little Rock.�� The Little Rock Congregations Study is an ongoing research project led by Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, stemming from research begun in 2012 about the effects of religious organizations on community engagement in Little Rock. This fall, they are surveying nonprofit organizations to learn more about when and how partnerships form.�� The students who are working on the research project include Jessica Olson, a double major in biology and political science, Kaylyn “Presley” Hager, a graduate student in the joint Master of Public Administration/Juris Doctor program, and Jasmine Pugh, a mass communication major.�� Hager, of Keller, Texas, joined the Little Rock Congregations Study as a graduate assistant after gaining a passion for the project last year. She is one of the nearly 60 student researchers who worked on the Little Rock Congregations Study in 2018, when they studied the community service patterns of religious organizations in Little Rock.�� “I worked on the project previously and loved it,” Hager said. “I believe the work we are doing is extremely important, and I really admire Dr. Glazier’s passion for her projects.”�� In 2018, student researchers surveyed more than 110 clergy members in the Little Rock area, conducted interviews with 24 clergy members, and wrote 22 stories highlighting partnerships between congregations and community organizations.�� This year, Hager is working on the survey that is being distributed to nonprofit leaders to understand how nonprofit organizations facilitate programs with religious organizations. She is hoping to learn more research skills before she completes her master’s degree in public administration in December.

From left, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professors and student researchers Gerald Driskill, Jessica Olson, Jasmine Pugh, Kaylyn Hager, and Rebecca Glazier are researching how partnerships between churches and nonprofit organizations can provide services to the community. Photo by Ben Krain.

“I finished up my law degree last spring,” Hager said. “Now, I am hoping to make more connections in the field, and learn more about the technical side of survey research.”�� Olson of East End, Arkansas, said she wanted to work on the Little Rock Congregations Study because of a love of nonprofits.�� “Over the course of my life, I have been involved with many nonprofit organizations such as Girl Scouts,” Olson said. “This led to me having an interest in how organizations function and make decisions.”�� Through an independent study class, Olson is researching nonprofit organizations and creating a contact list to encourage survey participation. She hopes this project will give her the research skills she needs for veterinary school.�� “I hope to understand more about how nonprofits decide who to work with,” Olson said. “Further, I hope to learn research skills that can translate across many fields since I am applying to vet school. This will require me to know how to do proper research procedures.”�� Pugh, a junior from Little Rock, is completing a communications internship with the Little Rock Congregations Study. She is responsible for creating flyers and brochures and managing the website and social media posts.�� “I joined this team because I felt like it was a great opportunity to use what I have learned so far and put it to use,” Pugh said. “I also joined this team because I was captured by their service, and I wanted to get involved and help out in some way. I am hoping to learn more about how social media makes an impact in projects like these.”�� The Little Rock Congregations Study shares findings and community spotlights on their . “Involving students in research is a major goal of the Little Rock Congregations Study,” Glazier said. “We love for students to get out of the classroom and into the community to have experiences and learn skills they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. We are thrilled to have these dedicated students on our research team this fall and we are excited to be able to share the results of the study with the community once the surveys are in.” Any nonprofit leaders can complete the ��The survey will be live through Oct. 15.

Former ��Vlog��ý Little Rock SGA president utilizes political expertise on presidential campaign trail

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 13:29:02 +0000

A former University of Arkansas at Little Rock Student Government Association president is putting his passion for politics to work as a political organizer trying to elect the next president of the United States.�� Brian Gregory, the 2017-18 SGA president and life member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association, is now working in Iowa for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Ever since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2018, Gregory has immersed himself in political campaigns. His first post-college stint was as campaign manager for Little Rock mayoral candidate Warwick Sabin, followed by a job as campaign field director for a mayoral campaign in Alabama. The chance to work on a presidential campaign was too good an opportunity for Gregory to pass up. “I had the chance to interview for the Warren campaign, and I jumped at the chance,” he said. “If I was good enough, I wanted to work for a presidential campaign. It was my dream. Now I’m working on this campaign, and I’ve moved to Iowa. It has been a bit of a whirlwind since graduation, but it’s a good time.” Stationed in Waterloo, Iowa, Gregory’s duties include managing campaign interns and employees, recruiting and organizing volunteers, canvassing, and getting people to the polls for the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses on Feb. 3, 2020. Gregory said that he has gained vast experience by working in Iowa, one of the most important political battleground states in the presidential election. “Iowa is the first state to have a primary, and it introduces the country to the major political candidates in the presidential campaign,” he said. “This is a chance for Iowa to be involved in the process, and it invigorates the states every four years when they have it. They always say that if you want to learn how to organize, Iowa is the place to go. It’s the toughest, but it’s the most rewarding place to be. Most candidates who do well in Iowa gain a lot of momentum going forward in their campaigns.”�� While talking with Iowa’s citizens, Gregory has found that the two issues voters seem to worry about the most are healthcare and jobs. “Healthcare debts and costs are rising by the minute, and a lot of people are going into debt because of that,” he said. “People just want to know that they can take care of their family members who are sick and will have a job to put food on the table. Those two issues are always Numero Uno in elections.” His time in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s SGA has been essential to building critical skills for his political career.

Brian Gregory campaigns for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign in Waterloo, Iowa.

“I’ve tried to determine what is the most important issues to the people. I’ve always tried to remember people who were patient with me and explained things to me in SGA, because there were times when I needed a kick in the butt as a leader,” Gregory said. “I tried to sit down with my senators and executive committee as often as possible, and I’ve tried to implement that in Iowa. I’m trying to build relationships with people, so I will really be able to work well with building a volunteer base and get people connected to different issues that are important to them. Otherwise, you won’t succeed if you don’t get people interested and involved in the issues.” While Gregory may consider running for office one day, he has a lot to accomplish before in the meantime.�� “I’d like to get a graduate degree in public policy and go to law school,” Gregory said. “I would love to work on a federal campaign or state-wide race. Maybe in the future, if I’m likable enough, I’ll run for office someday, but public advocacy is where my passion lies. I want to hear people’s stories and tell their stories in a way that moves people to take action.” Dr. Rebecca Glazier, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Gregory’s advisor on his Donaghey Scholars final project, said Gregory was a great student with a head for politics. “As a political science major, Brian was always interested in politics, but more than other students, he cared deeply about the implications of public policies,” Glazier said. “He wanted to better understand how the policies governments implement impact real people. I think he saw the potential for making a difference there and wanted to take it.”�� Gregory said he owes his success to many people at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock: Faith Thomas, his vice president in SGA; Drs. Jessica Scott and Simon Hawkins of the Donaghey Scholars Program; and political science professors Glazier, Christopher Williams, Joseph Giammo, and Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm.�� “I want to thank all of my professors, especially those in the political science program,” Gregory said. “They taught me to think of politics in different ways. I am also very thankful for all the opportunities the Donaghey Scholars and SGA gave me to get involved in projects around the city. Drs. Scott and Hawkins really motivated me not to sell myself short. I wouldn’t be in this position without them.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alum Brian Gregory, right, is working on the presidential campaign of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, left, in Iowa.

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Students, Community Members to Discuss Study Abroad Trip to Spain and Religious Tolerance Efforts in Aug. 31 Panel

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Host Conversation about War in Ukraine May 5

����Vlog��ý Little Rock’s graduate programs named to 2022 U.S. News and World Report Rankings

Glazier signs contract to publish book on how teachers can build rapport with students in an online environment

Williamson heads ����Vlog��ý Little Rock’s School of Public Affairs

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to offer French politics course with option to study in Paris