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

BBQ at Bailey Celebrates ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Support and Fellowship

John Hill — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:09:55 +0000

BBQ at Bailey returned to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for their 14th annual gathering inviting faculty, students, and graduates to the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center on Oct. 12. Participants ate a delicious lunch catered by Whole Hog Café, followed by dessert from Community Bakery. “We didn’t get the chance to do it last year, so the goal is to welcome back people to the campus, get students to come out, get to know everyone in the alumni center, and get to know other graduates,” said Derrick Newby, associate director for alumni membership and engagement. “Typically, we do this at the beginning of the year but we had to push it back to make sure everyone was safe.” The enjoyment for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock fellowship was a constant trend in conversations at the BBQ. “It is so great to see everyone back together for BBQ at Bailey to see all the students, teachers and alumni all coming together to rally around this amazing school,” said Heide Harrell (‘10), executive committee member of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Board of Directors. “Who doesn’t love some free BBQ on a beautiful October day?” Harrell has a deep passion for the work that the faculty provides and the caliber of students who work hard to get their degrees. “I am a proud graduate and advocate for this university,” said Harrell. Kristi Smith, director of alumni and development, indicated the importance of joining the Alumni Association because a portion of proceeds from memberships go towards student scholarships.

Kristi Smith and student-athlete volunteers for the BBQ at Bailey picnic. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

The BBQ highlights support for the Alumni Association, which annually offers around $100,000 in student scholarships, in addition to helping people create connections. During the BBQ, the Alumni Association recruited numerous new members. “This event is important to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock because it’s a great time for everyone to come together,” said Smith. “We work in different areas and rarely get to see people due to the pandemic. Now that everyone is back on campus, this is a great unifying event.” The favored fall event gathered around 1,200 people. “We get student athletes to help; we get faculty and staff involved, and it’s great,” said Smith. Career Services and other campus organizations attended the event to participate and raise awareness. “We are promoting the Trojan Career Closet available for all students at the university,” said Shannon Gwinn (98’), director of career services for the College of Business, Health, and Human Services. “We want to make them aware of the fabulous items that they can come shop for. Whether you are going to a job interview and need a suit or need an outfit for an internship, we can help.” The career closet has suits, sport coats, dresses, accessories, and plenty of ties. Students can select five items per year. It can be found on the first floor of the Reynolds Building.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and staff enjoying the music at Baileys back-to-school picnic. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

After including it in their annual National Pan-Hellenic Council week of activities, several Greek groups participated in the luncheon. “This event went well since it was my first time attending,” said Kenyon Clay, sophomore criminal justice and music major and Kappa Psi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. president. “This gave me motivation to finish college so I can come back and experience being an alumni. We added BBQ at Bailey to the event list because we believe NPHC should be more involved in campus events. We are here to show our support for them and hopefully gain support back.” NPHC not only enjoyed the food but also the music as they simultaneously strolled to many songs played. “The event today had a great turn out, good food, and great laughs,” said Kevin Davidson, senior mechanical engineering technology major and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. “It was a good time to connect with friends and alumni. I know this will be an event that I will come back to as a future alumni.” People can help ��Vlog��ý Little Rock by joining the Alumni Association, contributing to annual fundraisers, making a donation, or putting the university in their estate plans, in addition to investing for their own financial goals. The Office of Alumni and Development is happy to accept donations. The Office of the Chancellor, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of Alumni and Development all sponsored the BBQ at Bailey.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Honors Hosto, Carter as Distinguished Business Alumni

John Hill — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:42:10 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has honored two business leaders in Arkansas as the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for the School of Business. Bryan Hosto, an attorney with Hosto & Buchan, has been named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Business, while Carl Carter, director of vendor integration for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, will receive the Dean’s Award for Excellence. They received their awards Oct. 29 during the School of Business Distinguished Alumni Luncheon at the Little Rock Marriott. The Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor granted by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Business, is given to a graduate who has made a significant impact in business or a nonprofit organization and has served the Little Rock community and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Hosto is a 1985 graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, where he served as commander of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He also earned a J.D. from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. After co-founding Intellinet, LLC, Arkansas’s first internet service provider, in 1994, Hosto was named to Arkansas Business’s “40 Under 40” list in 1995. He also co-founded Hosto & Buchan Law Firm, which grew to 150 employees with practices in six states. The firm has won many awards for performance including the National Creditors Bar Association Community Service Award in 2012 for the firm’s dedication to philanthropy and community involvement. As a business advisor, investor and board member, Hosto is a founder of the Arkansas Angel Alliance, which promotes angel capital startup Investing as a much-needed resource for creating jobs and growing new businesses in Arkansas. His service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock includes serving as president of the Alumni Association and serving as a member of the Foundation Fund Board. In 2001, Hosto was honored as ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Presidents Award recipient. Throughout his career, Hosto has volunteered with worthy philanthropic organizations, including serving as president of the Arkansas Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund and the Arkansas Chairman of the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation. He also served as president of the Arkansas Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he granted wishes of children with life threatening illnesses, and then served several years on the Make-A-Wish Mid-South Board, covering Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The Dean’s Award for Excellence is granted to a graduate of the past 10 years who has shown promise as a leader in business or nonprofit work and who is actively involved in serving Little Rock and the university. Carter is a two-time graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management in 2011 and a Master of Business Administration in 2014. He also holds a Master of Public Service from the ��Vlog��ý-Clinton School of Public Service. Carter began his career at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 1998, providing a diverse career spanning from claims to strategic account management. Additionally, he is the founder of the Beverly Carter Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving agent safety. The nonprofit is named after Carter’s mother, Beverly Carter, who lost her life at the hands of two clients in 2014.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Celebrates Staff Achievements

John Hill — Fri, 14 May 2021 17:12:26 +0000

Evonne Hair, a student program coordinator for the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, will always remember 2020 as a milestone in her life.�� Last December, she graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication after taking college classes for 16 years. “It was a milestone for me to complete my bachelor’s degree,” Hair said. “I’m the second out of six kids to graduate. I couldn’t celebrate my graduation last year because of COVID but I’m celebrating now.” Having started her college education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2004, Hair said she had exhausted financial aid options and had been paying for her education while working full-time at the university for years. Hair is one of five ��Vlog��ý Little Rock staff members who received the Staff Senate Scholarship in 2020, and the money helped pay for her final semester of college at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. However, it was one final act of kindness that got her over the home stretch. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been a great help during this time,” Hair said. “Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter and Steve McClellan, God rest his soul, gave me the last $1,500 I needed to finish. That’s the reason I was able to get my degree.”

Mary Tillman

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Staff Senate celebrated the achievements of Hair and other staff members during a Staff Senate Award Recognition event on April 30. The event recognized staff members who won Staff Achievement Awards, received scholarships, completed an educational achievement, and were celebrating work anniversaries and retirement in 2020 and 2021.�� Mary Tillman, administrative support manager for MidSouth, said ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s atmosphere has been an inspiration during her career. “There is nothing like the atmosphere of what happens when you are surrounded by all these educational opportunities,” Tillman said. “That is what has kept me here for 15 years.” Joan Reed, higher education institute program coordinator for the School of Nursing, is celebrating her 20th anniversary at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Time flies when you are having fun,” Reed said. “There have been a lot of changes at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock over the past two decades. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has a lot to offer. What has really helped me is participating in the fitness classes we offer.”

Tina Medlock

Tina Medlock, director of communications at William H. Bowen School of Law as well as this year’s recipient of the Staff Achievement Award for Personal Growth, has enjoyed learning new skills and building camaraderie with her colleagues at the law school. “I have so much fun working with people at Bowen and getting to learn new things that it doesn’t even feel like work,” Medlock said. The event, along with the Staff Celebration Week activities, were hosted by the Staff Senate Awards Committee that includes Jenn McDannold, Shannon Gwinn, Samantha Wiley, Cody Henslee, Rosalie Shahan, Cadence Baize, Jordan Breckenridge, Serifatu Walton, and Anissa Sonia-Williams. Visit the Staff Senate website to all of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock staff members celebrating milestones and achievements during 2021. Evonne Hair is pictured in the upper right photo. All photos taken by Ben Krain.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor staff members during Staff Celebration Week

John Hill — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 21:10:36 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock will honor the hard work and achievements of its staff members during Staff Celebration Week April 5-9. Staff Senate will announce the winners of the Staff Achievement Awards. A $3,000 award will be given to the top staff member in each of three categories: Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, community service, and personal growth. “The staff members are a vital part of the success of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” said Staff Senate President-elect Jenn McDannold. “The Staff Achievement Awards highlight our staff members’ incredible commitment to the university and community through hard work, service, and dedication.” Staff Senate will also announce the winners of the Staff Senate Scholarship and Jerry Crittenden Employee Book Scholarship. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community is encouraged to join the celebration of staff members by highlighting offices that have gone above and beyond in the past year by filling out a, join the conversation on the, and share your staff stories on social media using #WeHeartOurStaff. You can also visit a Sodexo eatery on campus, write a message for staff members, and then place it on the Trojan logo cutouts at Starbucks, Wow Café, and more. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Staff Senate will host a Staff Awards Celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 30, in the Donaghey Student Center, where award winners and staff members celebrating work anniversaries, retirement, and educational achievements can drop by to pick up their awards and certificates and have their picture taken. The members of the Staff Awards Committee behind the celebrations include Cadence Baise, Jordan Breckenridge, Serifatu Buford, Shannon Gwinn, Cody Henslee, Jenn McDannold, Anissa Sonia-Williams, and Samantha Wiley.��

Graduating Student Spotlight on Valerie Plate

John Hill — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 19:57:57 +0000

Valerie Plate, a business major from Little Rock, will graduate this semester with her bachelor’s degree about 14 years after first starting college. She started college right after graduating high school in 2000, but took a break and got a full-time job with the state of Arkansas in 2006. In 2018, Plate earned her associate degree from the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College on a 2+2 program with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. This semester, she will earn her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in human resource management. While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Plate’s favorite experience has been serving on the executive committee of the Human Resource Society, where they have professional development speakers and participate in community service. She’s also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Central Arkansas Human Resource Association. She is thankful to her mentors, Karen Leonard, professor of management, and Shannon Gwinn, director of the Center for Student and Career Services in the School of Business, for motivating her to stay in school after the tragic loss of a family member and after being diagnosed with a serious health condition of her own. “I went through a personal tragedy a few years ago,” Plate said. “I was ready to quit and be done for a while, but they were very supportive and encouraged me to keep going. If I have an issue or problem, those would be the first two people I go to.” After graduating this semester, Plate will begin the Master of Business Administration program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the spring 2021 semester. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has been very enjoyable, and I look forward to coming back to get my graduate degree,” Plate said. “The one piece of advice I would give is don’t be afraid to go to your professors for help or assistance. The professors I’ve had truly do care about making sure you are doing well and can succeed to the best of your ability. If it wasn’t for Professor Leonard or Shannon Gwinn, I don’t know if I would be graduating.” Once she completes her MBA, Plate’s dream job is to work in human resources at a pediatric hospital or clinic. In her job with the state, she helps people get teaching licenses and wants to continue working with children. “I love working with kids, and I want to make sure that they have the best staff possible to take care of them,” Plate said.

Facilities Management employee earns business degree 17 years after starting

John Hill — Tue, 19 May 2020 13:05:40 +0000

A Facilities Management employee at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is excited about completing the business degree he began more than 15 years ago so he can get started on the next chapter of his academic life. Kendrick Raino, operations center manager at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, is graduating this semester with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management. “There is a huge sense of accomplishment, but I’m also thinking, ‘It’s about time,’” Raino said. A native of Fountain Hill, Arkansas, Raino began his higher education journey at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2003, but left the following year due to a family emergency. “After I graduated high school, I went to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for two years. Then, because of a family situation, I was forced to stop and work two jobs just to support the people around me,” he said. “I got good enough to be a manager. I came to a point that if I wanted to move forward, I knew I needed to finish college. I switched careers so I could go back to school.” Raino began working in Facilities Management in 2011 as an administrative specialist and was promoted to operations center manager in 2013. By 2017, he enrolled for a second time, taking four to six classes a semester to finish his degree. He is a recipient of the Facilities Management Scholarship, and his co-workers are impressed by his hard work and dedication to his education. “Working through lunches, breaks, well into the evenings, and online, he has persevered, completing his final term as a senior this semester,” said David Millay, associate vice chancellor of facilities management. “Throughout it all, Kendrick has not broken stride, overcome life’s hurdles, and proceeds undaunted to reach his goal. Kendrick is a model employee and student, and represents a brighter future for himself, his family and friends, and indeed our society in general. I commend him more for his ideals, his fortitude, and for his hard work in seeking and attaining this important life goal.” Being able to pursue his degree online has been a godsend for Raino and his busy schedule. He’s thankful to Dr. David Montague, director of online learning, for introducing him to the program, to his advisor, Heyam Dannawi, and Shannon Gwinn, director of the Center for Student and Career Services in the College of Business, for being his “advocate and supporter since day one.” Raino thinks of his college classes as a useful learning lab that has made him more successful in his career. Many of his on-the-job accomplishments, such as streamlining billing processes and increasing departmental response time to customer service calls, have been made in part to what he’s learned in his classes. “A lot of college classes are meant to prepare you to be in the workforce,” he said. “Since I’m already in the workforce, I’ve taken what I’ve learned to help me be a better employee.” Though he is both working and going to school full time, Raino still volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Food Bank. Now that he’s completed his undergraduate degree, Raino has no plans to slow down his academic pursuits and has applied for the Master of Business Administration program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the fall. “It’s absolutely never too late to try to strive to be a better version of yourself for yourself and the people around you,” Raino said. “Every step I’ve taken has made it that much more rewarding to where I’m at right now.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:06:37 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will honor a Benton student who passed away from cancer last year with a posthumous business degree during the university’s fall commencement ceremony on Dec. 14.�� Tandie Kenser, 51, of Benton passed away Aug. 24, 2018. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock senior was only 23 credits shy of completing her dream of graduating from college. Kenser’s mother, Gennie Adair, will travel from her home in Vancouver, Canada, to receive her daughter’s degree. “I feel very honored to get her degree, and Tandie would be too,” Adair said. “It’s wonderful that the university is doing this for her. She had one more year to go, and I really thought she would live long enough. I used to pray that she would live long enough to walk down that stage, but she just didn’t make it.” When Kenser was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2011, her doctors told her she only had a few years left to live. Kenser considered how she wanted to spend her final years and decided to rectify her only regret: never earning a college degree. “There’s so many people who think they are too old or it’s too late, but it’s not,” Kenser said in a 2018 interview. “I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I love walking on campus. I like every professor I’ve had. It’s brought me joy.” In 2015, Kenser joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with the goal of earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in business analytics. With no time to waste, she immediately signed up for 18 credit hours. Shannon Gwinn, director of Student and Career Services in the College of Business, advised her to start with nine credit hours, a well-intentioned suggestion that was immediately rebuked. “She pointed her finger at me, and said, ‘Not only am I going to take 18 hours, I’m going to make a 4.0,’” Gwinn recalled, adding that it was the start of a beautiful friendship.�� “Tandie would be thrilled and honored to receive her degree,” Gwinn said. “It was her ‘bucket list,’ and she knew she didn’t have much time to earn her degree. Life threw a lot to Tandie, and she overcame it all except for cancer. I can only imagine the party she would be throwing for her family and friends to celebrate this.” Kenser did get the opportunity to celebrate her educational achievements. She completed 90 of the 120 credit hours she needed to graduate and was taking two additional classes when she entered hospice care on June 14, 2018. “She called me every single day,” Adair said. “She had never complained until the last phone call when she was taking summer classes. She called me and said, ‘I don’t know what I’ve read.’ She was so sad that she couldn’t comprehend what she read. That was the beginning of the end.” Instead of a funeral, Kenser told her family she wanted a party to celebrate life. The celebration, which included a mock graduation, was held June 30, 2018, at the home of Kenser’s daughter, Jessie Wright, in Bismarck, Arkansas, with faculty, staff, and classmates from the College of Business in attendance. Dean Jane Wayland recalls how excited Kenser was to wear a graduation cap and gown that ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Bookstore gave her as a gift. “Tandie was an incredible woman,” Wayland said. “She embraced learning all she could even during the most difficult times during her illness. She participated fully in all the opportunities of the college and encouraged her fellow students. She made friends easily and instilled joy to all around her.” During her college career, Kenser strived to be the best. She maintained a 4.0 GPA, all while serving as ambassador for the College of Business who constantly hosted study sessions for her classmates.

Tandie Kenser (seated) and her mother, Gennie Adair (center) visit Cindy Wallace (left) and Shannon Gwinn (right) in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Business. Photo by Ben Krain.

“Tandie was simply amazing in so many ways,” Gwinn said. “She formed study groups with other students for almost every class she was in. She never gave a student an answer, but brought them along in the journey of learning how to achieve the answer. She was responsible for bringing the Reality Fair to our college.” Similar to the Game of Life board game, participants in a Reality Fair choose a career with a salary. They go to stations to make selections for housing, transportation, insurance, healthcare, and then must make a balanced budget. “We have continued to do the Reality Fair and have expanded it to high schools,” Gwinn said. “We went to Hall High School this semester, and it was well received from the students. That is because of Tandie and her passion for financial literacy.” Adair recalled a time when her daughter had undergone eight hours of chemotherapy and insisted that she be taken directly to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock afterward so that she could attend an extra-credit lecture about earthquakes. “She always wanted to keep that 4.0,” Adair said. “She felt she would let me down if she got less than 100 percent. I told her that was garbage. She could never let me down. The one thing I can say about going to the university is that she absolutely loved it. I really believe this is what kept her alive long past her expected survival. She only had a 25 percent chance of living two years, and she lived seven years and a month.” Last year, Adair started a scholarship in her daughter’s name to benefit non-traditional students attending the College of Business, and she is looking forward to meeting the first recipient of the scholarship during her trip to Arkansas. Adair and Kenser, who were both working single mothers during their lives, wanted to help single parents who are going to college. “I would say to younger students that it’s never too late to do what you want,” Adair said. “I didn’t go into policing until I was in my 30s. I was about the oldest one in the police academy at the time, and I was in the top of my class. Tandie and I are so alike in so many ways. When you want something when you are older, you do it because you want to, not because you have to. I think we are all capable of things far greater than we think we are. Hopefully, Tandie’s scholarship fund will help someone every year who really needs it. Tandie knew about the scholarship and was really thrilled that people would know how hard she tried to finish.” While Kenser will not get to walk across the stage to receive her own diploma this fall, her mother believes she found a sense of peace in the months before she died and no longer held any regrets about pursuing a college degree. “Life is not fair,” Kenser said in 2018. “Fair is just a four-letter word at our house. I’m not a sad person, though I leak a little now and then. I never thought I was getting out of this alive, so I’m redirecting. I’ve been able to give things away and see people enjoy them. I have a lot of love from my family and support from my school, and I know that I’ve been very blessed. I don’t have one thing that I wanted to do that I haven’t done.”

Scivally named Trojan Outstanding Academic Advisor

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 21:05:21 +0000

A hard-working academic advisor in the College of Social Sciences and Communication with a passion for helping his students succeed has been named the winner of the inaugural Trojan Outstanding Academic Advisor Award.�� Louis Scivally, transfer and Bachelor of Applied Science advisor, will also receive a $1,000 prize for winning the new award, which recognizes excellent academic advising. It also emphasizes the importance and expanding role academic advisors have in serving ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s students and helping them be successful in a changing college environment. “I have enjoyed helping students investigate their passions, plan their pathways, and experience the joys of education,” Scivally said. “I am most proud of the observations I have made from the floor of Jack Stephens Center when I have helped students walk at their commencement ceremony. I have been able to watch many students put their lives in high gear when working on a degree.” Scivally earned a Bachelor of Science in printing management and a Master of Science in college student personnel services from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He began his ��Vlog��ý Little Rock career in 2012 and has worked as a recruitment coordinator in the Office of Admissions and an advisor for the College of Business before joining the College of Social Sciences and Communication. One of Scivally’s former advisees, Robert Aikman, who now works for a Fortune 500 company, said he wouldn’t be where he is today without Scivally’s guidance. “Louis is a rare breed,” said Aikman, business development analyst at Insight Enterprises. “Louis was instrumental in my academic strategy during my time at ��Vlog��ýLR. Initially, I was a biology major, but after taking just one week of an economics course, I realized I had a passion for the subject. I was reluctant to change my major, as I was unsure if economics was a viable route, but Louis walked me through the choice.” Scivally advised Aikman to look at the earning potential and need for economics majors, helped him apply for scholarships, designed a class schedule that fit in with his job, and told him that his happiness is the most important factor when choosing a career. “Regardless of his schedule, he was always ready to throw some time on the calendar and sync up to discuss academic strategy,” Aikman said. “Without Louis and his guidance, I might have never pursued analytics and economics. Now, I am the business development analyst for an entire inside sales organization of a Fortune 500, and I am very excited about my prospective career trajectory.” Scivally’s coworkers describe him as someone who can always be found getting to know students around campus and helping them reach their goals at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Louis walks with students every step of the way through their college career, from recruiting to graduation,” said Shannon Gwinn, director of the Center for Students and Career Services in the College of Business. “He takes the time to get to know the students as more than just a major and T-number. When Louis walks across campus or into an event, students immediately recognize him and reach out to visit with him. It is obvious that Louis is passionate about assisting students reach their goals at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” On campus, Scivally has been an early adopter and trainer for new advising technologies, including College Schedule and Ellucian Degree Works. “Another tribute to the dedication and expertise of Mr. Scivally is that he was chosen to be the foundational advisor for the new Bachelor of Applied Science degree program, which is a growing educational pathway for transfer students with military and/or technical credits to leverage and apply toward a bachelor’s degree,” Registrar Malissa Mathis said. “From its inception in 2015, Mr. Scivally’s efforts have grown that program to serve hundreds of transferring students.” In the upper right photo,��Jennifer Owens (right) presents Louis Scivally (left) with the Trojan Outstanding Academic Advisor Award during the Staff Awards Ceremony. Photo by Ben Krain.��

“Never too late” for a college education

Janea Snyder — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 16:12:17 +0000

When Tandie Kenser was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer seven years ago, doctors gave her a couple of years to live. She knew she was on borrowed time, and she had only one regret: never going to college. So in 2015, at age 48, she enrolled at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, intent on earning a Bachelor of Business Administration. She told her advisor that she wanted to take 18 credit hours. Shannon Gwinn, director of Student and Career Services, advised her to start with nine credit hours, to ease into the college workload. “She pointed her finger at me, and said, ‘Not only am I going to take 18 hours, I’m going to make a 4.0,’” Gwinn recalled. “And she has. She had a good career in the credit union world, but she had never taken time to go to college, and that was on her bucket list.” Tandie, an ambassador for the College of Business, has completed 90 of the 120 credit hours she needs for a bachelor’s degree, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She’s enrolled in two online classes this summer – History of Civilization II and Financial Markets – that she will finish as time allows. “There’s so many people who think they are too old or it’s too late, but it’s not,” she said. On June 14, though, she entered home hospice, and her prognosis is now “weeks but not months.” Instead of a funeral, she told her family that she wants a party to celebrate life. Her family quickly stepped in to make it happen. “There’s no more opportunity for her to get better,” said her mother, Gennie Adair of Vancouver, Canada, who is staying with her. “It’s sad, but this is the very best way for her to be able to participate in her own party, and it will be good.” The celebration, which included a mock graduation, was held June 30 at the Friendship home of Tandie’s daughter, Jessie Wright. Tandie also has a daughter, Kaitlin Tate of Fort Worth; a stepdaughter, Kim Kenser of Little Rock; and a stepson, Will Kenser of Gulf Shores, Alabama. She has seven grandchildren and one on the way. Tandie visited faculty and staff in the College of Business, and Dean Jane Wayland gave her a graduation cap and gown that Tandie wore at her party.�� Adair has set up a $25,000 endowment that will provide scholarships for future non-traditional students in the College of Business. Contributions are also accepted online. Tandie, now 51, lives in Benton with her husband, David, who is a veterans services coordinator for Arkansas Hospice. They married on May 1, 2011, the day after Tandie finished her end-of-the-tax-season accounting rush. Just a few weeks later – on July 20 – she was diagnosed with cancer. She has tried chemotherapy and radiation, but her particular cancer involves the presence of a mutated KRAS gene, which means her tumors do not respond to many therapies. She has also sought alternative therapies, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy and had numerous surgeries to remove tumors. In 2014, her cancer metastasized to her lung, necessitating more surgery. Adair recalled a time when her daughter had undergone eight hours of chemotherapy and insisted that she be taken directly to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock afterward so that she could attend an extra-credit lecture about earthquakes. “She was so determined to keep that 4.0,” Adair said. “If it wasn’t for her going to the university, I don’t know that she would be here. I think it prolonged her life. She had something she was working toward and getting to her goal.” Tandie, who describes herself as a “Type A” personality, has a sense of her cognitive decline and limitations but also has found peace. She sold her motorcycle. She’s put reading aside. She’s spending time with family and friends. As for pursuing a college education, she has no regrets. “I didn’t want to be anywhere else,” Tandie said. “I love walking on campus. I like every professor I’ve had. It’s brought me joy. “Life is not fair,” she says matter-of-factly. “Fair is just a four-letter word at our house. I’m not a sad person, though I leak a little now and then. I never thought I was getting out of this alive, so I’m redirecting. I’ve been able to give things away and see people enjoy them. I have a lot of love from my family and support from my school, and I know that I’ve been very blessed. I don’t have one thing that I wanted to do that I haven’t done.” Tandie Kenser (seated) and her mother, Gennie Adair (center) visit Cindy Wallace (left) and Shannon Gwinn (right) in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Business.�� Photos by Benjamin Krain

Outstanding Marketing Award recipient ready to ‘hit the pavement’

Janea Snyder — Thu, 03 May 2018 18:17:20 +0000

When Cliff Haney graduated from high school, he didn’t plan on going to college. He wanted to start working right away. “I thought I was going to hit the pavement and make my fortune selling real estate,” he said. “I didn’t know that pavement was actually going to hit me. As it turns out, people who are making the biggest investment of their lives, don’t really trust an 18-year-old to handle such a large transaction.” Rejection – and the realization that business skills could help him better succeed – eventually led him to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He will graduate on May 12 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a Professional Sales Certification. Haney is also the recipient of the 2018 College of Business Outstanding Marketing Student Award, which he received Friday, April 27, in a ceremony at the College of Business. “It has been an amazing experience working with Cliff,” said Dr. Lenita Davis, chair of the Department of Marketing and Advertising. “He is very competitive and always strives to do his best and to be the best. Everyone in the college is familiar with Cliff’s drive and spirit of excellence and recognize him as being a leader.” The award was all the more special to Haney because his grandfather, Eddie Langford of Maumelle, received the College of Business’ first Outstanding Marketing Student Award in 1985 and was at the award presentation. Haney credits his grandfather with being his lifelong mentor. Langford dropped out of school in 8th grade and went to work putting up ceiling tiles. At age 34, though, he injured his back and couldn’t do the physically demanding work. He enrolled at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to learn skills that could help him earn a living. He chose business, and when he left ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, he went back to work, selling ceiling tiles and later was part owner of an acoustical supply business. Haney points to the S-shaped silver acoustical panels that hang from the ceiling of the College of Business atrium. “See those,” Haney said. “My grandfather designed, built, and installed those.” Haney has a work ethic like this grandfather. After he graduated from North Little Rock High School in 2012, he got his real estate license and was ready to work, but he quickly discovered that selling was tougher than he expected. “I’d never faced rejection before, but I was facing ��rejection on a daily basis,” Haney said. “I had to learn how to overcome that.” He enrolled at ��Vlog��ý -Pulaski Technical College in 2014 and earned his Associate of Science in Business in 2016. “I paid for my first semester, and after that, I applied for so many scholarships that I’ve gotten paid to go to school ever since,” he said. With high grades, he received the Shelby Breedlove transfer scholarship to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock that sealed the deal. “When I came here, I had two goals: make good grades and save money,” he said. Shannon Gwinn, director of the Center for Student and Career Services, persuaded Haney to see the bigger picture. “She encouraged me to get involved with groups and really got me plugged in,” he said. “It was about building a network, about building relationships with professors. They all had successful corporate careers before they came here, and they have taught me lessons that I don’t have to learn the hard way.” Haney is an Ambassador for the College of Business and the first student member of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Sales Board. He’s co-president of the Student Marketing Association and vice president of , the college-level organization of Future Business Leaders of America. He will travel to the national Phi Beta Lambda conference in June to complete in the interview competition. Since August 2017, Haney has been the coordinator of the State Farm Business Skills Lab, a place where student learn effective communication skills. “Students come in and we’ll role play job interviews, sales pitches, presentations, and speeches. We record it, review it, and find ways to improve,” Haney said. Seeing it on camera makes students aware of their gestures, body language, speed of delivery and other things that could be distracting to the listeners – and potential customers. Earlier in April, he competed in the “Sold in 60 Seconds” competition, winning second place and ��$500. Last summer, he lived in London, England, and worked for , developing an app for people with disabilities to use to locate accessible buildings. He also traveled to Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris and Switzerland. Working and traveling abroad also led him to a realization – that Central Arkansas is home and where he wants to work. “Growing up in North Little Rock, I always wanted to go somewhere bigger,” he said. “I did that. I went to London. I missed family, friends, and the sense of community. I want to stay here and help grow Little Rock into what it can be.” For now, graduate school isn’t in his future plans. A job in sales or sales training is calling him, and he’s once again ready to work. “I’m ready to get out there and hit the pavement once again.”

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