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

Estes named dean of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 14:27:34 +0000

Dr. Sarah Beth Estes has been named the permanent dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, effective July 1. “After a competitive internal search, Dr. Estes was selected to lead the college that forms the liberal arts core of our university,” Dr. Christina Drale, interim executive vice chancellor and provost, said. “Dr. Estes has served in the role of interim dean for the last year and brings to the position a continuing commitment to advance the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock vision of providing excellent teaching, research, and community partnerships.” Estes has served in a number of leadership roles at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, including associate dean for research, engagement, and interdisciplinary programs in the College of Social Sciences and Communication; associate dean of the former College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and associate chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In 2017, Estes became the associate provost of Community, Careers, and Extended Education, formerly known as the Community Connection Center. In this role, she launched the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Extended Education office that now offers non-credit courses in six areas and brought the “Handshake” job and internship recruiting platform to campus. “I am delighted to have someone with Dr. Estes’ experience joining the leadership team,” Drale said. “Her commitment to student success, to community engagement, and to the value of a liberal arts education will serve her well in providing inspired leadership as the dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. The knowledge she has accumulated from her diverse service and administrative roles gives her a reliable toolbox of successful strategies for leading a diverse college.” Estes graduated from Hendrix College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Iowa. She was a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati and affiliate of the Kunz Center for Work and Family before arriving at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2006. Estes began her ��Vlog��ý Little Rock career as the coordinator of the gender studies program and as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, where she taught courses on gender, social statistics and research methods, and interdisciplinary courses in the Donaghey Scholars Program. Much of Estes’ heavily cited research has focused on how work-family policies are related to aspects of family life, including parenting behavior, children’s well-being, and the gendered division of household labor. In recent years, she has collaborated with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas to produce several research studies, including the 2018 report “Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region, County.” Estes serves as first vice president on the board of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, which is dedicated to improving economic outcomes for women and girls in Arkansas. She was also the founding chair of the Green Dot Violence Prevention Program established at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2013, was voted the Faculty Member of the Year by the Student Government Association in 2014.

Professor Emeritus Terry Richard named Humanitarian of the Year

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 15:31:18 +0000

A retired University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor—an advocate for the Hispanic and Latino communities—will be recognized by at its humanitarian awards ceremony. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Professor Emeritus of Sociology Terry Richard will be honored at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, at the Jack Stephens Center on ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. Former ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor Joel Anderson will present the award to Richard. “I do want to invite my colleagues at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to come to the banquet and help support an organization that develops inclusive programs for both youth and adults in our community,” Richard said. Since 1964, the Humanitarian Awards Celebration has honored one or more individuals who has demonstrated a significant commitment to building inclusive communities. These honorees have had a meaningful impact in improving social justice and human rights efforts through their work and community service. Richard is a charter member of the Arkansas Council of the (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, and has been an active member for more than 35 years. He served as state director from 2013 to 2015 and serves on the LULAC National Education Committee Richard has demonstrated his passion to help students in the central Arkansas area. As the head of LULAC’s university sponsorship committee, he organized the group’s first scholarship gala, which is now the primary fundraiser for LULAC scholarships in Arkansas. In the past six years, the organization has distributed more than $250,000 in scholarships and tuition waivers. More than $100,000 has been distributed to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students during this time. Richard helped Latino students enroll in college by creating Memorandums of Understanding between LULAC and six college and universities to ensure that students with a financial need can receive scholarships and additional funds. During his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Richard published a variety of articles related to issues of race and ethnic relations. He served as the chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the graduate coordinator for the master’s program in gerontology. In 2012, he earned the faculty of the year award from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Student Government Association. He retired from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in December 2016 after 35 years at the university. For more than 20 years, Richard has worked with his twin brother, Jerry, to fund four endowed scholarships at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The most recent, the Wesley Trace Richard Memorial Scholarship, is named in honor of Richard’s son, a Marine who died in April from trauma suffered while serving in Iraq. Richard received his Ph.D. in sociology from North Texas University and his master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He also received post-doctoral certificates in social work and gerontology at the University of Kentucky and North Texas University. Tickets to the Humanitarian Awards Celebration are.

Estes named director of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Community Connection Center

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 25 May 2017 13:10:45 +0000

A respected scholar in gender and family issues has been appointed the executive director of the Community Connection Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, professor of sociology, has been leading the center as the interim director since October and was recently named the director. Established in 2014, the Community Connection Center promotes and supports student-engaged learning with community, government, businesses, and nonprofit organizations through internships, service learning, community-based research, and career development services. “I am excited about being the executive director of the CCC,” Estes said. “This position provides the opportunity to link career development to experiential learning, which will benefit not just our students but through them, our state.” The center gives students an edge in the workforce, Estes said. “We know that career profiles are changing, that, increasingly to succeed, graduates need to be flexible and agile in the labor market,” she said. “The opportunity to engage with employers through unique professional experiences offers students the opportunity to practice knowledge transfer from the classroom to the community, from one learning environment to another, in an organic and meaningful way.” Estes is a 1988 graduate of Hendrix College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She also holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She was a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati and affiliate of the Kunz Center for Work and Family before arriving at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Estes began her ��Vlog��ý Little Rock career in 2006 as the coordinator of the gender studies program and as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She has held many leadership roles at the university, including associate dean for research, engagement, and interdisciplinary programs in the College of Social Sciences and Communication; associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and associate chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her scholarship has been cited in numerous books and articles. Much of Estes’ research has focused on how work-family policies are related to aspects of family life, including parenting behavior, children’s well-being, and the gendered division of household labor. She was among the panelists invited in 2014 to address an audience at the Clinton School of Public Service about a report she co-authored for the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas on educational barriers that exist for girls and women in Arkansas. Estes serves on the board of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, which promotes philanthropy among women and helps women and girls achieve their full potential. She was also the founding chair of the Green Dot Violence Prevention Program established at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2013 and was voted the Faculty Member of the Year by the Student Government Association in 2014.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student wins award to transcribe music of world-renowned Arkansas fiddle player

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 14:05:01 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student hopes to make the musical stylings of a famous Arkansas fiddle player easier to learn by identifying the unique elements of his signature music style. Emily Phillips, a junior majoring in anthropology and Spanish at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, received $2,000 from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education’s Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship for her project to transcribe the music and stylistic elements of “Fiddlin’ Banjo Billy Mathews.” Mathews is a world-renowned fiddle player known for his intricate and unique playing style. He has been performing for more than 40 years and has greatly contributed to the American folk music catalog. Under the supervision of her mentor, Dr. Juliana Flinn, professor of anthropology, Phillips, who is also a champion fiddle player, will transcribe Mathews’ recordings and identify unique elements of his music style on paper. Mathews began on the banjo and later learned to play the fiddle. Due to the influence of his banjo playing, he was able to mimic banjo techniques on the fiddle, such as “pull-offs,” “hammer-ons,” and “slides.” By transcribing these recordings, Phillips will be able to investigate how his style was influenced by the traditions of other regions and players. She will also see how his playing style differed from those who previously played the same tunes. Phillips will transcribe the audio recordings on the album, “500 Fiddle Tunes: Old-Time Archive,” using music transcription software. Her goal is to make Mathews’ songs and playing style more accessible for other players to emulate.

��Vlog��ýLR graduate finds success at LM Wind Power

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 16:58:54 +0000

In 2011, Kari Payton arrived at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as a decorated athlete with a bright college basketball career ahead of her. An injury and a change of heart led Payton to give up basketball and her athletic scholarship to focus on her academic career in the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology.

After earning one of the university’s most prestigious scholarships, the went on to a successful academic career, double majoring in systems engineering and sociology. Payton, a May graduate, already has a full-time position as an industrial engineer with LM Wind Power in Little Rock. The company, which manufactures wind turbine blades, has plants throughout the world, including sites in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, India, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the U.S. The wide variety of locales provides Payton with a great opportunity to travel internationally. She flew to Bangalore, India, in June and is scheduled to go to Amsterdam in October. Payton’s work focuses on creating simulations that support operations for the company’s plants. She is learning C++ programming language, modeling software, and plant operations.

Changing pursuits

A , Payton arrived at ��Vlog��ýLR in 2011 on an athletic scholarship, but her college basketball career was short lived. An injury took her off the court her first semester, and she had little playing time during her second semester.

Kari Payton, a May graduate of ��Vlog��ýLR, is now an industrial engineer in global plant support with LM Wind Power in Little Rock. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ýLR Communications.

“It was a struggle for me,” she said. “I suffered a back injury, and I think I only recorded seven minutes of play time the whole season. I finally decided to pursue engineering and let basketball go.” After basketball, Payton stayed at ��Vlog��ýLR, earning a scholarship from the Donaghey Scholars Program. She’s thankful to Kathryn Young, director of admissions, Jennifer Moody, associate director of admissions operations, and Dr. Simon Hawkins, director of the Donaghey Scholars Program, for helping her pursue her dreams. “The people in Donaghey Scholars were very influential in me staying at ��Vlog��ýLR,” she said. “They listen to you and encourage you to follow the wildest ideas in your life. I was blessed with a scholarship, and that time was some of the best four years of my life.” The secret to Payton’s success was a combination of activities inside and outside the classroom. Although her studies were devoted to science and math, Payton also discovered an unexpected love for social science. “I took a social science class about race concepts in America in the Donaghey Scholars program, and the idea blew my mind,” Payton said. “I have never thought about anything but math and science, but one of my teachers told me I have a gift for this.” Payton graduated with two majors, a Bachelor of Science in systems engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. She thinks the sociology skills will be useful when traveling to different countries and working with people from other cultures. In addition to her coursework, Payton participated in three undergraduate research fellowships. Because of her hard work, she earned the Engineering and Information Technology Outstanding Senior award and the Systems Engineering Outstanding Senior Award in May. Payton also studied Spanish in Nicaragua and completed two internships. Her first internship is what led to her current position. She worked as a quality and operations engineering intern at LM Wind Power in 2013. While searching for a job this spring, she contacted the company to ask about open positions. “��Vlog��ýLR gave me a lot of opportunities,” she said. “Those experiences in college are invaluable. It helps you to learn how to apply your education to a professional work environment.”

Giving back to the community

Payton is a volunteer with . After serving as a mentor to an eighth-grade girl, Payton was inspired to start a pilot program to introduce students to science and engineering. “These kids are from neighborhoods where, historically, there has been a lot of crime, and I want to give them the opportunity to understand that education is very important to their lives,” Payton said. “I want them to know that if they have the skills and the interest and apply themselves, they can do anything.” Participating students took a career skills assessment test. Those who had an aptitude for technology were invited for some Saturday workshops in February and March that focused on robotics and other technical challenges. Out of the 12 students she invited, eight from junior high and high school attended Payton’s “Imagination Camp.” She plans to continue the program in the future. “It’s one of my passions to reach out to people who are underrepresented and share with them my struggles and help them get to where they want to be,” she said.

Author, sociologist Patricia Hill Collins to present “Still Brave?” lecture

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 15:30:29 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Cooper Honors Program in English will host Patricia Hill Collins, sociologist and author of seminal works on black feminism and race scholarship, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, in Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building. Collins’ free lecture, “Still Brave? Black Feminism as a Social Justice Project,” is open to the public and will be followed by a book signing and a reception sponsored by the Arkansas Women’s History Institute. Her first book, “Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment,” was the first to incorporate the literature of African-American women Angela Davis, Alice Walker, and Audre Lorde. Her latest book, “On Intellectual Activism,” is required reading for students in Dr. Laura Barrio-Vilar’s Cooper Honors seminar, “Literature and Social Justice.” “Patricia Hill Collins has been one of the most influential scholars for those of us interested in the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and sexuality as systems of oppression. Reading her work, listening to her public talks, and having her as a professor has had an enormous impact on my development as a scholar and a teacher,” Barrio-Vilar said. Collins was the 100th president of the American Sociological Association Council, and the first African-American woman to hold this position. The lecture is co-sponsored by the Office of Campus Life, Institute on Race and Ethnicity, College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, Anthropology Club, College of Social Sciences and Communication, and the Donaghey Scholars Program. Collins is a distinguished university professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her latest book, “Intersectionality,” co-authored with Sirma Bilge, will be published in 2016 as part of Polity Press’ Key Concepts Series,”Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice.” For more information, go to or contact Barrio-Vilar at 501.569.8317 or lxbarriovil@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ýLR professor records a disappearing culture

Taylor Aldana — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 23:08:47 +0000

In Japan, the Ainu people are disappearing. Dr. Kinko Ito, sociology professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, set out to record their stories before their culture is lost. Ito produced a documentary, “Have You Heard about the Ainu? Elders of Japan’s Indigenous People Speak,” based on her ethnographic research in Hokkaido, Japan, from 2011 to 2014. The Ainu are an indigenous ethnic minority group with a unique language and culture. They still experience prejudice and discrimination at school, at work, and in marriage, Ito said. The documentary, which recently made its public debut, features several Ainu elders who share their life stories. Ito observed their daily routines and conducted some 30 unstructured interviews with Ainu and non-Ainu Japanese individuals in Hokkaido. The interview topics included identity, marriage, family, relations with non-Ainu Japanese, and school and work experiences. There are about 24,000 Ainu in Hokkaido. They don’t have a written language, so they have relied on oral tradition. The puts the number of native speakers between 10 and 15. All Ainu in Japan speak Japanese. “I felt very sad about these people and their unique culture sort of disappearing right in front of my eyes,” Ito said. “I also felt very lucky that I could be there to record them before they are completely gone.” The number of full-blooded Ainu is on the decline because of intermarriages, and the young generation may or may not take up the Ainu traditions, Ito said. There are also non-Ainu Japanese, both young and old, who are interested in preserving Ainu crafts, language, and dance. “Intermarriages are very common, and I assume that this is definitely the reason why there are few, if any, full-blooded Ainu today,” Ito said. “The situation is very similar here in the U.S. in regards to full-blooded Native Americans.” Ito applied for a summer scholarship from the former ��Vlog��ýLR College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in 2014 and received $4,000 to support her efforts to make the documentary film. Ito videotaped all her interviews with the Ainu. “The camera, even though it was cheap, did wonders,” she said. A friend helped her edit the shots, and Dr. Robert Boury, of the ��Vlog��ýLR Music Department, composed and performed the original soundtrack for the film. Ito was awarded a Research and Creative Activity Grant by the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Social Sciences and Communication in May 2015 for her film. She has been entering her documentary in various film festivals in the U.S. and abroad to spread the word about the Ainu and ��Vlog��ýLR. In the fall of 2016, Ito plans to upload her documentary to Youtube so that anyone with an Internet connection can watch and know about the Ainu minority in Japan. Ito earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Ohio State University. She is nationally and internationally known for her research on Japanese popular culture and the Ainu. Ito is offering a Japanese culture and society class in the spring semester of 2016. It will include numerous cultural experiences.

Playing first (and second) fiddle: ��Vlog��ýLR home to state’s best old-time fiddlers

Shanna Fitzgerald — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 20:24:58 +0000

This was going to be a special night for Everett Elam. He was set to perform during an open mic event at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s East Hall. Even more important: Elam was ready to impress a teenaged state fiddle champion he heard was in the audience. Then Elam dropped his fiddle bow onstage. Then his newly fitted glass eye fell out. “Please do not let this girl see this,” he thought, as he frantically searched for the errant orb. The fiddle champion, Emily Phillips, now a 19-year-old ��Vlog��ýLR student from Mountain View, didn’t observe that scene, but she had taken note of Elam. In fact, she wondered why he kept staring at her. She didn’t realize he was blind. That fall 2014 night, the two ��Vlog��ýLR students began a relationship that went from mentorship, to friendship, to courtship. This year, their association led to a second consecutive in old-time music for Phillips and a second-place finish for Elam, a 27-year-old ��Vlog��ýLR student studying ethnomusicology and Spanish. In less than a year, Elam was getting accolades on a statewide stage for a style of music he never attempted to play before he was introduced to Phillips.

When Everett met Emily

During the open mic night, one of Elam’s friends challenged Phillips to compete with Elam in a fiddle contest on stage. Phillips readily agreed, but Elam was a little hesitant, worried Phillips would “crush” him — “which she did, in some ways,” Elam recalled. Elam consented to the competition, but he had a condition: He got to set the rules. Each fiddler would play one song to make the listeners dance, one to make them sad, and one to make them feel like they were in love. After announcing his melancholy tune, Elam joked, “It’s always night-time for me.” The joke set Phillips at ease. Before that evening, she had never met a blind musician, and she initially wasn’t sure how to interact with him. In keeping with the light mood, Phillips started calling out the names of Elam’s songs as well as hers, impressing audience members and her fellow fiddler with her depth of knowledge. “He was good, but he didn’t play old-time,” said Phillips, who is studying anthropology and Spanish at ��Vlog��ýLR. Old-time music just happens to be Phillips’ passion. Audience members chose Elam as the winner — but he knew better. He quickly handed the victor’s flower to Phillips and delivered a message: “I have to have a lesson from you. I have to learn how to play from you.” Phillips was intrigued. She could tell Elam had talent, “and it was really cool to me that he was interested in old-time.”

Everett Elam

Classically trained Elam, originally from Benton, started playing the violin when he was 10, but he got off to a slow start. “I absolutely hated it,” he recalled. As a child, Elam attempted to tune the instrument and ending up breaking it. Although he stuck with the violin and eventually learned to love it, he often rebelled against the classic-method training he was receiving. He wanted to do his own thing. Two years ago, he joined the , a Little Rock-based band that performs everything from funk to classic rock. He also felt the urge, and the confidence, to compete in a fiddle contest. Elam planned to play, “,” a popular and often-performed showpiece in the bluegrass and contemporary fiddle style. Elam and Phillips laugh about that plan now. A fiddler performing “Orange Blossom Special” in front of judges is a little like a guitarist expecting everyone to be dazzled when he steps into a guitar store and starts playing “Stairway to Heaven,” Elam said. The discerning audience has heard that tune before, and they’re not likely to be impressed. Phillips could play but she won’t. Ever. It’s not that she doesn’t like contemporary and bluegrass music; she just prefers a different style.

Emily Phillips

Connecting with the past Phillips’ passion for old-time fiddle music extends beyond the melodies; she loves the stories about people who played the style and the way the tunes were passed through generations. She mentioned, as an example, a musician who created his own unique method of fiddling because he had to adjust for a missing finger. Years later, others began emulating his technique. “Almost every tune has some personal story,” said Phillips, a ��Vlog��ýLR Donaghey Scholar. “It’s cool to preserve that little tidbit of history.” Phillips’ talent for traditional styles extends beyond the fiddle. In addition to winning back-to-back state fiddle titles, this year she also took first place in the open division of the Developing relationship One of the ways Phillips is preserving old-time music traditions is by giving lessons. She found a willing student in Elam. Even after the two started dating, he kept learning from Phillips. During the summer, Phillips was back home in Mountain View, and Elam stayed in Little Rock. He sent recordings; she critiqued them. The sessions sometimes got intense — they both are talented artists who take their craft seriously — but the progress was tangible. Phillips strives to get things just right. She’ll spend hours listening to a song until she masters every note and nuance. she sometimes repeats the same tune for the entire 2.5-hour drive from her hometown to Little Rock. She takes a similarly thorough approach with Elam. With Phillips’ help, Elam was ready to give one of the best performances of his life by the time he entered the August . Even with that success, the lessons continue — and Phillips isn’t the only teacher. Phillips never considered herself a runner before she met Elam, but in April, she participated in her first half marathon, serving as a guide for her more experienced boyfriend, who was running in his second. Now, jogging is part of their routine. Phillips introduced Elam to old-time music; he introduced her to running. “I’m not sure who got the better end of the deal, but I think he did,” Phillips said.

Walker Lecture Series features talk on late onset offenders

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:19:50 +0000

Dr. Marv Krohn will speak at the 2014 Sheriff Orval Walker Lecture Series presented by the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Criminal Justice from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 10 in the Arkla Room of Ross Hall. Krohn, a professor of criminal justice and sociology at the University of Florida, will present “Under the Protective Bud the Bloom Awaits: An Exploration of Late Onset Offending.” His presentation will address the “relatively small group of offenders who do not fit the age-crime curve’s standard offending trajectory, but escalate offending later than the norm and continue to increase in their twenties.” For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Walker at jtwalker@ualr.edu or call 501.569.3195.

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Sociology professor leads as director of largest Latino organization

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 17:10:46 +0000

Many may now recognize LULAC, The League of United Latin American Citizens, as the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization. But it was barely a blip on the local radar when Dr. Terry Trevino-Richard, a sociology professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, became a charter member of LULAC Council 750 after moving to central Arkansas in 1981. Today, Trevino-Richard, who was recently elected state director of LULAC, continues to advocate for Latinos and Hispanics, among the fastest growing minority populations in the state. LULAC has grown from one to two councils in central Arkansas and three in the northwest part of the state, with plans for more on the way. In addition, student-based councils at area high schools have been added, including one at Little Rock’s Central High School and one at Hall High School in Little Rock, which formed this fall. Trevino-Richard has worked for years to banish the ethnic stereotype that most Latinos are either “undocumented, criminal, or both,” and he hopes his new position provides a platform to continue advocating for changes to public policy. “The basic values of most Latinos are actually quite conservative,” he said. “There is a belief in strong family connections and religious values, as well as hard work.” Hard-working students with great academic potential tightly embraced Trevino-Richard at the recent LULAC Scholarship Banquet, where almost a record number of scholarships were awarded to ��Vlog��ýLR students. Trevino-Richard said the scholarships are a huge draw for ��Vlog��ýLR to attract Latinos encompassing the region. “Since 1981, LULAC has given around $500,000 in scholarship funding, the majority right here in central Arkansas,” he said. He also has helped establish an award named for his parents that is given to a ��Vlog��ýLR student majoring in either sociology or anthropology. Significant increases in the proportion of Hispanics and Latinos who are equipped with the benefits a higher education will not only help the student, but also the entire community, according to Trevino-Richard. “If we invest in them, in their skills and in their talents, it will pay dividends down the road for our economy and for society as a whole,” he said. Trevino-Richard, affectionately known as “El Guapo” (handsome), arrived in Arkansas to work with educationally challenged students. He won the distinction of being named 2012 Faculty of the Year by the ��Vlog��ýLR Student Government Association. He has published a variety of articles related to issues of race and ethnic relations, and has taught sociology and third world development trends during his time at ��Vlog��ýLR. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from North Texas University and his master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Although much progress has been made to demonstrate the value of Latino contributions to the region, Trevino-Richard said much work is yet to be done. He credits educational leadership, including that of ��Vlog��ýLR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson, with working to bridge the cultural divide among ethnic groups. “Dr. Anderson has been incredibly supportive of the Latino community,” he said, adding that Dr. Dexter Suggs, Little Rock School District superintendent, has also helped reduce friction among Latinos and blacks in the district. The best way forward in addressing issues that have plagued various ethnic groups through the ages is to tackle them head on, according to the professor. “If you ignore it, you can’t address it,” he said.

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

Estes named dean of ����Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Professor Emeritus Terry Richard named Humanitarian of the Year

Estes named director of ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Community Connection Center

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student wins award to transcribe music of world-renowned Arkansas fiddle player

����Vlog��ýLR graduate finds success at LM Wind Power