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

Pendergraft to Direct 2022 Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

John Hill — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:49:24 +0000

Stacy Pendergraft, associate professor in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, is taking her career to new heights by directing the first Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre production to hit the stage since 2019. Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is the state’s only professional Shakespeare company and is based at the University of Central Arkansas. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre returns with one of Shakespeare’s most beloved works, “Much Ado About Nothing.” “’Much Ado About Nothing’ will transport audiences to the cultural oasis of Messina, a crossroads of Spanish, North African, and Italian influences,” Pendergraft said. “Don Pedro and his band of men arrive at the lush court of Leonato, encountering love, the high-spirited wit and exacting lessons of the women who are its driving force.” While Pendergraft, who is celebrating her 20th anniversary at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has taken the stage in several AST productions, this will be her first time directing. Her previous AST performances include “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” and “The Music Man.” “I directed a production of ‘Arms and the Man’ for UCA in 2018 and got acquainted with Shauna Meador, executive managing producer of AST,” she said. “We formed a good friendship, and Shauna called me last summer and said, ‘you were the first person I thought of.’ I was moved by that particular kind of faith from someone who had waited for the opportunity to work with me again. That kind of belief in your ability means a tremendous amount.” Joining Pendergraft from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock are Katie Greer, an alumnae with degrees in theatre and dance, who will serve as Pendergraft’s assistant director and choreographer. Meanwhile, Essence Robinson, a spring 2022 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theatre, will serve as a sound/light intern. “Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre has taught me a tremendous amount of things about both the lighting and sound aspects,” Robinson said. “Coming here to work, I didn’t know that I would learn as much as I have thus far, and what I am really grateful for is how I have also met many wonderful people during the process. It is definitely an opportunity that I note as profound.”

Beatrice, played by Elizabeth Jilka and Benedick, played by Steven Marzolf, star in “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre will perform “Much Ado About Nothing” June 16-18 at the Global Campus Theatre at the University of Arkansas as well as at UCA’s Arkansas Bridges Larson Theatre. The return of the festival also brings a new partnership with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to utilize the talents of the U of A’s graduate performance and design students and faculty. “I don’t think I’ve ever known of a partnership quite like this,” Pendergraft said. “There are three universities at work, and that requires a phenomenal amount of partnership, shared support, and communication. I am proud, honored, and challenged to be a part of this great event. I want to give our students the kind of experience that they need to be successful in their future careers. It’s a delightful thing to do.”

COSMOS Researchers Win Best Paper Award for Research into Australian Blogosphere

John Hill — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 12:56:37 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock researchers at the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS) received the Best Paper Award for the paper, “Developing Situational Awareness from Blogosphere: An Australian Case Study,” from the 11th International Conference on held in Barcelona, Spain. The study’s authors include Mainuddin Shaik, a doctoral student from Andhra Pradesh, India, Dr. Muhammad Nihal Hussain, data scientist at Equifax, Dr. Zachary Stine, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Central Arkansas, and Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair, distinguished professor of information science, and the founding director of . “Social media’s increasing proliferation provides great opportunities for gaining situational awareness to assist with strategic policy making, particularly in defense, security, diplomacy, and foreign policy. Our study of the Australian blogosphere identifies influential topics and discourse movers,” Dr. Agarwal said. “Being awarded the best paper is very rewarding. I am extremely proud of our students that can demonstrably conduct such a high quality of internationally competitive research.” The study of the Australian blogosphere identifies influential topics and discourse movers. The researchers analyzed more than 20,000 blog posts and more than 10,000 comments from July 2019 to December 2020. The researchers analyzed Australian blog posts that dealt with diplomacy, defense, trade tension surrounding Australia and China, and election-related discourse in Australia. “Our results showed that Australian bloggers were dominant and discussed the topics of interest compared to Russian and U.S. bloggers,” Shaik said. “The Australian blogosphere simultaneously discussed climate change along with defense-related topics, and they prefer to give attention to long-term topics over short-term topics.” The results can help policy makers reach informed decisions, visualize trending topics over time, and discover influential topics, as well as help political scientists and sociologists mine key concerns from influential discourse. “Analyzing topics of interest from online discourse can be challenging,” Shaik said. “Our results show that COVID-19 discourse absorbs much of the attention of bloggers during the time period considered, even though no COVID-related keywords were incorporated in the data collection. Our findings suggest that a topic can be influential even when it is not trending and vice-versa.” The research was supported by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, National Science Foundation, Australian DSTO, Entergy, and Arkansas Research Alliance. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations. The researchers gratefully acknowledge the support.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate is Sharing Gifted and Talented Education with the Community

John Hill — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 13:47:03 +0000

Dr. Monica Meadows, a gifted and talented facilitator for the Pulaski County Special School District, is making a difference by sharing her passion for gifted and talented education with the community. As the first person in their family to graduate from college, Meadows’ parents were so determined that she do well in college that they both took on second jobs so she would not have to work during her first two years of college. “It’s a good feeling for my family that I went to college and earned a degree,” she said. “It was something my parents always encouraged me to do. I think it has changed the course that my life has gone because I have a college degree. My mom was always so encouraging that even though I’m the first one to go to college, it was exciting for everyone when I graduated. I don’t think the idea of not continuing my studies after high school ever crossed my mind because she encouraged me from day one.” After completing a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Central Arkansas, Meadows began her career as a science teacher at Blytheville High School. After she became the science teacher at Wilbur Mills University Studies High School, Meadows had the opportunity to teach in the gifted and talented education program so she decided to head back to school to pursue the nine-credit hour requirement in graduate studies. At the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, Meadows found a true friend, advisor, and mentor in Dr. Ann Robinson, the center’s director, who ultimately convinced Meadows to complete a graduate certificate, master’s degree, and doctorate at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “In my family, the ultimate goal was to get a bachelor’s degree, and I never thought about anything else,” she said. “Dr. Ann Robinson really saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Having strong professors and advisors really played a key role in my life.” Meadows has now been teaching for nearly two decades, and she’s no longer the only person in her family to earn a college degree. “When I finished my master’s degree, I encouraged my father to go to school,” Meadows said. “He actually got his bachelor’s degree in his mid-50s. He had been toying around with the idea for a while, and his job encouraged him by helping pay for his degree.” As a gifted and talented educator, Meadows said it’s important to identify and motivate these special students. If students are not being challenged in school, this can lead to boredom, behavioral challenges, and dropping out of school. “Our gifted and talented students think a little differently,” she said. “They are able to process information faster, and they need challenges and encouragement to meet their needs just like any other student. People sometimes think our gifted and smart kids will be okay no matter what, but that’s not the case. They need interventions, support and enrichment and encouragement just like any other kid.” She also continues to conduct research with Dr. Robinson. A book chapter the pair wrote is part of a book, “Unlocking Potential: Identifying and Serving Gifted Students from Low-Income Households,” that was recently selected as the 2021 Book of the Year Award by the National Association for Gifted Children. In the summertime, Meadows also works as an AP course assistant for the Jodie Mahony Center. She also serves on the board of directors for the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education as the parent affiliate director, an apt position as Meadows has now come full circle with two teenage daughters who are both in gifted and talented education programs. “I always make sure my kids are getting the classes they need so they don’t get bored,” Meadows said. “Just being a mom of two teenagers, I thought I had a lot of work when they were younger and I was in college. They are very involved in school. My husband and I are both educators, and we want them to be well rounded and be involved in activities and the arts and music.” Meadows suspects her own children will go on to earn graduate degrees as they have seen both their parents earn advanced degrees while working full time and raising a family. “My husband, Robert Meadows, is also getting his master’s degree at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” she said. “He decided he needed his master’s degree after I got my doctorate. He is getting his master’s degree in learning systems and educational technology. He loves this program so far and finds a lot of things that are useful for a music teacher, especially with the shift to offering online and hybrid courses. There’s been a lot of things he’s been able to adapt for his music classes.” Meadows’ advice for other first-generation college students is to pave your own road if you want to be successful. “You can do whatever you set your mind to,” Meadows said. “It doesn’t matter what others have done before you. When I started my bachelor’s degree, I never thought I would get a master’s, let alone a doctorate. I would literally do my school work while sitting and rocking a baby in a chair. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. You can do it as long as you have the support and drive and time management to see it through.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host 31st Arkansas College Art History Symposium March 10-12

John Hill — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 17:05:29 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host the 31st Annual Arkansas College Art History Symposium March 10-12. Dr. Alison Kettering, professor emerita of art at Carleton College, will give the keynote presentation, “Black in Rembrandt’s Time: The Culture of Race in 17th-century Dutch Art,” at 6 p.m. Friday, March 12, via the artWORKS zoom lecture. With a special interest in 17th-century Dutch art, Professor Kettering has taught a wide range of courses on early modern art throughout Western Europe, gender issues in Western art, portraiture, and the theory and methodology of art history. She is a past president of Historians of Netherlandish Art and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art. The three-day virtual art history symposium also features 11 presentations by college students at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, University of Central Arkansas (UCA), Arkansas State University (ASU), and Henderson State University (HSU). “The annual Art History Symposium is a way to highlight some excellent student research in Arkansas colleges and universities,” said Dr. Floyd Martin, professor of art history at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a founder of the symposium. “For many students it is the first time they have an opportunity to present their work to an audience beyond a single class. While we will miss the informal discussions and interactions of a normal symposium, we are glad we can offer virtual talks this year.”

Keynote Speaker Alison Kettering

Wednesday, March 10: Messages of Hope and Hopelessness 2 p.m. – Madison Seiter, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, “Contemporary Art of Africa: Visual Narratives of Struggle, Activism, and Identity in Willie Bester’s Two and Three-Dimensional Works” 2:30 p.m. – Olivia Fleming, UCA, “Helen Zughaib’s Syrian Migration Series: Examining the World’s Largest Refugee Crisis through Art” 3 p.m. – Laurel Gaither, ASU, “The Conscious Insider:�� René Magritte & Surrealism” 3:30 p.m. – Maegan Wise, UCA, “Lifting Voices: Suffrage Rugs and Sharon Louden” Thursday March 11: Feminine Perspectives in Art History 2 p.m. – Jordan Hancock, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, “William Blake’s Ideas of Femininity Told through Pity and Enitharmon” 2:30 p.m. – Marti Jo Boren, ASU, “Women of the WPA and Different Versions of the Natural State” 3 p.m. – Skylar Stickford, HSU, “Power of the Female Nude” 3:30 p.m. – Cassy Christ, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, “Reconstructing History:�� Developing Feminist Identities through Non-traditional Materials and Applications” Friday March 12- Session 3: Nonwestern Traditions, Craft and Culture 2 p.m. – Mackenzie Nunnally, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, “The Esoteric Craft of Kabyle Women: Traditions of Pottery, Textiles, and Geometric Motifs” 2:30 p.m. – Avery Rudolph, UCA, “Angkor Wat” 3 p.m. LeAnne Roberson, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, “The Old and the New:�� How Shawn Hunt’s Transformation Mask helps make Native American Art More Accessible” The Arkansas College Art History Symposium was born through friendship and an awareness that undergraduate students in the state of Arkansas did not have an opportunity to present their research — an important experience for future art historians. Martin and Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at the University of Central Arkansas, are the symposium founders and visionaries. The 30-year friends saw a need and established the Arkansas College Art History Symposium in 1991. The symposium experience echoes the expectations given to professional historians. Students have the opportunity to formally present their work, network with students in the state with similar interests and give greater attention to the discipline. The symposium also provides a unique opportunity for art history faculty from colleges and universities across the state to interact. ��The art history symposium is free and open to the public. Participants may join the virtual event . Members of the public may register for the March 12 .

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host ‘Sticks and Stones’ photo exhibit

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 13:50:41 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host a photography exhibit by Donna Pinckley, professor of art at the University of Central Arkansas, from March 18 to April 26.�� The exhibit, “Sticks and Stones,” will be on display in the Focus Gallery at the Windgate Center of Art and Design on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. Pinckley will talk about her work at 6 p.m. Monday, April 15, in the Windgate Center of Art and Design Room 101. Pinckley’s work has dealt with the human condition and the intimate relationship between the subject and her audience and has evolved into her current body of work that deals with racism. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Fine Arts in photography from University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in over 200 solo and juried shows including a recent exhibit with The Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 160 in Bath, United Kingdom. She is also included in several public collections, such as the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Louisiana, the University of Veracruz at Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, and the Photographic Collection at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin. In 2017, Pinckley was awarded an honorarium at the Houston Center for Photography’s Members Show. In 2016, she was the first recipient of the Josephine Herrick Photography Award for combining photography with social justice and was selected for Photolucida’s Critical Mass Top 50 exhibition. The Focus Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, contact Joli Livaudias at 501-569-3182 or jklivaudais@ualr.edu. The upper right photograph contains Donna Pinckley’s photograph, “Black Feller. To each his own,” that will be on display in the “Sticks and Stones” exhibit.��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host 29th annual Art History Symposium

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 13:54:50 +0000

Four University of Arkansas at Little Rock students will be among the presenters at the 29th annual Arkansas College Art History Symposium on Thursday, March 7, and Friday, March 8, at the Windgate Center of Art and Design Room 101. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock art history students who will be presenting include:

��Shayla Grimmett, “George Catlin’s Effect on Manifest Destiny,” 9:15 a.m. March 8
��Cassandra Christ, “A Century of Violence: William Hogarth’s ‘The Four Stages of Cruelty’ and the Cyclical Nature of Violence in 18th Century London,” 11 a.m. March 8
��Kennedy Butler, “The Influence of JC Leyendecker’s Sexuality in Early 20th Century American Illustration,” 11 a.m. March 8
��Grace Lytle, “Images of Empathy: Käthe Kollwitz’s ‘Krieg’ Series,” 1:40 p.m. March 8

Students from Henderson State University, University of Central Arkansas, and University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, will also be presenting at the symposium. Dr. Debra Murphy, professor of art history and the inaugural chair of the Department of Art and Design at the University of North Florida, will give the keynote lecture, “Rendering Rome,” at 6 p.m. March 7. Murphy will discuss how artists have visualized the city of Rome in art from antiquity through the 19th century. Murphy earned her Ph.D. in art history from Boston University, where she studied the history of Italian Renaissance art. Her scholarly agenda includes 16th century Italian art and contemporary art, patronage, and collections in Florida. She has been recognized twice by UNF for outstanding undergraduate teaching and founded the University of North Florida summer Italy Program in 2009. The Arkansas College Art History Symposium was born through friendship and an awareness that undergraduate students in the state of Arkansas did not have an opportunity to present their research — an important experience for future art historians. Dr. Floyd Martin, professor of art history at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at the University of Central Arkansas, are the symposium founders and visionaries. The 30-year friends saw a need and established the Arkansas College Art History Symposium in 1991. The symposium experience echoes the expectations given to professional historians. Students have the opportunity to formally present their work, network with students in the state with similar interests and give greater attention to the discipline. The symposium also provides a unique opportunity for art history faculty from colleges and universities across the state to interact.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock, UCA announce Governor’s I-40 Showdown

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 13:45:50 +0000

The athletic departments from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Central Arkansas announced the formation of the Governor’s I-40 Showdown, a rivalry series established to promote the spirit of in-state competition between the Little Rock Trojans and the Central Arkansas Bears while celebrating the athletic programs of both schools.�� “The Governor’s I-40 Showdown will produce a good-natured rivalry with well-earned bragging rights when the triumphant school brings home the trophy,” said Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. “The Showdown no doubt will boost interest in all 11 sports designated for the competition and will encourage the athletes by showing their fans are behind them. And this rivalry will give the universities another platform to promote their academic programs to recruit new students.” While these two Division I institutions, separated by just 30 miles, have competed against each other for decades, the newly-formalized rivalry will ensure the Bears and Trojans continue their rivalry in all sports that are mutually sponsored by both institutions. “This really promotes the spirit of in-state competition,” said Little Rock Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics��Chasse Conque. “It really promotes these two fine institutions and our athletic programs, but really our student-athletes. We promote the entire student-athlete and this gives us another avenue to showcase their successes.” “There are other Division programs in other states that do something similar, and we think it just makes sense,” said Central Arkansas Director of Athletics Brad Teague. “In-state competition just makes sense, and why wouldn’t we want to do this? It’s a big time announcement, and we’re proud of it.” As part of the Governor’s I-40 Showdown, Little Rock and Central Arkansas will compete on the fields of play each year across 11 sports. The Bears and Trojans will meet annually in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s golf. Each head-to-head competition will have a pre-determined point value for the winning team. The university that accumulates the most points during the athletic season will have its name permanently engraved on the Governor’s Trophy – a traveling trophy that will reside on the reigning champion’s campus the following year. The Governor’s Trophy will be presented at the final competition between the two schools, which is the annual baseball game played at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. The first head-to-head meeting between the two schools as part of the Governor’s I-40 Showdown will take place Friday, August 17, when UCA and Little Rock meet in women’s soccer at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex in Conway. The two schools will go head-to-head in 10 different sports in 2018-19 with women’s basketball added to the rivalry in 2019-20.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock hosts surrounding universities for annual Calculus Bowl

Jenny Lambert — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 17:00:49 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Mathematics and Statistics was the recent host of a highly competitive Calculus Bowl on Friday, April 6. Several math clubs from universities across the state were in attendance, representing the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, and the University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College. �� At the start of the afternoon, the students filed into the Engineering, Technology and Science building for registration, and afterward, gathered in a classroom to compete in the calculus contest. Here, students competed as individuals, working through a timed, 15 question calculus exam without the use of calculators or phones. Following the competition, students enjoyed a lunch of fresh pizza and refreshments while grooving to the sounds of “We Few,” a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student band composed of drummer, Seraphim Lawhorn; guitarist, Dallas Smith; and standing base guitarist, Jordan Anderson. Once students were refueled and refreshed, they huddled into their groups for the main event – Math Jeopardy. Each team was given an instrument, such as a bell, rattle, symbol, or drumsticks, for sounding off and letting the game’s orchestrator know they had an answer. As the reigning champs, ��Vlog��ýPB selected the first question. As the game took off, the anticipation among the students grew. While some questions caused silence to fall upon the room as students penciled their calculations, others garnered an almost immediate response, showcasing the wit and intelligence of the math whizzes. Finally, the game came to an end and ��Vlog��ýPB once again took home the title of the winning team. This group was awarded a $200 cash prize to go toward its math club. Individual winners of the overall competition were also announced. These students were selected for having the highest scores in the calculus contest. Individual prizes included two $100 cash prizes, ten $20 cash prizes, and ten $10 cash prizes. These students and their placements included:

First place – Joseph Filipek, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock
Second place – Travis Chism, Arkansas Tech
Third place – Zach Smith, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock
Fourth place – Justa Frank, Arkansas Tech; Jesse Griffiths, Arkansas Tech; Chandrasimha Penthala, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Azaryah Wilson, UCA
Fifth place – Tyrone Brock,��Vlog��ýPB; Timothy Coth, Pulaski Tech; Christopher Flocken, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Hayden Henson, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock
Sixth place: Gilberto Guerra, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Robert Hill, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Nickolai Knight, ��Vlog��ýPB; Paloma Salazar, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; ��Eric Sutherland, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock
Seventh place: Brycelynn Bailey, Arkansas Tech; Madison Gartch, UCA; Matthew Horn, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Tyler Huffstutler, Arkansas State; Aaron Jackson, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Shamara Lawrence, ��Vlog��ýPB; Verenice Perez, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock; Humphrey Wanjala, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

For more information, contact event coordinator, Dr. Xiu Ye, at xxye@ualr.edu.

Steinbuch to be featured speaker discussing proposed changes to Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:05:46 +0000

Robert Steinbuch, professor of law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law, is one of two featured speakers who will discuss proposed changes to Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on Wednesday, April 11.�� The Transparency in Government Group of Western Arkansas meeting, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Fort Smith. Steinbuch has participated in numerous informational panels on FOIA, is a coauthor of the definitive treatise on the Arkansas FOIA, and has advised legislators and staff on proposed revisions to the Arkansas and federal FOIA laws. The second featured speaker, Rob Moritz, is a professor of journalism at the University of Central Arkansas and alumnus of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a master’s degree in journalism.

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

Pendergraft to Direct 2022 Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

COSMOS Researchers Win Best Paper Award for Research into Australian Blogosphere

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate is Sharing Gifted and Talented Education with the Community

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to host 31st Arkansas College Art History Symposium March 10-12

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to host ‘Sticks and Stones’ photo exhibit

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to host 29th annual Art History Symposium

����Vlog��ý Little Rock, UCA announce Governor’s I-40 Showdown

����Vlog��ý Little Rock hosts surrounding universities for annual Calculus Bowl