Coming in at No. 10, this story told the legacy and impact of Howard Williams, a former truck driver who headed the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board for decades. He鈥檚 known for his unwavering support for the education and advancement of young construction professionals in Arkansas, including helping to found the Construction Management program at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

The heartwarming tale of Professor Julien Mirivel, an expert in the field of positive communication, becoming a U.S. citizen 29 years after he first arrived in the country as a high school exchange student is the ninth most popular story of the year.

It鈥檚 hard to imagine earning the title of a Distinguished Alumni without being popular at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock! The story honoring the winners of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards 鈥� Oscar Horton, Bill Mathis, Jr., Stephanie Caruthers, and Nancy Secen 鈥� earned its spot in the Top 10 stories of 2023.

2023 has been an exciting year for Dr. Sloan Davidson, director of the School of Nursing at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. A story about her being named to Soiree Magazine鈥檚 2023 Class of Women to Watch proved to be the seventh most popular story of 2023.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Centennial Campaign Member James Bobo is a well-known personality around campus and Little Rock. The story of Bobo being selected as the 2023 Taste of Little Rock Honoree made the list as the sixth most popular story of the year.

Families are always looking for fun ways to spend the summer months, and a story on a free cybersecurity summer camp for junior high and high school students was very popular at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, coming in fifth on the list.

Student scholarships are always popular with college students and their families, which is why it was no surprise that the announcement of a new matching scholarship for 糖心Vlog传媒-Pulaski Tech students who transfer to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock came in as the fourth most popular story of 2023.

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community was excited to welcome Colin Crawford as the new dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law in July, rounding out the top three stories of 2023.

The penultimate story of last year proved the continued popularity of student scholarship programs across Arkansas. The launch of Trojan Guarantee, a groundbreaking initiative designed to break down financial barriers and empower freshmen to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree with no tuition cost, came in as the second top story of the year.

Coming in as the top story of 2023 is the tale of doctoral student Ranjitha Hariharalakshmanan, who won a prestigious national graduate student award from the AVS for her materials science research into creating a more efficient method of water purification!

The post Year in Review: Top 10 Stories of 2023 appeared first on News.

In spite of a three-week delay, the April 25 event sold out for the first time in history, selling more than 1,060 tickets and drawing a record crowd. Additionally, the event raised more than $145,000 for student scholarships, the most in Taste of Little Rock history.

The event is also a celebration of the university鈥檚 annual Giving Day. The university broke its goal of raising half a million dollars during this year鈥檚 Giving Day, including securing a gift from every county in Arkansas and every state in the nation.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 event was a huge success, thanks to our dedicated board members and co-chairs, Loris Fullerton and Stephanie Caruthers, as well as the entire 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumni and development staff,鈥� said Heide Harrell, president of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors. 鈥淚t was wonderful to have so many community leaders and university supporters come together to raise money for the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund and honor the infamous James Bobo.鈥�

The event honored James Bobo as the night鈥檚 honoree. Bobo, who retired from Entergy in 2017, has a passion for his alma mater and has given back to support higher education in Arkansas. He served two terms on the Alumni Board of Directors and as a past president. He now serves on the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, helping to lead the university鈥檚 largest fundraising effort to raise $250 million by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 centennial anniversary in 2027.

鈥淚t is awesome, wonderful, and breathtaking to see so many people come out for food, fun, fellowship, and a great time,鈥� Bobo said. 鈥淚 truly appreciate everyone who has come out to support the university and our students. What excites me the most is the money we are raising for scholarships for our students. That is what is near and dear to my heart, helping others, and especially our wonderful students who are working so hard to earn their college degrees.鈥�

Taste of Little Rock, originally scheduled for April 4, was delayed three weeks due to the destructive EF3 tornado that hit Central Arkansas on March 31 and impacted so many people in the community. In light of this, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community was more determined to support students in need than ever before.

“After we had to postpone because of the devastating tornado, it is a true blessing to be able to raise money for our student scholarships,鈥� said Loris Fullerton, co-chair of the Taste of Little Rock Committee. 鈥淥ur sponsors have been wonderful. We have a great crowd, and we are thrilled with tonight鈥檚 event. We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and generosity from our community.”

Taste of Little Rock, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 highly anticipated culinary and social event, raises funds for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Scholarship Fund, which provides thousands of scholarship dollars every year to deserving 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students. And Giving Day raises funds to support the Centennial Campaign pillars, which include scholarships, program excellence, student support, and the living and learning environments.

鈥淩aising money for student scholarships is what this event is all about,鈥� said Alfred Williams, co-chair of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Centennial Campaign Committee. 鈥淭he whole Centennial Campaign is all about providing the best education and future possible for our students.鈥�

Taste of Little Rock is an incredible gathering that showcases the diverse and delectable cuisine of the city’s most talented and innovative restaurant owners. This event provides an opportunity for the community to come together and savor the best flavors Little Rock has to offer while supporting an important cause.

The culinary extravaganza featured a wide variety of restaurants and caterers with selections to fill every palate. They included Afrobites, Andy鈥檚, Blue Cloud, Blue Coast Burrito, Burge鈥檚, Cantina Laredo, Chuy鈥檚, Chicken Salad Chick, Community Bakery, Delicious Temptations, Fazoli鈥檚, Kemuri, Happy鈥檚 Energy and Nutrition, Kreative Expressionz Catering, Kris and Sam鈥檚, Le Pops, Loblolly Ice Cream, Lost Forty Brewing, Mockingbird Bar and Tacos, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Rivera Italian Restaurant, Sauced Bar and Oven, SAP鈥檚 Creole Cuisine, Southern Glazer鈥檚, Red Moon Tavern, Smackey鈥檚, Taj Mahal, Whole Hog, Wright鈥檚 BBQ, and Zin Wine Bar.

鈥淚 think this event and the food variety is amazing,鈥� said Taste of Little Rock attendee Carson Vogelpohl. 鈥淚 am excited to try all the different kinds of delicious food. It鈥檚 really fabulous how many choices are available. You can see Little Rock with a fork.鈥�

Taste of Little Rock would not have been a success without the event鈥檚 dedicated sponsors. Gold Sponsors include Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Entergy, and Natural State Private Wealth Group. The night鈥檚 silver sponsors include Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, Garver, HoganTaylor, Loris and Jay Fullerton, Simmons Bank, Glazer鈥檚 Beer and Beverage, Stephanie and Brooks Caruthers, and USAble Life.

Rebecca Weaver, a senior human resources business partner with Southern Glazer鈥檚, said her company has been an avid supporter of Taste of Little Rock for more years than she could remember.

鈥淲e鈥檝e supported 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock for a long time,鈥� Weaver said. 鈥淲e love to see how our donations go to support student scholarships and help grow a great workforce for Arkansas. We hope 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 students will gain a great education and come work for us in the future.鈥�

Every gift made to the university through December 2026 will be a part of the Centennial Campaign, the university鈥檚 largest fundraising campaign in history.

To learn more or give, visit /giving/product/centennial-campaign/.

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糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 highly anticipated culinary and social event, Taste of Little Rock, is set for Tuesday, April 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center. The event raises funds for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Association Scholarship Fund while introducing guests to some of the best food in the city from the finest restaurants in Little Rock.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely an honor and a humbling experience to represent 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock at Taste of Little Rock,鈥� Bobo said. 鈥淚 think learning is a lifelong effort. As long as we are on Earth, we should continue to learn to improve ourselves. I grew up with a single mother and two brothers and a sister. College wasn鈥檛 really on the radar, but my mom always wanted us to further our education. I think about kids who are in similar situations, whose families may not have the means to get them to college. That is one of the reasons I support the university, to help raise scholarships and help others get the opportunity to improve their education.鈥�

The event鈥檚 honoree has a passion for his alma mater and has given back to support higher education in Arkansas. He served two terms on the Alumni Board of Directors and as a past president. He now serves on the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, helping to lead the university鈥檚 largest fundraising effort to raise $250 million by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 centennial anniversary in 2026.

“Time and again, James unselfishly gives his time and talents to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Association,鈥� said Kristi Smith, associate vice chancellor for alumni and development. 鈥淲hen I started back in 2016, he formally began his first term on the Alumni Board of Directors but was involved long before that. Over the years, he has worked tirelessly to increase alumni participation in the Alumni Association to serving on the Centennial Campaign Cabinet. It is a joy to serve alongside him.”

After graduating from Little Rock Central High School in 1973, Bobo attended 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock for his undergraduate education. He also earned his MBA from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2005, having taken classes on nights and weekends through the Executive MBA program. Bobo went to work for Entergy Arkansas in 1978 as a power plant operator. In 1984, he joined Entergy鈥檚 nuclear design engineering group as an engineering technician which he credits to the undergraduate courses he completed in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Engineering Technology program.

鈥淥nce I went back to school and got my MBA, I continued to be promoted to the level of senior staff analyst,鈥� Bobo said. 鈥淚 reported to the director of customer service at Entergy and managed the customer service budget for the Arkansas Customer Service Organization. My MBA really helped me to improve my critical thinking and analytical skills and move up in the company.鈥�

Bobo would go on to spend 38 陆 years working at Entergy, retiring in 2017. In addition to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Bobo also serves as chairman of the Little Rock Diamond Foundation, a nonprofit he helped found in 2018 in cooperation with his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. The organizations work together to provide education and mentorship opportunities for at-risk youth. He also serves as an elder at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. Bobo and his wife Rose have four children and 14 children.

General admission tickets for Taste of Little Rock are $75, while tickets for alumni association lifetime members and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock graduates within the last five years are $35.

For sponsorship or ticket information, please contact the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Association at alumni@ualr.edu or 501-916-6438.

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