Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, associate dean of the College of Business, Health, and Human Services and professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Robert Lytle, associate professor of criminal justice, received a three-year $324,987 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2021 to study anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crimes in Arkansas.

The Research Experience for Undergraduates program provided 10 talented undergraduate students with a funded opportunity to engage in research. During the final summer of the program, student researchers studied the perceptions of lawmakers as to the extent of hate crimes against Muslims as well as the obstacles in passing hate crime legislation in Arkansas.

鈥淲e spent this summer talking with policy makers and looking at some of the transcripts of public hearings related to the hate crime bills that were passed in Arkansas a few years ago,鈥� Lytle said. 鈥淭he goal was to learn about the policy process and to look at how we as a state respond to hate crimes. The first two years of the study we focused on understanding what hate crimes and anti-Muslim sentiment looks like. This year, we were able to talk with some legislators. The students also transcribed videos of committee and floor meetings in which legislators debated the hate crime bill. The videos are publicly available on the state’s General Assembly website.鈥�

This year鈥檚 summer researchers included Sophia Atwell of George Mason University, Emily Flesher of the University of Oklahoma, Brandon Goetz of Wartburg College, Maya Hwang of Los Angeles Pierce College, Aneesha Lawrence of Howard University, Alexandra Kazen of the University of Texas at Austin, Justin Paolino of Bard College, Star Purchase of Indiana University-Indianapolis, Marybeth Sloat of Husson University, and Ayshe Yeter of the University of Kentucky.

鈥淚 am really interested in research in the social sciences,鈥� said Goetz, a senior psychology and criminal justice major. 鈥淚 think my future career interest is in counseling psychology and graduate school will be research oriented. I wanted to take a summer to home in on these skills and get involved in a research project. I wanted to learn skills that will help me in my career.鈥�

This year鈥檚 cohort built upon the work of the previous two summer cohorts. Last year, the students studied the extent and scope of anti-Muslim hate crimes in Arkansas. The 2022 group analyzed qualitative interview data with members of the Muslim community in Central Arkansas to identify common patterns and themes in experiences with anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crime.

Yeter, a senior political science major, was especially interested in exploring the political side of things as she is interested in practicing public service law in the future.

鈥淭he most interesting thing for me was to see how much the legislative process can change from state to state,鈥� Yeter said. 鈥淲e got to visit the Arkansas State Capitol, sit in on a committee hearing, and interview legislators. This summer is like a boot camp for research. We basically did everything a Ph.D. student does in their first year during our eight weeks here.鈥�

During the summer program in June and July, the student researchers participated in research and content workshops, alumni presentations, experiential activities, collecting and analyzing data, writing a research brief on findings, and participating in a final presentation for internal and external stakeholders.

鈥淚 am originally from Arkansas so being able to do research in my home state was really cool,鈥� said Flesher, a junior public health and art therapy major. 鈥淕etting to study communities that are near and dear to my heart has been great. My university research experience is primarily focused on quantitative skills so getting to focus on qualitative skills has been great as I hope to become a mixed-methods researcher.鈥�

Flesher remains grateful for the summer research opportunity because of all the valuable skills she learned as well as the insight she learned about applying to graduate school.

鈥淭he program has been really helpful in terms of my future career,鈥� Flesher said. 鈥淢y dream job is to be a college professor at a research institution. I鈥檝e really fallen in love with the process of research and what it can do for the world around us.鈥�

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Completes Final Year of Undergraduate Research Experience Focused on Hate Crime Victimization in the South appeared first on News.

Matusevich is working as a research assistant alongside Criminal Justice Professors Dr. Mary Parker, Dr. Robert Lytle, and Dr. Molly Smith on a climate study project for the Arkansas Department of Corrections that investigates the perspectives of five populations: inmates, corrections staff, former corrections staff, volunteers, and inmate family members.

“This is a really great experience for graduate students to see criminal justice systems in context while reading research about those systems,鈥� Lytle said. 鈥淜atelin has jumped into this project with both feet and has already shown herself to be an important part of the team.

In this pivotal role, Matusevich is not only contributing to vital research but also gaining firsthand experience and insights that will shape her future academic and professional endeavors.

鈥淚鈥檝e been working on this project for a little over a year now,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he whole purpose of the study is to get a gauge of what it鈥檚 like to be one of these populations within the Arkansas Department of Corrections and to get perspectives from different people. It will be interesting to see the results of that study.鈥�

After the project is completed in 2025, the research team will present their results to the Arkansas Department of Corrections and the Arkansas State Legislature. It is hoped that the evidence and data in the climate study will be useful to these bodies as they make future decisions regarding state corrections.

鈥淚 have previously worked in a magistrate court in West Virginia and completed the intake process with offenders before they went to jail,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen this opportunity came up, I was interested because I have previously worked with offenders. This is a special population with a unique perspective that is not always easily accessible. I think this project is really important, and it鈥檚 been interesting to see how different agencies and facilities operate.鈥�

In addition to the climate study, Matusevich is also researching youth group violence, whether childhood victimization influences gang participation, and attorney questioning strategies in sexual assault cases. She will be studying indigenous organizations for her dissertation and is planning to graduate from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2026.

鈥淜atelin is one of the brightest and best research assistants I have ever worked with,鈥� said Dr. Mary Parker, professor of criminal justice. 鈥淪he is not afraid to jump into an impossibly big multi-year research project with both feet and stay up with the rest of the team whether we are working in prison with inmates and staff, or she is entering data for hard copy written surveys. She has made our project so much easier for me to manage. I wish I had 10 of her!鈥�

The post Criminal Justice Doctoral Student Gains Valuable Insights as Research Assistant appeared first on News.

In 1994, Golden started his 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock career as a research coordinator at the Criminal Justice Institute. He has gone through the ranks of professorship and a term as graduate coordinator. He will retire in June as head honcho of criminal justice, serving out his final year as interim director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology.

鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate that I stayed in one place for a long time,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淢y greatest achievement would be that I tried to give back to my university, my community, and my discipline. I had a lot of great students along the way. I鈥檝e been around long enough to have had students who were children of former students. It鈥檚 been a lot of fun.鈥�

Many of Golden鈥檚 co-workers had great things to report about his time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

“I’m happy that I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jim for the past eight years,鈥� said Dr. Robert Lytle, associate professor of criminal justice. 鈥淗is joy for community-facing research and collegiality have been important for what was, when I first started, a pretty young faculty. Whenever junior faculty and graduate students get lost in the trees of the job, Jim was particularly good at reminding us there is more to the forest of scholarship and education.”

Over the years, Golden has taught everything from research methods and statistics to cybercrime and terrorism classes. Golden developed a reputation as the guy who would teach any subject, remarking that his overall favorite class was called Disorganized Crime, which looked into gangs and disorganized crime.

鈥淚鈥檝e kind of been the guy that would take a stab at teaching classes that nobody else wanted to teach,鈥� he said.

After spending three years in the U.S. Army, Golden started his criminal justice career, not as an academic, but as a police officer in Jonesboro. By 1985, Golden was a detective sergeant, but his parents, who had bought a police scanner to monitor crime in the area, had already started a campaign for Golden to move into the safer world of academia.

鈥淭here was an opening for an instructor position at Arkansas State, and I was approached by the chair of the sociology department,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淎 lot of my mentors sat me down and told me that I could stay in the department and wait for someone to die until I got a promotion, or I could go to Arkansas State where I could have a positive impact on many more people. It was a conspiracy!鈥�

After four years as an instructor, Golden headed to Sam Houston State University to earn his Ph.D., where he and his wife ended up renting an apartment from a woman who had taught Golden鈥檚 father when he attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas. Golden鈥檚 father subsequently served as one of his inspirations for becoming a professor.

鈥淚鈥檓 a second-generation college professor,鈥� Golden stated. 鈥淚 started teaching at Arkansas State in 1985 and was fortunate enough to spend two years on the faculty with my father, who taught counselor education and psychology.鈥�

Funnily enough, Golden seems to come from a family that aggregates doctoral degrees. Golden, two of his siblings, and three of his first cousins all hold doctoral degrees.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what was in the water in Greenway, Arkansas, (Golden鈥檚 father and sister鈥檚 hometown) but it鈥檚 unusual to find six first cousins with Ph.D.s or M.D.s,鈥� he said.

In addition to his father, Golden identified two of his co-workers, the late Dr. Charles Chastain and Dr. Mary Parker, as the people who have most influenced his career.

鈥淭hey have both influenced how I have taught and a lot of what I have taught more than anyone else,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淲ith both Charles and Mary, I could go to them and ask them questions about anything. In fact, my management style this year as interim director has been 100-percent based off Mary Parker鈥檚 style of leadership.鈥�

Parker, a professor of criminal justice, also had good things to share about her time working with Golden.

鈥淚t has been an honor and a privilege to work with Jim for a lot of years (neither of us is saying how long),鈥� Parker said. 鈥淗e is the perfect combination of professional and academic, and he has had an incredible influence on our students. I will miss him terribly and thank him for everything he has done for me, our school, and our students!鈥�

Once he鈥檚 retired, Golden plans to spend more time volunteering at his church, spending time with his six-year-old granddaughter Harper Finley Smith, working as a ham radio operator, and traveling around seeing new sites and visiting his old favorites.

鈥淚鈥檓 an amateur photographer so I want to go on photo tours,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to visit my childhood homes of Silverton and Durango. I want to spend some time traveling across the country to go to New England and visit lighthouses. I鈥檝e got a bucket list of places to go. I want to be able to stop at places that have odd things like the world鈥檚 biggest watermelon and travel along Route 66.鈥�

The post Golden Years: Longtime Criminal Justice Professor Will Enjoy Retirement after 30 Years of Service at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock appeared first on News.

The commencement ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Jack Stephens Center. Doors will open at 7:45 a.m. to the public, and graduates should arrive at Fisher Court by 8:30 a.m.

The ceremony will feature undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Business, Health, and Human Services, the Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, and the William H. Bowen School of Law.

Commencement speakers include Dr. Dean Kumpuris, chair of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Board of Visitors; Dr. Robert Lytle, associate professor of criminal justice, graduate coordinator, and winner of the 2023 Bailey Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching; and Kevin Crass, a member of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees and the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Board of Visitors.

The William H. Bowen School of Law will hold a hooding ceremony and reception to celebrate its graduating law students on Friday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m. in the Friday Courtroom at Bowen. Lindsey Gustafson, associate dean for academic affairs, will serve as the speaker for the hooding ceremony.

Additionally, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will hold a contest on the university鈥檚 Facebook page where the public can vote on the best-decorated graduation cap.

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock commencement ceremony will be live-streamed on the and the .

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Celebrate Fall Commencement Dec. 16 appeared first on News.

Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, associate dean of CBHHS and professor of criminal justice, and Dr. Robert Lytle, the graduate coordinator for the school, received a three-year $324,987 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2021 to study the perceptions of Muslims in Arkansas who have been the target of discrimination, harassment, or interpersonal crime, along with the impacts such behaviors have on victims.

The 2023 summer student researchers include Eliyah Campbell of the University of Alabama, Anna Goyette of Washington University, Gracie Hess of Longwood University, Larissa Nichols of the University of Florida, Dalal Shalash of Ohio State University, Sam Strickland of Florida State University, Zion Soloman of Rogers State University, and Jimmi Winn of University of Central Oklahoma. This year鈥檚 cohort participated in the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of this project through the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

鈥淕etting research experience as an undergrad sets you apart,鈥� said Solomon, a senior psychology major. 鈥淚 wanted to see if research is something I want to do in the future, and I wanted to experience working with people who are as excited about being in a learning environment as I am. They taught us about such a variety of things, it鈥檚 all going to be useful at some point.鈥�

This year鈥檚 cohort build upon the work of the 2022 summer cohort, who analyzed qualitative interview data with members of the Muslim community in Central Arkansas to identify common patterns and themes in experiences with anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crime.

鈥淭his year’s cohort focused on quantitative methods to produce a data analysis of public perceptions of anti-Muslim discrimination,鈥� Lytle said. 鈥淗owever, they are also part of an ongoing project to gather experiences with anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crime from a larger sample of Muslims in Arkansas.鈥�

The students completed a literature review of research on anti-Muslim sentiment and victimization as well as a data analysis using a publicly available opinion poll – the American National Election Study (ANES). The literature review incorporated more than 100 research articles on four topics 鈥� hate crime offending, hate crime victimization, help-seeking and crime reporting, and Islamophobia.

鈥淭he data analysis looked at public perceptions of Muslims as a group targeted for discrimination in the United States – essentially a measure of the belief that Muslims experience discrimination in the U.S,鈥� Lytle said. 鈥淚n addition to a written report on the findings of the literature review and data analysis, the students also presented their findings in a public presentation on the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock campus. The written report will be finalized over the coming weeks. Some of the students have expressed interest in presenting the results at academic conferences in the coming year.鈥�

During the summer program from June 5 to July 29, the student researchers participated in research and content workshops, alumni presentations, experiential activities, collecting and analyzing data, writing a research brief on findings, and participating in a final presentation for internal and external stakeholders. Three criminal justice professors and three graduate assistants at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock served as mentors for the students.

Strickland, who is a senior psychology and law major, said participating in the program helped build her research, statistical analysis, and academic writing skills.

鈥淢y goal is to get a Ph.D. in clinical and forensic psychology,鈥� Strickland said. 鈥淵ou need to have a really great understanding of different groups of people so you can provide meaningful and worthwhile treatment to your patients. This is a gem of a program, and it touched my heart. I really wanted to challenge myself this summer and see how I would grow as a researcher and a person.鈥�

Hess, a senior, said that the summer research project was a perfect way to combine her majors of criminal justice and sociology.

鈥淚 was really excited to put my research skills to the test,鈥� Hess said. 鈥淚 think that this topic combines my two majors well. I also wanted to learn more about graduate school and more about in-depth research. I think the biggest thing I鈥檝e learned is that the research is never over. It鈥檚 applicable to many areas like policy and law.鈥�

During the upcoming 2024 summer research program, undergraduate students will interview police officers, prosecutors, and policy makers. The reports from the research project will be used to provide information for policy change, dispel myths about Islam, empower victims, identify help-seeking resources that need to be better supported, and help add training, education, and awareness in the community.

The post Student Researchers Investigate Muslim Hate Crimes in Arkansas appeared first on News.

Lytle, associate professor of criminal justice and criminology, won the Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching, sponsored by the Bailey Family. Glazier, professor in the School of Public Affairs, has won the Faculty Excellence Award in Research and Creative Endeavors, sponsored by Dr. Jaafer Golzar and family, while Grace, associate professor of biology, received the Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service.

With the addition of two new awards this year, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock also honored Dr. Mark Baillie, assistant professor of chemistry, as the inaugural recipient of the Rising Faculty Excellence Award, sponsored by the Bowen Family, as well as Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey distinguished professor of history, as the recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award in Social Justice, sponsored by Just Communities of Arkansas.

鈥淥ur winners鈥� dedication to scholarship, teaching, research, public service, and social justice has made a profound impact on our institution and the broader academic community,鈥� Provost Ann Bain said. 鈥淭hey have demonstrated a commitment to excellence that inspires us all and sets a high standard for future generations of educators. On behalf of the university, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of the award recipients and thank you for embodying the spirit of excellence that defines our institution.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock annually celebrates the achievements of the top professors of the year who are making a difference in the community through their contributions in teaching, research and creative works, public service, and social justice. This is the highest honor 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock awards its faculty members. Each winning faculty winner will receive a $5,000 prize.

Created in 1989, the Faculty Excellence Awards has provided a way to recognize the great work of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty for the past 34 years and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Chancellor鈥檚 Circle, and the Bailey Foundation.

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Board of Visitors selected the university-wide winners from the 19 faculty members who were selected as the top faculty members for the 2022-23 academic year in each of the five categories in their respective colleges and the William H. Bowen School of Law.

Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching

Dr. Robert 鈥淏ob鈥� Lytle is an associate professor of criminal justice and criminology, as well as the graduate coordinator for the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology. Lytle has been praised by students and colleagues for his dedication to students and his passion in the classroom.

There are several examples of Lytle鈥檚 excellence in teaching. One of those in particular can be found in his instruction of doctoral level statistics courses in the criminal justice and criminology Ph.D. program. Students often find these courses to be daunting and difficult, but students and colleagues alike have praised Lytle for his ability to teach these courses and teach them well.

One student in particular said Lytle transformed a terrifying advanced statistics course into one that was manageable and even enjoyable. Fellow colleagues and students also highlight the labeled binders he creates for each of his statistics students. These binders include everything from the syllabus and extra credit assignments to 125 pages of content written by Lytle concerning material used in the statistics classes and even a statistics refresher. The binder can be used in both upper-level criminal justice and criminology statistics courses, and the binders are built in such a way that they can be reorganized and added to as the student sees fit.

Lytle has also served in several different roles in his seven years at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. He is also the graduate coordinator for his school and has also served as the school assessment coordinator for over five years. Lytle has chaired thesis committees for five students and served as reader on six additional thesis projects while at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. He is currently serving as chair on six dissertation committees and as a reader on 14 additional dissertations.

Since 2016, Lytle has published 14 peer reviewed articles, with four of these articles being written in conjunction with students. This shows his dedication in teaching, but also mentoring students in their own research. To culminate, Lytle is currently the co-principal investigator on four external grants and contracts totaling over $1 million. This provides undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to actively engage in research projects that would not be available without Lytle鈥檚 dedication to teaching and student success through classroom instruction and research outside the classroom.

Faculty Excellence Award for Research and Creative Endeavors

Dr. Rebecca Glazier is a professor in the School of Public Affairs. She is known for her research on religion and politics, as well as pedagogical research in higher education.

Glazier is noted and praised for the Little Rock Congregations Study (LRCS) she founded 11 years ago. The LRCS is a longitudinal study of religion with goals of improving the understanding of the impacts of faith-based community engagement, getting students out of the classroom and into the community to learn and give back, and providing relevant and meaningful findings to the community. She has received over $30,000 in grants from community groups related to this study, and two of her peer-reviewed articles have been co-authored with students she mentored through the study.

Glazier is also highly committed to the scholarship of teaching and to learning how to improve teaching from students. She has published seven peer-reviewed articles and three book chapters on building rapport in the classroom, along with the book 鈥淐onnecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport between Teachers and Students鈥� with Johns Hopkins University Press (2021). This has made her very influential in the pedagogical circles in higher education. Over the last five years, Glazier has published 20 peer-reviewed articles, three book chapters, and one-solo authored book with several additional pieces of work on the way.

Faculty Excellence Award for Public Service

Dr. Stephen Grace is an associate professor of biology at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Grace is a plant physiologist specializing in plant biochemistry and is a founding director of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Campus Garden.

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Campus Garden was founded in 2013 with the intent to bring together students, staff, faculty, and community members who share an interest in sustainability and gardening. The primary mission of the garden is to create a viable urban farm that provides fresh local food to organizations and individuals and to create an educational facility on urban land use, food studies, and sustainable agriculture for students, faculty, staff, and community members.

As director, Grace oversees service, teaching, and outreach activities, coordinates food delivery to food banks and other organizations, and serves as faculty advisor for the Campus Garden Alliance. The success of the garden has also created several partnerships with internal and external organizations, such as the Trojan Food Pantry, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light, University District, Full Circle FarmsCorps, as well as several local businesses, such as the Root Cafe, River Valley Horticultural Products, and Arkansas Grown.

Over the past six years, the garden has received grants and funding worth more than $60,000. External funding and grants have been provided by the Pulaski County Conservation District, L鈥橭real, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Association, and the AHRA Emergency Relief grant. Grace鈥檚 work with the garden exemplifies the university鈥檚 role within the broader community.

Faculty Excellence Award for Rising Faculty

Dr. Mark Baillie is an assistant professor of chemistry in the School of Physical Sciences at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Baillie has been praised for teaching, service, and research and scholarship.

Baillie has focused much of his career on the science of teaching. There are numerous examples of his efforts, but one example is the drastic reduction of DFW rates, the percentage of students in a course or program who receive a D or F grade or who withdraw, in his general chemistry class. His class has less than half the DFW rate observed in traditional classes, but students perform at the same level on the nationally normed standardized exams in the class. This shows there has not been a reduction in class standards.

Baillie brought expertise from the National Institute on Scientific Teaching and with this expertise has provided Mobile Institutes on Scientific Teaching (MoSI) workshops to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty and graduate students. Over the past four years, he has trained 87 faculty members and 18 graduate students. The focus of these workshops is fostering a more engaging learning environment for students through the use of evidence-based practices and active learning. Baillie also co-founded the university鈥檚 first Learning Assistant (LA) program in the Chemistry department with the School of Physical Sciences. This program uses students to serve as peer mentors and active learning collaborators. It has also been replicated in other units across campus.

Baillie鈥檚 primary scholarship has been on teaching and learning. He led an interdisciplinary team that was awarded a prestigious $2 million NSF grant to promote active learning in STEM classrooms at the university.

Faculty Excellence Award for Social Justice

Dr. John Kirk is the George W. Donaghey distinguished professor of history in the Department of History at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. He is an internationally recognized scholar of the civil rights movement, and he has worked continually over the years to help the public and students understand the struggle for social justice.

Kirk has taught several courses related to racial justice including the classes Introduction to Race and Ethnicity and Civil Rights Movement since 1954. He also played a key role in establishing the minor in race and ethnicity at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Students have praised his courses as transformative, and he has aided students with their own publications on social justice.

Outside the classroom, Kirk is a noted civil rights scholar and advocate for social justice. His scholarship is extensive and includes 鈥淭he Civil Rights Movement: A Documentary Reader,鈥� a consultancy for a Netflix series on schools and race, a CNN podcast on the 1959 fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys Industrial School, and an AETN documentary on Little Rock鈥檚 West 9th Street.

Kirk has produced more than 400 鈥淎rkansas Moments鈥� radio segments, published his work in newspapers and magazines, conducted numerous media interviews, generated racial attitudes reports, and organized several community conferences. On top of this extensive work, he developed the award-winning Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail, which was adopted as part of the national US Civil Rights Trail in 2018.

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Honors Lytle, Glazier, Grace, Baillie, Kirk as 2023 Faculty Excellence Winners appeared first on News.