The program brings together students from colleges and universities across the state for a yearlong course combining academic learning, civil discussions, practical training, and service-learning experiences. Participants work toward earning the Civic Arkansan Credential, which recognizes a student鈥檚 commitment to tackling societal challenges, promoting civic responsibility, and contributing to the public good.

The academy was developed with input from a statewide advisory committee that includes Dr. Derek Slagle, director of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Public Affairs and associate professor of public administration.

With 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock helping to shape the program鈥檚 creation, two of its students are now among the first to experience it firsthand.

Tackett, a junior political science major from North Little Rock, said he is particularly excited about the academy鈥檚 election component.

鈥淚 have always been incredibly interested in campaigns, elections, and how the administration of elections shapes voter participation,鈥� Tackett said. 鈥淯nderstanding the electoral process, from ballot initiatives to polling place accessibility, will help give me a clear picture of what strengthens or limits electoral participation among Arkansans.鈥�

Through the program, Tackett hopes to deepen his understanding of civic engagement strategies and public policy while preparing for a career in public administration.

鈥淢y coursework at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has given me a solid foundation in how our institutions shape public policy and citizen representation,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Civic Leadership Academy will help me connect government processes with civic needs and gain the professional experience and networking opportunities to bring together academic learning with practical public service.鈥�

Carr, a junior from Paragould double majoring in political science and criminal justice, said he鈥檚 most looking forward to the program鈥檚 service-learning component.

鈥淎pplying the knowledge I鈥檝e gained from my coursework and this program to make a positive impact in the community is exciting to me,鈥� he said.

Carr said the academy鈥檚 emphasis on dialogue and empathy resonates deeply with him.

鈥淚 hope to improve at communicating with and understanding people who disagree with me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 believe America can benefit from more empathy and open dialogue, and that change begins with each individual.鈥�

Carr credits his experience in the School of Public Affairs and the Donaghey Scholars Program with preparing him to think critically and communicate effectively about the issues shaping society. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in public policy or political campaigns.

Dr. Derek Slagle, director of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Public Affairs and associate professor of public administration, praised Tackett and Carr for representing the university in the program鈥檚 first cohort.

鈥�(They) exemplify the very spirit of the program 鈥� motivated, thoughtful, and deeply engaged in public service,鈥� Slagle said. 鈥淎s early-entry MPA students and political science majors in the School of Public Affairs, they are already bridging the gap between academic study and applied leadership, translating classroom knowledge into tangible civic impact. Their participation demonstrates the strength of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 commitment to cultivating future public servants who think critically, communicate effectively, and act with purpose. Watching these students represent our university in this statewide network affirms the value of experiential civic education and underscores the promise of Arkansas鈥檚 next generation of leaders.鈥�

The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute launched the Arkansas Civic Leadership Academy to build civic capacity and develop student leaders who can strengthen communities through dialogue, collaboration, and public service.

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Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in revitalizing and reimagining Indigenous foodways. Sherman鈥檚 events will explore the intersections of food, culture, sustainability, and community health. All events are free and open to the public, though registration is encouraged by visiting this website. 

The two-day program begins Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., with 鈥�Our Food Systems: A Community Conversation.鈥� Cory Babb, chef and owner of Firelight Farm in Searcy, and Sylvia Blain, chief executive officer of Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, will join Sherman for a conversation about the politics of local foodways. Locally sourced hors d鈥檕euvres will be served.

The conversation, moderated by Jack Sundell, owner of the Root Caf茅 in Little Rock, will take place alongside a new exhibit at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown. The exhibit, 鈥淣ative (Mis)representations,鈥� examines harmful stereotypes of American Indians and Alaska Natives through materials from the Hirschfelder-Molin Native American Stereotypes Collection. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, can be seen from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown through Jan. 30, 2026. 

鈥淭he Hirschfelder-Molin Native American Stereotypes Collection was donated to the Sequoyah National Research Center in 2012 by Arlene Hirschfelder and Paulette Fairbanks Molin (White Earth Ojibwe),鈥� said Erin Fehr, assistant director and archivist at the Sequoyah National Research Center. 鈥淭hese two women spent 40 years collecting the more than 1,500 items in the collection to raise awareness of the harmful and lasting impacts of stereotypes on Native peoples.鈥�

On Oct. 22 at 1 p.m., Sherman will lead participants on an 鈥�Interactive Foraging Journey with Chef Sherman鈥� starting at the Sequoyah National Research Center in the Fine Arts Building at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. Together with Dr. Maureece Levin, assistant professor of anthropology, and her students in the Plants and People class, Sherman will guide attendees through an exploration of edible plants on 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 campus, followed by an outdoor cooking demonstration. Bo Brown, an author, songbird biologist, and forager specializing in the plants of the Ozarks, will join Sherman during this event.

Sherman鈥檚 keynote lecture, 鈥淭he (R)evolution of Indigenous Foodways,鈥� will take place Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave. Moderated by Fehr, Sherman will share his journey of rediscovering and elevating Native American culinary traditions and discuss how Indigenous food systems are shaping a more equitable and sustainable future.

Sherman鈥檚 impact extends far beyond the kitchen. His nonprofit NATIFS works to make Native foods more accessible while addressing health disparities and economic challenges in Indigenous communities. His restaurant, Owamni by The Sioux Chef, was named the 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best New Restaurant in America. His acclaimed book, 鈥�,鈥� won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018. In 2023, he was named one of TIME Magazine鈥檚 100 Most Influential People and received the Julia Child Award for culinary activism and innovation.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock administrators said the series of events reflects the university鈥檚 mission to connect Arkansans with globally relevant conversations.

鈥淐hef Sherman鈥檚 work highlights how food connects us to our past while shaping our future,鈥� said Dr. Jess Porter, executive director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture. 鈥淏y bringing him to Little Rock, we are creating space for meaningful dialogue about culture, sustainability, and resilience that benefits both our campus and the broader community.鈥�

The Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series, established in 1972, honors the legacy of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller by bringing nationally recognized speakers to University of Arkansas campuses. The series enriches the cultural and intellectual life of Arkansans by fostering discussion, sparking new ideas, and promoting lifelong learning.

For more information about the events, contact the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture at cahc@ualr.edu or 501-320-5780.

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Meadors has taken over for Dr. Keith Hudson, who is still serving the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium in a director emeritus role. Meadors鈥� new role comes with some historic significance as she is the first African American and first female space grant director for the state of Arkansas as well as the first African American female space grant director in the United States.

鈥淚 am only the third director since the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium began in 1991,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a wonderful opportunity. My NASA experience started here at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock conducting hybrid rocket research as a graduate student. Immediately upon entering the program, I was identified as the recipient of a NASA fellowship. That was the first time I became involved in NASA, and it was beyond anything I imagined as a young African American female from a small town. It feels like I have come full circle in coming back to the place where it all started.鈥�

ASGC partners with 17 four-year universities and colleges across Arkansas, dedicated to advancing space science education, research, and public outreach. The ASGC recently partnered with six higher education institutions in Arkansas to provide funding and solar eclipse glasses for free STEM festivals where the public could watch the solar eclipse and learn about STEM activities in Arkansas. ASGC employees spent April 8 at Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, where NASA scientists, partnering researchers, and citizen scientists spent the day conducting research experiments for the total solar eclipse.

鈥淭his was ground zero for NASA research in Arkansas,鈥� Meadors said. 鈥淲e had research teams launching balloons, and we completed several workshops, including one workshop where we taught citizen scientists how to use their phones to collect data during the eclipse. We had scientists join us from Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and North and South Carolina.鈥�

Meadors joined 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2023 as the associate director of ASGC, and she brings a diverse wealth of space research and NASA experience. In the Office of STEM Engagement, she served as the first Minority Serving Institution (MSI) STEM Engagement Liaison-Faculty Fellow for NASA Intergovernmental Personnel Assignees (IPA). The NASA EPSCoR advisory council was established and led by her.

She played a key role in developing the inaugural solicitation for the Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)/Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Minority University Research Education Program (MUREP), known as the Diversity Equity Accessibility Priority for Research and Education (DEAP). She created the MUREP Kennedy Space Center Courageous Conversations Series and hosted NASA鈥檚 first Juneteenth Celebration in 2021.

Her academic experiences include K-12, community college, private, and public institutions. She has served as associate dean of arts and sciences, dean of applied science technology, chair of electronics, director of electronics engineering technology, and held many STEM teaching positions.

Meadors earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in physics from Grambling State University as well as a Master of Science in Applied Science with a focus on instrumentation and a Ph.D. in Applied Science Engineering Science and Systems from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. She holds the distinction of being the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Systems from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and the first African American and female to teach mechanical engineering at Harding University.

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Kim Zetter, an award-winning journalist and investigative reporter, will give a talk on cybersecurity and national security at 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 13, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. A question-and-answer session with the audience, book signing, and reception will follow the lecture, 鈥淪tuxnet and Beyond: The Age of Digital Warfare and the Future of Our Cities.鈥� Pre-registration is not required.

Peter G. McCornick, Ph.D., executive director of the at the University of Nebraska, will deliver a keynote lecture at 9 a.m. Friday, March 17. The lecture, 鈥淪ecuring Water & Food in a Changing World,鈥� will be presented at the Institute鈥檚 Petit Jean Mountain campus near Morrilton.

Attendees will also hear from a panel of local experts about the State of Water in Arkansas. Panelists will join moderator Dr. Deacue Fields, vice president for agriculture for the University of Arkansas System, to discuss innovative solutions for water use in the state. Lunch, provided by the Institute, will be available following the program. Registration is required; sign up at .

Both Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series events are free and open to the public. The Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lectures Series is a program established in 1972 and endowed by friends of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller with the purpose of stimulating public discussion, intellectual debate, and cultural advancement.

Kim Zetter

Zetter is an award-winning investigative journalist and author who has covered cybersecurity and national security for more than 15 years for publications including WIRED, the New York Times Magazine, Politico, and the Washington Post. She has been repeatedly voted one of the Top 10 security journalists in the country by security professionals and her journalism peers.

Zetter has broken numerous national stories about NSA and FBI surveillance, nation-state hacking, the hacker underground, the Russian sabotage of Ukraine’s power grid and its use of that country as a testing ground, and election security. She has also written extensively about cyber warfare and wrote an acclaimed book, 鈥淐ountdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon,鈥� about a sophisticated virus/worm developed by the U.S. and Israel to covertly sabotage Iran’s nuclear program.

Additionally, she publishes a Substack newsletter called Zero Day, which features original stories on spies, security, and surveillance topics. She is currently a visiting scholar for the spring 2023 semester at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

The event is held in memory of Dorothy Stuck, a longtime Arkansas newspaper editor, publisher, and civil rights advocate. Stuck and her husband Howard owned three Eastern Arkansas newspapers, and she served as editor of the Marked Tree Tribune for decades. In 1970, Dorothy moved to Dallas to become regional director of the Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. She was a founding member of Arkansas Press Women, a founding board member of Southern Bancorp, a board member of the Winthrop Rockefeller Lecture Series, and an inductee in the Arkansas Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame.

Peter G. McCornick, Ph.D.

Dr. McCornick is the executive director of the at the University of Nebraska, where he leads the institute in delivering on its vision of a water- and food-secure world, building its partnerships and collaborations in Nebraska, nationally in the U.S., and other key food-producing regions in the world. He is a tenured professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Robert B. Daugherty Chair of Water for Food.

With an international career focused on improving the sustainable management of water resources, he has led interdisciplinary research and development programs on water, agriculture, and the environment in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Canada, and the U.S.

Dr. McCornick is a licensed professional civil engineer in the state of Colorado and a member of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. He was recently elected to the Board of Governors of the World Water Council and is a member of the steering committee of the Water Scarcity in Agriculture initiative, a global partnership organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN.

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