CH A NCELLOR ’S | MESSAGE
Transition
is an important part of life, whether its newly-minted graduates leaving campus to enter the workforce or new leadership redefining the goals and opportunities of an institution. My husband, Colonel L.R. Hughes, and I are overwhelmed by the tremendous greetings you have extended to us as well as the hospitality from the community. It was with great pride that I conferred degrees at my first UAM commencement ceremony a few weeks ago. My first semester has been about listening carefully and meeting with many of our great community leaders and proud alumni. I have met with Governor Hutchinson, attended several meetings during the legislative session, visited with several mayors and alumni in our surrounding communities, addressed community groups including Rotary Clubs and Economic Development Councils, toured SEACBEC, brainstormed partnership possibilities with the Delta Regional Authority and visited with our legislators to discuss our needs at UAM and in the community. During my meeting with Governor Hutchinson in March, I shared our vision for UAM — the University of Arkansas at Monticello will be recognized as a model, open-enrollment regional institution with retention and graduation rates that exceed its peer institutions. Through these efforts, UAM will develop key relationships and partnerships that contribute to the economic and quality of life indicators in the community, region, state and beyond. Governor Hutchinson and Dr. Don Bobbitt, UA System president, have both been interested in our student success initiatives that will help us make this vision a reality. Furthermore, it is important that you remember this vision does not mean we are concentrating solely on the underserved. We have many programs that are producing high achievers and preparing students to further their successes in graduate research, law schools, pharmacy and medical schools, etc. As we begin our work on the Student Success Collaborative, we will also turn some attention to not only a first-year program, but a sophomore, junior, and senior year experience steeped in undergraduate research, career exploration, service learning, and internships. I stressed during my interview and at our forums in January and February that a university and community do not exist separately from each other. It is the culmination of creating access and guided pathways to fit the needs of the students that will result in greater student success. The engagement of strategies for both the underserved and the more advanced student enhances partnership opportunities and thereby creates greater quality of life indicators for our community as well as southeastern Arkansas. UAM stands poised to continue its leading role in the region, state, and beyond. As we move forward together to build on the UAM legacy, student success is, and will continue to be, the foundation for the decisions we make moving forward. I thank each and every one of you for the commitment you make every day to this institution and our students. Without you, we will not have student success nor can we look to forward to sustainability with our next generation of leaders.
Best Wishes, Karla Hughes, Chancellor
ON THE COVER: Chancellor Karla Hughes with the late Dr. Tim Chase, UAM’s 54th Distinguished Alumnus. For information, you may contact: Jay Jones, Interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement and University Relations (870) 460-1022 (office) (870) 460-1324 (FAX) jonesj@uamont.edu Lisa Jo Ross, Alumni and Development Officer (870) 460-1028 (office) rosslj@uamont.edu If you want to find out what’s happening on campus, or want to contact us about something significant that’s happened in your life, check out our website at www.uamont.edu. Parents, if your son or daughter attended UAM and is no longer living at this address, please notify our office of his or her new address. Thank you.
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UAM MAGAZINE THIS ISSUE
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Campus News |
Special Alumni Events | Sports |
REMEMBERING TIM CHASE
IFC
Chancellor’s Letter |
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22 Technology | 26 Alumni News | 27
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Foundation |
Friends We’ll Miss |
UAM’s 54th Distinguished Alumnus leaves behind a legacy of service to his university and his community.
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UAM MAGAZINE is published three times a year by the University of Arkansas at Monticello, the UAM Alumni Association, and the UAM Foundation Fund. Jim Brewer, Editor Director of Media Services (870) 460-1274 (office) (870) 460-1974 (fax) brewer@uamont.edu
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America’s Idol
Student Success
Number 1!
Making History
Listen & Learn
2013 UAM graduate Trent Harmon captured the 15th and final American Idol competition in April, launching a promising recording career. For a small-town guy from Amory, Miss., the experience has been the fulfillment of a dream.
One of the cornerstones of Chancellor Karla Hughes’ administration will be the “Student Success Initiative,” a plan to improve both retention and graduation rates and make sure UAM students are able to complete their degrees.
For the first time since 2007, the UAM debate team has earned the right to be called National Champions. UAM debaters swept the competition as this spring’s IPDA National Tournament and captured three individual national titles.
Jay Jones provided steady leadership while UAM spent more than a year searching for a new chancellor. In recognition of his service to the institution, Jones is the third person in school history to be awarded an honorary doctrate.
Dr. Karen Fawley learned early on that to be a great teacher required the ability to listen – and learn – from her students. That ability has made Fawley the 2016 recipient of the Dan and Charlotte Hornaday Outstanding Faculty Award
Summer 2016
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Ghost Walking
100 Percent Online Non-traditional students now have an avenue to attain a college degree in educational studies without leaving home
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THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS at Monticello has received approval for its first 100 percent online undergraduate degree program. The UA Board of Trustees and the Higher Education Coordinating Board have approved a bachelor of science degree in education studies, which will be offered totally online. The non-licensure program may be taken by anyone but is designed for non-traditional students unable to return to school and for public school paraprofessionals. Paraprofessionals will have a route to licensure following completion of the online degree through the UAM Teacher Residency Program, which includes two semesters teaching with a provisional license while under the supervision of a licensed instructor. Other graduates may pursue a teaching license in the master of
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arts in teaching (MAT) program. “This is a wonderful opportunity for those who face barriers that prevent them from participating in a traditional education degree program,” said Dr. Peggy Doss, dean of the UAM School of Education. and interim vice chancellor for academic affairs. “This degree program will prepare individuals with the necessary knowledge of content and pedagogical skills for postbaccalaureate admission to alternative licensure route programs.” The online program may be completed in four years or less. “This program provides additional options for anyone who would like to become a classroom teacher,” said Doss. “The opportunity to complete an undergraduate degree online will open doors for those who are unable to attain a degree any other way and I am so pleased that we are able to offer this opportunity.”
A southern society belle who commits suicide after a failed romance and searches for the meaning of her lost life and purpose in death is the premise for Mark Spencer’s latest novel, Ghost Walking. Spencer, who is dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, is the author of the nonfiction bestseller A Haunted Love Story: The Ghosts of the Allen House, three novels, and three short-story collections. His latest book, published by Moonshine Cove Publishing and available at most booksellers, is a work of fiction and tells the story of 49-year-old Southern society belle Ladell Allen, who commits suicide on Christmas night 1948 in the wake of another failed love affair. The dead Ladell spends the next six decades revisiting the past, as well as watching the world change within and beyond her home. She interacts with other ghosts, including her beloved papa, who coaxes her to ride in his ghostly black Cadillac into the unknown, a ride she is unwilling to take until she has answers to her questions about the meaning of her life and death. Spencer has won the Faulkner Society Award for the Novel, the Omaha Prize for the Novel, the Bradshaw Book Award, and the Cairn Short Fiction Award. He and his family live in the famously haunted Allen House located on North Main Street in Monticello.
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UAM Night At The FedEx Forum
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PICTURED: 1 Gathering outside the FedEx Forum before the Memphis Grizzlies’ game with the New Orleans Pelicans were (from left) Lisa Jo Ross, Jason Ross, Max Ross, Jay Jones, Gabba Wilson, Tim Smith, Garland Ross, Jon Taylor Towers, and Roxanne Smith. 2 Marian Vance Berry and her son, Aidan, enjoyed the game. 3 Norman Snerling (‘85) of Cherry Valley and his family – daughter, Erin, son, Michael, and wife, Donnis. 4 (From left) UAM Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs Matt Whiting with Megan Elmquist, Lamar Rochell (B.S. ‘12), Kaitlyn McCool Jones (B.B.A. ‘15), and Julian Jones (B.S. ‘13) of Star City. 5 UAM faculty member Lori Selby with her husband, Chris, and daughter, Sydney. Summer 2016
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Science of Politics
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Political science students from across Arkansas converged on the UAM campus in February
POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS AND FACULTY FROM across Arkansas converged on the UAM campus February 26-27 for the 2016 Arkansas Political Science Association’s statewide annual conference. The conference brought together 65 speakers from across the state, according to Dr. Carol Strong, associate professor of political science at UAM who served as conference organizer and program chair. The featured speaker was Chris Masingill, federal co-chair of the Delta Regional Authority, who discussed the unique role educational institutions of all levels play in the development and growth of Arkansas communities, especially those counties in the DRA’s footprint with lower levels of educational attainment. According to Masingill, those communities “stand to gain greatly from stronger connections with regional and local institutions of higher education for job training, skills development, and increased educational levels. DRA is currently working with more than 20 four-year institutions across its eight-state region to develop the Delta Research Consortium to help share and direct funding and focus to Delta-oriented research to help community leaders, policy makers, and economic developers.”
Also featured at the conference was Dr. John Kyle Day, an associate professor in the UAM School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, who discussed his recently published book The Southern Manifesto: Massive Resistance and the Fight to Preserve Segregation. In panels, five UAM political science majors presented original research papers. Sarah Phillips and Jimmy Tyler Harrison of Star City, Leslie Beard and Robert Fletcher of Monticello; and Emily Mendiola of Hamburg comprised UAM’s five-person student delegation. Fletcher’s paper, entitled: “Cycling through New Urbanism: Pedestrian-Oriented Opportunities and Innovations in Southeast Arkansas,” considered policies to improve pedestrian access to businesses in Monticello. Harrison’s paper, “All Tea, All Shade: How the Tea Party Effects the American Political Process,” and Beard’s paper, “Who’s Really in Control: A Comparative Examination of Oligarchical Tendencies in Russia and the United States,” considered the changes in national politics with the emergence of anti-establishment parties and actors in mainstream politics. Phillips’ paper, “The People vs. the State: A Comparative Analysis of Power Relations in the Development of Spanish Democracy,” and Mendiola’s paper,“The Power of the Indigenous: Indigenous Autonomy in Mexico,” considered how social movements impact national politics within the international community. Dr. John Davis, a UAM assistant professor of political science, presented a paper entitled “Campaign Inc.: Data from a Field Survey of State Party Organizations.”
JACK LASSITER
The 2016 Texas A&M-Commerce Distinguished Alumnus
Dr. Jack Lassiter, retired UAM chancellor, is the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University-Commerce. Lassiter graduated from A&M-Commerce (then East Texas State University) in 1968 with a degree in finance and earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling in 1969. “I am humbled and honored to be chosen for this award,” said Lassiter. “When I first came to Commerce, I would have been considered a long-shot to graduate, much less receive an honor like this one. I was admitted as a probationary student, but thanks to the patience of some very supportive faculty, I was able to thrive. I’ve never forgotten that.” Lassiter became the 11th chief executive officer of UAM in 2004 and retired January 5, 2015 after a long and distinguished career in higher education. Prior to becoming UAM chancellor, he served in the central administration office of the UA System as executive vice president after spending four years as chancellor of the UA Community College in Batesville. Lassiter first came to UAM in 1977 as director of the school’s Learning Development Center while completing his doctorate at A&M-Commerce. He left a year later to become dean of college and student services at Wharton (Tex.) Community College, then returned to UAM in 1980 as vice chancellor for university relations and student services, beginning a 17-year stay on the Monticello campus.
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UAM Day At Oaklawn Park
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PICTURED: 1 UAM alumni and staff among those in the winner’s circle for the UAM Boll Weevil Run included Matt and Johanna Whiting, Lisa Jo Ross, Tim and Wanda McGee, James and Lisa Clark, Ronnie McFarland, Tony and Kathy Fakouri. 2 Joining the winning horse in the UAM Cotton Blossom Classic were Lisa Jo Ross, Dean Davis, Max Light and his daughter, Cait, and Taylor and Tammy Grayson. 3 (From left) Mandy Henderson, Carole Efird and Roger Martin enjoyed their day at the races.
Summer 2016
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Seniors First As part of new Chancellor Karla Hughes’ Student Success Initiative, seniors get first crack at the classes needed to graduate
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STUDENT SUCCESS IS AT THE heart of new Chancellor Karla Hughes’ vision for the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Improving both retention and graduation rates are part of a “Student Success Initiative” being put in place to fulfill Dr. Hughes’ goal to make UAM a model open admissions institution. As part of the Initiative, UAM seniors with a minimum of 90 hours of academic course credit had the option to register first for classes for the first and second summer terms as well as the 2016 fall semester according to a new pre-registration plan announced recently. Seniors-only pre-registration was held Monday, April 4. Seniors and juniors with at least 60 credit hours registered on Tuesday, April 5. Open registration for all students was held April 6-8 and April 1115. The new plan applied only to students on the Monticello campus. Registration plans will remained unchanged for students at the UAM Colleges of Technology in Crossett and McGehee. “We wanted to give our seniors the first opportunity to enroll in the classes they need to complete their graduation requirements,” Hughes explained. “These students have invested their time and effort to reach this critical point in their academic careers and we want to do everything possible to ensure their success.” UAM will also hold registration for fall 2016 classes August 23-26. For more information, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at (870) 460-1033.
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Graduate Research Examines Southeast Arkansas Wetlands Chris Sheldon, a graduate research assistant in the School of Forestry and Natural Resources, presented results from a portion of his master’s degree research at the 100th annual Arkansas Academy of Sciences meeting held at UA-Fayetteville April 1-2. Sheldon’s poster, entitled “Vegetation Diversity in Natural and Restored Forested Wetland Sites in Southeast Arkansas,” was selected as the second place graduate poster presentation in the Field Biology and Ecology Division. Co-authors on the presentation were Dr. Robert Ficklin, Drs. Karen and Marvin Fawley, and Stacy Wilson. Sheldon earned a bachelor of science in environmental science from the University of Vermont. His graduate research is examining herbaceous vegetation diversity and changes in litter decomposition rates between natural and restored forested wetlands in southeast Arkansas.
Terri Smith is STEM leader Terri Smith, a science specialist for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center at UAM, was one of two Arkansans selected to represent the Arkansas Science Teachers Association at the recent National Science Teachers Association Retreat in Nashville. Smith joined other science educators at an event designed to enhance professional learning and provide networking forums for science teachers. As one of two representatives from Arkansas, Smith met with writers of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and with representatives from other states to discuss and set goals to help teachers understand science and engineering practices and concepts of teaching science. Smith is southeast Arkansas director of the Arkansas Science Teachers Assoc., representing K-12 and postsecondary science teachers in 15 counties.
Saying Goodbye to the Class of 2016 1 2
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6 PICTURED: 1 Chancellor Karla Hughes and a happy graduate smile for the camera. 2 Paige Chase accepts the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Jay Jones on behalf of her husband, the late Dr. Tim Chase. 3 Three generations of the Hopper family are now UAM graduates. Pictured from left are (seated) Jordan Hopper (‘16), Sybil Morgan (‘52), Terry Hopper (‘85), and (standing) Dr. Alisa Morgan Hopper. (‘84) 4 Graduates wait for their names to be called. 5 UA System President Donald Bobbitt (left) and Chancellor Karla Hughes (right) present an honorary doctorate of humane letters to Jay Jones. 6 MBSF Director Rob Leonard presents a degree to his surprised daughter, Emily.
Summer 2016
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MAN WITH A MISSION The late Dr. Tim Chase came to UAM Chancellor Karla Hughes in January to make an impassioned plea for the University to host the Arkansas Mission of Mercy. In the process of telling his personal story, he became UAM’s 54th Distinguished Alumnus.
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Friend, Colleague, Brother . . . Dr. Tim Chase was Monticello through and through . . . born and raised in Monticello, a graduate of Monticello High School and UAM, a Billie and Boll Weevil for life.
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DR. CHASE LOST A BATTLE WITH cancer on April 15, just weeks before he was to become the 54th recipient of UAM’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters, and a legion of friends and admirers. “I’ve known Tim since we started kindergarten together in 1968,” said Mark Tiner, who like Dr. Chase, graduated from UAM in 1985. Now senior vice president at Union Bank in Monticello, Tiner and Dr. Chase were lifelong friends. “This is a terrible blow to me personally, but more so to his family and the city of Monticello. Tim played such an important role in this community and he will be sorely missed.” Dr. Chase was chosen to be this year’s Distinguished Alumnus shortly after an initial meeting with UAM Chancellor Karla Hughes in January. “Tim came to see me about UAM hosting this year’s Arkansas Mission of Mercy,” said Hughes, “but he began by telling me his story, how he fulfilled a lifelong dream by coming to UAM and receiving a degree, and how this institution prepared him to succeed in dental school. It was such a wonderful,
uplifting story that I was mesmerized.” As a UAM student, Dr. Chase was a member of Alpha Chi honor society, the Medical Science Club, Student Government Association, Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities, a Red Cross water safety instructor, and in 1985, an honor graduate. He graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis in 1989 with a doctor of dental surgery degree, spent one year as a general practice resident at the University of Kentucky’s Chandler Medical Center, then returned to Monticello to open a private dental practice. He held a number of offices with the Arkansas State Dental Association, serving as the organization’s president in 2009-10. He was a charter member of the board of directors of the Arkansas Mission of Mercy, which provides free dental care to the poor. He also served on the board of the Arkansas State Dental Examiners and was president of the Southeast District Dental Society. Always active in community affairs, Dr.
Chase served 12 years as an alderman on the Monticello City Council and served as the city’s interim mayor after the death of his father-in-law, Allen Maxwell. Dr. Chase was also a past-president of the Monticello Rotary Club and was active in the Monticello School Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, First Baptist Church, and a coach of both Little League baseball and softball. “I think most of us who grew up with Tim knew he’d be a leader,” said Blair Brown, director of athletics at Monticello High School and a UAM classmate. “Tim was that guy who kept us all pointed in the right direction. When we were about to stray too far from the straight and narrow, he’d pull us back. “I can honestly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tim Chase. Even though he was an only child, he was like a brother to us.” Friends and colleagues of Dr. Chase have begun an endowed scholarship fund in his honor. For more information, contact Office of Advancement and University Relations at (870) 460-1028. Summer 2016
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American Idol!
Trent Harmon saw it as a sign. Last summer, while working with a Christian
mission team in Belize, a desperately poor country in Central America, Harmon was mulling his future as a singer. A 2013 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello with a degree in history and minor in music, Harmon’s music career was going nowhere.
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“THINGS WEREN’T HAPPENING for me,” he remembered. “I was taking music seriously, but music wasn’t taking me seriously.” That changed one night when three little boys found their way into Harmon’s camp in Belize and began to sing. “They had such beautiful voices,” Harmon said. “I took it as a sign to give music another shot.” At the urging of his girlfriend, Kathleen Couch, a former UAM cheerleader, Harmon flew to Little Rock for an open call audition for American Idol, the iconic television show that launched the careers of music superstars Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks. “They said ‘Can you come back tomorrow?’” said Harmon. “They kept asking me to come back until I finally got to go to Hollywood.”
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Fast-forward to April 7 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles where the 15th and final season of American Idol was about to come to a close. On stage, Harmon and fellow finalist La’Porsha Renae waited for host Ryan Seacrest to announce the winner. “I told La’Porsha that no matter whose name they call, we’re just going to hug until they pull us apart,” Harmon said. “I told her,‘Hey, we’ve both won a car. We’re going to be all right.’” When Harmon’s name was called, he fell to his knees, then embraced Renae before closing the show with a performance of Keith Urban’s “Falling.” Since that moment, Harmon’s life has been a whirlwind. “What is earth,” Harmon said, laughing when reached by a caller who asked whether he had returned to earth after winning. “I’m hanging in there. It’s really not as crazy as you might think. It’s mostly lots of interviews and PR. I’m being careful to listen more than I talk.” Harmon was whisked away to New York following the American Idol finale where he estimates he conducted between 50 and 60 interviews. “People, E!, Billboard, TV Guide, you name it,” he said. Then it was on to Nashville to begin work on a record album. As part of his American Idol winnings, in addition to a 2017 Ford Fusion, Harmon received a record contract with Big Machine Records, which counts among its clients Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and Cheap Trick. Harmon will also
have the opportunity to record an original song for the upcoming animated film Ice Age: Collision Course and will have a voice part in the movie. Not bad for a guy from a small town in northeast Mississippi. Harmon grew up in Amory, less than 30 miles from Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley.“I’m a huge Elvis fan,” he said. “I wrote a paper about Elvis for one of my history classes at UAM.” As a UAM student, Harmon was a regular in musical stage productions, appearing in Oklahoma! and Pirates of Penzance. He also sang in the concert choir and was active in the Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship. Harmon served as a fill-in worship leader at Pauline Baptist Church in Monticello and hopes his faith will help keep him grounded. “I’m trying to keep my feet on the ground,” he said. “I’ll ask myself, would I have done this a year ago? Is this a person I would have been friends with a year ago? If the answer is no, I move on.” When Harmon was announced as the winner, the news set off celebrations in Monticello, Amory, and Malvern, his temporary adopted hometown. “I never expected to win,” Harmon admitted. “I thought I could and prepared to win, but I didn’t expect to.” Harmon’s mother, Cindy, summed up Trent’s future best when she told a reporter, “Whatever happens, God has a plan, and we’re trusting in that.”
THE LAST IDOL Trent Harmon takes the winner’s trophy from host Ryan Seacrest as the 15th and last American Idol. Harmon won the competition April 7, then let everyone know he hasn’t forgotten his roots when he returned to UAM (left) to perform for the annual MBSF Crawfish Boil at Convoy Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium.
Summer 2016
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Student
SUCCESS
They’ve been classified by higher education experts as “the murky middle” — those students in the middle of the spectrum who many colleges and universities tend to leave to their own devices.
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THEY ARE THE STUDENTS WHO manage to get through their first year without raising any red flags, yet stand a good chance of dropping out before completing their degree. Those students are the target of a new partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the Education Advisory Board (EAB). UAM recently joined more than 1,000 colleges and universities from across North America and Europe in utilizing EAB to improve graduation and retention rates. EAB was established in 2007 to serve as an advisor and performance improvement partner for higher education using best practice research, data analytics, technology and consulting services. UAM’s involvement with EAB is part of a Student Success Collaboration initiated by new Chancellor Karla Hughes to improve both retention and graduation rates while remaining true to UAM’s historical role as an open admissions institution. “Being an open admissions university makes us unique within higher education in Arkansas,” Hughes explained, “but it does not mean that we have to lower our standards. On the contrary, with effective
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remediation, direction to appropriate degree pathways, and services focused on retention and completion, we can improve student outcomes while honoring our traditional role as a campus of opportunity.” As a partner with EAB, UAM will have access to analytics and training to improve work flow and decision-making; academic analytics and predictive modeling to help faculty advisors analyze student data to identify at-risk students and direct them to the appropriate services for assistance that will lead to success; communication platforms and tools for student case management and centralized advising notes; analytics for institutional administrators that highlight indicators of student success and aid in institutional decisions; and access to a network of higher education institutions to exchange ideas concerning student success. “EAB will be able to provide hard data which we can use as a foundation for the decisions we make with respect to student success,” said Hughes. “In an era of performance-based funding, evaluating what we are doing with a different lens, while learning from others, may be the most cost effective and efficient way to improve student outcomes.”
STUDENTS FIRST Chancellor Karla Hughes meets with soon-to-be UAM graduates (from left) Tyler Anthony (CIS), Nicole Nichiniello (biophysics), and Shelby Wall (pharmacy). Anthony has already secured a job in the private sector while Nichiniello and Wall will attend graduate school.
Summer 2016
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Number The debate team at the University of Arkansas at Monticello has earned the right to be called national champions. UAM DEBATERS SWEPT THE Scholastic, Founders and Overall Sweepstakes Awards at the 2015-16 International Public Debate Association (IPDA) National Tournament hosted March 31 through April 3 by Lee College of Baytown, Tex. The event drew more than 450 competitors from some of the top college and university debate programs in the nation, including Southern Methodist University, the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, Boise State University, the U.S. Military Academy, Colorado Christian University, Seattle Pacific University, Florida International University and Oregon State University. “This is an incredible honor for our team and for the university,” said Jim Evans, UAM debate coach and instructor of communication. “Our students went against the best competition in the country and proved they can compete with anyone. Honestly, they surprised me a little with how dominant they were.” The IPDA national championship is UAM’s second, and the first since the 2007-08 academic year. UAM debaters posted a winning percentage of 71 per-
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cent with 79 percent advancing past the preliminary rounds. The competition included eight preliminary rounds in four divisions – novice, junior varsity, varsity and professional, as well as four preliminary rounds in team competition. Awards were presented based on both national tournament performances and season-long competition. In addition to winning all three national tournament sweepstakes competitions, UAM debaters won five individual national championships. Reagan Dobbs, a junior political science major from Dayton, Tex., was the national champion speaker in varsity debate at the national tournament in a field of 109 competitors. Cody Bijou, a junior communications and political science double major from Crosby, Tex., bested 381 competitors to capture the national championship as the top debater in the varsity division in season-long competition. Gabrielle Swain of Monticello, a senior communications major, was the season-long novice debate national champion in a field of 493 competitors. In the professional division, Chris Brown, an assistant debate coach and debate instructor, captured a pair of national championships
as the top season-long speaker and debater. UAM also won season-long team national championships in novice debate and varsity debate. Other individual award winners at the national tournament were: • Jacob Chisom, a junior history and communications double major from Monticello, who was the seventh place debate speaker in team debate, and teamed with Swain to reach the quarterfinals in the team debate competition;
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Members of UAM’s national champion debate team are (from left, first row) Nathan Bailey of Monticello, Gabrielle Swain of Monticello, Cody Bijou of Crosby, Tex., Reagan Dobbs of Dayton, Tex., Emily Mendiola of Hamburg, (second row, from left) Jacob Chisom of Monticello, Luke Beatty of Dermott, Kyle Hargis of Warren, Gauge Adkins of Vilonia, (back row, from left) Ben Graves of Hot Springs, Keith Milstead, assistant debate coach, Jim Evans, head debate coach, and Blake Adkins of Vilonia.
• Dobbs and Bijou, who combined to reach the semifinals in team debate and were quarterfinalists in varsity debate; • Swain, second place debater and 10th place speaker in the novice division; • Nathan Bailey of Monticello, a sophomore agriculture business major, who was the fourth place speaker in novice debate; • Blake Adkins of Vilonia, a junior computer information systems major, who was the 11th place speaker in the novice division and reached the round of 16;
• Kyle Hargis of Warren, a sophomore communications major, who reached the round of 16 in novice debate; • Luke Beatty, a sophomore business major from Dermott, who reached the round of 32 in junior varsity debate; • Gauge Adkins of Vilonia, a sophomore criminal justice and political science double major, who reached the round of 16 in junior varsity debate; Competing for UAM in the professional division were:
• UAM alumnus Kelly Brown of Siloam Springs, the seventh place debate speaker who reached the round of 16; • Chris Brown, who in addition to his two individual national championships, was the eighth place debate speaker and reached the round of 16; • Jonathon Hoskins of Monticello, who reached the round of 16; • Justin Walker of Monticello, a quarterfinalist; • Eddie Weaver of DeWitt, a semifinalist. Summer 2016
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A Man For
All Seasons Jay Jones receives an honorary doctorate of humane letters after leading UAM as interim chancellor, providing a smooth transition to new leadership
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FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1959 and just the third time in the 107-year history of the University of Arkansas at Monticello, UAM bestowed an honorary doctorate during the school’s 2016 spring commencement May 6. Jay Jones, who has served as UAM’s vice chancellor for finance and administration since 2006 and guided the institution as interim chancellor in 2015, received an honorary doctorate in humane letters for “exemplary leadership and service, not only in the profession but to society in general,” according to UAM Chancellor Karla Hughes. “Jay did a wonderful job in making the leadership transition a seamless one,” said Hughes.“He was able to lead the university with a steady hand through the search for a new chancellor. Due to the unique challenges faced by Mr. Jones during this critical time, both (UA System President) Donald Bobbitt and I believe this is an appropriate honor.” In addition to spending a year as interim chancellor, Jones has currently assumed the role of interim vice chancellor for advancement and university relations while also serving as the university’s chief
fiscal officer.“Jay is one of those individuals who is willing to take on any assignment for the good of the university,” said Hughes. “We are fortunate to have Jay as part of our leadership team.” “I’m not sure this is an honor I deserve,” said Jones,“so to be selected is both surprising and humbling. I am grateful to Chancellor Hughes, President Bobbitt and to the Board of Trustees for this recognition.” According to University of Arkansas policy, “recommendations for honorary degrees will be submitted to the Board of Trustees by the President after having been approved by the campus governing body and the chief executive officer of the campus on which the recommendations originate.” A native of Helena, Jones holds an associate of applied science degree in data processing from Phillips County Community College (now Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas) in Helena and earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana-Monroe) in 1986. He began his professional career as an accountant for a Monroe accounting firm and became a
certified public accountant in 1989. In January 1991, he joined the PCCUA staff as controller and became vice chancellor for finance in March 1993, a position he held until July 2001. Jones left PCCUA to become vice president for finance at the Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tenn., before coming to UAM in 2006. Jones was the 2015 Drew County Man of the Year, the 2015 Arkansas Baptist Father of the Year, received the PCCUA Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2011, and is a current member of the board of directors of Economics Arkansas. He was named UAM Administrator of the Year in 2015 by the university chapter of Alpha Chi national collegiate honor society. He also served on the board of directors of the Memphis Union Mission, the board of directors of the Arkansas Higher Education Consortium, and is a former treasurer for the city of West Helena. Active in the First Baptist Church of Monticello, Jones has served as chair of the finance and capital campaign committees, is a former member of a committee to redraft the church constitution, and is a member of the administrative leadership team. Summer 2016
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Listen Learn
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FAWLEY HAS LEARNED BOTH skills during a decade on the faculty in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. “When I was younger, I used to get frustrated when I was not reaching a student,” Fawley admits.“I’ve learned patience through the years.” Patience – and the ability to listen and learn from her students – is why Fawley is the 2016 recipient of the Dan and Charlotte Hornaday Outstanding Faculty Award. Fawley is the third consecutive member of the math and science faculty to win the award, and Fawley thinks she knows why. “I’ve been at other places and what we have in math and sciences at UAM is unusual,” she says. “We all get along, we talk to each other about what we’re teaching. It’s a team effort to help and nurture our students to be successful, whether they’re applying for medical school or pharmacy school, or some other graduate program. You just don’t see that kind of faculty cooperation at other schools.” “Karen is a rare combination,” says
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The secret to good teaching is patience and the ability to listen, according to Dr. Karen Fawley.
Dr. Morris Bramlett, dean of the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences. “She is a brilliant scientist and researcher, but she is also an outstanding classroom teacher. The fact that she brings that research knowledge to the classroom makes her that much more effective as a teacher.” A native of Houston, Tex., Fawley joined the UAM faculty in 2006 and holds the rank of professor of biology. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D., in botany from North Dakota State. She is part of a husband-and-wife teaching team at UAM. Her husband, Dr. Marvin Fawley, is a professor and assistant dean for science and research with degrees from Cornell, San Francisco State and Miami. The Fawley’s met while Karen was completing her Ph.D. at North Dakota State and have been married 17 years. Karen Fawley always wanted to be a scientist who concentrated on research, but at UAM, where research often takes a back seat to classroom teaching, Fawley has discovered both the challenges and rewards
of reaching students and influencing lives. “UAM is a teaching institution,” says Fawley. “I always wanted to be a scientist, but with that came teaching and I also wanted that hands-on experience with students. A lot of them are the first in their families to attend college and they really don’t know what they want to do. It’s very rewarding to watch these students grow and learn, to realize their potential. When you can reach a student who is struggling, when the light bulb goes on, it makes you feel great.” Fawley spends her summers conducting research. She is currently involved in a project for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission to identify species of flowering plants in the Ouachita Mountains. As for joining her science and math colleagues, Drs. John Hunt and Jeff Taylor, as winners of the Hornaday Award, Fawley says she was honored to be nominated and surprised to win. “There are so many faculty on campus doing great work.” (The Hornaday Award was created in 2010 by a donation from UAM graduates Dan and Charlotte Hornaday to honor outstanding faculty.)
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SP OR T S | NE WS SEASON TO REMEMBER The UAM baseball team celebrates after winning the 2016 Great American Conference championship in Arkadelphia on May 14. Below, outfielder Corey Wood accepts the tournament MVP award from GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt.
GAC Champions!
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Led by a slugging Canadian outfielder and a lock-down pitching staff, John Harvey’s Boll Weevils are conference champions THE UAM BASEBALL TEAM IS ON top of the Great American Conference after winning the 2016 GAC Tournament as the number two seed. The Boll Weevils erased all doubt as to who deserved the title of GAC champion by routing host Henderson State University 14-2 in the tournament finals. As UAM Magazine went to press, the Weevils were headed to St. Cloud, Minn., for their ssecond-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament, with the winner earning an invitation to the D-II College World Series in Cary, N.C. UAM made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014. It’s been a long road for sixth-year head coach John Harvey, who took over a struggling UAM program in 2011 and
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transformed it into a winner. “I can’t begin to describe how proud I am of this group of guys,” said Harvey. “I had a feeling it was going to be a special group from the beginning, but we’re not done yet. I want to recognize all my former Weevils. This started with them.” The Weevils will take a 36-14 record into the NCAA Tournament and will
showcase one of the best players in Division II baseball in rightfielder Corey Wood, a senior from Fredricton, New Brunswick, Canada. Wood was the GAC Player of the Year, the GAC Tournament MVP, and a finalist for national player of the year. Wood was a one-man wrecking crew, batting .355 while setting UAM and GAC records for home runs (22) and runs batted in (79). Wood was one of a school-record seven players named to the All-GAC team. He was joined on the first team by shortstop Evan Comeau (.335, 1 HR, 29 RBI), second baseman Nick Piraino (.352, 21 RBI), and pitcher Braden Chambers (110, 3.23 ERA). Named to the second team were catcher Travis Steinke (.282, 6 HR, 49 RBI) and pitcher Zach McKnight (8-2, 4.02 ERA) while left fielder Kevin Fitzpatrick (.337, 3 HR, 44 RBI) earned honorable mention honors. Harvey has built the Weevils with a roster that includes 21 homegrown Arkansans as well as five from Canada and the rest from surrounding states. In the GAC Tournament championship game against Henderson State, Wood blasted a towering grand-slam home run over the right field scoreboard and narrowly missed a second grand-slam when his three-run double bounced off the centerfield wall as he drove in seven of UAM’s first eight runs. Designated hitter Guy Halbert added a solo home run, and behind the pitching of Grant Black, UAM took a 14-0 lead before the Reddies could dent the scoreboard. Black picked up the win before reliever Kregg Snook closed out the historic win.
Fore, Please!
Lauren Johnson
Lauren Johnson and Frida Rydberg are the first UAM women golfers to reach the NCAA Regionals
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LAUREN JOHNSON AND FRIDA Rydberg recently became the first women golfers in University of Arkansas at Monticello history to be selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships. Both qualified as individuals for the Central Region Championship Tournament May 2-4 at the Awarii Dunes Golf Course in Axtell, Nebraska with Nebraska-Kearney serving as the host. Johnson, a junior from DeWitt, recently earned her second straight All-Great American Conference honor and finished 15th at the GAC Championships at the Hot Springs Country Club. Rydberg, a sophomore from Jarfalla, Sweden, also earned her second consecutive All-GAC honor this year, and finished ninth at the GAC championships. Each NCAA region consists of both team and individual competition. The top three teams and top three individuals not associated with a qualifying team advanced to the national championship tournament at Common Ground Golf Course in Aurora, Colo. Throughout the 2015-16 regular season, Johnson and Rydberg went backand-forth as the team leader, even tying each other in three different tournaments. In nine events during the fall and spring, Rydberg ended with a slight advantage in stroke average at 80.3 compared to Johnson at 80.8. Rydberg posted six rounds under 80 and five top 10 finishes, while Johnson also had six rounds under 80 with six top 10 finishes.
Frida Rydberg
Rydberg had per best outing of the year in September 2015, earning the top spot out of 28 participants at the Union Fall Classic in Jackson, Tenn. She helped the Blossoms win that event, competing against four other teams. Rydberg also posted three other top five finishes, coming in second in a dual tournament against Southern Arkansas, tying Johnson for fourth at the Buccaneer Spring Classic and most recently tying Johnson again for second at the Natural State Classic. Johnson, a junior from DeWitt, had three top five finishes, coming in second
to Rydberg at the Union Fall Classic and the ties with Rydberg at the Buc Spring Classic and the Natural State Classic. Both were recently named finalists for UAM’s female athlete of the year award. In addition to her All-GAC honor, Johnson also earned academic recognition by being named a Crafton Tull Distinguished Scholar Athlete, an award presented to GAC championship tournament participants with a 3.70 minimum cumulative grade point average and at least 70 completed hours. Johnson currently sports a 3.89 GPA, majoring in health and physical education.
2016 UAM Football Schedule Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Nov. Nov.
1 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12
Northwestern Oklahoma State SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE Arkansas Tech HARDING (Parent-Family Appreciation Day) OKLAHOMA BAPTIST Southern Nazarene Henderson State OUACHITA BAPTIST (Homecoming) EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA Southeastern Oklahoma State SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Alva, Okla. Monticello Russellville Monticello Monticello Bethany, Okla. Arkadelphia Monticello Monticello Durant, Okla. Monticello
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7:00 6:00 6:00 6:00 3:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 3:00 2:00 3:00
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FOU N DATION | NE WS
$60,000 Gift Dr. James Roiger continues to create a legacy of opportunity for future generations of students
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DR. JAMES ROIGER, RETIRED CHAIR of the School of Computer Information Systems at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, recently presented a $60,000 gift to the UAM Foundation Fund to create three endowed scholarships. The scholarships are: • The Joseph P. and Katherine Roiger Communication Scholarship, named for Roiger’s paternal grandparents and designated for students majoring in communications; • The Raymond and Loretta Roiger Scholarship for Social Work Service, named for Roiger’s parents and designated for students admitted to the social work program; • The Frank and Catherine Hillesheim Forensics Scholarship, named for Roiger’s maternal grandparents and designated for students who are members of the UAM debate and forensics team; and • The Edward and Veronica Groebner Computer Information Systems Support Endowment. “We are pleased to accept this generous gift from Dr. Roiger,” said Jay Jones, interim vice chancellor for advancement and university relations. “This is just the latest in a long line of gifts made by Dr. Roiger to the Foundation Fund. Dr. Roiger is creating a lasting legacy of educational opportunity for future generations of UAM students.” Roiger’s previous gifts to the Foundation Fund include the Raymond O. and Loretta J. Roiger Chi Iota Sigma Scholarship, established in 2008, the James F. Roiger Endowed Fund for Library Ac-
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REMEMBERING UAM Dr. James Roiger (center) retired chair of the School of Computer Information Systems, continues to support the university through generous gifts to the Foundation. Pictured with Roiger are (left) Chancellor Karla Hughes and Jay Jones, interim vice chancellor for advancement and university relations.
quisitions, created in 2009, and the James Roiger Computer Information Systems Scholarship, also established in 2009. Roiger joined the UAM faculty in 1993 after earning degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Arizona. Initially a member of the speech communications faculty, Roiger became the first chair of the School of Computer Information Systems in 1999. Roiger spent 21 years in the U.S. Navy, including active duty on the primary recovery ships for Mercury astronauts Gus Grissom and John Glenn, as part of the naval quarantine during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, service in Vietnam in 1971-72, and during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980. To make a contribution to the UAM Foundation Fund, contact the Office of Advancement and University Relations at (870) 460-1028.
Honoring Tim Chase A group of friends who grew up with the late Dr. Tim Chase have created an endowed scholarship fund in the name of their lifelong friend to honor his life and legacy. The Dr. Tim Chase Endowed Scholarship Fund will be used to create endowed scholarships to be given in perpetuity to students in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, with preference given to students who plan to attend dental school. Dr. Chase was a 1985 UAM graduate who received a doctor of dentistry degree from the University of Tennessee, then returned to Monticello to establish a successful dental practice in his hometown. “This is a wonderful gift that honors a very special person,” said Jay Jones, vice chancellor for finance and administration and interim vice chancellor for advancement and university relations.“Tim Chase was a shining example of the possibilties awaiting our graduates. I can think of no one more deserving to be honored in this way than Tim.”
STAR ATHLETE, COACH, MOLDER OF MEN Carl Preston is remembered in a scholarship fund bearing his name Family and friends of the late Carl Preston have created an endowment fund to honor the memory of one of UAM’s most beloved athletes and coaches. A $5,000 gift was recently presented to the UAM Foundation Fund to establish the Carl Preston Award. When the endowment reaches $15,000 in contributions, it will become the Carl Preston Endowed Scholarship and will be presented annually to a full-time student of any academic major, with first preference given to members of the Boll Weevil baseball team and second preference to members of the football team. Anyone interested in contributing to the Carl Preston Endowment Fund should contact Jay Jones, interim vice chancellor for advancement and university relations, at (870) 460-1022. Carl Preston is a member of the UAM Sports Hall of Fame after a standout career as a member of three conference championship football teams in 1957, ‘58, and ‘63. He was offensive line coach and head baseball coach, winning a league baseball title in 1993.
CHAMPIONSHIP COACH The late Carl Preston (left) was all smiles after leading the UAM baseball team to the 1990 NAIA District 17 Tournament Championship in Magnolia. Preston also won the 1993 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference baseball title in 1993 and coached eight All-Americans as UAM’s offensive line coach from 1984 to 1997.
Kathy King Scholarship A scholarship fund honoring a retiring UAM faculty member has reached endowed status. The Dr. Kathy Brown King and Family Endowed Graduate Scholarship will begin generating scholarships annually, to be given to graduate students in the School of Education. Scholarship recipients must have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in either a licensure or non-licensure program, be fully admitted and enrolled in the master of arts in teaching (M.A.T.) program.
I want to join the UAM Foundation Fund! Give by Mail or Online. Enclosed is my gift, which qualifies for membership in (check one):
$2,500 and above Unity & Movement Club
$1,000 – $2,499 Galaxy Club
$500 – $999 Emerald Club
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$200 – $499 Loyalty Club
(Area Code) Telephone
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Use my gift where needed the most.
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Makes checks payable to: UAM Foundation Fund and mail to Office of Advancement, P. O. Box 3520, Monticello, AR 71656 Give online at www.uamont.edu Summer 2016
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UA M S P O R T S A S S O CI AT I O N | F O U N DAT I O N
MEMBER LIST 2015-16 Legacy Club ($2,500 +) Alvy and Nancy Early Tony Fakouri Rick and Jennifer Futrell Bob and Freddie Lee Brian and Kristi Moore
Varsity Club Seth and Scarlett Barnes Darold Dickerson Cliff and Lisa Gibson Eric and Janet Grider Brad and Kelli Koen Julia Nicholson Tim and Debbie Pruitt Bill and Mary Whiting Jimmie and Linda Yeiser
Coaches Circle Ronnie and Betty McFarland Wayne and Mellie Jo Owen Carl and Sue Roebuck
Green – White Club Barrett and Meri Whitney Brown June Carter Ryan and Allison Collins – Collins Chiropractic Center Denase Harris – Diversified Computer Resources DNB Engineering, Inc. George and Judy Harris Dean Hill Jerry Gibson Louis and Carol James Lee and Barbie Johnson Wil and Sheila Maxwell Gene and Harriette Mazzanti Craig and Andrea Merrell Drew and Kim Merrell – Maximum Forestry, LLC Steve and Debbie Morrison Patricia Nicholson Gary and Betsy Orr Johnny Pierce – Johnny’s Wrecker Service Chris and Andrea Ratcliff Wayne Rich Roger and Amy Rieves Bennie and Carita Ryburn Joe Don and Diane Samples Searcy and Associates, LLC Kenny and Patty Shipp Jimmy and Candace Thomason Mark and Debbie Tiner Marsha Williams-Walker Fred and Loetta Williams – Dumas Motor Company
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Ring of Champions Danny and Stefanie Barber Blair Brown Russell Bulloch Kelton and Betty Busby Barry and Stacey Davis Chip and Angie Durham Ken and Betsy Ellis Larry and Shirley Fisackerly Alvin and Diane Ford Chuck and Patti Griffith Don and Katy Hartley John and Jaime Harvey Hani and Debra Hashem Buck and Bennie Henderson – Mr. Bug Pest Control Hud and Patricia Jackson Mark and Catherine Karnes Kelly and Anna Koonce Jack and Judy Lassiter James and Tamara Ledbetter Chris and Sage Loyd Kyle Luebke M.L. Mann Brad Mayfield John McCord Ralph and Ruth McKnight Mike McWhorter – M&M Trucking, Inc. Barry Mullen Optimum Agriculture, LLC – Pine Bluff, AR George and Mary Owens Jeff and Sally Owyoung Adam Patrick Jeff Pope Wesley Reeves, Jr. Richard and Eddye Ann Reinhart Johnny and Tracy Richardson Sean and Caroline Rochelle Woody and Judy Smithey Daniel and Amanda Steger David and Barbara Stover Charles and Martha Summerford Max Terrell Mike and Lori Wigley
Weevil – Blossom Club Laura Abeyta Lynn and Charlotte Ainsworth Lamar and Monica Aldridge Arkansas Pulpwood Company, Inc. Whit and Amanda Barton Ronnie and Janey Beetschen Mike Berry
Jon and Stephanie Bierbaum David Black Jerry Bolin Stephen Boyd Jim and Susan Brewer Terry Dan and Joan Bullock Ruth Bultemeyer Kelly Burdeau Wayne and Lil Byrd Ray Camp Mae Carpenter James and Linda Chambers Shirley Chambliss Chris and Lisa Chapman John and Janis Claro Karen Clemmer Eva Coleman Kyle and Melodie Colwell Eric Cox Victoria Cox Randy and Rita Cress Peter Cruz Glen and Cheryl Delafield William and Jeannette Dickey Jim Dillie Barbara Dorsey Richard and Ellen Dunn Sheila Dunn Seth Dutton Brian and Nanci Early Kent and Ashley Early Preston and Sloane Early Michael Efird Fairwinds Auto Sales – DeWitt, AR Joe and Julie Fakouri Steve and Rebecca Feathers Feta Metrics, Inc. Steve and Terri Fleming Glenn Fontenot Kellye Heflin Foster Tommy Fowler Gene and Mary Ann Franklin John and Debra Free Anthony and Lisa Fulgham J.W. and Pat Gavin Tonya Gavin John and Martha Gibson Glen and Mary Jane Gilbert Reginald and Dorothy Glover BJ and Brenda Goforth Pam Goforth Meg Gough Mary Ann Graddy Larry and Brenda Graham Tim and June Greenlee Mary Griffin Paul and Kami Griffin Truman and Mary Hamilton Werner Haney
Brian and Heather Hargis Gladys Harkey John Harmon Joey Hartley Mike Hartley Darren and Shelly Hartness Larry and Sue Hedden Hugh and Linda Heflin Hugo and Julia Heflin Jay Hefner and Beth Hill Amber Hernandez Phillip Herring Ben and Heather Hestley Cheryl Higgins Billy Hinkle Lee and Sandra Hollifield Bert and Lisa Hopgood Dan and Charlotte Hornaday Ed and Claudia Horvath Eric and Candace Howard Jon Howell Thomas Howell Jay and Laura Hughes Karen James Robert Johnson, Sr. Ronald Kaiwi Donna Karl KBS Photography – DeWitt, AR Thomas Keith Kyle Kilgore Jamie and Betty Kimbrough Jay and Leigh Kimbrough Shirley Kirchoff Don Kittler K&K Veterinary Supply John Knight Chris and Zada Koen Don and Kate Koen Neal and Sandra Kugler Joe and Stacy Landon Kent and Robin Lang Dale Lassiter Shirley Laurence Bob and Kim Lee Debbie and Roy Lester Karen Linton Kim Lovelace Bob and Alecia Lucky Paulette Lum Randy and Valerie Marr Pam Martin Bob and Markey May Mitchell May Phillip and Sammi May Brett and Ginger McFadden Robert and Dorothy McKenzie Donald and Tona McKiever WJ and Charlotte McKiever Johnny McMurry
David McPherson Jim McPherson Lisa McPherson Mary McPherson Mary McWhorter Michael and Kimberly Merritt Tay Millen Rachelle Mitchell Rick and Mary Mobley Mary Alice Moore Mitchell Musgrove – Musgrove Forestry Service, Inc. Earnest Najorka David and Monica Napier David Nicholas Larry and Kathy Nipper Chuck and Cindy Norman Bret and Lisa Nutt Oaktree Animal Hospital – Dr. Scarlette White Anne Ohara Rick and Donna Owens Chase and Paisley Owyoung Ronnie and Rita Parnell Brian and Taua Patrick Melessa Peel Mikie Peel Mark and Diane Pennington Keith and Becky Phillips Tommy Pierce Phillip Pierini Michael Piraino Scott and Karen Place DeLores Polite Charles and Susan Pollart Paula Pollart Ronnie and Melissa Pool Denise Powell Curt and Andrea Preston Whitney Price David and Joan Pruitt Brian Ramsey Mary Ray Tanya Ray Matthew Reaves Marty Reep Wesley and Debbie Reeves Connie Rice Garry and Margaret Roccaforte Jim and Elgenia Ross Wanda Rothwell Alana Rowland Raymond Rowland Paul and Amy Russell Scott and Mistye Saffold Robin and Carole Sanders – Skiles Construction Jesse and Sarah Santo Ryan Schmidgall Betty Schrimpf
Trent and Meghan Scogin Tom and Colleen Sears Clark and Sandy Sexton Kyle Shipp Dave Sigler Stephanie Sizemore Janell Skiles Connie Smith Gary and Patty Smith Jerry and Jeanette Smith Rusty Smith Barbara Snook Carolyn Snook Edward and Dorothy Snook Mary Soliz Cleo Standford Anthony and Leah Stanford Brian and Jan Stephenson Steve’s Body and Frame – Crossett, AR Tommy Taylor Nick Temple Alice Theis Claudette Thomas Bill Thurman Joyce Tim Kyle and Lisa Tolin Dennis and Pamela Tow Jim Trimm Gvona and LaCeasha Turner Marcel Vincent Linda Walker Cody and Heather Wall Keith Wallis Howard and Linda Wells James West Dean Wetzler Matt and Johannah Whiting Bettie Williams Julie Williams Karen Wisener Kathy Witmer Dr. Barbara Wood Jeremy and Becca Woodall Laquita Wray Kristie Wright Fred Yawn Gifts listed were received from July 1, 2015 through April 30, 2016
CLU B D O N O R S | F O U N DAT I O N
INDIVIDUAL DONORS The UAM Foundation donors list includes alumni, friends and other contributors whose gifts were received January 1 – April 30, 2016. Please report any corrections to Jay Jones at (870) 460-1022 or jonesj@uamont.edu
Unity & Movement Club $2,500 or more Dr. Laura K. Evans Dr. Kathy B. King Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. Mann Mr. Lester Pinkus Mr. and Mrs. Randall S. Risher Dr. James F. Roiger
Galaxy Club $1,000-$2,499 Mr. and Mrs. Jay Hughes Ms. Debbie McKnight Mr. Kent L. McRae Mr. and Mrs. Richard Reinhart Dr. and Mrs. Sean Rochelle Mr. and Mrs. Scotty D. Watkins Mr. and Mrs. Bill Whiting, Sr.
Emerald Club $500-$999 Dr. Joseph M. Bramlett Dr. Robert S. Graber Mrs. Jean B. Hendrix Mr. Dean Hill, Sr. Mr. William “Hud” Jackson Dr. Louis J. James Ms. Angela J. Marsh Hon. and Mrs. Eugene J. Mazzanti Mr. Timothy R. Pruitt Mr. and Mrs. Cedric Williams
Loyalty Club $200-$499 Ms. Cynthia L. Adair Dr. Gregory A. Borse Mr. James L. Brewer Mr. J. Blair Brown Ms. Jacqueline D. Bryant Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Bullock Mr. and Mrs. Andy Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Barry Davis Mr. and Mrs. Kent Davis Ms. Memorie S. Dickson Ms. Christine L. Felts Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Gavin Mr. Jerry D. Gibson Drs. Glen and Mary Jane Gilbert Mr. and Mrs. Larry Graham Dr. and Mrs. Gene Gulledge Mr. John Harmon Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Harper Ms. Christine L. Harris Mr. and Mrs. John Harvey Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Higgins Dr. Carl B. Johnston Mr. Jay S. Jones Mr. Scott R. Kuttenkuler Mr. Glen Manning Mr. and Mrs. Brett McFadden Mr. Mike McWhorter Mr. and Mrs. James Moore Mr. Barry K. Mullen Mr. Mitchell Musgrove Mr. and Mrs. Gary Orr Mr. and Mrs. George Owens, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Patrick Mr. and Mrs. Tommy E. Poole Mr. and Mrs. M.L. Preston Ms. Matti J. Palluconi Ms. Linda F. Rushing Ms. Lisa Shemwell Dr. Christopher Sims Ms. Shela F. Upshaw Mr. Austin Williams
Century Club $100-$199 Mr. and Mrs. Harley Beckwith Mrs. Betty Blankenship Mr. and Mrs. Frank Carlton Ms. Patti J. Carter Mr. and Mrs. Walter Chastain Mrs. Bonnie Christmas Mrs. Marilyn Dvoracek Mr. Jimmy S. Finley Ms. Diana K. Hackney Mr. and Mrs. Billy Hinkle Ms. Kelly James Mr. and Mrs. J. Ted Jenkins
Mr. and Mrs. Levin Johnson Mr. Michael Keim Mr. Tommy Kessler Mr. and Mrs. S. Lee Kindle Ms. Katie Koen Mr. and Mrs. W.J. McKiever Mr. Reno Moore Mr. Quinton L. Morgan Mr. and Mrs. David Napier Ms. Anna Nimmo Mr. and Mrs. Mark Owen Mr. and Mrs. Rick G. Owens Mr. Floyd L. Pittman III
Mrs. Mary K. Rhodes Mr. and Mrs. Benny Roark Mr. and Mrs. Timothy H. Smith Ms. Cathola Stewart Mr. Michael Stewart Mr. H. Christoph Stuhlinger Dr. Philip A. Tappe Mrs. Katharine A. Wells Mr. and Mrs. Matt Whiting Mr. and Mrs. James Wilson Mr. William B. Wyrick Dr. and Mrs. Jimmie Yeiser
Business & Corporate Donors Alice-Sidney Dryer Arkansas Division Ouachita – Society of American Foresters Clearwater Paper Commercial Bank & Trust Co. DNB Engineering Deltic Timber Corporation Drew Central High School Class of 1961 ExxonMobil Foundation Feta Metrics, Inc. First National Bank of McGehee K-K Veterinary Supply M & M Trucking McGehee Bank McQueen & Co., Ltd. Milner/Owyoung Insurance Group Monsanto Fund Mullen Enterprises Murphy Oil Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation Reinhart Farms The Risher Companies SEARK Concert Association Silvicraft, Inc. Southeast Chapter of ASCPA Southeast Development Foundation State Farm Insurance Companies UAM African American Alumni Association UAM Institute of Management Accountants Union Bank & Trust Co.
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COLLEGE S OF TECHNOLOGY | NE WS WORK READY
HANDS ON Automotive technology has long been a staple of the McGehee campus, Now students will have the opportunity to repair diesel engines at the Diesel Technology and CDL Training Academy.
Going Diesel at McGehee
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A shortage of diesel mechanics has opened up a new opportunity for the UAM College of Technology-McGehee
A SHORTAGE OF TRAINED DIESEL MECHANICS AND TECHNICIANS HAS prompted the University of Arkansas at Monticello to create a Diesel Technology and CDL Training Academy, offering classes beginning with the 2016 fall semester at its campuses in Monticello and McGehee. The academy was the idea of Bob Ware, vice chancellor of the UAM College of TechnologyMcGehee, who conducted extensive visits with business and industry leaders in southeast Arkansas in search of ideas for new programs vital to the region. “What they told me was how desperate they were for trained diesel mechanics and technicians as well as drivers with commercial drivers licenses,” said Ware. “They had lots of jobs available but no one to fill them. They were sending people out of state to receive training that wasn’t available in Arkansas.” Diesel technicians are in demand to service farm equipment, tractor-trailers, oil rigs, power plants, cargo ships, construction vehicles and school buses. “Last year the state school bus inspector grounded hundreds of buses because there were not enough mechanics to fix them,” Ware noted. “Schools are spending thousands of dollars to have their buses towed to Little Rock or Memphis to be repaired.” The academy will offer two options, a technical certificate requiring three semesters of instruction, and a certificate of proficiency, which may be completed in one semester. According to Ware, the McGehee campus will hire a certified diesel instructor who will teach at both the McGehee and Monticello locations. For more information, contact Sharon Cantrell at (870) 460-2106.
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Three staff members from the UAM College of Technology-McGehee recently attended a two-day ACT Work Ready Communities Academy in Atlanta, Ga. Tawana Jones-Greene, director of the Upward Bound Pre-College Program, Dorissa Kaufman, director of adult education, and Amanda Kuttenkuler, project coordinator, took part in the academy, which provided training on how to become a Work Ready Community and how the initiative benefits employers and workers. “This initiative is exactly what Southeast Arkansas needs,” said Kuttenkuler. “Our region has been overlooked for a long time. This is our chance to create strong, work ready communities that can make a difference in the types of business and industries that come to our region.” According to Kuttenkuler, an ACT Work Ready Community has a percentage of employers who agree to recommend to applicants and current employees the advantages of earning a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). The NCRC includes examinations in reading for information, locating information, and applied math. Certificates are awarded based on test scores at four levels – platinum, the highest level, gold, silver and bronze. According to Kuttenkuler, ACT has profiled over 20,000 jobs certifying which skills and certificate levels are necessary to accomplish a particular job. If an employer’s jobs are listed in the currently profiled jobs they may use this information. Employers also have the option to request a profile of a particular job.
SP OTLIGHT | ALUMNI NE WS
Coaching Odyssey From the SEC to the ACC to the Pac-12, Art Kaufman has coached everywhere
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FORMER UAM LINEBACKER ART Kaufman has coached football from coast to coast since leading the Boll Weevils to the 1979 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship. Kaufman is now in his third season as the defensive coordinator and at the University of California-Berkley and in his first campaign working directly with the Golden Bears’ linebackers in 2016 in his 35th season as a collegiate coach. Kaufman’s defense made significant improvements in his second campaign in Berkeley to help the Bears to an 8-5 record to give Cal its first eight-win season
since the 2009 team was 8-5 with only 17 squads since the beginning of Cal football in 1882-83 winning either nine or 10. Cal capped its season with its first bowl victory since 2008 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl with the spot in postseason play its first since 2011. Kaufman coached three honorable mention All-Pac-12 selections that each started all 13 games in 2015. Kaufman became Cal’s defensive coordinator in January of 2014 after having developed some of the top defenses in the country at multiple stops over his 33-year collegiate career. He is in his 14th
campaign as a defensive coordinator at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level in 2015, having previously served in the role at Cincinnati, North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas Tech. Kaufman was nominated for the prestigious Broyles Award given annually to college football’s top assistant coach both at North Carolina in 2011 and Texas Tech in 2012. “I feel like we took a few steps to becoming a better defense in 2014 and that our defense will continue to improve quickly,” Kaufman said. “I’m looking forward to building a strong defense that will make significant contributions to our success.”
Dr. Anthony K. Grafton Bringing teaching excellence to the Lyon classroom Dr. Anthony K. Grafton (BS ‘93), associate dean of faculty and professor of chemistry at Lyon College, was awarded the Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching for Lyon’s 2014-15 academic year. The College awards this prize annually to the faculty member considered the most outstanding in four categories: professional competence, scholarly ability, exemplary humane values, and contributions to the community. Grafton earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma and joined the Lyon College faculty in 2003. He is a physical chemist with expertise in molecular modeling and computational chemistry. His research involves modeling chiral systems and small enzyme inhibitors. Outside the classroom, Grafton helps direct the annual Service Day activities, teaches in the APPLE program, and volunteers as a Cub Scout leader.
GRAFTON HONORED Dr. Anthony K. Grafton (left) receives the Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching at Lyon College. Making the presentation is Dr. Phil Acree Cavalier, vice president for academic services and dean of the faculty.
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A LUMNI NE WS
Friends We’ll Miss Tammy Meeks Bolin (AAS ’08) of Monticello, April 22, 2016. Aubrey Brad Bradberry (AN ’74) of Gould, January 19, 2016. Cherie Erwin Bradford (BSE ’50) of Warren, January 25, 2016. Dr. Timothy David Chase (BS ’85) of Monticello, April 15, 2016 Andrea Resharlon Coleman (TC ’00) of Conway, December 24, 2015. Rev. Jefferson E. Davis, Jr. (BA ’48) of Sulphur Springs, TX, December 29, 2015. Sandra Kay Whitaker Davis (BSE ’68) of Little Rock, June 4, 2015. David Eubanks of Monticello, January 26, 2016. William G. (Bill) Gibson of Lake Jackson, Tex., January 3, 2016. Charlsie Prestridge Hayes of Monticello, May 1, 2016. Romanda Michelle Spencer Jordan of Monticello, March 30, 2016. Lois Reep Lack of Monticello, April 10, 2016. Rebecca J. “Becky” Nichols Lincoln (BA ’76) of Benton, April 18, 2019. William C. (Bill) McClintock, Sr., of Sherwood, August 20, 2015. Edward Ansel Meiggs (BS ’83) of Pine Bluff, December 21, 2015. Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Mosher (BA ’45) of Rapid River, Mich., January 27, 2016. James Edward Noble (TC ’87) of Longview, Tex., January 24, 2016. Owen Michael (Mike) Pace (BA ’78) of Wilmar, March 16, 2016. Elizabeth Meeks Pierce (BS ’56) of Prattville, Ala., April 19, 2015. Melissa Ann Blocksom Rushing of Monticello, October 28, 2015. Janis Sweet Burt Smith of Glen Rose, April 24, 2016. Barbara Sue Speakman of Baxter, Tenn., March 18, 2016. James William Willis, (BA ’62) of Little Rock, AR, April 25, 2016. Vernon C. Wills of Hot Springs, October 27, 2015. Jerry Donald Woodall (BS ’79) of Monticello, April 10, 2016. Maureen Divine Mezger Work of Sacramento, Calif., February 13, 2016.
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UAM Magazine
ALUMNI NEWS
Class News KEEPING IN TOUCH THROUGH THE YEARS
1970’s
1990’s
Tommy Maxwell (BBA ‘71), president and CEO of Maxwell Flooring in Monticello, was recently elected as the chair of the Hardwood Federation Public Action Committee Board of Directors. Deena Coston (BS ’77) has joined the staff of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas as finance officer. In her U of A role, Coston will manage all financial transactions and obligations for campus funds allocated to the Bumpers College, providing oversight of campus allocations to departmental budget units within the college, and coordinating with financial officers in the Division of Agriculture for management and policies of oversight in jointly funded units. Coston joins the Bumpers College on April 18 after working as controller for Central Arkansas Water in Little Rock since 2003.
Dr. William “Tony” Thurman (BS ’93), Cabot Public Schools superintendent, participated in a Lifetouch Memory Mission® to build a school in the Dominican Republic in January, 2016. The school is being built for the children and families in a small, mountainous farming community. Alex Mannis (B.A. ’98) of Little Rock is one of 75 winners of the 2015 Elijah Watt Sells Award given by The American Institute of CPAs who have obtained a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, passed all four sections of the Examination on their first attempt and completed testing in 2015. A total of 93,742 individuals sat for the Examination in 2015, with 75 candidates meeting the criteria to receive the Elijah Watt Sells Award. Mannis is currently employed with the Arkansas Legislative Audit.
ALUMNI NEWS
Wee Weevils WELCOMING THE CLASS OF 2038
Luke Michael Hollatz, born October 22, 2015, to Melissa K. O’Connor (BA ‘95) and Brad Hollatz of Lewisville, Tex. Brooks Davis Kelnhofer, born June 18, 2015, to Ashley (Hughes) and Nicholas J. Kelnhofer (’08 M.ED) of Monticello.
Patton Tucker Roberts, born July 23, 2015, to Michele (Hoover) (BBA ’05) and David Roberts of Monticello. Vivienne Hazel Grace Young, born October 19, 2015, to Hope (McEachern) (BSN ’10) and Clay W. Young (BSN ’09) of Monticello.
LUKE MICHAEL HOLLATZ
Save The Dates
Pa re n t-Fam il y App re c iat io n Day S at u rd ay, S e p te m b e r 24 H ome c om ing 2016 S at u rd ay, Oc t o b e r 22
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University of Arkansas at Monticello Alumni Association P.O. Box 3597 Monticello, AR 71656
GAC Baseball Champions! The Boll Weevils celebrate after beating Henderson State 14-2 in the GAC Tournament Finals.