CAMPUS LIFE

In addition to offering robust academic experiences, the University of Central Arkansas has a vibrant campus climate that allows students to grow as leaders and community builders. More than 200 student organizations, clubs and recreational groups help students get acclimated to college life and grow in their student experience. These organizations include Greek life, academic and cultural clubs, service-oriented groups and others. Students’ engagement on campus contributes to them earning professional development, service and internship experiences. On campus, students can take part in the services the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Center provides. The HPER Center opened its Challenge Course in the fall. It features a 10-obstacle high static team course, two climbing walls, four stand-alone high ropes challenges, 17 low team challenges and two dual ziplines. The university also works with other institutions to ensure their students have access to campus offerings. UCA and the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College entered into a Bear Partners agreement in the fall that allows Pulaski Tech students to, while earning an associate degree, access UCA athletic events, select Reynolds Performance Hall events, access to Torreyson Library resources and an application fee waiver when the student transfers to UCA. UCA also has this partnership with Arkansas State University-Beebe and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.

10 200+

Number of obstacle courses at the HPER Center’s new Challenge Course Number of student organizations

HOME TOWN The UCA Community Development Institute welcomed the stars of the HGTV hit series “Home Town,” Jim and Mallorie Rasberry and Josh Nowell, to the Downtown Comeback event on campus in July. Nowell and the Rasberrys explained how community-wide preservation efforts helped revitalize their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. OMATSURI FESTIVAL The UCA “OMATSURI” Japanese Festival took place in November in the Student Center Ballroom. The festival provided an opportunity for the community to learn more about Japanese culture. Activities included Japanese food, martial arts, traditional Japanese drum and dance performances, and more.

LGBT HISTORY MONTH UCA recognized LGBT History Month in the fall with programming that included the UCA Pride Walk, a Core Dance Co. performance, PRISM Picnic, PRISM Pride Drag Show and more. The programming also included sessions for students, faculty and staff, and supervisors and administrators.

Bear Boots on the Ground, UCA’s disaster relief group, assists communities at home and abroad. In October, the organization spent a day of fall break volunteering at the Arkansas Food Bank, the largest hunger relief organization in the state. Bear Boots volunteers completed warehouse projects such as labeling food items, sorting and repackaging.

In December, the organization helped Conway Gives support the homeless community through collecting donations for nonprofits that provide services to the homeless. Volunteers were stationed at intersections and given a collection bucket.

REYNOLDS PERFORMANCE HALL

The Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall hosts performing arts programming for the central Arkansas community to enjoy. Its programming features concerts, performances from national touring companies, renowned speakers and more. Its seasons include Broadway, Pops, Night Out, Distinguished Lectures and the Main Stage EdUCAtion series. Reynolds Performance Hall celebrated its 20th season during the 2019-20 academic year. The “Best of Reynolds” series brought back crowd favorites to the stage. Those performances included Straight No Chaser, The Gatlin Brothers, Georgia on My Mind: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles and Cirque Eloize Hotel. Shows in the performing arts series included Sara Evans, “Jersey Boys,” Temple Grandin, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “The Color Purple.”

BUDDY GUY MAIN STAGE EDUCATION

The Main Stage EdUCAtion series familiarizes pre-K through 12th-grade Arkansas students with live performing arts at Reynolds Performance Hall. Main Stage productions are based on books, historical events, math and science, and other educational topics. National touring companies perform each show, and shows include an accompanying study guide for students and teachers. Students build creativity, critical thinking and communication skills through taking part in the series. This year, the series presented “Miss Nelson Has A Field Day,” “A Very Electric Christmas,” “Walk On: The Story of Rosa Parks,” “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Catapult.” During “The Diary of Anne Frank,” a traveling exhibit, “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” was displayed in the Reynolds lobby for three weeks. The exhibit used story panels and photographs to present the history of the Holocaust through the persepective of Anne Frank and her family. More than 6,500 people viewed the exhibit during its display.

| MISS NELSON HAS A FIELD DAY

NOTABLE EVENTS

The University of Central Arkansas provides a rich campus life experience that includes offerings that entertain, educate and unite the UCA community. Throughout the year, UCA is home to numerous performances, screenings, concerts and more. ◊ Country music star Sara Evans kicked off Reynolds Performance Hall's 20th season with a concert in September. ◊ The inaugural Big Bear Classic, a cycling event for scholarships, took place in

November. The ride included three options: a family ride, a 27-mile route and a 50-mile route. ◊ The Student Activities Board hosted showings of movies such as “Knives Out,”

“Harriet,” “Last Christmas,” “Ford v Ferrari” and “Frozen II.” ◊ Award-winning horror author and screenwriter Tananarive Due visited campus as an artist-in-residence in September. Due held a public reading and book signing, along with a craft talk and master class. ◊ The College of Fine Arts and Communication presented “The Empathy Project” from Oct. 10-15. It featured French poet Sarah Turquety and Atlanta-based Core

Dance Co. as artists-in-residence. The project included a participatory Planetary

Dance and a physical theater choreo-poem to help inspire fundamental social change. ◊ The Student Government Association and Aramark partnered in the fall to provide

Go Green containers, reusable plastic containers to cut down on styrofoam in

Christian Cafeteria. ◊ Homecoming 2019 had a ’90s theme. UCA Homecoming also crowned the university’s first Homecoming King, Jarrett Counts. Kamoni Manago was named

Homecoming Queen. ◊ UCA, The Latino Art Project and the Consul General of Mexico in Arkansas presented art exhibit “Latinos Unidos” at UCA Downtown in September. The exhibit celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and showcased the rich history of

Latino culture. ◊ Comedians and actors Joel McHale and Ken Jeong performed at Reynolds

Performance Hall in October. ◊ In January, UCA hosted the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast.

Tamika S. Edwards, former executive director of the Social Justice Institute at

Philander Smith College, served as the keynote speaker.

| BIG BEAR CLASSIC

| KEN JEONG | JOEL MCHALE