UCA Magazine - Spring 2023 Issue

shaping the arts experience

WINDGATE CENTER FOR FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts

12 Music in the Windgate Center

14 Artists-in-Residence

18 Carmeon Hamilton ’08

22 Teri Cox-Meadows ’90, ’94

24 UCA at the Museum

28 Community Language School

30 Tia Brickey ’11

32 Distinguished Alumni Nan Snow ’57

34 Day of Giving

36 Class Notes

On the cover: Jade Garrett, a sophomore psychology major and member of the UCA Bear Marching Band, practices her trumpet.

Table of contents:

UCA students Desiree Coleman (left) and Lindy Cook (right) help the UCA Clay Club decorate ceramic soup bowls in the Windgate ceramic studio at a Students for the Arts event.

Alums visiting UCA often comment about how different the campus looks. For some of them, it is almost unrecognizable from their time in school. In particular, they recognize the dramatic changes to the north side of campus where we have renovated facilities and built new ones from the Lewis Science Center and Conway Corp Center for Sciences to Greek Village I and II. With every ground breaking, construction tour, or grand openings for those facilities, we have continued to define UCA as a destination institution.

With the opening of the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, we strengthen this position. This building is a game changer for the region, but it is much more. It is classroom space. It is a black box theater. It is a concert hall. It is an expanded opportunity for student artists, musicians, thespians, makeup artists, painters, singers, and performers. With all that we know and have planned for the Windgate Center, we recognize that this building also leaves space for untapped creativity and spontaneity.

If you have not had an opportunity to visit the space yet, this issue of UCA Magazine provides a front row view. This fall, we are planning a major celebration to invite everyone inside to get a firsthand look at this incredible facility and the great work of our faculty and students.

This issue explores other areas of arts and culture in our community such as our Community Language School. This program has been in operation since 2007 and offers Arabic, French, and Mandarin to elementary students.

In another story, we are introduced to alumni Marlie Allgood ’18 and Daniel Cockrell ’97, ’04. Allgood is studio educator at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, and Cockrell is director of the Old State House Museum in Little Rock.

Another alumna, Carmeon Hamilton ’08 is featured in this issue. Hamilton has found great success as an interior designer and television personality after winning HGTV’s “Design Star: Next Gen” and later hosting her own show, “Reno My Rental.”

Nan Snow '57 is our 2023 Distinguish Alumni Award recipient. Snow has been a champion of women's issues for decades. Her story is included in this issue.

This is just a sampling of all the wonderful stories featured. Please enjoy reading about all the incredible people and university initiatives included in this issue of UCA Magazine.

Editor

Mark Heffington ’04

Executive Director of University

Marketing and Communications

Managing Editor

Jennifer McCune ’02, ’03

Writer/Editor

Art Director

Kimberly Klotz ’06, ’13 Director of Branding and Creative Services

UCA Magazine Staff

Jennifer Boyett ’01

Director of Campaign Communications

Adam Crain

New Media Producer/Videographer

Seth Foley

Photographer

Riley Matheny

Graphic Designer

Erica Ruble ’11

Operations and Finance Manager

Fredricka Sharkey

Director of Media Relations

Michelle Standridge

Graphic Designer

Contributors

Philip Allison

Jared Craig

Katrina Dupins

Haley Helton

Chelsea McCurdy ’08

Madison Ogle

Thomas Staab

University President

Dr. Houston Davis

Vice President for University Advancement

Dr. Mary Bane Lackie

Dr. Houston D. Davis President

or the university administration.

Copyright 2023

University of Central Arkansas

President Houston Davis

UCA NOW CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

to our donors

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Dr. Mary Bane Lackie Vice President for University Advancement President of the UCA Foundation

15.46%

The UCA Foundation’s top priority is to be an excellent steward of your gifts. The UCA Foundation Board of Directors, Vice President for University Advancement Dr. Mary Bane Lackie and the UCA Advancement staff are dedicated to helping maximize the impact of your gift. University of

“Thank you so much to all of our donors. Your support helps our students fulfill their dreams and positively impact the world around them.”

THE WINDGATE CENTER FOR

FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS

The University of Central Arkansas is now home to the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts and is poised to strengthen its position as a leader in the arts community and make Conway an artistic anchor for the region. The 114,000-square-foot facility situated at the corner of Donaghey Avenue and Bruce Street holds a concert hall, a percussion suite, a recital hall, a photography studio, a 190seat black box theater, rehearsal and design spaces, classrooms and much more.

The much-anticipated project is made possible by a $20 million gift from the Windgate Foundation, the largest single gift in UCA history. The Alice L. Walton Foundation dedicated $3 million to the project. The UCA Foundation also received significant contributions for the project from the Sunderland Foundation, the Bridges-Larson Foundation, the Hearst Foundation, and the Munro Foundation.

“In addition to generous donations from foundations, the Windgate project also received more than $419,000 from 121 individual donors and couples. These gifts are an excellent example of how private funding allows us as a university to do things we would not be able to do otherwise,” said Mary Bane Lackie, vice president of University Advancement and president of the UCA Foundation. “These funds all count toward our UCA Now comprehensive capital campaign to raise $100 million.”

Along with the Windgate Foundation’s generous gift of $20 million, the UCA Board of Trustees authorized the university to issue more than $25 million in bonds for the project.

“The more private money we can raise, the more we can advance academic prosperity and pedagogy,” said Greg Weber, senior director of development for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Before arriving at UCA, Weber spent three decades as an arts executive and producer of opera and other theatrical works. His toolbox of knowledge has been instrumental in anticipating various needs for equipment and other accompaniments needed for Windgate.

“A performing art space is only built typically once every 50 to 70 years,” Weber said. “So you have one shot over three generations to get this right. You have to make certain not only that it’s built but also that you have all the necessary equipment. Understand those core needs; that it’s not just the space we want, we also want the tools the students need to make this a world-class facility.”

“We programmed this building five years ago,” said Shauna Meador ’92, chair of UCA’s Department of Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing. “When Greg found out we had not originally specked projectors for this space, it became his goal. He made a great effort to help us achieve a grant for $60,000 worth of equipment. This is important equipment that our students learn how to use because projection is happening a lot in the production of theatre now.”

Meador has a long history with UCA theatre that began in 1973 when she saw her first play on campus as a child.

“I remember where I sat in the audience, and I remember being completely in awe of it. But I didn’t remember I had seen it here until I was going through some old cards and stuff. I found the program and realized the play I’d seen was in the theater I’m teaching at now.”

Meador also earned a theater degree from UCA and met her husband, associate professor of art Scott Meador, while

they were undergraduates at UCA. She became chair in 2019, making her journey with UCA full circle.

She said support from the Bridges-Larson Foundation has changed the program, the university and the community. The James M. Bridges Black Box Theatre is named in honor of UCA’s 2012 Distinguished Alumni award recipient, a Hollywood movie producer, director and screenwriter who kickstarted the foundation along with actor and writer Jack Larson.

Windgate, Meador said, will allow students to work with all brand new, state-of-the-art equipment and take full advantage of learning the technology that goes into the production of theatre as well as stagecraft and other practical skills they can use beyond theatre.

“We’re not just training students to go into theater; we’re training them to go into other parts of the entertainment industry,”Meador said. “They can work on a lighting system here, and ultimately, they may be able to do concert lighting on tour with somebody. This will provide our students with familiarity with equipment that is being used in the industry.”

Trey Ewart, a junior theatre major from Bentonville, was still in high school when he learned UCA would be getting a brand-new art center. The Windgate Center is a big reason Ewart chose UCA.

“I had gotten really into the theater after I quit playing football due to a nasty concussion. I wanted to step away from that, so I got into the technical aspects of theatre,” Ewart said.

Ewart started working backstage jobs as a stagehand or assistant stage manager; then, he landed professional opportunities in northwest Arkansas with a few companies. By his senior year of high school, he started doing lighting designs for his school’s theatre productions.

“After my first one, I said, ‘Okay. I might try to make a career out of this’,” said Ewart, who is now the lead student lighting designer for UCA theater. “You get to be a part of the story in a sense. Because you control the feel of the room, you can make colors pop and choose what to highlight and what to hide. There’s a lot of cool stuff you can do with lights and thematic things you can bring to the forefront.”

Ewart is looking forward to working in the new space, which he says already has a lot of aspects not yet available in most shops.

The Windgate Center allows UCA to foster collaborative partnerships between students across art disciplines within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

“One of the examples is Kristin Lewis as an artist-in-residence where she will be performing with the Conway Symphony Orchestra. Her residency will also include an art exhibit to feature her garments and a four-dimensional art-and-time concepts class focused on her visit,” said Amanda Horton ’95, UCA’s executive director of Public Appearances. Lewis ’99, a world-renowned opera singer, received the 2022 Distinguished Alumni award. “The students not only get time with the professional artists, but their visits in Windgate also allow for greater collaboration between the arts.”

Bryan Massey Sr., chair of the UCA Department of Art and Design, has already been in discussions about collaborating with students in the College of Business and the interior design program. He says his students are already enjoying the extra space they have in which to create. The art studio allows Massey to expand the program and its outreach, and students can now have more handson experience even in the introductory classes.

Top: Fabiola Jean-Louis works in a workshop in the Windgate Center as part of her artist-in-residence. Upper Middle: Students lounge on the Win and Carmen Thompson Atrium steps in the Windgate Center on the first day of spring classes. Lower Middle: Students tour student studio spaces in the Windgate Center. Bottom: UCA Clay Club students throw bowls on the wheel in the Windgate Center ceramics studio.

Students view a piece at the Anna Wagner Art Reception. Anna Wagner is a ceramic artist residing in Cabot, Arkansas. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Central Arkansas in 2020.

"This space, with its size, scope and state-of-theart technology, will allow a special, sublime kind of feeling to emerge from our shows."

“In the [Schichtl] sculpture area where I taught students, we had one small room where we taught wax making, mold making and plaster work. In the new studio, each area has its own space,” Massey said. “The students have given a lot of positive feedback so far about their new work area.”

Massey also donated to the Windgate Center by having the sculpture studio named for both his grandmothers.

“My grandmothers were instrumental in getting me to where I am today,” Massey said.

“There is nothing like having praying grandmothers, so in order to keep their memory alive, I decided to name the sculpture studios after my grandmothers. My father’s mother’s name was Beulah Cogdell, and my mom’s mother was named Lille Mae Penny. It is called the Cogdell-Penny Sculpture Studio, and it’s where we teach all aspects of sculpture from stone carving to fabrication to casting.”

Massey and his wife made an additional donation to the Windgate Center that will name the main art office inside Windgate after him (after some encouragement from his wife). It is named the Bryan W. Massey Sr. Chairs Office Suite of Art and Design.

The Windgate Center will be an addition – not a replacement – to the robust and world-renowned performing art events held annually at the 1,200-seat Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall. Windgate will allow UCA to offer a variety of performances. Amanda Horton oversees events at both Windgate and Reynolds.

“We will be presenting public appearances with professional artists in the Windgate concert hall,” Horton said. “This gives us an opportunity to present niche artists and acts we would not typically feature at Reynolds. Reynolds is built for big, spectacular broadway shows and large concerts. Windgate offers spaces that are more intimate with incredible acoustics specifically designed for classical, jazz and alternative music, to name a few.”

The optimized acoustics will make for a better performance venue for some plays as well. Many modern plays have much smaller casts. “When performing in a space better suited to be an auditorium, the actors can tend to get lost,” Meador said.

The James M. Bridges Black Box Theatre will serve as the premiere venue for Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, the state’s only professional Shakespeare theater. Chad Bradford ’06, who was named managing director of AST in June 2022, has worked with the program since 2007. He is grateful and excited about the new space for the intimate and immersive experience it will offer the audience and actors.

“In my intro to theatre classes, I talk about what makes theater, and one of those things is the actor-audience dynamic –that makes it different from film,” Bradford said. “This space, with its size, scope and state-of-the-art technology, will allow a special, sublime kind of feeling to emerge from our shows. Because, at the end of the day, theater is really a transformational art form. I really do think that the theater is going to allow us to do our art even better than we could before. It is so nice to be able to say that this is our new home for a new season.”

Those interested in making a gift to the building or to student scholarships can contact Greg Weber, senior director of development, at gweber@uca.edu or (501) 852-2606.

● KATRINA DUPINS

Top: Exterior of the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. Bottom: Chair of the Department of Art and Design Bryan W. Massey Sr. demonstrates to students in his 3-D design class. Opposite: Students perform in a dress rehearsal of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" in the James M. Bridges Black Box Theatre.

How Sweet the Sound

The Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts represents a significant investment in the music program at the University of Central Arkansas and the future of music education in the region and across the country.

The spacious and modern building is aesthetically pleasing but has been designed with acoustics and functionality in mind. One of the most impressive features of the new building is the concert hall, which is not only visually stunning, but also equipped with acoustics that have been carefully designed to ensure the highest level of sound quality.

“The recital hall in Snow Fine Arts seated somewhere around 250 bodies, but the new recital hall at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts will seat 450,” said Brent Shires, associate professor of music and brass chamber music coordinator.

“That’s an important number because it’s small enough that things feel intimate and the hall feels full, but it’s large enough to accommodate our audience sizes for dayto-day recitals. To have a full hall is important psychologically for the performer, but even more importantly, it’s a big deal acoustically because the bodies in the seats change how the sounds play out.”

In addition to the new and improved concert hall, the Windgate Center also has a range of rehearsal spaces and practice rooms that cater to the needs of students and faculty.

Jacob Rodriguez, a student ambassador from Foreman, Arkansas, plays the trumpet for the Bear Marching Band. He says he was blown away the first time he entered the building.

“It’s so state-of-the-art, and it feels like you’ve been transported into this brand new, really cool place,” Rodriguez said. “A new multi-million dollar building really shows the music students that UCA cares about them and finds value in the arts. When they were building it, the fencing around the construction site said, ‘Expanding the arts in Arkansas.’ I thought that was impactful especially because other places are cutting art programs, but UCA is investing in it.”

Nia Kelley, a sophomore vocal performance major from North Little Rock, had her eye on UCA since attending the summer Arkansas Choral Connection choir camps starting in middle school. She was in awe when she first visited the choir room inside the Windgate Center.

Windgate Center built to enhance musical experience

“The colors are so vibrant, and we have so much more space,” Kelley said. “You can sing out, enjoy yourself and have the space you need to be able to move around. The new auditorium and sound system will not only allow us to make quality music but also to record quality music and put on amazing productions.”

The building will allow UCA to expand its arts programming and foster collaborative partnerships across academic disciplines, attract more artists and offer more opportunities for growth.

“UCA has always had a strong music program, and we have always been a leader in the state and in the region, all the way back to Homer Brown back in the day up until present day,” said Shires. “The legacy of the Department of Music is moving forward. We should be immensely proud of where we are headed toward the future. The Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts shows that we can put together mind-blowing facilities, programs, teaching opportunities, and performances for our students and our community. It shows the world how invested UCA is in the futures of our students.”

Overall, the new building at UCA is a game-changer for the music department faculty and students. The contemporary facility provides students the resources they need to excel in their program while pursuing their passion for music. It is a testament to the commitment of UCA to provide its students with the best possible education and prepare them for success in their careers.

“This new facility is going to leave people with the impression of not only our amazing faculty, amazing students, and amazing music, but an amazing place where all of this happens on campus,” said Shires. “That sends a signal on a national level that we are one of the major players in the music scene. This new building represents our forward direction as a university and as the center of music in Arkansas.”

•

CHELSEA MCCURDY ’08

"The Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts shows that we can put together mind-blowing facilities, programs, teaching opportunities, and performances for our students and our community. It shows the world how invested UCA is in the futures of our students.”

Top left: UCA English major and Bear Marching Band member Jacob Rodriguez plays the trumpet.

Top right: UCA vocal performance major Nia Kelley practices. Bottom left: Erv Jeffries, a UCA student double-majoring in film and music composition, with his trumpet. Bottom right: UCA student Jade Garrett, a psychology major and member of the UCA Bear Marching Band, practices her trumpet.

UCA’s artist-in-residence program

Inspiring campus & community

Since its beginning more than 20 years ago, the University of Central Arkansas’ artists-in-residence program has been inspiring faculty, students and the surrounding community. Showcasing nationally and internationally recognized artists, authors, design specialists, journalists, musicians, vocal artists and others, this program has become a vibrant part of the curriculum – inspiring graduate and undergraduate students alike. An additional benefit that sets UCA’s program apart from other universities is that it is also free to a community that may not otherwise have access to such acclaimed artists.

The earliest known artist residencies began in 16th century Europe and expanded as academics grew worldwide. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, artists would isolate to find inspiration. The pendulum swung back in the 1960s when British visual artists Barbara Steveni and John Latham founded the Artist Placement Group, which became one of the first major residencies to introduce visual artists into institutions of higher learning with a focus to bridge the gap between academia and the working class.

Increased globalization in the 1980s and 90s made artist residencies even more popular, and by the turn of the century, UCA embraced this program model to meet the needs of students and the community.

In February 2000, the UCA Board of Trustees approved the Fine and Performing Arts Fee with the express purpose of “expanding artistic opportunities that supplement and enhance university life and academic programs.” The fee ensures a consistent revenue plan while providing a significant budget.

Gayle Seymour, associate dean in the UCA College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, says the budget funds between 15 to 20 artists each year with around 100 activities that include readings, performances, showcases and workshops. With this sustainable budget, UCA can reach more artists, bring them to campus and schedule events for students and the community, thus spreading impact and inspiration and bridging the gap between academia and the community.

The purpose of the artist-in-residence program is to offer more than just quantity. Quality is at the forefront of the experience. Students are inspired by artists in their field of study when meeting the artists and learning more about their profession. This connection inspires students to forge ahead with their career goals and continue to graduation.

Opposite: Award-winning Native American traditional potter, artist and ambassador of Caddo heritage and tradition, Chase Kahwinhut Earles, works with pottery in a traditional pit fire kiln to show how Caddo traditional pottery represents continuity in tribal identity and heritage.

"15 to 20 artists visit each year with around 100 activities that include readings, performances, showcases and workshops"

Top: (left) Gerard Marzilli (played Jess Oppenheimer)

(right) Bill Mendieta (played Desi Arnez). L.A. Theatre Works is a nonprofit theatre and media arts organization. They are the nation’s leading producer of audio theatre, with a 30 year history of recording classic and contemporary stage plays. They provide classrooms throughout the US with their unique arts-based educational tools. While on campus, the artists provided an audition seminar/monologue study with UCA theatre students. Bottom: Jacqui Hinkson, a member of the Core Dance Company prepares to dance at the "Akeem Ayanniyi and Core Dance Public Performance: Planetary Dance for Community Renewal". The performance was a participatory dance to the steady beat of drums where each step upon the earth becomes a prayer for healing.

“Students report that there is nothing quite like having an accomplished artist work alongside them,” Seymour said. “They report being inspired by the experience especially when artists are able to convey to students, ‘I was here just like you, and this is what I did to

the campus. She believes that UCA’s location makes it unique in that students here are hungry and appreciative of the experience.

“What I hear from our artists is without exception how inquisitive, interested and hungry our students are,” Seymour said. “We get lots of artists who come and they say ‘You know, you guys are doing stuff at UCA that nobody else is doing.’ Sometimes they will say that from the stage and I like to think ‘Okay, I hope everybody is listening to this.’”

achieve my goals and make a difference in my life.’”

The impact offered by the program adds to UCA’s national prominence as a university offering artist-in-residence experiences throughout the academic year. By bringing artists from different attitudes, experiences and geographic locations, students who may otherwise feel isolated get to relate to fresh, new perspectives. This expansion in worldview adds to the inspirational impact and knowledge base felt by students on UCA’s campus.

Community members are also encouraged to attend artist-in-residence readings and performances. The events are free to the public and are held on UCA’s campus or in close venues. This sharing of artistic riches inspires students in area K-12 schools by providing a view of UCA’s campus life and what the school has to offer. It also furthers the artistic interests of people in Conway, Little Rock and other towns in Arkansas.

In addition to bolstering student and community interest in the arts, the program offers great inspiration and opportunity to the visiting artists. Seymour says artists become inspired when they visit

The UCA artist-in-residence program has hosted diverse artists working in varying genres including authors, musical artists, visual artists and writers. Past authors include Ibtisam Barakat, Sarah Broom, Jericho Brown, Marita Golden and Kiese Laymon. Musical performances included artists such as opera star Cecilia López or the Ivalas Quartet. Dance performances have also been offered. One such experience included dance as healing via “Akeem Ayanniyi and Core Dance Public Performance: Planetary Dance for Community Renewal” as part of the Facilitating Pandemic Healing through the Arts series in spring 2022. Most recently, world-renowned paper sculptor Fabiola Jean-Louis who, as part of a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, spent a three-month visual art residency at UCA in spring 2023.

Seymour says interesting developments are on the horizon for the future of UCA’s artist residencies. Since the fusion of the former College of Fine Arts and Communication and the College of Liberal Arts, there will be more professors who submit proposals and with that, new artists being brought to campus. The word “trust” comes to mind for Seymour as she believes the artist-in-residence program is one where the artists, students and community trusts the university to bring inspiration by way of diversity, vision and impact, thus making “the artist-in-residence program supported by the fine and performing arts fee the jewel in UCA’s crown.” • JENNIFER M C CUNE ’02, ’03

1. Award-winning, Maine-based British photographer, Cig Harvey shows her large-scale photographic projections as she explains how she uses images and language to explore and elevate the everyday. 2. World-renowned Nigerian-born artist Gasali Adeyemo conducts a workshop on "Adire Cloth Making and Drumming" with students in McAlister Hall as part of his artist-in-residence program. 3. Anthropology students from Eric Brown’s Food and Culture Class show participants how to grind corn at the Art Pop Up and Recipe Slam featuring artist-in-residence Mike Durkin. Durkin’s work showcases the intersection between art and the everyday. 4. Internationally acclaimed Mexican costume designer Isabel Rubio gives a lecture during her time as artist-in-residence at UCA in spring 2022. 5. UCA artist-in-residence Fabiola Jean-Louis teaches about paper textile design at Morrilton High School.

“We get lots of artists who come and they say ‘You know, you guys are doing stuff at UCA that nobody else is doing.’ ”

Carmeon Hamilton

Memphis-based interior designer Carmeon Hamilton’s ’08 premiere focus in her work is the psychology behind the design.

Hamilton’s childhood home in West Memphis was always pulled together beautifully. She remembers her mother was fashionable and had a natural knack for decorating and creating spaces that felt warm, inviting and peaceful.

“I know what our home felt like. When I would go to other homes, it didn’t always have the same feeling. My mom was very particular about the details – from the plants she had to the types of dishes we ate from. She even put up multiple Christmas trees every year.” It wasn’t until several years later that Hamilton could put words to those feelings.

Excelling in the classroom and on the basketball court in high school, Hamilton received several academic and athletic scholarship offers. She decided the University of Central Arkansas would be the best fit for her. “I chose not to play basketball, but I didn’t want to stray too far away from the environment of sports. Physical therapy seemed like a good fit for me at the time,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton lost her academic scholarship after her sophomore year. “I was overdoing it,” she said. Some semesters she enrolled in several intense and time-consuming classes, at times totaling more than 18 credit hours. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t become a professional student. I was aiming to graduate within four years.”

The setback would lead to a new journey from which she never looked back.

“Design found me,” she said.

Entering her junior year, Hamilton applied to be a resident assistant to cover some of the cost.

She was assigned to Carmichael Hall and would have her own room. The space and autonomy served as a blank canvas for the future designer. “It had cinder block walls and VCT [vinyl composition tile] floors. I don’t remember if it was white or gray. It just felt cold, and I wanted the opposite of that. I wanted it to feel as much like a studio apartment as possible.”

Hamilton told her mom about her vision which would have a hot pink and zebra print theme. Together they found a plethora of hot pink and zebra items, including fabric they used for pillows, curtains and lampshades.

“My mom, who was a teacher, was big on inspirational sayings. She printed several quotes on hot pink construction paper and laminated them to hang in the room. There was a lot of hot pink and zebra in that room.”

Hamilton no longer has photos of the space and struggles to remember all the details, but she re-

members being very pleased with the results. One of her friends encouraged Hamilton to look into UCA’s interior design program.

“I didn’t know interior design could be a career, let alone something you could study at a university,” Hamilton said. “The next day, I went and talked to the dean and decided to change my major within 10 minutes of talking to her.”

Hamilton says everything that affected the way her life is today happened the week of August 6, 2006. “I started my RA job. I met my husband, and I changed my major to interior design within three days of each other,” Hamilton said. “At the time, I knew I was smart and capable, but I never saw myself as being where I am today.”

Hamilton’s first opportunity to be a professional designer came during one of her senior seminar classes at UCA. The professor had invited a colleague who happened to be the vice president of an interior design department for a health care company.

“I was the only person in the class that had a finalized presentation by the deadline. My professor’s colleague offered me a job on the spot. She told me, ‘I love what you did, but I am more impressed that you were prepared.’ Being prepared has been what I lived by ever since.”

Hamilton started her new job in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, two weeks after graduation. She learned a lot about commercial interior design, including reviewing facilities, developing design plans for dementia units and working with clients. That experience shaped Hamilton into an even more thoughtful designer.

“I started gaining a deeper understanding of how certain colors affect moods as we designed around people’s favorite memories,” Hamilton said. “Witnessing how the environments were aiding their health and a better existence helped me understand how important the role of an interior designer is. It is not just to make a space pretty, but it is also to transform how people feel in the space.”

Knowing how interior design can affect an atmosphere, mood and overall well-being has been a driving force for Hamilton for the past 12 years. That, she says, is one reason she did not enjoy working in retail.

“I got fired as a design consultant because I stunk at sales,” Hamilton said. “I would tell cli -

ents not to buy certain things because it wasn’t worth their money. Going from the sales side to the environmental side – making sure people felt something when they walk in a store – was more my style. The way we feel in an environment can affect how much money we spend, how our food tastes, how much fun we have.”

Today Hamilton is an interior designer and lifestyle blogger who has created and grown her brand, Nubi Interiors, into a successful business.

“I didn’t go after being on a design show or having a TV show. I didn’t strive to be a lead buyer of a retail brand, but I was prepared when those opportunities came along. Learning and absorbing as much as possible keeps me prepared. It’s that ‘if-you-stay-ready-youain’t-gotta-get-ready’ mentality that I subscribe to.”

In 2020, Hamilton was named a rising star in the design world by “Agricultural Digest.” In 2021, she participated in and won HGTV’s competition show “Design Star: Next Gen.” She also hosts the HGTV series “Reno My Rental,” which began

streaming in 2021 shortly after her husband of ten years, Marcus Hamilton ’07, was hit and killed in a motorcycle accident by an intoxicated driver. She shared on social media he would have wanted her to keep pursuing her dreams.

“Nubi is a nickname my husband gave me, which was short for Nubian princess. He is actually the person who named my company. We also liked the play on the words ‘Nubi’ and ‘Interior’. You hear ‘Nubian’ when you say it,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton wants people to recognize the beauty that surrounds them in everyday life.

“If I can open your eyes to something that you see every day and may have ignored – like a houseplant – and convince you about how much of a difference they make in a space, that makes me happy. That is the influence I want to have: enlightening people to see the beauty of the everyday.” ●

KATRINA DUPINS

A LEGACY OF HOPE

GIVING BACK AS A WORLDVIEW

Education consultant and coach Teri Cox-Meadows ’90, ’94 understands the hardships of a first-generation student with limited-to-no income trying to better their life with a college education. With that understanding, she has made it her mission to give hope to children by means of music and education.

The current owner of a consulting company and founder of Daryl’s Music Makers, a nonprofit organization specializing in providing music and education to impoverished children worldwide, Cox-Meadows grew up in “a trailer park, literally the wrong side of the tracks” in Bryant, Arkansas. With no expectation or encouragement at home to further her education, she encountered a band director and a doctor who believed in her and helped her to dream.

“I wasn’t expected to go to college. It wasn’t anything that anybody in my family thought of, but I knew inside myself that was my way out,” and with the help of her band director, she earned a music scholarship at the University of Central Arkansas for playing the trumpet. This was what allowed her “to dream about UCA.” The scholarship got her in, but the financial hardship did not end there.

A couple of weeks before she was supposed to report to campus, Cox-Meadows received a call while she was working at Camp Aldersgate. She learned she still owed a substantial amount for room and board – an amount she had no way of paying.

“I just didn’t have it. I hung up the phone, and I just started crying. I turned around and there was a guy behind me, Dr. Kelsey Kaplan. He looked at me and said, ‘I need you to take a breath and tell me what’s going on.’”

Kaplan listened to her story. The next day, she got a call from UCA stating her room and board had been paid by an “anonymous donor” and that she could come to school for the fall semester.

“I just knew it was Dr. Kaplan. He never admitted to it … but I knew it was him.”

Cox-Meadows went on to work three jobs to save up money for room and board for the spring semester.

The music scholarship, her jobs and the anonymous donation settled the cost.

“[With] what Dr. Kaplan had done for me, I was able to get there and stay there. It was a huge blessing – absolutely lifechanging for me,” Cox-Meadows said. “The first semester, at the end of the semester, I sent Dr. Kaplan a letter from the president saying that I had made the President’s List. I mailed a copy to him and one to my mother that just said, ‘Merry Christmas.’”

Cox-Meadows went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UCA. In 2010, she earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Walden University. She never forgot about the donation and has paid it forward in spades.

Her nonprofit organization Daryl’s Music Makers provides instruments, teachers and other supplies to cultivate a love of music. The program serves more than 1,200 children annually in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and several music camps all across the United States. Cox-Meadows created the nonprofit in memory of her husband Daryl Cox who passed away in March 2012.

“You want to do something that helps make a legacy. Daryl and I were not able to have kids and so as a way of trying to honor his memory and support causes that would make him smile, I founded Music Makers. We take hope and a future to kids through music and education across the world. It is literally about exposing kids to music, education, and hope in the future that they can have through those.”

In addition to music education, the program teaches English and reading, provides food and water and awards scholarships in the United States. Cox-Meadows said each partnership is different, giving what is most needed and then expanding to music by providing lessons and instruments.

Attending UCA allowed Cox-Meadows to see the possibilities and impact education can make in life. Now she gives hope to others.

“My life is about giving back to others because I have been given to and had I not been given to, then my life would have been totally different … because of what people have poured into me, I’m allowed to pour back to other people.” ●

JENNIFER MCCUNE ’02, ’03

“My life is about giving back to others because I have been given to and had I not been given to, then my life would have been totally different … because of what people have poured into me, I’m allowed to pour back to other people.”

“

We take hope and a future to kids through music and education across the world. It is literally about exposing kids to music, education and hope in the future that they can have through those.”

UCA at the

From her beginnings taking art classes at a local church in Cabot, Arkansas, to a studio educator at the famed Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art located in Bentonville, Arkansas, Marlie Allgood ’18 did not foresee her future as an educator. After completing her degree at the University of Central Arkansas, followed by some traveling, she got the opportunity to return to her home state and work in both painting and teaching, thereby experiencing the best of art and education.

Allgood recognized her interest in art, specifically painting in oils, during her junior high school years when she participated in art classes and athletics. As she entered high school, her focus had shifted to art alone.

“I was finally like, ‘I don’t really like sports. What am I doing?’ And so I really took all kinds of art classes then. That’s when I started painting and really thought seriously as far as, ‘I want to be an artist, and I want to go to art school,’” Allgood said.

She started UCA as an art education major and later changed her major to studio art.

“I had great professors that really encouraged me to take it seriously. I committed to oil being my medium, and that’s still primarily what I do,” she said.

Her favorite piece was one she made for her senior show at UCA, which provided “a deep dive into creating it, giving real meaning behind it.”

The summer after graduating, Allgood worked as an intern for professional artists in New York. She then moved to San Diego to work security in a museum there. That experience is what led to her interest in working in museums. After deciding to come back to Arkansas, she was happy to take a job at Crystal Bridges, where she now develops educational programs. Allgood loves this job because she integrates art, education and community work.

“I deal with art every single day,” Allgood said. “I feel lucky to have that because I teach a lot of the kids’ art classes. I also organize and plan basically any studio art class that we have here. Our adult studio classes fall under me. So everything I do has some kind of gallery connection incorporating all the art that’s on the walls and all the amazing stuff we have inside and on the grounds to what we’re doing in class.”

When discussing how her experience has brought her full circle, Allgood readily recognizes how meaningful Crystal Bridges’ learning and engagement classes are for the community. Many of her students attend multiple classes.

“Sometimes they’re new, but a lot of times it’s like a core group of kids that are really growing up going into personal practice, and that’s an experience that most kids in the world don’t have. I think the most fulfilling thing is just seeing how the kids are getting that encouragement and exposure to the arts, whether they decide to be an artist or anything else.”

The museum also hosts events throughout the year that include art activities and hundreds of participants, creating a space and atmosphere where families and community members can come and spend time together. She enjoys seeing the impact of her work and believes UCA’s art department prepared her for this combination of art, education and community and credits her professors.

“I felt like I was in a tight knit community where my professors were able to give me oneon-one advice and help, and the fact that they took that very seriously meant that I was very well-prepared. Number one was to be knowledgeable about art, but also to have that experience and professional realm of what it looks like to have an art practice. They definitely put an emphasis on that, and I am thankful for it,” Allgood said.

• JENNIFER M CCUNE ’02, ’03

MARLIE ALLGOOD ’18

MUSEUM

"I THINK THE MOST FULFILLING THING IS JUST SEEING HOW THE KIDS ARE GETTING THAT ENCOURAGEMENT AND EXPOSURE TO THE ARTS, WHETHER THEY DECIDE TO BE AN ARTIST OR ANYTHING ELSE."

DANIEL COCKRELL ’97, ’04

Daniel Cockrell ’97, ’04 is director of the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. He exhibits his passion for Arkansas history and the connections it makes on a worldwide stage by telling Arkansas’ story.

Cockrell, whose undergraduate degree was in kinesiology and exercise science, realized he had a passion for Arkansas history when he taught the subject to junior high students at the Palestine Wheatley School District in St. Francis County. In addition to teaching Arkansas history, Cockrell taught social studies and civics while also coaching baseball and football.

He had thought of transitioning into an administrative role, but teaching Arkansas history proved to be the highlight of his day.

“My favorite class was Arkansas history because this was my story – our story. These were things that I knew as a young man growing up here,” Cockrell said. “I love the stories. I knew I would go back to UCA to get a master’s in history because that’s what I loved most about my days.”

While completing his master’s degree, Cockrell had an opportunity to work as a part-time tour guide at the Old State House Museum. The rest is history.

“I fell in love with it because it’s everything I’ve enjoyed about teaching,” Cockrell said. “Then there was a full-time educator position that came up, and I was encouraged to apply for that because I loved being a tour guide. So, I get to tell our stories and tell them to people who are amazed by them.”

These stories build connections for the director and strengthen his passion for teaching and learning this state’s history. Arkansans, Cockrell said, have influenced people all over the world.

The “Play It Loud: Concerts at Barton Coliseum” exhibit at the museum features memorabilia from concerts of various genres. Cockrell says music serves well as a conduit for the connections he makes with visitors.

“It allows me a quicker connection to people from all over the world. I can work with a piece of knowledge that they already own— music,” he said. “Then I am no longer a foreign person trying to teach something they do not know about. I’m someone just helping them gain a better understanding of something they already have an appreciation for.”

Cockrell credits a great team and the museum’s mission for his success as director. They are “the best in the field because they created the field” of Arkansas history.

“Our goal is to better understand who we are and where we came from. I want everyone that walks through our doors to feel like there’s something about Arkansas that is a part of them – that they feel represented within these walls,” Cockrell said.

The team works together in research, archives and building exhibits that tell Arkansas’ rich story while making connections. This community outreach of the museum is termed by Cockrell as “invaluable.” They are already making plans to commemorate the building’s 200th anniversary in 2033.

Cockrell said his time at UCA prepared him for his various classrooms by showing him how he can make connections through critical thinking and creating empathy through the humanities. He believes the family dynamic at UCA provided him a unique pathway to share history in an engaging way for visitors.

“I get the chance to talk to people from all over the world about my hometown, about where I grew up and my home state. The amazing characters that have come through here in the past, they do all the heavy lifting for me. All I do is tell their stories.”•

JENNIFER

M CCUNE ’02, ’03

EXPLORING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE AROUND THE GLOBE Community Language School

On a given night at the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center, one can hear a mix of languages spoken from its classrooms. That is the satisfying sound of the Community Language School.

The University of Central Arkansas outreach program offers foreign language classes to students, employees and community members. During the summertime, it hosts Bear Camps, welcoming children from ages 5 to 13 for weeklong deep dives into a new language.

“People take these classes to engage people on a familiar level,” said David House, the Community Language School director and a lecturer of Japanese at UCA. “Even if it means being only able to say greetings or ask simple questions, speaking in another person’s native language means you’re meeting someone on more positive terms. That can lead to a new friendship or make a difference in a professional setting.”

Created in 2007, the Community Language School started as a program exclusively for elementary students and offered courses including Arabic, French and Mandarin. At the time, children in the area had few options for foreign language education because many, if not most, elementary schools lacked those classes. UCA sought to address this education gap and encourage a more multilingual society and cultural understanding.

According to the Journal of Child Language, there’s a reason why children outclass adults in their ability to learn new languages, as the adolescent brain begins developing its memory capabilities and passive learning skills. This makes childhood the sweet spot to learn the rules of a language.

The Community Language School has evolved over time. The program introduced classes for adults, and the ever-changing demand of offerings has made some languages more popular than others. Now, it offers a robust catalog of online classes — largely developed because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and has pivoted its classes for elementary-aged children to interactive summer camps.

The Bear Camps are never ones where children sit still. During the 2022 summer camp, children had options in Japanese and Korean in largely regimented days. Mornings were dedicated to exercises to warm up the minds of campers with physical activities connected with a culture, whether it be a Japanese dance, singing a popular Spanish-language song or a game of Red Light, Green Light — a nod to the popular Korean-language Netflix series, “Squid Game.” Everything the children partake in is meant to encourage speaking the language and connecting it to practical aspects of that culture.

“We often show videos of children, a similar age to the camp goers, exploring their native countries and saying the greetings and phrases,” said House. “As our students speak these same words, we want them to connect with this new culture.”

Through this engagement, students learn about the aspects of life in another country that may seem familiar and the wondrous parts that are quite different: an introduction to their school life, the cuisine, traditional festivals and forms of entertainment.

The camp ends with students presenting crafts they made, ranging from Day of the Dead masks to traditional crowns from the Korean Silla Dynasty. They recite the colors of the rainbow in a new language, write their names in a different alphabet and use simple phrases. By the end of the week, the campers leave using their newly learned version of “rock, paper, scissors” in another language, no doubt engaging their parents and siblings in endless sessions of fun back home.

Year-round, adults gather for classes for an hour-anda-half a week for 10 weeks.

“The reasons why people enroll vary,” House said. Sometimes students pick up a language out of a prior interest in the culture, such as influence from a popular K-pop musical genre or Japanese anime. Some are current UCA students who wish to be able to reach out to a friend or classmate among the university’s sizable international community, while others want to enjoy a new hobby or reach out to others in a society that is increasingly multilingual.

“Given that over a fifth of U.S. households speak a language other than English and that the percentage of Hispanics in Arkansas has grown tenfold in the past 20 years, offering affordable, convenient language and cultural programming is important,” said Katelyn Knox, the associate director for the School of Language and Literature.

“Ultimately, the Community Language School is about opening doors for people to make a positive impact on others,” House said. • JARED CRAIG ’12

Ultimately, the Community Language School is about opening doors for people to make a positive impact on others

Milo Smith (left) and Adalynn Ruble paint masks. The Community Language School creates content specifically for elementary aged children and includes many different crafts, singing, dancing and other fun, interactive activities that fosters their learning of different languages and cultures.

Booking It!

LIBRARIAN’S LEGACY OF LEARNING & LITERACY

When Stuttgart Park Avenue Elementary library media specialist Tia Brickey ’11 started her college career, she initially wanted to be a dental hygienist. As her undergraduate years progressed, she discovered that she didn’t have a passion for it. After conferring with a couple of close friends and her academic adviser, Brickey switched her major to elementary education. This, after her adviser stated that an aptitude test indicated she was more inclined to education technology, a result that surprised her.

“I [originally] went with dental hygiene even though I had a lot of educators in my family. I grew up around teachers and have always loved school and had positive experiences,” Brickey said. “I never considered being a teacher going into college … I remember going to two close friends and some other people and told them what my interest inventory indicated, and everyone said, ‘Oh yeah, you’d be a great teacher!’ And so, I followed that path, and I haven’t regretted it.”

In 2009, Brickey earned a National Board Certification for Teachers, becoming part of the less than 10% of Arkansas teachers with this certification, the highest professional certification for teachers.

“It was blood, sweat and tears. It was a grueling process,” said Brickey. “It changed how I thought about what I was doing and its impacts on students. The program was intended to be life or career changing, and it was. It was one of the most thrilling things to pass it.”

About a year after earning the certification, Brickey received an email that highlighted shortages in Arkansas, including library media.

“They were trying to get people to go into these programs, and they would help pay for the master’s program, which was very appealing. As I read that email I thought, ‘Well, you know what? I like to read. I think I would like to be a media specialist.’”

Brickey began researching what schools offered the program, and chose the University of Central Arkansas College of Education because it was nearby, flexible and well-known for its quality and cutting-edge education technology. She says the program prepared her for great things to come.

“I don’t know if I can adequately verbalize how well that program prepared me. I came into my school’s library before completing the program, even still, I walked into the library knowing how to build a collection, knowing how to sift a collection, how to collaborate with teachers and how to build dynamic programs. The word I have for the program is ‘phenomenal’,” Brickey said.

“The instructors were very well-versed and aware of what was happening in the library media world.”

“There was this change on the horizon with Ed Tech coming and they were already preparing us for the rapid changes.”

During her orientation, Brickey learned that “being a librarian is about more than just promoting literacy. There are so many different hats that you wear. It’s also about citizenship.”

This citizenship became furthered by her community outreach via a Bookmobile, which she lovingly calls “Betty.” Brickey and her co-worker and close friend Tawnya Herring run “Betty” during the summers to help promote literacy and learning.

Brickey and Herring first came up with the idea when they attended a yearly library conference that had a session about bookmobiles. Herring brought up the idea at a dinner after the session.

“She was telling me about it and I said, ‘We have to do that. We have to make it happen.’”

The educators started their grant-funded project in 2015 using a food service van and plastic tubs filled with books. As the program grew more popular and more funding became available, they were able to purchase a custom bookmobile in 2019 which was perfect for their summer runs into the community providing books for children and their families in Stuttgart, Arkansas.

Brickey, who is an avid reader and lifelong learner, wanted to spread the joy of reading to the community and improve her students’ education.

“The ultimate goal has always been to promote literacy to combat the ‘summer slack.’ It’s well documented that kids can lose up to 20% of the literacy gains they made during the school year,” Brickey said. “That can stack up and become two to three grade levels by sixth grade, so we knew we wanted to combat that. We wanted to get out and get books in the hands of kids.”

“We have a lot of students in our community who don’t have books in their houses. We’ve seen children from the age of three and now they’re in middle school. So we’ve had that relationship we’ve built with kids and parents. Parents will come and ask for something they can read together. We’ve learned that our community does have a love for reading.”

Brickey was a semi-finalist for Arkansas Teacher of the Year in 2021. She has also initiated new technologies in her K-4 school which “let students lead the way” by learning about coding, robotics and 3-D printing.

The professional and personal legacy Brickey hopes to leave is one of building a future through literacy and learning – a field that, initially, she hadn’t thought of entering.

“I really just want my kids to be readers and understand that literacy not only helps you academically, but it [also] helps you to be a better person. It makes you a better citizen by imparting compassion and empathy.” ●

JENNIFER MCCUNE ’02, ’03

“Being a librarian is about more than just promoting literacy. There are so many different hats that you wear. It’s also about citizenship.”

Tia Brickey ’11 promotes literacy in Park Avenue Elementary school’s media center and the Bookmobile (top right) that travels throughout her community.

2023 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD WINNER

For decades, Nan Snow ’57 has been a resounding champion for the cause of women’s equality. Throughout her years of service, Snow has been instrumental in improving women’s economic opportunities and overall well-being. Her work, which has had a substantial impact on the lives of countless individuals, earned her the 2023 University of Central Arkansas Distinguished Alumni Award.

In her early years, Snow lived in the far western part of Oklahoma. As a child, her father was involved in bridge construction, which forced the family to move every time a bridge was completed.

“It taught me to adapt and do different things and go different places,” Snow said. “It was a very busy and fascinating start to life.”

Snow and her family eventually settled in Harrison, Arkansas, which is where she graduated from high school before enrolling at Arkansas State Teachers College.

“I had always heard good things about it because so many Harrison graduates went to UCA – which was ASTC then,” she said. “I would visit my friends there, so I was very familiar with it and wanted very badly to go.”

Snow even received a private tour from Silas Snow, UCA’s fifth and longest-serving president (1953-1975).

“You can’t say ‘no’ to that sort of invitation,” Snow said. “It really has been, and remains to this day, one of the highlights of my life.”

Snow says her college experience opened more doors for her than she ever anticipated.

While in school, Snow was editor of The Echo, secretary of her senior class and vice president of Alpha Sigma Tau. She was also a member of Royal Rooters, Alpha Chi and listed as Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. Snow earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1957.

Snow’s interest in writing and journalism began at a young age. Both her grandfathers owned small-town north Arkansas newspapers. Even though both of them sold the newspaper businesses before she was born, Snow believes their careers influenced her. She wrote a poem in 5th grade that was published in the Harrison High School newspaper.

“Then, I was hooked. ‘I’m a writer,’ I thought. From then on, that became my interest,” she said.

Snow worked for several newspapers, starting with high school, then college and as a career, “doing a little bit of everything.” She experienced inequality which led to a few key “a-ha” moments that crystallized her drive to fight for change. The first happened in high school when she and some friends wanted to start a girls’ basketball team. The superintendent refused, saying it “wasn’t lady-like.” Snow would eventually get to play intramural basketball, as well as touch football, for her sorority at UCA.

“You should’ve seen us; it was hysterical,” she said. Another “a-ha” moment for Snow came when she applied for a position at the Arkansas Gazette in 1959 after years of experience in a newsroom.

“I thought the newspaper would be glad to have my experience and would hire me. But they told me that they did not allow women in the city room,” she said. Years later, the newspaper offered her a reporter position, which she turned down.

Those events and others sparked Snow’s desire to fight for women’s equality. She earned two master’s degrees from Southern Methodist University and shifted her career to public service and advocacy. As a graduate student, Snow interned with the Dallas Chamber of Commerce where she helped develop the first Leadership Dallas program.

Much of Snow’s career was devoted to working in federal service, and she served for a time as the Federal Women’s Program coordinator for the five-state Dallas Region. During her federal employment, Snow suggested and implemented a nationwide program to train and employ blind persons in Federal Job Information Centers.

Snow has served on many boards. She was selected as the inaugural chair of the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame, and was named president of the Arkansas affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She also served as a board member for the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, the Arkansas Women’s History Institute, LifeQuest of Arkansas and Encore for Women’s Health.

She was president of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and a member of the Arkansas Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women, which produced a landmark report still used as a benchmark on women’s status.

“We were very proud that we published the first complete report about women that had been done in literally dozens of years. I was very proud to be a part of that and it did make a lot of difference,” Snow said. “For example, in one of the state agencies – the State Department of Education – when a young high school girl became pregnant, she was expelled. We got that changed. We felt she especially needed to continue her education with having a child to support. Plus, there was no penalty for the boy involved. That was one of our biggest successes, to give opportunities for those young women.”

Snow’s work with the commission fueled her passion and led to even more equality work. She met like-minded changemakers across the country through conferences and other networking events, including newspaper publisher, civic activist and governmental official Dorothy Stuck (1921-2021). Stuck and Snow formed a management and public relations firm in Little Rock called “Stuck & Snow Resultants.”

Snow authored two books that reached the bestseller list in Arkansas. “Roberta: A Most Remarkable Fulbright,” which she co-authored with Stuck, received an award of commendation from the American Association of State and Local History. Her second book, “Letters Home,” is a World War II memoir.

Snow is a founder and charter member of the UCA Women’s Giving Circle, a member of the UCA Purple Circle and, most recently, the inspiration for the C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference. She was part of the Arkansas Women’s Foundation, which started “Girls of Promise.” She helped UCA faculty and staff start “Girls of Promise” at UCA, which is now UCA’s “Girl Power in Stem.”

As president of Komen and a breast cancer survivor, Snow created a fundraising project called “4 Survivors, 4 Rivers, 4 a Cure,” in which she and three other survivors rafted four rivers, raising $10,000 for the foundation.

She also served as a board member for Southern Methodist University’s Archives of Women of the Southwest. She was among those honored by the archives in its “Remember the Ladies” program.

In spite of all her accomplishments, being honored with UCA’s most distinguished recognition came as a surprise to Snow.

“When I got the call from President Houston Davis, and he told me that I had been selected, I think my response is best described as a total shock,” she said. “It was not something I had ever expected. I really was floored by the news and flattered and honored at the same time. It means a great deal to me.” •

HALEY HELTON

ALUMNA WRITER AUTHOR

PHILANTHROPIST PUBLIC SERVANT ADVOCATE

Nan Snow ’57

Impacting campus, community and beyond

UCA’s annual Day of Giving event on March 9 saw the largest dollar amount raised in its nine-year tenure. With a total of more than $1.2 million raised, the university is at 94 percent of its $100 million goal for the UCA Now: Impact Arkansas and Beyond campaign. And while the Day of Giving may be counted in dollars and cents, the lasting impact for students, faculty and community is immeasurable.

Funds raised during UCA’s Day of Giving assist students in several ways including emergency funds, the Bear Essentials Food Pantry, scholarships, new learning equipment and research funding. Additionally, the Day of Giving promotes morale by giving everyone an opportunity to participate.

This year’s event saw the College of Education raise their highest total to date. Dr. Victoria Groves-Scott, dean of the college, said these funds make “a huge, huge difference for our students.”

Emergency funds help students in many ways, such as providing gas for student teachers who commute to area schools during their internships. “That’s what really drives the enthusiasm is that we can have contact with these students, we know them, we know their situations, and we know that this money can really make a difference,” she said.

The food pantry at UCA also benefits from Day of Giving Funds. With an average of 428 visits per month, the Bear Essentials Food Pantry is a tool to prevent food insecurity for students, faculty and staff.

“We rely on donations from different groups to help keep the pantry afloat,” said Food Pantry Coordinator Will Baker. “In April, we had 606 visits to the pantry. That’s roughly 150 people per week. We raised $5,260 during this year’s Day of Giving and that has helped us buy a lot of food to help support our UCA community. We are just so thankful to have people to help support us. We would like to just say ‘thank you’ for helping us help someone else.”

Scholarships and new learning equipment along with funding for research are other vital parts of UCA’s campus benefiting from the Day of Giving’s immense impact. “The amount of money that’s given to scholarships and the number of students that will benefit from a college degree because of those scholarships changes everything for the individual and their family, so that is a huge legacy,” said Groves-Scott.

Students can also be a part of the Day of Giving through either giving or volunteering. Student Government Association (SGA) 2022-23 executive president Courtney Clawson ’23 said Day of Giving has many benefits for the student body. Every year, SGA matches the amount given by students and then they choose a different UCA Foundation scholarship fund to support in order to help as many students as possible.

Students also volunteer by taking donations at the SGA’s table on Day of Giving at the Ronnie Williams Student Center. Clawson said the best part of that is the opportunity to see students getting involved and giving back in whatever way they can. Students supporting each other builds a connection. “And, so I think students are seeing that [and] they’re like, ‘Oh! We can actually do this,’ and it builds morale on campus,” she said.

Different colleges participate in Day of Giving with creative approaches that bring in faculty and student participation. The College of Education had a table in front of Mashburn where students could drop a quarter in a bucket and receive a hand-made trinket. This allows all students to participate and have a reminder that they gave. “Every little bit helps, and we want them to know that right away,” said Groves-Scott.

Fans of UCA’s Athletics program also played a significant role in the Day of Giving event by committing more than $250,000 this year. Athletics Director Brad Teague said, “It is empowering to see how our alumni and campus community have embraced it. It affords our institution great awareness.”

Matt Whiting, associate athletic director for external relations, agrees, “Gifts received on Day of Giving have a tremendous impact on our athletics program. These gifts enhance the student-athlete experience at UCA, provide a significant boost to all of our programs, and help us achieve our goal of competing for championships in the classroom and in competition. The generosity and support from all donors is felt throughout the athletics program, and we are very appreciative of their leadership on this day.”

The area community also benefits from UCA’s Day of Giving. The Main Stage EdUCAtion Series program at Reynolds Performance Hall offers Arkansas K-12 students the opportunity to watch and engage in performances by professional national-touring artists which raises cultural awareness and

puts an emphasis on the importance of the arts. Reynolds Performance Hall raised their largest total to date this year proving their dedication to expanding the curriculum for local students and impacting their future.

Amanda Horton, executive director of public appearances, said the Main Stage EdUCAtion program exposes children to the arts. “We are planting a seed for future artists and arts lovers, but also future college students, and [this exposure] broadens their view of the world, helps them understand different perspectives and embraces critical thinking.”

Horton continued, “In addition to show expenses, we also provide access for all students regardless of their economic status. Therefore, we donate free tickets to around 40 percent of our students that qualify for free/reduced lunch. For many years our Day of Giving campaign funded the tickets for students who were not able to afford the $5 ticket price.”

UCA is a big-small university: a big-small university with a heart for giving back. Students participate in the Day of Giving knowing they are supporting each other. Faculty want to watch their students excel during their time here, so they volunteer and give enthusiastically to add to that excellence. Alumni give and further their legacy with their generosity and kindness. Donors and friends are also giving and seeing the great impact giving has for so many.

The UCA Now: Impact Arkansas and Beyond campaign now sits at more than $94 million of the $100 million goal, and that is because of all who gave.

“The current campaign total is the result of the continued engagement of our entire community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and friends,” UCA President Houston Davis said. “They are dedicated to UCA and to supporting the positive impact our graduates make in communities across our state and beyond.”

The UCA Day of Giving shows a campus community aware of the needs of students, faculty and staff. It also shows the university’s unwavering dedication to giving back. Alumni, donors, friends, faculty, staff and students, all are welcome to give and grow, making UCA’s Day of Giving more than just a day for numbers. It is a day that shows the generosity of the UCA family and the impact of giving as a characteristic of leadership. When we all give, we all grow — together. •

’02, ’03

JENNIFER MCCUNE

UCA’s Day of Giving raises more than $1.2 million in its biggest giving day of nearly a decade

Top: Students Courtney Clawson '23, Colby Wilson and Emma Schulz '23 celebrate and hold signs showing the Day of Giving results. Bottom left: Mary Bane Lackie, members of UCA’s Student Government Association (SGA) and President Houston Davis get ready for a great Day of Giving. Bottom right: President Houston Davis visits the SGA donation table in the Ronnie Williams Student Center.

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’70s

Carolyn (Floyd) Ishee ’75 has been appointed to the board of directors for the UCA Alumni Association.

Kelley Erstine ’79 has been elected president of the Arkansas Society of Association Executives.

’90s

Martin Eggensperger ’90 has been elected to serve a three-year term for the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence. Eggensperger is president of Black River Technical College.

Brenda Hatton-Ficklin ’90 has been named a board member for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas. Hatton-Ficklin is the sales director at the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Stanley Hancock ’91 was named to the winner’s circle for having the top sales growth in Ansell’s North American industrial market.

Keith Svagerko ’91 has been appointed to the board of directors for the UCA Alumni Association.

Donald “Donnie” Crain Jr. ’94 has been hired as president and CEO of the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce and Conway County Economic Development Corporation.

Cindy (Hudson) Webb ’95 was elected to the Conway City Council for a four-year term.

Shelley (Pope) Short ’96 has been hired as president and CEO of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance and Area Chamber of Commerce.

Lorrie (Payne) Trogden ’97 was elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin - Madison

Sean McCarron ’99 was promoted to director of occupational health and corporate safety at CTEH in Little Rock.

’00s

Chris Martin ’00 joined Edafio in Little Rock as the vice president of platform engineering. Sarah True ’00, ’01 has been hired as the travel and tourism account executive at CJRW in Little Rock.

Shannon (Samples) Newton ’02 has been named to the Transportation Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Clint O’Neal ’02, ’08 has been named executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

William “Trey” Hankins III ’03 has been named director of CX/DX and design for Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Little Rock.

Heide (Pingley) Harrell ’03 has been elected to serve as the 2023 chair of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Alumni Association board of directors. Harrell is the vice president and communications director for the private wealth management division at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.

Jeremy Owoh ’03 has been appointed to the board of directors for the UCA Alumni Association.

Joshua Neal ’04 has been promoted to private banking manager at Arvest Bank in Fayetteville.

Leslee (Smith) Tell ’04, ’10 has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Distinguished Teaching Award to Vietnam for the Fulbright Teacher Exchanges project.

Alicia “Nicole” (Holt) Herndon ’05 has been named a certified fundraising executive by CFRE International.

Courtney (Myers) Magie ’05 has been promoted to compliance and internal audit specialist at First Service Bank.

Jennie (McNulty) Strange ’05 has joined Palmer Music Company as director of education in Conway.

Maegan (Nicholson) Dyson ’06, ’10 has been named chief development officer of Conway Regional Health Foundation.

Tawny Laymon-Basinger ’06, ’12 has been promoted to strategic partnerships leader at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas.

Kevin Stanley ’06, ’07, ’15 has been promoted to tax operations manager at HoganTaylor in Little Rock.

Nicole Hobbs ’07, ’08 was promoted to principal at HCJ CPAs & Advisors PLLC of Little Rock.

Jasper T. Johnson ’07 was awarded the 2022 Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Diversity in Business Young Minority Professional Award.

Aaron King ’07 has been appointed to the board of directors for the UCA Alumni Association.

Haley M. Heath ’08 joined Gordon & Rees as Partner.

Ryan Nix ’08 joined Horton’s Orthotics & Prosthetics as rehab support director in Little Rock.

Jennifer (Williams) Ragsdale ’08 has been elected to the board of directors at Immerse Arkansas of Little Rock. Ragsdale is chief administrative officer and senior vice president of human resources at Uniti in Little Rock.

Capri (Bell) Salaam ’08 was named 2023 Arkansas Teacher of the Year. Salaam is a teacher at North Little Rock Middle School.

Chase Selby ’08 has been promoted to senior vice president at the Center for Toxicology & Environmental Health LLC in North Little Rock.

Randi (Gottsponer) Chambers ’09, ’10 has been promoted to partner at HoganTaylor of Tulsa.

Elliott Hartle ’09 has been promoted to senior bank examiner at the Arkansas State Bank Department in Little Rock.

Brittany Paul ’09 has been hired as director of events and annual gifts at City Year in Little Rock.

Katherine Vasilos ’09 has been named to the CJRW executive committee. She is vice president and senior account supervisor for the advertising agency.

Joseph “Joe” Wheeler ’09, ’11 has joined Garland & Greenwood CPAs & Advisors as manager at the new office location in Jonesboro.

John T. "J.T." Wilson ’09 was promoted to director of the Toxicology Emergency Response Program at CTEH in Little Rock.

’10s

Anushree Jumde ’11 was appointed director in the Office of Community Relations by Arkansas Attorney Gen. Tim Griffin.

Megan (Branson) Vestal ’11, ’12 has been promoted to senior assurance manager at HoganTaylor in Little Rock.

Bryan Head ’11, ’12 joined Conway Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Center.

Jamie Beck ’13 was promoted to director of response management at CTEH in Little Rock.

Leo Cummings III ’13 was promoted to senior vice president of development at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce. Cummings previously held the position of director of sales.

Mary DeLoney Logan ’13 was promoted to marketing and communications manager at Cromwell Architects Engineers in Little Rock. She also earned the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America.

Drew T. Evans ’14 was appointed chief of staff by Arkansas Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge.

Wesley “Wes” Mathis ’14 has been promoted to senior bank examiner at the Arkansas State Bank Department in Little Rock.

Steven Overturf ’14 became a senior graphic designer of the Houston Texans, an NFL team. He was previously a graphic designer for the Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy.

Joe Dunn ’15 has been promoted to chief lending officer at Stone Bank in Mountain View. Dunn was previously senior vice president and senior loan officer.

Emma Baird ’16 joined Crews & Associates as compliance specialist in Little Rock.

Callie (Clifton) Parks ’16 has been hired as associate vice president of hospital operations at Baptist Medical Center in North Little Rock.

Richard “Rick” Sisk ’16 has been named one of Arkansas Business’ 20 in their 20s. Sisk is director of procurement for Rock Dental Brands in Little Rock.

Kandi (Chitman) Hughes ’17 has joined Midcontinent Independent System Operator as senior corporate counsel in Little Rock.

Matthew Stephens ’17 earned the broadband premises installer certification. Stephens is a telecom installer technician at Conway Corp.

Alexander Denker ’18 joined Hosto & Buchan as associate attorney in Little Rock.

Ellen Huckabay ’18 has been promoted to senior tax accountant at HoganTaylor in Little Rock.

Tyler Lucas ’18 joined the Arkansas State Bank Department as commercial examiner.

Waid Rainey ’18 has been hired as creative specialist at Conway Regional.

Carly Jo Riggins ’18 has been promoted to property manager at Kelley Commercial Partners in Little Rock.

Blake Hood ’19 has been named senior of assurance at HoganTaylor LLP.

Amanda (Davis) Kennedy ’19 joined Mercy Sleep Center as a nurse practitioner in Berryville.

Kaitlyn (Reeves) Logan ’19 has been hired as associate attorney at Rainwater Holt & Sexton in Little Rock.

Mallory Watson ’19 joined the Conductor as the marketing and outreach manager in Conway.

’20s

Miranda Daily ’20 joined Garcia Wealth Management Northwestern Mutual, in Conway, as marketing manager.

Baylee Halford ’20 has been promoted to senior tax accountant at HoganTaylor in Little Rock.

Pansy Johnson ’20 has been named as one of Arkansas Business’ 20 in their 20s. Johnson is the treasury management sales specialist at Arvest Bank in Little Rock.

Nelio Zamorano ’20, ’21 has been named conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s community orchestra.

Jordan Ester ’21 has joined Conway Area Chamber of Commerce as the director of development.

Sharon Lanier ’21 has been promoted to executive director of the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation.

Hannah Phillips ’22 has been promoted to public relations and client services coordinator at The Communications Group in Little Rock.

Bear Babies

Paige (Harrison) Brasher ’14 and Stephen Brasher ’14 welcomed a baby boy, Cooper Brasher, on Aug. 28, 2022.

Emily (Parker) Raine ’12 and Jacob Raine welcomed twins, William Michael Raine and Isla Christine Raine, on Sept. 15, 2022.

Morgan Shaw and Jonathan Shaw ’14 welcomed a baby girl, Juniper Maeve Shaw, in Sept. 2022.

Allison (Horis) Ingle ’08 and Aaron Ingle welcomed a baby boy, Aaron Wyot Ingle, on Nov. 17, 2022.

Alicia (Sample) Landry ’04 and Taylor Landry welcomed a baby boy, Luke Thomas Landry, on Nov. 12, 2022.

Carissa (Carter) Castleberry ’15 and David Castleberry welcomed a baby girl, Skyler Dawn Castleberry, on Feb. 9, 2023.

Kerry Krell ’08 and Sean Whiteman ’07 welcomed a baby boy, Ian Beckett Whiteman, on Feb. 12, 2023.

In Memory

Opal (Myrick) Aday ’62, Oct. 6, 2022

Charlotte (Sulcer) Alexander ’01, Feb. 19, 2023

Mary (Cole) Ask ’72, ’75, Nov. 25, 2022

James “Jim” Avants ’75, Dec. 5, 2022

Charlyne Barker ’49, Nov. 15, 2022

Lewis “Brant” Barnes, Jan. 6, 2023

Sharon Beasley, Feb. 12, 2023

William “Bill” Beatty ’76, Jan. 7, 2023

Carl Beavers Sr. ’54, Oct. 6, 2022

June "LaNelle" (Hunt) Beck ’57, March 3, 2023

Kyle Bennett ’08, Feb. 22, 2023

Katherine Borecky ’72, ’92, March 4, 2023

Joann (Doak) Brindley ’51, Dec. 26, 2022

Christa Brown ’18, ’21, Oct. 10, 2022

Vicki (Bluhm) Bull ’74, Sept. 14, 2022

Sarah “Noelene” (Jones) Carson ’61, Dec. 1, 2022

Margie “Carolyn” (Webb) Cash ’68, Nov. 19, 2022

Betty Christiansen (retired faculty), Oct. 6, 2022

Clyde Comer ’66, Dec. 26, 2022

Kenneth Coon Sr. ’76, Dec. 8, 2022

Marian (Wilkerson) Cooper ’44, Sept. 13, 2022

Mildred (Harden) Crawford ’62, Feb. 25, 2023

Thomas Davis ’65, ’68, Jan. 25, 2023

Dorothy (Stuart) Dodson ’58, Sept. 3, 2022

Ella (Olinghouse) Dodson ’50, Nov. 20, 2022

Margaret Downing ’53, Jan. 17, 2023

Louis “Bud” Duelmer ’62, Nov. 23, 2022

Amy (Sanders) Duke, March 5, 2023

Gerald “Gerry” Duran ’65, Nov. 6, 2022 Gary DuVall ’74, Feb. 25, 2023

Dianne (Byrd) Edwardson ’85, Dec. 5, 2022

Paul Enderlin Jr., Dec. 10, 2022

Jessica Fallen ’06, Aug. 31, 2022

Hubert Ferguson ’49, Feb. 4, 2023

David Fleming, Nov. 19, 2023

Bernita “Carolyn” (Grigsby) Fletcher ’55, Jan. 26, 2023

Kim Hayes Freeman ’82, March 3, 2023

Lowell Gadberry, Jr. ’69, Nov. 15, 2022

Joyce (Ruthledge) Garman ’70, ’71, Nov. 14, 2022

Toni Glosson ’05, March 13, 2023

Sondra (Hercher) Gordy ’66, ’74, Sept. 13, 2022

Margaret “Beth” (Hardin) Pritchett ’99, Feb. 7, 2023

Robert “Bob” Goss ’66, Nov. 1, 2022

Heather (Abbott) Grosze ’95, Feb. 6, 2023

William "Joe" Grummer ’69, March 15, 2023

Elizabeth “Annette” (Gibbs) Haney ’59, Dec. 3, 2022

Franklin “Don” Harrison ’55, Sept. 23, 2022

Laura (Blair) Harrison ’74, ’79, Nov. 10, 2021

Joyce “Joan” (Garrett) Hearn ’72, Oct. 26, 2022

Roy Hinson Sr. ’57, Nov. 4, 2022

Gene Hobbs ’57, Jan. 6, 2023

Ross Honea ’66, Sept. 21, 2022

John Hurley ’55, ’60, Jan. 16, 2023

Julie Kidd ’95, ’14, Feb. 23, 2023

Joe King ’90, April 4, 2023

Geneva (Flowers) Johnson ’61, ’63, Feb. 10, 2023

Olin “Artie” (Hicks) Jones ’82, Dec. 13, 2022

Caudle Julian Jr. ’66, March 4, 2023

Patricia (Daugherty) Keatts ’70, ’81, Nov. 15, 2022

Terry Keefe ’71, Jan. 28, 2023

Micah Kendrick ’13, Feb. 22, 2023

Mary “Beth” Kunkel ’75, Nov. 20, 2022

LaDelle “Rose” (Smith) Lacy ’86, Aug. 23, 2022

Marvin Lessmann ’11, ’12, Dec. 30, 2022

Hugh Landis ’55, March 12, 2023

Cissy (Mahan) Lieblong ’70, Sept. 18, 2022

Steven Lunk ’14, Oct. 4, 2022

Alveretta (Smith) Lynch ’71, ’77, March 29, 2023

Johnny Marks ’83, Oct. 21, 2022

Ewilda (Smith) Matchett ’50, Sept. 10, 2022

Sarah (Longley) McAuley ’71, Jan. 14, 2023

William McKeever, II ’84, Dec. 14, 2022

Patsy (Goodman) McMillen ’90, April 1, 2023

Demetria "Buffy" (Blue) Meadows ’99, March 16, 2023

Edmond Morehart ’71, Nov. 6, 2022

William “Jody” Musgrove Jr. ’69, ’83, Feb. 12, 2023

Kathryn (Sorrels) Nauman ’73, Dec. 29, 2022

Linda (Adams) Neal ’81, Oct. 13, 2022

Robert “Bob” Norton, Feb. 1, 2023

Leon “L.B.” Pavatt ’66, ’71, Feb. 5, 2023

Maureen (Shaw) Pierce ’00, March 24, 2023

Joseph Presley ’73, Feb. 19, 2023

Robert "Wayne" Raney ’72, March 27, 2023

Roger Reaves ’70, ’82, Sept. 9, 2022

Sandra "Sandy" (Duncan) Reese ’94, March 10, 2023

Douglas Reynolds, Jan. 22, 2023

Linda (Owen) Rimer ’76, Dec. 1, 2022

Jimmy Roberts ’81, Jan. 1, 2023

Doris (Chambers) Robey ’73, Oct. 14, 2022

Sara (Hodges) Robinson ’18, Sept. 8, 2022

Darrell “Ray” Rodgers ’60, Nov. 1, 2022

Wanda “June” (Finley) Roe ’54, Sept. 1, 2022

Margaret (Davis) Rosa ’60, Dec. 25, 2022

Kenneth Rowland ’63, Sept. 22, 2022

Edwin “Ed” Ryland ’63, Dec. 22, 2022

Rebecca (Paulk) Sanders ’73, Dec. 29, 2022

Charles Schnebelen ’73, Oct. 23, 2022

Jausita Seaton ’79, Dec. 23, 2022

Margaret (Nabors) Shook ’66, Oct. 22, 2022

Sue (Harlan) Simmons ’85, Oct. 22, 2022

Joan (Blackman) Simms ’54, Sept. 9, 2022

April (Calloway) Stephens ’04, Dec. 18, 2022

Paul Stobaugh, Jr. ’66, Oct. 9, 2022

George “Lee” Stone ’63, ’66, Feb. 11, 2023

Donald Sullivan ’77, ’81, Sept. 16, 2022

William "Bill Ed" Tiner Jr. ’65, March 27, 2023

Connie (Kearney) Toney ’98, Dec. 19, 2022

Sam Vandiver ’70, Sept. 30, 2022

Dorothy (Wages) Waddell ’42, Feb. 9, 2023

Harris Walker ’63, Nov. 15, 2022

Martha (Heffington) Walker ’59, ’61, Jan. 27, 2023

Doyle Wallace ’62, Jan. 27, 2023

Martin “Bo” Waltman Jr. ’63, Jan. 14, 2023

Floyd Webb ’60, Nov. 18, 2022

Brock Welch ’18, Jan. 2, 2023

Billy White Jr. ’73, ’79, Oct. 9, 2022

Dawn “Babs” (Williams) Whitehead ’86, Dec. 1, 2022

Betty (Pryor) Wilkes ’47, Oct. 21, 2022

James Williams ’85, Jan. 18, 2023

Dorothy (Hudgens) Young ’55, Dec. 28, 2022

Casper Zimmerebner (retired staff), Oct. 14, 2022

President’s Society

The annual President’s Society Reception was held Feb. 21 at Cache restaurant in Little Rock. Members of the 2022 President’s Society were invited to the special event to be thanked for their gifts and donations. Membership is extended to those who contribute at least $1,000 to the University of Central Arkansas during a calendar year.

Bo and Melanie Connor ’78, Ginny ’75 and Jack Bell ’77

Drew Williams ’07,’09 and Morgan Drayton ’14,’22

President Houston Davis and Lavon Morton ’72

Claudia Davis, Granger ’88 and Jan Davis ’88

Reid and Ginny Adams, Sue Griffin and President Houston Davis

Terry ’70 and Joyce Fiddler ’70, ’88, and Stephen and Mary Magie

Katrina ’80, ’83 and Leo Wilcox ’81

Linda ’82 and Rush Harding ’76

Wendy ’90 and Jim Penney ’90

Jon Ross ’06 and Lindsay Henderson ’03,’04

Woody Cummins ’68, ’71 and Grant Gordy ’95

Mary Bane Lackie, Mike’83 and Rhonda Wood

Planned Gift Spotlight: Patricia Smith ’01, ’03

“I’ve seen how someone leaving a portion of their estate to UCA through a planned gift can be really uplifting for students. Sometimes they’re so close to the finish line but something out of their control gets in the way. Being able to connect them with a scholarship could be the difference that helps them earn their degree.”

As a two-time alumna of the University of Central Arkansas and now as dean of UCA’s Schedler Honors College, Patricia Smith ’01, ’03 has witnessed the profound influence higher education can have on students’ lives. That firsthand experience has made her passionate about making education accessible to as many students as possible.

“UCA has played a very big role in my life,” Smith said. “Starting as an undergraduate here and then for the last 19 years as part of my career, I have been blessed with the ability to work with amazing students. It has helped me see the importance of expanding access to higher education. It’s something I really want to invest in.”

Wanting to play an active part in providing support for students, Smith considered a variety of ways to give back to the university. But as the parent of 15-year-old twins, with personal expenses like cars and college on the horizon, making a major gift that could provide the kind of impact she was looking for wasn’t really feasible.

However, as she and her husband were updating their estate plans, Smith realized she could make provisions for her children while still providing for a substantial gift to the university.

“We set up a life insurance policy to make sure our kids were taken care of,” Smith explained. “There was room in the policy where we could set aside $25,000 as a planned gift for UCA, which is a much larger gift than we could give right now.”

Smith noted that making a planned gift to the university offered her several benefits. It allows her to support the areas on campus she cares most about. It also allows her to create a lasting legacy with a gift that will continue to benefit the university far into the future.

“One of the real advantages of planned giving is that it can make a huge difference to the university in the long run,” Smith said. “The payoff for this type of gift is something that, even at this stage of my life, I know will be impactful long into the future. And it’s rewarding

to think that my gift will help provide opportunities for UCA students for years to come.”

Smith’s gift also made her one of the newest members of the Doyne Legacy Society, which consists of alumni and friends who have included the UCA Foundation as a beneficiary of their estate planning. She hopes that her gift will inspire others to consider planned giving as a way to invest in the future of UCA.

Not surprisingly, Smith designated her gift to provide scholarships for the Schedler Honors College, an area of need that she feels particularly passionate about. As an administrator, she’s seen how students benefit from financial assistance, especially when faced with unexpected challenges. And many of those positive outcomes are the direct result of previous planned gifts to the university.

“I’ve seen how someone leaving a portion of their estate to UCA through a planned gift can be really uplifting for students,” Smith said. “Working with students every day, I learn about the challenges they’re going through and see the obstacles they’re facing. Sometimes they’re so close to the finish line but something out of their control gets in the way. Being able to connect them with a scholarship could be the difference that helps them earn their degree.”

By making a planned gift to UCA, Smith is ensuring that her legacy of supporting students in their pursuit of higher education will continue long after she’s gone. It’s a testament to her dedication to the university and her belief in the transformative power of education.

“I really believe that higher education is the most successful instrument we have for creating opportunities for people to reach their goals,” Smith said. “UCA is front and center in trying to make that happen. I wanted to invest in that, so that even after I pass away, there will be opportunities to benefit students.” • PHILIP ALLISON

Patricia Smith ’01, ’03

Mary Bane Lackie, Patricia Smith ’01, ’03 and President Houston Davis pose with a commemorative clock. The clock was presented to those who are inducted into the Doyne Society. Members of the Doyne Legacy Society have included the UCA Foundation, Inc. as a benefactor of their estate.

Doyne Society

UCA's Division of Advancement recently hosted its annual Doyne Legacy Society brunch at Buffalo Alumni Hall. The event, held on April 21, not only celebrated the addition of new members, but also honored the 118 existing members who comprise the esteemed Doyne Legacy Society. This distinguished society represents individuals who have generously committed to including UCA as a beneficiary in their estate plans. Named for John James Doyne, UCA’s first president, the Doyne Legacy Society includes alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university who have made a planned gift of $2,500 or more to UCA

Mary Bane Lackie, Linda Beene ’72 and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Gini Ingram and President Houston Davis

Ann Hoy ’62 and Pat Otto ’66

Mary Bane Lackie, Hank Phelps, Patty Phelps and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Sarah Breshears ’65 and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Cole Clift and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Linda Odom ’78 and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Thomas Nowlin ’22 and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Taine Duncan and President Houston Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Chris Hervey ’99 and President Houston Davis

President Houston Davis, Thomas Nowlin ’22, Michelle Posey, Taine Duncan, Carol Schedler, Patricia Smith ’01, ’03 and Jenny Davis

Mary Bane Lackie, Jamille Thomas ’06 and President Houston Davis

Laurels and Stripes

University of Central Arkansas’ annual Laurels and Stripes event showcased UCA’s passion for fundraising as more than 500 alumni and friends enjoyed an unforgettable evening honoring outstanding alumni, celebrating the impact of privately funded scholarships and dancing to the sounds of The Rodney Block Collective.

Nan Snow, the 2023 Distinguished Alumni award recipient, was recognized at the event for her lifetime of work as an advocate for women’s rights and opportunities. The prestigious award recognizes alumni that have made outstanding contributions personally or professionally, and who serve as an example to UCA students. Snow is one of only 48 alumni to receive the award since its inception in 1985.

was the presenting sponsor of the annual event honoring UCA’s Distinguished

award recipients, and celebrating the impact of private scholarship donors.

1. Kristin ’09 and Kyle Basham ’07, co-chairs for UCA’s Laurels and Stripes gala, sharing how UCA has impacted their lives. 2. First Lady Jenny Davis, 2023 Distinguished Alumni awardee Nan Snow ’57, and UCA President Houston Davis pause for photos during the awarding ceremony. 3. Johnny Adams ’84, ’90, President and CEO of First Security Bank Conway, toasts UCA Distinguished Alumni at Laurels and Stripes gala. First Security

Alumni

4. Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority alumni Maegan Dyson ’06, ’10, Lindsay Henderson ’03, Linda Harding ’82, 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Nan Snow ’57, Haley Fowler ’06, Callie Sterling ’13, and Brandi Adams ’01 share a celebratory moment together. 5. Aerial view of the Laurels and Stripes event.

Mary Bane Lackie, Linda Beene ’72 and Dick Longing

Kristen ’09 and Mathias Nichols ’11 and Brandy and Josh White ’11

Bennett Poynter, Aimee Poynter ’15, ’19, Lauren Norris, Michael Norris ’23 and Ty Hollowell ’17

Michael Tate ’21 and Hollis Redden ’21

Jill Turner, Chris Harris, Joanna Rankin and Suzanne Harris ’98, ’05

Cheri and Keith Svagerko ’91, Patricia Smith ’01, ’03 and David Grimes ’91, ’96

Aaron Knight ’11, ’16, Mary Jo Heye-Townsell and Tab Townsell ’84

Curtis Barnett ’86 and Cornell Maltbia

Mike Stanton ’77 and Kyle Basham ’07

Lisa and Brad Hegeman ’89, ’96

Brad Lacy ’94, Nathan ’99 and Jessica Brown ’99

Sonya Hall, Tremaine Harris, Patrick Tenney, Ronnie Williams and Renee’ Crater ’82

Brandon Baker (left), Derekah Hill-Lewis, Derek Lewis II ’97, Aeiress Duhart-Lewis ’13 and Larry Harris

Fredricka Sharkey, Connie Williams, Angela Webster and Maria Negrete Padron ’17, ’20

Jon Ross ’06, Lindsay Henderson ’03, ’04, Cassie and Matt Wilcox

IMPACT FOREVER PLAN NOW

Education. Opportunity. Innovation. There are so many ways your generosity can impact others. When you designate a gift to UCA through the UCA Foundation as part of your estate planning process, you’re making a difference for generations to come. The world is a better place – and will be better still – because of the decisions you make in this moment. And that’s the best part of all. Plan now. Impact forever. Create your legacy today!

capital campaign uca.edu/now