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Submitted by: Anthony Fillippino, anthonyf@uca.edu on 12/03/2025

Refer to the attached image to see our hours for winter break.

 

Submitted by: Anthony Fillippino, anthonyf@uca.edu on 12/03/2025

Refer to the attached image to see our hours for finals week.

 

Submitted by: Scott Austin, saustin@uca.edu on 12/02/2025

Griffin Planetarium shows this Friday December 5 and Saturday December 6 at 7:00pm: The one-hour shows this week includes a tour of the current sky, a flight around the universe, and the full-dome movie “Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds”. The planetarium is located in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences. Seating starts 10 minutes before show time. Admission is free. Seating limited to the first 94. No admission after the shows begin. No food or drink allowed.

/physics/planetarium/

Submitted by: Stephanie McBrayer, smcbrayer@uca.edu on 12/02/2025

The BT����Graduation Celebration event of the semester is Tuesday, December 9th, at 6:00pm at Buffalo Alumni Hall. All BT����graduating Seniors, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the “Paws Up, Caps Off” party! This special event to honor our graduates will have food, music, fun prizes, a photo booth, and a special toast to the graduates. Come cheer with us and join in the festivities to celebrate the BT����graduating students’ achievements.

uca.edu/student/puco

Submitted by: Lyn Gayfield, egayfield@uca.edu on 12/02/2025

2026 Alternative Spring Break
March 22 – March 27, 2026

Be a part of the Great Mississippi River Cleanup!

Volunteers will traverse the river on foot and in boats while working closely with the Living Lands and Waters crew. The LL&W fleet includes THREE barges, TWO towboats, SIX workboats, TWO skid steers, FIVE work trucks, an excavator, and a crane.

Sign-up and $25 fee deadline is January 23, 2026
Register on GivePulse
Contact OSAC at 5014503135 and osac@uca.edu if you have any questions

Submitted by: April Gunn, agunn@uca.edu on 12/02/2025

Commencement is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the academic accomplishments of students at the University of Central Arkansas. During commencement ceremonies, we recognize the learning, commitment and effort by our students in earning their degree. This is a special event for the students and for all of those involved in supporting and encouraging them through this journey.

All ceremonies will be held at the Farris Center and will be live-streamed. You may find the link at

Thursday, December 11, 2025
5 p.m. – Graduate Ceremony
All colleges

Friday, December 12, 2025
Undergraduate Ceremonies

9 a.m.
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
College of Business

12 p.m.
College of Education
College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
College of Science and Engineering

/commencement/

Submitted by: Jennifer Brewer, jbrewer1@uca.edu on 12/01/2025

Ah, Week 15 — when syllabi are checked like treasure maps and calculators become emotional support objects. All semester, you’ve helped students feel capable, connected, and confident. Whether you implemented every strategy or just a few that resonated with you, your impact has been real and meaningful. Thank you for sticking with us and cheering students toward the finish line!

This week, for the final time in 2025, we continue the Faculty for Successful Students focus: Help Students Form Peer Connections.

Slide:

Establishing peer connections in college significantly impacts students by enhancing their sense of belonging and support network. Strong relationships with peers provide emotional support, academic collaboration, and social engagement, all of which contribute to improved retention and academic performance.

Faculty Tips to Reinforce Success

Here are a few simple ways you can encourage these habits in your classes:

• Bring your class or group to a Game Night at the Student Success Center (contact Student Success for more information, dates, and times)
• Promote study groups/Study Buddies
• Recommend the StudentLingo workshop on group work
• Incorporate brief opportunities to engage with a partner or small group in class, even if your class does not include collaborative assignments.For example, Pairing and sharing answers to practice problems, discussing assigned readings in pairs or small groups, or formulating questions about lecture material in pairs all provide ways to connect and get to know classmates that can open the door to more substantial peer support.

Resources for You:

• Faculty for Successful Students Webpage

Thank you for everything you’ve done this semester to guide, support, and champion our students. Your care, creativity, and consistency make all the difference — especially in these final weeks. We’re grateful to work alongside you at UCA. Thanks for finishing strong with us — and for being the kind of faculty who help students believe they can finish strong, too.

✨ If there’s a colleague who’d appreciate being part of this community, feel free to pass this along and invite them to join us next time.

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership & Student Success Services

/cetal/faculty-for-successful-students/

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 12/01/2025

The Sugar Bears are dancing in Dallas! Tune in on ESPN+ at 6:30 PM CST on Friday for the first round of the NCAA tournament! BT����takes on #2 SMU in Dallas! Follow @ucavball for updates on all social media platforms!

Submitted by: Kristen Oitker, koitker1@uca.edu on 12/01/2025

The Men’s Basketball team will take on the Little Rock Trojans on Wednesday in the Farris Center. Tipoff is set for 6:30 PM and doors open at 5:30 PM. Come help cheer on the Bears!

Submitted by: Stacey Stephens, staceys@uca.edu on 12/01/2025

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has announced newly elected members of the Board of Directors. Congratulations to Dr. Lisa VanHoose, PT, PhD, MPH, FAPTA, who was elected as a Director to the APTA Board of Directors for a four-year term beginning in 2026. Dr. VanHoose is a BT����physical therapy alumnus (’96) and former Department of Physical Therapy Faculty member (2016-2019). Currently, she is Professor of Physical Therapy and Director of the DPT Program at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Dr. VanHoose is a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Therapy and a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy. She received her PhD in Rehabilitation Science and Master of Public Health from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her BS in Health Science and MS in Physical Therapy are from the University of Central Arkansas.

The APTA Board provides strategic direction for the organization and advocates on behalf of physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, students of physical therapy, and patients nationwide to advance the profession of physical therapy and improve the health of society. Speaking on behalf of APTA, CEO Justin Moore, PT, DPT, said, “It is my honor to welcome our newly elected and returning members and officers of the APTA Board of Directors, and to extend sincere gratitude to our departing leaders for their years of dedicated service to advancing the physical therapy profession. This 2026 Board brings diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to advancing APTA’s strategic priorities, including improving payment, empowering our members, and evolving our practice. Their leadership will be instrumental in driving progress for physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and the patients they serve.”