Courtney Mullen is the new director of the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services at the University of Central Arkansas, and she is definitely filled with BTÌìÌÃpride. With her determined attitude and positive outlook, she is ready to use her new position to lead BTÌìÌÃto achieve even greater success.

Mullen comes to BTÌìÌÃfrom Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, where she spent nearly seven years in the recruitment and admissions sector. “Even though BTÌìÌÃis very well-known across the state, I think it’s time to take things up a notch,” Mullen said. “I’ve always admired UCA, and I truly love it here!”

She is ready to shake things up around campus. “I don’t want us to just rest on our laurels,” Mullen said. “I want people to understand what a cool community we have here.”

Mullen is no stranger to hard work and sees her new position as a role of service. “We are the front door for the institution so we have to be able to put the hat on for every single program that we have here,” Mullen said. “In order to fully serve our students, we need to fully serve faculty and staff across campus. I have a lot of work ahead of me and when I look toward the future, it makes me excited and full of hope.”

The University of Central Arkansas will begin a new performing arts series for K-12 students in central Arkansas. The series brings K-12 students to campus to experience professional theatre at an early age and connects children, teachers and schools to performing arts in meaningful ways that complement the school curriculum.

The Main Stage EdUCAtion Series will start Nov. 17, 2015 with the performance of “Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas” at Reynolds Performance Hall, and reservations will be taken on a first come, first serve basis. Each performance is carefully selected to entertain while educating the audience on an academic topic.

“Exposure to the arts contributes to the overall social and cognitive development of children,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Tom Courtway. “Performing arts provides students with a creative outlet of expression that can improve academic achievement, adapt to a wide variety of learning styles and develop diverse multicultural perspectives.”

It will also aid local educators in their efforts to integrate arts into the school curriculum. All shows will be performed by professional, national-touring artists who will provide high quality performances.

“We are thrilled to introduce this new program that will increase access to the arts for schools in central Arkansas,” said Amanda Horton, Reynolds Performance Hall director of public appearances. “The arts can improve academic performance, enrich the lives of our students and enhance the cultural viability of a community.”

Performances include “Walk On: The Story of Rosa Parks,” “Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas” and “Doktor Kaboom in LIVE WIRE: The Electricity Tour!” Students will be charged $5.00 per ticket and schools may apply for a limited number of ticket vouchers for low-income students.

School groups will receive one free adult chaperone ticket per 10 student tickets purchased. Additional adult tickets may be purchased for only $10.00. Educators will receive study guides and resources created for the performances that will assist with educational standards for the chosen field, ensuring a valuable out-of-the-classroom experience for the students.

The inaugural

speakers will be announced in January of 2016.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today’s leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED’s annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available for free on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at facebook.com/TED or Instagram at instagram.com/ted or visit .

President Tom Courtway hosted the first TEDxUniversityOfCentralArkansasSalon introducing TEDx and sharing his passion for history and legacy of leadership.

Bear Tales – President’s Leadership Fellows

“This is something every university, every board member, every college president and budget officer is concerned about – the cost of attendance and keeping it as low as possible,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Tom Courtway. “We all strive to do the best we can with what we have. It’s an effort to hold down the cost to students and families while at the same time offering a high quality education and complete collegiate experience.”

BTÌìÌÃBoard of Trustees Chair Brad Lacy ’94 credits President Courtway’s leadership and his staff’s hard work for being able to hold tuition rates while still funding faculty and staff raises and bonuses, in addition to funding recent construction projects across campus.

“It is important to note that we were still able to fund raises and bonuses for our dedicated faculty and staff, without whom our students would not receive the superior educational and campus experience we provide at this institution,” said Lacy. “This proves that BTÌìÌÃcan build innovative facilities, grow enrollment and offer access to a rigorous academic experience without automatically increasing costs to our students.”

One by one, officials and dignitaries at the University of Central Arkansas took a swing at a wall in McCastlain Hall in the event commemorating the start of renovations to the historic building. The special wall-crashing event was June 9, 2015.

Stacy Hurst, director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, led the group that included BTÌìÌÃPresident Tom Courtway, BTÌìÌÃBoard of Trustees Chair Brad Lacy ’94 and Nan Snow ’57, member of the BTÌìÌÃFoundation Board of Directors. The dignitaries donned hard hats, gloves and safety glasses as they swung golden sledgehammers to take down 10-foot-high drywall panels.

The Arkansas Natural and Cult
ural Resources council (ANCRC) awarded an $800,000 grant in 2014 for the restoration and renovation of McCastlain’s East Commons and Fireplace Room and a $400,000 grant to create a more accessible grand hallway between McCastlain’s East Commons and the Baum Gallery 
in 2015.

Built in 1939 as the first standalone cafeteria on campus, McCastlain Hall is now one of eight buildings comprising UCA’s Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 18, 2013.

Bear Tales – McCastlain Hall Wall Crashing

Military students who qualify for in-state tuition will be one of the following: a veteran who was discharged or released from active duty within three years before the date of enrollment, the dependent of such a veteran, a member of the armed forces or the spouse of a member of the armed forces.

The in-state tuition starts with the 2015-2016 academic year.

The University of Central Arkansas celebrated another history-making day as the Conway Corporation Center for Sciences was ‘topped-out’ in a special ceremony on Sept. 25, 2015.

The University broke ground in May 2015 on the Conway Corporation Center for Sciences, a 50,000-square-foot addition to the Lewis Science Center.

“This space is really important to the University. It’s the basis of so many things at which we excel,” said Brad Lacy, chair of the BTÌìÌÃBoard of Trustees. “Today is another great day for UCA.”

The BTÌìÌÃBoard of Trustees voted to name the expanded section of the Lewis Science Center building the Conway Corporation Center for Sciences in recognition of a $3 million gift from Conway Corporation that was announced in December 2014.

“To the board and everyone associated with Conway Corporation, thank you for your generous gift,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Tom Courtway. “We, as an institution, can’t thank Conway Corp enough for that gift.”

Lewis Science Center houses several departments in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, including biology, physics and astronomy. The additional 50,000 square feet in the Conway Corporation Center for Sciences allows more classroom and laboratory space, as well as significant improvements in equipment efficiency and energy utilization with LEED certification.

The construction is in fulfillment of the goals outlined in the “Framework for the Future,” which was introduced in November 2013 during the investiture ceremony for President Courtway. The plan laid out three primary goals with several strategies, deadlines and responsibilities to achieve the goals. One goal was to “build, replace and maintain academic and auxiliary infrastructure.”

Bear Tales – Conway Corporation Center for Sciences Topping Out Ceremony

Donaghey Hall Closer to Fall 2016 Completion

Dozens of campus dignitaries and community members turned their eyes to the sky to see a cedar tree mounted atop a steel beam hoisted to the uppermost point of the Donaghey Hall steel framework.

This topping-out ceremony was
held on Aug. 21, 2015 for Donaghey Hall, the four-story,
mixed-use building at the intersection of Bruce Street and Donaghey Avenue. The building will be 67,500-square-feet.

Once completed, the first floor will consist of approximately 15,000 square feet of commercial space that will be occupied by businesses including Mosaique Bistro and Grill of Conway, Uncle T’s Deli-Market of Little Rock, Blue Sail Coffee of Conway and Textbook Brokers, Inc. A section of the first floor will also be a “makerspace,” which is a creative, collaborative, community-oriented space that will allow students and faculty to gather and share knowledge, network and innovate together.

The upper floors will serve as a residence hall with 165 beds for sophomores and juniors.

“We are very excited about this project,” said University President Tom Courtway. “We really look forward to [fall 2016] when students are going to move in and there’s going to be a vibrant campus community on the east side of Donaghey.”

The University broke ground on Donaghey Hall in April 2015. It will be open in fall 2016.

The topping-out of a building tradition dates back to the ancient Scandinavians. Modern-day practice involves an evergreen tree being placed on the highest piece of steel placed on a building’s frame.

The construction is in fulfillment of the goals outlined in the “Framework for the Future,” which was introduced in November 2013 during the investiture ceremony for President Courtway. BTÌìÌÃboard members named Nabholz Construction and Doyne Construction as the general contractor and construction manager, respectively.

The plan laid out three primary goals with several strategies, deadlines and responsibilities to achieve the goals. One goal was to “plan, develop and transform Donaghey Avenue.”

Bear Tales – Two Campus Ceremonies

Ashley Love ’07 has been named director of special events. Love succeeds Don Bingham, who became administrator of the Governor’s Mansion for Governor Asa Hutchinson in January 2015. She will oversee activities associated with the President’s Home and other campus venues.

“We welcome Ashley as UCA’s new director of special events. She will do an excellent job managing the President’s Home, a treasured historic hallmark of our campus. We also look forward to her working with other university departments and groups on campus,” said Kelley Erstine ’79, UCA’s chief of staff.

Love earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing management from the University of Central Arkansas in 2007. She was previously director of finance and marketing for BTÌìÌÃReynolds Performance Hall and began her new role in August 2015.

Northwest Arkansas native Dr. Victoria Groves-Scott is the new dean of the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas. She began on July 1, 2015.

Prior to coming to UCA, Groves-Scott served as assistant dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She began her career as an elementary special education teacher and has worked in various roles at three institutions of higher education including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Associated Colleges of Central Kansas and the University of Kansas.

Groves-Scott received her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and special education from Drury University, before earning her Master of Arts in special education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She then earned her Doctor of Education in special education from the University of Kansas and served a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Groves-Scott said that throughout her career, her educational philosophy has focused on social justice.

“I believe educators have a deep obligation to make education the great equalizer, and it has not fully lived up to this promise,” Groves-Scott said. “While there are institutional and larger societal issues that contribute to systematic inequalities, we realize that some kids have been left out and that there are ways in which we can make a difference in the policy discussions and in the schools and classrooms. We have an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in students’ future social and economic opportunities, and we are dedicated to that mission.”