The University of Central Arkansas added $1.01 billion in income to the Arkansas economy and supported 19,506 jobs (one out of every 85) in fiscal year 2018-19, according to a recent study that measures the economic impact and return on investment of the university to its students, taxpayers and society.

The study was conducted by Emsi, an internationally renowned provider of data for higher education and business. Results were announced at the August Board of Trustees meeting.

“We have always known that BTĚěĚĂand our high-quality academic programs are vital to the economy, to the future earning potential and career prospects of our students and to the long-term success of Arkansas residents,” BTĚěĚĂPresident Houston Davis said. “However, it is affirming to have this new positive data as we look ahead and work with local and state leadership to ensure a prosperous and vibrant future for our students, campus community and the state.”

The report demonstrates the significant impact BTĚěĚĂstudents make on the state during college and after graduation, as well as their overall return on investment to obtain a college degree.

“This study reaffirms what we have known all along — that BTĚěĚĂis a major economic player in the state,” Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston said. “Not only is the university one of the largest employers in Faulkner County, but these are jobs that pay higher than average wages. And in turn, research continually shows that college graduates will go on to earn higher wages, and we certainly hope these students stay in Arkansas and contribute to the economy.

But we also have to consider the indirect impact, which is sometimes forgotten. Everything from construction to students dining out to cutting-edge research brings in dollars that impact our state’s bottom line and improve the lives of all Arkansans.”

Since 1907, students have studied at BTĚěĚĂand entered the workforce with greater knowledge and skills. Today, thousands of BTĚěĚĂgraduates are employed in Arkansas. These skilled alumni receive higher earnings and increase the productivity of their employers. During the analysis year of this study, BTĚěĚĂalumni generated $878.4 million in added income for the state economy, which is equivalent to supporting 16,920 jobs.

“That’s one of the payoffs in higher education is the fact that people come out with more capacity that has value in whatever work setting, industry or career field,” said Randy Zook, president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Arkansas. “The study reinforced, clearly, the importance of higher education in the overall economy of Arkansas. It’s a significant impact of one institution that is helping people to become more valuable in the economy.”

In return for their investment, the average BTĚěĚĂbaccalaureate degree graduate will earn $31,100 per year more than an individual with a high school diploma or equivalent working in Arkansas. This amounts to $1.4 million in higher earnings per graduate over the course of their working lives. Put in another way, for every dollar BTĚěĚĂstudents invest in their education, they will see a return of $5.20 in higher future earnings. This is an average annual return of 19.1%, significant because interest earned on most savings accounts is less than 1%.

From a taxpayer perspective, the study indicates that BTĚěĚĂgenerates more in tax revenue than it takes. Benefits to taxpayers take two forms: taxes that the state and local government collect from the added revenue created in the state, and savings generated by the improved lifestyles of BTĚěĚĂstudents and the corresponding reduced government services. For every dollar spent by taxpayers, they receive $2.20 in added tax revenues and public sector savings over the course of the students’ working lives.

Altogether, the social benefits of BTĚěĚĂequal a present value of $2.7 billion. These benefits include $2.5 billion in added income through students’ increased lifetime earnings and increased business output, as well as $191.5 million in social savings related to health, crime and income assistance in Arkansas. In other words, for every dollar invested in UCA, Arkansans will receive a cumulative value of $8.60 in benefits. The benefits of this investment will occur for as long as UCA’s FY 2018-19 students remain employed in the state workforce.

About the Study

Data and assumptions used in the study are based on several sources, including the FY 2018-19 academic and financial reports from UCA, the university’s alumni records matched to Emsi’s Alumni Outcomes database, industry and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, outputs of Emsi’s Multi-Regional Social Accounting Matrix model, and a variety of studies and surveys relating education to social behavior. The study applies a conservative methodology and follows standard practice using only the most recognized indicators of economic impact and investment effectiveness. For a full description of the data and approach used in the study, visit uca.edu/economicimpact.

When Ashley Savage was unable to continue working her regular schedule due to COVID-19, she was no longer confident she could meet all of her expenses.

“I wasn’t struggling with food, clothes or other things, but I was fearful about paying my rent due to the situation COVID-19 put so many workers in,” Savage said.

Savage was awarded $450 through the University of Central Arkansas’ Student Emergency Fund. She used the money to pay her rent.

“If not for these funds, I would have felt very uneasy about the months to come in regards to my rent. I had just been sent home from work for several months due to COVID-19, and the award was really helpful,” Savage said.

UCA’s Student Support and Resource Center oversees the Student Emergency Fund, as well as the Technology Assistance Grant, Incoming Freshman Laptop Initiative and other student-focused efforts.

The application period began in April and ended in August. Approximately 1,900 students applied for funding through the Student Emergency Fund, said Cassandra Ward, a program specialist in the Student Support and Resource Center.

Students were awarded grants ranging from $95 to $1,000 for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and private donors, through the BTĚěĚĂFoundation, funded the program.

To receive funding, students applied online, including a synopsis of why they needed the funds, the amount requested and a description of the difficulties they were facing as a result of the pandemic. All eligible applications were sent to a committee consisting of staff members who assessed the applications and made recommendations on which to fund.

The Student Emergency Fund awarded more than $380,000 of CARES Act and private funding to students.

“They received an email letting them know that they were awarded,” said Sara McKee ’17, a student support specialist in the Student Support and Resource Center. “Multiple students responded with gratitude and excitement during such a difficult time.”

Christopher Talley used the $733 in funding he received to pay for rent, food, books and utilities. He said he had secured a summer job, but the pandemic eliminated the opportunity.

“I had to pay some bills essentially on credit, as I didn’t have enough to cover them,” Talley said. “Without this fund, I was fearing having to work a job unrelated to my education, and I was fearful that my grades and learning would suffer.”

Talley is a graduate student in the digital filmmaking program.

“With these funds, I returned to solely focusing on being a better filmmaker, not on how to pay the bills,” Talley said.

Darius Brown received $900 in funding. The nursing student lives in Mayflower with his mother. Using the emergency funds, he paid his family’s rent and for his mother’s medication. He was grateful for the award.

“I did not know universities had an emergency fund, so it came as a shock to me when I could apply for it,” Brown said. “I think it is a wonderful way to lift the weight off a student’s shoulders when someone does not have a regular source of income.

“You’ve not only helped change my financial situation but also my mindset. I hope to be able to do what you all have done someday for someone else,” Brown said.

The University of Central Arkansas hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts and announced a $3 million gift from the Alice L. Walton Foundation on Oct. 9 on the BTĚěĚĂcampus.

Upon completion, the new Windgate facility will provide almost 100,000 square feet of much-needed classroom, studio, rehearsal and design spaces. Current plans for the facility include a 175-seat black box theater equipped with state-of-the-art technology, a 450-seat concert hall, a percussion suite, a scene/wood shop and more. The building will allow BTĚěĚĂto expand its arts programming and foster collaborative partnerships across multiple academic disciplines — visual arts, film, theatre, music and others.

“In addition to providing a first-rate facility for our students and faculty, this building will solidify BTĚěĚĂas an artistic anchor in the region, a place where the arts are celebrated and accessible to all,” said BTĚěĚĂPresident Houston Davis. “By helping more students interact with and earn degrees in artistic disciplines, we will continue to graduate a workforce of creative problem-solvers, critical thinkers and independent learners. In today’s world, these skills are more important than ever and are vital to the state’s economy.”

The Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts is made possible by a $20 million gift from Windgate Foundation. Announced in January 2019, this remains the largest single gift in BTĚěĚĂhistory.

“For over 27 years, Windgate has partnered in visual art education programs with organizations across the United States,” said Patricia Forgy, executive director of Windgate Foundation. “For us, the knowledge of the power of art, combined with our long-term partnership with BTĚěĚĂand the trust in the current leadership, made it an easy decision for the Windgate trustees to support the new Fine and Performing Arts Center.”

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Davis announced the second-largest gift dedicated to the Windgate project — $3 million from the Alice L. Walton Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to provide $1 million toward the construction of the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, $1 million to establish an endowment for ongoing facility maintenance at the center and a $1 million endowment contribution to specifically support the arts education programming budget at UCA.

“The Alice L. Walton Foundation is delighted to join the University of Central Arkansas, Windgate Foundation and other project partners in strengthening access to high-quality arts education for students and future leaders,” said a representative of the Alice L. Walton Foundation. “These expanded and modernized facilities in the heart of central Arkansas will foster exploration and expression essential to preserving our dynamic and vibrant arts and culture community.”

“Gifts such as these from the Windgate Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation illustrate the transformative impact of purposeful giving on our students, our community and our state,” said Davis. “We are incredibly grateful for these partnerships and the difference they will allow us to make today and for generations to come.”

The Department of Art (now the Department of Art and Design) was one of the original eight departments when BTĚěĚĂwas established in 1907. Today, the department is part of the BTĚěĚĂCollege of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and has more than 200 students who major or minor in art, and another 780 major in the other fine arts and communication areas. Student enrollment for many departments has remained at capacity for the past decade.

The Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts will be situated at the corner of Donaghey Avenue and Bruce Street and is scheduled to be open for the fall 2022 semester. Planning and architecture for the facility are by Little Rock-based WER Architects and New York-based Pfeiffer Partners. Baldwin & Shell Construction is the general contractor for the project.

The Windgate Foundation’s gift of $20 million to the institution is a challenge gift, with a fundraising campaign continuing for facility, equipment and student scholarship support. Gifts to the building project are honored through the naming of specific spaces within the facility. These named spaces will remain for the life of the building.

From the University of Central Arkansas’ earliest beginnings as Arkansas State Normal School (ASNS), women have been an integral part of the growth and success of the institution.

According to university history, three of the eight original faculty members were women: Beatrice Powell, Emma Rasor and Ida Waldran. In fall 2019, 57% of full-time faculty were female, according to the Office of Institutional Research’s Diversity Ledger. Currently, three women serve as vice presidents: Mary Bane Lackie serves as vice president of University Advancement; Diane Newton serves as vice president of Finance and Administration; and Patricia Poulter serves as executive vice president and provost. Additionally, Amy Whitehead is the university’s chief of staff.

Looking across campus, five buildings are named in recognition of women, but arguably, many students, alumni, faculty and staff are unaware of this significance because full names are not included on the buildings.

As the campus recognized the Suffrage Centennial with various activities throughout the fall, efforts were also underway to update the names of these buildings.

“I had this idea, realizing that so many of our women on this campus whose names are attached to these buildings are part of the suffrage era, that part of the project would have to be to ask the university to put the first names of these women on the buildings, thus acknowledging their importance,” said Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Seymour said she has begun speaking with university administration about the idea, but a timeline to update the building names has not been set.

“I think that the suffrage recognition provides a window of opportunity for these things to happen while we’re looking back at women from that era, thinking about their accomplishments,” Seymour said.

The five buildings named after women are Baridon Hall, Bernard Hall, Carmichael Hall, Christian Cafeteria and Schichtl Hall. Learn more about each structure and its namesake below.

Baridon Hall

Ida Emilie Baridon Frauenthal was born in New York in 1868. She moved to Arkansas in 1890 to live with her uncle, Col. Asa Robinson, known as the founder of Conway. She was married to Joseph Frauenthal, a Conway businessman who was influential in establishing ASNS. She was very active in local and statewide organizations. She, along with school President J.J. Doyne, served as Conway representatives on a committee charged with choosing the Arkansas state flag. Baridon Street in Conway is also named after her. Frauenthal died in 1947.

Baridon Hall, constructed in 1940, is now a residence hall for freshman students with suite-style rooms. The hall houses the Health Promotion and Wellness (HPaW) Residential College.

Bernard Hall

Mary Augusta Bernard was born in 1864 in North Carolina. She joined the faculty of Arkansas State Normal School (ASNS) in 1912 as the first drawing and penmanship instructor. This role was the early beginning of the Department of Art. After being promoted to professor, Bernard was later named head of the department. She held this position until her death in 1933.

Bernard Hall currently serves as an administration building and residential hall. Some of the administration offices include Admissions, Career Services, and Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. The coed residential space offers large double-occupancy rooms for freshman students. After the building’s completion in 1939, the Board of Trustees unanimously elected to name it in Bernard’s honor.

Carmichael Hall

The namesake for this residential hall is Maude Savilla Carmichael, born in Van Buren County, Arkansas, in 1887. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College in 1917, Carmichael began her career as a high school history teacher in Little Rock. In 1923, Carmichael earned a master’s from Columbia University and began her tenure at Arkansas State Teachers College as an associate professor of history. She earned her doctorate in economics from Radcliff College in 1935.

Carmichael was promoted to full professor in 1925 and served as chair of the economics department from 1931 until her retirement in 1952. She established the Carmichael Fund to support economic education in the College of Business in honor of her parents, William and Matilda Carmichael.

Carmichael Hall opened in 1968 and serves freshman female students.

Christian Cafeteria

Elizabeth “Betty” Langston Christian was born in Little Rock in 1886. Christian came to ASNS in 1920 as an instructor in the home economics department. She remained until 1930, serving as head of the department from 1925-26. She left to further her education in nutrition at Columbia University and returned in 1940 as the first dietician for the school. She remained until her retirement in 1956.

In 1969, the newly constructed cafeteria was opened and dedicated to Christian. The building continues to serve university students and visitors in an all-you-care-to-eat style.

Schichtl Studio Arts Building

Marie Schichtl was born in Conway in 1900. She graduated from ASNS in 1920 with a Licentiate of Instruction. She began her teaching career at ASNS that same year as an instructor of drawing and penmanship, working with Mary Bernard, her former instructor. Schichtl continued her education by earning a bachelor’s from George Peabody College in 1930 and a master’s from Columbia University in 1934. Schichtl retired in 1967, after serving 47 years. She held the record of the longest-serving employee until 2013, but she still retains the record for a female employee.

Schichtl died in 1992. In December of that year, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name the new art building in her honor.

For the fall 2020 semester, Tom Courtway, University of Central Arkansas president emeritus and senior lecturer of business law, teaches one hybrid course and on-site classes. He livestreams classes for online students and even records one of his sections to upload to Blackboard, a learning management system.

“None of that did I know how to do on March 11 of this year,” he said.

Courtway is one of the many faculty members whose comfort with online instruction advanced with the assistance of UCA’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership (CETAL) and Instructional Technology. CETAL collaborates with partners across campus, notably the Division of Information Technology, to design a learning community focused on enhancing faculty members’ teaching methods.

Since the pandemic began to affect campus this past spring, CETAL, formerly the Center for Teaching Excellence, has partnered heavily with IT’s Instructional Technology team and its mission has been to equip faculty with the tools and pedagogy needed to constantly adjust to what students need during this time, said Amy Hawkins, assistant provost of teaching and academic leadership.

“This is not what faculty have ever been used to as the ways they deliver their teaching,” Hawkins said.

CETAL, which includes Hawkins and three instructional designers, worked with Instructional Technology to assess which resources faculty needed help with this year and what teaching methods they needed guidance on to lead hybrid and online classes. The two offices have provided online office hours, instructional consulting and videos that provide step-by-step directives on how to utilize specific instructional technology programs.

“We are working more this semester on [CETAL] providing pedagogical support while the Instructional Technology area will focus more on training faculty on how to use the different software while incorporating best practices and continue providing overall faculty and student support for instructional software,” said Tonya McKinney ’99, manager of instructional technology.

As someone whose teaching comfort zone includes writing on the board and handing out papers, Courtway experienced a shock when having to switch to online instruction this spring. He contacts CETAL weekly — sometimes daily — for troubleshooting and questions regarding online tools.

“Their training is great,” he said. “They can sort of anticipate over the horizon what we may need, and they’re out in front of what we may need to try to deliver our course material or set up tests for our students. They give great advice.”

For the teams behind CETAL and Instructional Technology, it’s important that faculty be relieved of instructional technology stress so that students may flourish.

“We do love faculty, but we really love students,” Hawkins said. “A lot of what drives both of those offices is, ‘Oh, my goodness. If we don’t fix this, this is how it affects students.’ That’s a motivator that doesn’t go away.”

Sharon Mason, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, teaches about 95 students total this fall semester, and about 65 of those students are online only. She said she has most benefited from CETAL’s virtual office hours when in need of help on tools that aid her online or hybrid classes.

“I’ll be right in the middle of trying to use something in Blackboard, and I can’t get it to work, and I’ll just open the link and jump into their chat room, and somebody was there who would help me fix it,” she said. “I could be done in about five minutes and be able to move on instead of being stuck or having to wait for a training. I really appreciated their accessibility and their availability throughout this transition.”

Mason heavily uses Zoom to lead breakout discussions for students and also this year implemented Perusall, a social e-reader tool that allows students to annotate text and converse with one another about assigned readings.

“I think that in the future, even if we do go back to a largely face-to-face model of instruction, if and when this pandemic has ever passed, I think that I’m still going to integrate a lot more technology into the classroom,” she said.

Hawkins said CETAL had goals to build more online resources prior to COVID-19 affecting campus and that responding to the urgent need for online instruction accelerated its desire to be a source for hybrid and online teaching excellence.

“Each step of the way, they have been there to help me,” Courtway said. “I can’t thank them enough.”

Before he came to the University of Central Arkansas, the only purple clothing President Houston Davis had in his closet was two purple ties. Now he has at least 40.

Davis has a rule: As long as he works at UCA, every tie he wears must have purple in it.

His affinity for purple does not end there but extends throughout his closet. He has 20 purple polos and five purple jackets. The most interesting pairs of pants he owns are a pair of purple plaid pants and a pair of purple slacks. He says his closet makes him look like the biggest Prince fan.

His most enjoyable collection, though, is of his shoes. “Just like wearing a purple tie, I think owning a pair of purple shoes is great for school spirit,” Davis said.

The collection started when he began his tenure as UCA’s 11th president in 2017. He was able to customize a pair of purple UCA-themed Chuck Taylors and began wearing them to sporting events. After having the Converse for one year, he began to search for other pairs of purple shoes. He finds it entertaining, and everyone enjoys seeing his purple accessories. He has seven pairs of purple shoes.

Davis has found that wearing purple accessories strikes up interest from others. When he is not at a BTĚěĚĂevent and people ask about his kicks, he takes that opportunity to tell them about the university.

“It’s a great conversation piece. People will laugh and ask, ‘Purple shoes?’ and then I get to talk to them about UCA,” he said with a smile.

Of all seven pairs he owns, his purple Jordans are his favorite. He said that he had been looking for a pair of purple Jordans for over a year and he finally found a pair in his size in spring 2020. He has not been able to debut them yet because COVID-19 put a halt to many spring events and not that many big events happened in the fall.

His most unique pair are his purple Italian loafers, which have a notable BTĚěĚĂconnection. Davis and his wife, Jenny, joined the summer abroad group in Florence, Italy, in 2018. While walking in town, the group noticed a pair of purple shoes, and many of the students told Davis to get a pair. The next day, the shop owner had a pair in his size, and he was able to return to BTĚěĚĂwith a stylish pair of purple shoes.

During this trying and uncertain time, Davis has tried to keep the school’s spirit high by continuing his commitment to UCA-themed attire. His spirited wardrobe has not gone unnoticed.

“I make a point of wearing UCA-branded shirts frequently, but not necessarily purple, because I believe in this institution, and that belief is inspired by Dr. Davis,” said Rick Tarkka, BTĚěĚĂchemistry professor. “He always has branded clothes on.”

Shoes aside, Davis’ favorite purple item in his closet is his custom-made purple bear suit, which he enjoys wearing to Homecoming games.

“It’s crazy to think that I only had two purple ties before UCA, and now my wardrobe is full of purple,” he said.

In spring 2020, when travel, work settings and schools experienced major shifts in operation due to COVID-19, KristiAnna Mathes ’19 took her kindergarten class on a field trip to the San Diego Zoo — a virtual field trip, that is.

A teacher at Julia Lee Moore Elementary in Conway, Mathes has implemented engaging online learning resources this year that she feels confident in using thanks to her undergraduate experience in the University of Central Arkansas’ College of Education.

“All the things that are important for virtual teaching are things we learned at BTĚěĚĂbefore we even knew we would have to virtually teach,” said Mathes, who moved from being a kindergarten teacher to first-grade teacher this school year.

This fall, she has been utilizing a handful of online resources for both her on-site and virtual students, who she teaches at separate times during the school day. For instance, there’s a program called Seesaw, which gives online and on-site students assignments and allows parents and teachers to interact with their work. Mathes’ district implemented Seesaw this year, and her undergraduate education helped her build confidence in navigating it.

“I will say that BTĚěĚĂ110% prepared me for this pandemic,” she said. “I think one thing that’s really cool about BTĚěĚĂis the iPad initiative and the focus on iPads and technology so heavily within the classroom. [It] really allows me to feel comfortable having to input that this year in my classroom.”

As an Apple Distinguished School, UCA’s College of Education weaves technology into its instruction methods. Students in the elementary, special education, middle-level and most of its secondary education programs are required to have an iPad for classroom use under the college’s iPad Mobile Technology Initiative. BTĚěĚĂis also the only Arkansas university that has an online teaching endorsement from the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Dean Victoria Groves-Scott said the college’s inclusion of technology in its pedagogy positions it to be ready to make a difference and lead the way in online instruction.

“We are well ahead of the curve. We’re actually setting the curve,” Groves-Scott said.

Not only do College of Education students utilize technology in the classroom, they also can rely on it when practicing in the field. The college uses Bug-in-Ear technology for some of its student-teachers, allowing its faculty to, while off-site, view the student-teaching experience in real time and provide coaching through an earpiece the student wears. These student-teaching sessions are also recorded on video, and faculty can annotate them to provide further coaching.

Malcolm Pennington ’18, a seventh-grade Arkansas history teacher at Pinnacle View Middle School in Little Rock, instructs both on-site and online students simultaneously this year. He said his experience in the College of Education helped him become more flexible in the face of unexpected challenges.

“I don’t think anybody saw anything like COVID coming,” he said. “When I was in school, we were just taught to be adaptable, to be adjustable.”

In his current role, he uses Microsoft Teams for online instruction and Schoology as a student social networking tool. For many online students, he is the only person outside of their household that they speak to in a day.

“UCA’s education program has to be arguably the most rigorous thing I’ve done academically,” Pennington said. “They demand a lot of you. There’s a whole lot of changes and challenges that come with it. So with that being said, if you take those same principles that they taught you, as far as how to respond to challenges and how to manage stress, and apply them to the classroom, that’s the biggest change I’ve done.”

While the College of Education has been accustomed to using technology with its students, it will likely include more on how to engage students in online K-12 environments in its curriculum in the future, Groves-Scott said.

“I see this as an opportunity for us to really grow and lean in to exceptional teaching pedagogy using digital resources that will allow all of our kids to have greater access to the content,” Groves-Scott said.

Plus, she said, this is a time to give teachers their props.

“I am hoping that this experience will make society in general really appreciate how much teachers care for their students and how much they’re willing to give and sacrifice to make sure that our children in Arkansas have safe and enjoyable and inclusive schools to come to,” she said.

Mathes looks forward to her classroom going back to its traditional format but is glad to have her dream job.

“Even if it is virtual, I’m still able to do what I love,” Mathes said. “Pandemic or not, BTĚěĚĂprepared me for this, and we’ll get through it, and eventually teaching will get back to normal. The world will get back to normal.”

For two months of the fall semester, the University of Central Arkansas campus was buzzing with art exhibitions, concerts, poetry and more all in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

The BTĚěĚĂSuffrage Centennial, held from late August through late October, utilized art to celebrate the women’s suffrage movement and connect the campus community to what it means in the present day.

“The arts were a big part of the suffrage movement in general,” said Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, who spearheaded the project. “Anyone who’s involved in a revolution understands that the arts are this perfect thing to inspire and motivate people.”

The celebration kick-started Aug. 26 with the opening of the “Threads Through Time” art exhibit in McCastlain Hall’s Baum Gallery. The exhibit featured modern and contemporary fiber art that explored the evolution of women-created textiles. The showing served as a companion piece to “Suffrage Rugs,” a sculptural installation led by New York artist Sharon Louden that used recycled materials to highlight often-overlooked suffragists. “Suffrage Rugs” was installed in Alumni Circle in late September.

Not only did the celebration welcome students and the community, it also worked closely with them. Louden recruited six female art and design students, a faculty member and a staff member to work on the concept, design and implementation of “Suffrage Rugs.”

The event also hosted a faculty chamber concert titled “American Women in Music and Prose,” which Linda Hsu, professor of violin, curated. The performance featured Patricia Poulter, BTĚěĚĂprovost and executive vice president, leading a poetry reading.

“It was a really incredible concert,” Seymour said. “I think people felt some kind of joy over hearing live music in this little bubble of art we created in this one-hour concert. It was just incredible.”

The celebration’s “United: The Acorn Project,” led by Liz Smith, associate chair of the Department of Art and Design, also worked with students, faculty and even Arkansans from across the state to create more than 3,000 handmade clay acorns. The project was installed as a mural in the style of the American flag in Alumni Circle on Oct. 12.

“The acorn grows into something lasting, just as a vote,” Smith said. “Every person’s vote will impact legislation, and legislation is lasting.”

Students, members of the BTĚěĚĂsoftball team and various Recognized Student Organizations, along with alumnae members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority across the state, contributed to the project and, before COVID-19, gathered with their respective groups to discuss the impact of the suffrage movement while creating the pieces. Smith also led workshops with clients at Conway’s Independent Living Services and residents at Bethlehem House to create acorns. All genders, various age groups and different backgrounds took part.

“To have a true union, we need to represent everybody in the country, regardless of skin tone, regardless of shape, regardless of ability,” Smith said. “We are all human beings, and we all are living in the United States, and we all need to be represented by our government.”

Also a part of the celebration was a Community Suffrage Centennial Sing-Along and Persona Poetry reading, which featured recordings of students reading their poetry projected in Alumni Circle.

Core Dance Co. held public performances of “Nevertheless, She Persisted” on Oct. 22, which included poetry from Little Rock Central High School group The Writeous Poets and fashions from Jillian Gregory. The BTĚěĚĂtheatre student created costumes to illustrate how clothing constricted women’s bodies during the suffrage movement.

Seymour hadn’t thought of honoring the suffrage movement in such a way on campus until more than a year and a half ago, when alumna Nan Snow ’57 asked what was planned for the anniversary of the ratification. Seymour and local grant writer Jennifer Deering led the charge to secure grants ranging from $500 to $25,000 that made the events possible.

Over the course of the planning, and despite a pandemic, at least 678 people were directly involved in the celebration, Seymour noted.

“Women can do any of these things,” she said. “Women have amazing power. That’s really what this project is about in lots of ways.”

Seymour said she hopes that everyone who viewed any aspect of the celebration reflects on the history of the movement and the barriers to voting that still exist today.

“It’s still a world where women are silenced, where we’re talked over in meetings and where women’s work isn’t valued,” Seymour said. “I just think that maybe these events will put some of those ideas into focus and that we can all strive to show more empathy toward one another and to do better and be better.”