The University of Central Arkansas has received $1 million to establish the Arch Ford Endowed Scholarship program.

Rick ’81 and Anne Massey of Little Rock made the gift to support the retention of first-generation college students through need-based scholarships.

The family established the endowment in honor of Arch Ford, a 1930 Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) graduate, who served as commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education from 1953-78. He began working for the department in 1941 as a district supervisor of war training programs in northwest Arkansas. He was elected commissioner in 1953. Ford also received a 1992 Distinguished Alumni Award from UCA.

“Our desire is to increase the retention rates of Arkansans who are exemplary students but who need help financially, and Mr. Ford devoted his life to helping the same constituency. We couldn’t think of anyone better to honor with this gift than Arch Ford,” said Rick Massey, who has supported BTÌìÌÃfor decades.

Recipients will be designated as Arch Ford Scholars.

“We are incredibly appreciative of this gift that the Massey family has provided,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Houston Davis. “Arch Ford helped to set the stage for increasing the educational capacity of our state. This gift continues his legacy.”

BTÌìÌÃwill provide a one-to-one match for all scholarships awarded. These students will also be identified as Arch Ford Scholars.

“President Davis’ commitment to matching this effort dollar-for-dollar exemplifies the university’s continued allegiance to Arkansans with financial need, a population that BTÌìÌÃhas served for generations,” said Massey.

In response to Massey’s gift, Joe Ford, son of Arch Ford, and his wife, Jo Ellen Ford, of Little Rock, made a $250,000 donation to support the Arch Ford Endowed Scholarship Fund.

“My father would be highly honored to be recognized in this manner,” said Joe Ford. “I can think of nothing better than helping students get an education as an Arch Ford Scholar. He wanted everyone to have the opportunity for an education.”

While preference will be given to first-generation students, scholarship recipients must meet be Pell Grant eligible; a rising BTÌìÌÃsophomore who graduated from an Arkansas high school; and have completed at least 15 credit hours with a 2.5 GPA

The application process also requires a letter of recommendation from a full-time faculty. The BTÌìÌÃFoundation Scholarship Committee will select recipients during the spring semester each year. Scholarships will be a four-year renewable award for scholars who maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA.

The number of scholarships awarded, as well as the dollar amount given to each recipient, may vary at the discretion of the BTÌìÌÃFoundation Scholarship Committee.

The University of Central Arkansas will now be home to a “cutting-edge tool” in cyber security training. A fully functional, dedicated cyber range for educational training, a first-of-its-kind operation, will be developed with help from a $500,000 grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced in October 2017.

The training is a complementary initiative to support computer-science education in Arkansas.
A cyber range is a dedicated computer system that can simulate a computer network. Using the cyber range, students will learn how to identify a cyberattack and defend against it.

While cyber ranges have long been utilized for the nation’s security matters, students in Arkansas will have access to that same technology — for the very first time.

BTÌìÌÃwill be one of only a few institutions in the U.S. with a cyber range.

Hutchinson was joined by BTÌìÌÃPresident Houston Davis; Courtney Pledger, director of the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN); and Stephen Addison, UCA’s dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, for the announcement.

“The cyber range means BTÌìÌÃwill have state-of-the-art technology that will be available through AETN to Arkansas students, both in high school and college,” Hutchinson said. “This represents the next step in our computer-science initiative, one which I know will keep Arkansas as a national leader in technology education.”

UCA’s interdisciplinary bachelor’s in cyber security is expected to begin in fall 2018. The program will be supported by the BTÌìÌÃCollege of Business, College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“This is another opportunity for students at BTÌìÌÃto gain real-world experience and to develop and enhance skills needed in today’s ever-changing technological world,” Davis said. “We are appreciative of the support from Gov. Asa Hutchinson and his office, as well as his efforts to shift the landscape around computer science and technological education in Arkansas.”

Bear Tales – Cyber Security

Cyber Security Range

The BTÌìÌÃFoundation Inc. and the Division of Student Services received $210,000 in funding that is being used to award students with modest grants for transportation, housing, medical, child care and other costs.

Grants are typically less than $1,000.

“Sudden and unexpected emergencies are a part of everyone’s lives, but for some college students already facing financial difficulty, a temporary setback can force a potentially life-altering decision. Dash offers the opportunity for these students to remain in school,” said John Fincher, assistant vice president for Student Services, who co-authored the grant with Jennifer Deering, grant writer in Sponsored Programs.

The BTÌìÌÃDash Emergency Grant program awards have averaged $883 per student, assisting with everything from an emergency dental procedure to saving a student from being evicted from their apartment the following day. BTÌìÌÃbegan awarding grants in August 2017 and will continue the grant program until July 2019.

Great Lakes granted more than $7.2 million in Dash Emergency Grants to 32 four-year institutions in six states.

This new Dash Emergency Grant is an expansion of a successful program Great Lakes created for two-year colleges. Since 2012, Great Lakes has committed $3 million to 37 two-year colleges to operate emergency grant programs. These colleges report students who receive emergency grants stay in school at better rates and graduate in higher numbers.

“Students who apply for a Dash grant will receive a decision within 48 hours of providing the needed documentation,” said April Myers, BTÌìÌÃDash Emergency Grant coordinator. “If approved, payments are processed that same day. Our goal is to put these situations behind the students as quickly as possible.”

The Women’s Giving Circle at the University of Central Arkansas awarded five grants that focus on development opportunities for women and girls during the annual Grant Awards Luncheon in November 2017.

The Women’s Giving Circle received 10 applications. Grant awards ranged from $700 to $1,500.

Established in 2014, the Women’s Giving Circle encourages unique learning and leadership development opportunities that will enrich the lives of women and girls. Through the financial support of its members, the WGC dedicates resources to award grant funds from women to women, focusing on projects and programs benefiting women and girls.

The 2017-18 BTÌìÌÃWomen’s Giving Circle grantees were:

Reshape Your Mindset! Power of Growth Mindset for Girls with Reading Deficits –

$1,500 Sunjung Kim, assistant professor, and Caylin Thompson, BTÌìÌÃstudent

The grant will be used toward a study exploring the contribution of growth mindset to learning performance and motivation of girls with reading deficits, along with the benefits of involvement of female undergraduate students and the community.

The C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference – $1,000 Trisha Cowen, visiting assistant professor, and Sandy Longhorn, assistant professor

The grant was used to help pay for a keynote speaker at the conference, which focuses on women writers from anywhere from journalism to mass market books to literary endeavors and beyond.

Where Two Roads Meet: Lived Experiences of Mother-Students Balancing Home and School – $1,000 Anita Sego, assistant professor, and Denise Demers, assistant professor

The grant was used to help fund a study on how mother-students balance the demands of both home and school simultaneously.

Women in Technology – $800 Mary Condit, Arkansas Coding Academy director

The grant will be used toward scholarships for women who are going through Arkansas Coding Academy programs.

Tell Your Stories: Community Writing Workshops for Women and Girls in Faulkner County – $700 Jennie Case, assistant professor

The grant supports a series of creative writing workshops designed for underserved girls and women in Faulkner County

Kay Hinkle was reappointed to the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees for a third time by Gov. Asa Hutchinson earlier this year.

A 1970 graduate of UCA, Hinkle was first appointed to the board in 2004 by former Gov. Mike Huckabee and again in 2011 by former Gov. Mike Beebe.

“We’re thrilled that Gov. Hutchinson has reappointed Kay Hinkle to the Board of Trustees,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Houston Davis. “Her service to the board has benefited students, faculty, staff and the entire University of Central Arkansas community. We look forward to working with her and benefiting from continued dedication.”

A native of Malvern and resident of Mountain View, Hinkle is a charter member and past president of the Stone County Scholarship Foundation. She served on the Mountain View School Board for 11 years and has been a member of the Committee of 100 for the Ozark Folk Center. Hinkle and her husband, Jim, also a BTÌìÌÃalumnus, are longtime active participants in business and civic affairs in Mountain View. They are active members of Flatwoods Baptist Church in Mountain View and have two daughters, both BTÌìÌÃgraduates, and four grandchildren.

“I am both pleased and honored to be reappointed by Gov. Hutchinson to UCA’s Board of Trustees for a third term,” Hinkle said. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve my state and alma mater, and look forward to working with President Davis and the board to continue to move BTÌìÌÃforward.”

The university’s board of trustees has seven members who are appointed by the governor and approved by the Arkansas Senate. Board members serve seven-year terms, with one member’s term expiring Jan. 15 of each year.

Hinkle’s current term ends in 2025.

This contest focused on capturing all-natural photos in UCA’s Jewel Moore Nature Reserve, the natural areas behind UCA’s Lewis Science Center and at the Steel Creek field station along the Buffalo River.

BTÌìÌÃstudent winners included first-place winner Ashley Barto, an undergraduate environmental science major, and runner-up Nick Dial, a biology graduate student.

BTÌìÌÃemployee winners included first-place winner Dr. William Flatley, assistant professor in geography, and runner-up Kristen Spickard, marketing coordinator for Outreach and Community Engagement.

The Jewel Moore Nature Reserve is the last remaining remnant of the historic Conway Prairie. With more than 235 identified species of flora and fauna, JMNR is an example of natural preservation in an urban landscape.

Located on the BTÌìÌÃcampus, it serves not only the BTÌìÌÃstudent population but also the entire Conway community.

Jewel Moore Nature Reserve

The University of Central Arkansas Division of Advancement named Mary
 Bane Lackie as the new executive director of Development.

In this role, Lackie will coordinate all development programs such as major gift, annual giving and planned giving programs. She will serve as a principal gifts officer for the University’s top prospects while working collaboratively with college development and advancement officers.

“Dr. Lackie is a proven fundraiser, who will no doubt immerse herself into the BTÌìÌÃculture. She has strong family ties in the Conway community and looks forward to returning to this area,” said Dr. Kale Gober, vice president for University Advancement. “Her experience as a vice chancellor will not only be beneficial to Institutional Advancement, but to the BTÌìÌÃcommunity as a whole. We are excited for Dr. Lackie to join the Division of Advancement.”

Lackie most recently served as vice chancellor for University Advancement and executive director of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Foundation. Prior to this role, she spent 8 1/2 years working abroad. She worked at educational institutions in Poland, Armenia and Dubai before wrapping up her stint overseas working on two education projects in Pakistan. On the last project to improve teacher education in Pakistan, she worked for Teachers College, Columbia University.

“I am so excited to be coming home to Conway and to UCA,” Lackie said. “I worked at BTÌìÌÃearly in my career, and I have many friends and professional colleagues there. Two of my sisters, my husband and many other members of my family are BTÌìÌÃgraduates. Also, I was born in Conway, and my husband grew up there, so after traveling the world, moving back to Conway is really coming full circle for us.”

Lackie earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism at Arkansas Tech University; a Master of Arts in student personnel services from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana; and a doctorate from the University of Arkansas.

BTÌìÌÃranked 26 in the category of “Top Public Schools” among regional universities in the South. U.S. News & World Report defines a regional university as an institution that provides a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs.

Universities in the “Best Regional Universities” category were ranked against their peer groups in one of four geographic regions. Generally, these universities draw students most heavily from surrounding states.

“This ranking by U.S. News & World Report affirms that UCA’s commitment to quality and excellence places us in great company in higher education. We are committed to being an innovative institution that provides students with creative, experiential learning opportunities that enable them to become leaders in their chosen field,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Houston Davis. “With our recent growth in freshman enrollment, as well as record levels of ACT and GPA for first-time freshmen, we expect that BTÌìÌÃwill continue to improve in this ranking each year.”

BTÌìÌÃhad a league-high 127 honorees, followed by Abilene Christian (123) and Northwestern State (101). A total of 1,044 Southland Conference student-athletes were named to the roll among fall sports. The Fall Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes in the sports of men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, soccer and volleyball who maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average in the semester of their sport.

Of the total student-athletes named, 230 posted perfect 4.0 GPAs during the fall semester.

“We are very honored and pleased to see so many Southland Conference student-athletes continue to succeed academically,” League Commissioner Tom Burnett said. “The Southland and its member institutions are focused on the academic and competitive well-being of these individuals as the work toward graduation and lifelong success.”

BTÌìÌÃhad 49 student-athletes recognized in football, 26 in women’s soccer, 22 in women’s cross country, 16 in volleyball and 14 in men’s cross country. Twenty-seven of those student-athletes had perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for the fall semester.

Purple Circle donors gave more than $374,000 in cash and gift-in-kind contributions during the 2017 membership year. The total includes the highest cash amount since the Purple Circle was created in 1984. A new record was also set for total donors at 372.

“The Purple Circle provides excellence for our student-athletes and coaches,” said Dr. Brad Teague, UCA’s director of athletics. “Through facilities and new initiatives, our program is better due to the success of the Purple Circle. I want to thank Matt Whiting and Colton Primm for their knowledge, professionalism and hard work in making this a banner year for the annual fund.”

The Purple Circle is comprised of membership levels that provide distinct benefits such as seating, parking and hospitality access. Funds contributed to the Purple Circle provide much-needed support for more than 400 BTÌìÌÃstudent-athletes in the areas of scholarships, facility enhancements and operational expenses.

Since moving to NCAA Division I, the Purple Circle has raised more than $3.9 million in support of BTÌìÌÃstudent-athletes. The 2018 Purple Circle Membership Drive began March 1. To join or learn more about the Purple Circle, please visit the Purple Circle website at or call 501-852-7744.