Thill is a family man first and foremost. He values hard work and integrity. “I am very excited to be part of the BTÌìÌÃcommunity. I believe that now, more than ever, a strong alumni association is key to the mission of the university. Together, we will continue to build an alumni association that fosters the connection between graduates, former students, friends and the university. I sincerely believe we will accomplish some special things at UCA,” he said.

In addition to Thill, Aaron Knight, assistant director of membership and marketing, and Heather Harper, assistant director for student and young alumni engagement, make up the Alumni Services staff. Alumni Services is governed by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. The 15-member volunteer board is elected by dues-paying members of the Alumni Association.

The Alumni Association had many successes in 2014. The recent Bear Your Stripes campaign, the first campaign of its kind directed at increasing association membership, yielded 357 new memberships. The Alumni Association has 367 life memberships. BTÌìÌÃhas eight active affinity alumni chapters, including Young Alumni, Band Alumni and Black Alumni.

The Association of Future Alumni (AFA) was created in an effort to involve current BTÌìÌÃstudents with alumni and the institution. Students who participate in AFA have been through an application and selection process and must meet a minimum GPA to remain in the group. AFA focuses on alumni events such as tailgates and the homecoming parade. Additionally, AFA presents each freshman with a BTÌìÌÃlapel pin and a BTÌìÌÃTraditions and History book during Welcome Week.

Thill was raised in Fayetteville. After high school, he attended Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kan., on a track and cross-country scholarship. He went on to attend the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he completed his undergraduate degree in history and his graduate degree in learning systems technology. Thill and his wife, Elizabeth, have two sons, Chance and Cooper.

He came to BTÌìÌÃfrom the University of Florida Alumni Association where he served as associate director of membership and philanthropy. While in Florida, Thill implemented a membership campaign that resulted in more than 1,000 new alumni members in 30 days and he created an annual plan to grow life memberships to 18,000 members. His duties included increasing total memberships, annual giving and working with young alumni to increase their philanthropic support.

It’s easy to join the Alumni Association. It’s open to alumni and friends. One can join online at uca.edu/alumni/membership. The cost for an individual membership is $35; couples can join for $50. A life membership, which includes a certificate, personalized brick in the Legacy Walk, free admission to Alumni and Friends tailgate parties and exclusive invitations to special events, is $500.

Bear Tales – Jesse Thill, New Director of Alumni Services

A Centennial Celebration will take place on October 17. Proceeds go toward the endowment of the Harold Gene Guthrie and Don King scholarships. Contact Mike Reynolds at mreynolds@uca.edu for more information.

Landon Lee, junior accounting major and current Sigma Tau Gamma president said, “It is quite an honor to lead an organization that has such a rich history at this university. It makes me think of this school as more of a home than I already did. Leading this fraternity at this time has also brought increased incentive to uphold our legacy on this campus, and to continue to contribute to the great name of the University of Central Arkansas.”

Dr. H.B. Hardy, retired BTÌìÌÃadministrator, related, “Sig Tau offered a lot of leadership opportunities for those of us who were interested in assuming leadership roles. We took a lot of pride in our involvement with student government, Who’s Who and other organizations.” Hardy was an active member as an undergraduate student and a chapter advisor.

Bill Byrd is the current chapter advisor. When Byrd was a student at BTÌìÌÃhe was involved in Student Senate, Royal Rooters, Student Orientation Staff and Ambassadors. He was also an active member of Sigma Tau Gamma. When asked what the fraternity means to him, he replied, “The relationships I developed with my fraternity brothers are very similar to the relationship I have with my own brother.”

The fraternity has inducted some prestigious members throughout the years, including notable figures such as Arkansas Governor Ben Laney, noted author Dee Brown, and Sheffield Nelson, former CEO of Arkansas Louisiana Gas Company (now CenterPoint Energy) and former chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party.

Sixty scholars from a variety of sectors–private, public, nonprofit, military, and academia–were invited to participate in this year’s cohort, which began a 6-month, executive education series at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, in late February. During the program, scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key administration officials, and leading academics to learn and put into practice varying approaches to leadership, develop a network of peers, and exchange ideas with mentors and others who can help them make an impact in their communities.

The program is non-degree bearing, and entails approximately 100 hours of informative sessions and case studies, and covers expansive approaches to leadership theory, drawing upon examples from recent presidents. The curriculum draws from presidential center archives and resources related to leadership moments from each administration. It includes insights from how each president addressed pressing challenges and benefits from the participation of President George W. Bush and President William J. Clinton. It also relies upon in-depth analyses of how leaders across all sectors address similar types of challenges.

Goodman currently serves as the BTÌìÌÃDivision of Advancement’s executive director of development and is a graduate of UCA’s Interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership. She is also a graduate of Leadership Arkansas, and she is an alumna of the Bonner Scholars Program sponsored by the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation. She earned a Master of Education from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. She is also a graduate of the Bayside Academy in Daphne, Ala.

“We have a wonderful opportunity to learn from presidential leaders as people who have made decisions in times of greatest challenge,” Goodman said. “From studying the leadership decisions and human experience of the four presidents to understanding my own leadership impact for the civic good in a deeper way, I am proud to be a part of the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program for its unique blend of components.”

The University of Central Arkansas hosted the fifth annual Night of Distinction Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock. Night of Distinction is the awards gala honoring past and present recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Alumni Service Award. Proceeds from the event benefit student scholarships. This year, Dr. Kofi Boahene and Mrs. Faith Fields were honored as distinguished alumni. Dr. Herman Ellis was honored as the 2015 Alumni Service Award winner.

Dr. Kofi Boahene ’91

Dr. Kofi Boahene ,’91 is an associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. He is a 1994 graduate of UCA. Boahene grew up in West Africa and traveled to the United States with the goal of becoming a doctor. After graduating from UCA, he was accepted to medical school. Dr. Jerry Manion, former BTÌìÌÃchemistry professor, co-signed loans for Boahene, which allowed him to attend medical school. Manion taught at BTÌìÌÃfor 49 years and mentored many students throughout his career, prior to his death in 2014. “BTÌìÌÃwas the foundation and spurred my interest in science, which is part of my life now,” Boahene said. “Without a strong foundation you can’t climb up.  So I think BTÌìÌÃgave me all the tools I needed to succeed.”

Mrs. Faith Fields ’75, ’88

Faith Fields ,’75, ’88 significantly advanced the nursing profession through improved systems, communication and regulatory updates during her long and fulfilling nursing career. She received her undergraduate degree in 1975 and her graduate degree in 1988. Fields has received numerous state and national awards. She was inducted into the Arkansas Nurses’ Association Hall of Fame in 2010. After she retired from the Arkansas State Board of Nursing, Fields accepted a position with Conway Regional Medical Center to develop and coordinate the Nurse Residency Program. Fields was very honored to receive her award. “It is amazing.  I am so humbled,” she said. “It is just an honor like none other.”

Dr. Herman Ellis ’59

Dr. Herman Ellis, ’59 was born in Morrilton and has lived in Conway since 1994. He graduated from Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) in 1959. After he graduated from ASTC, he went to dental school in Memphis and then joined the U.S. Army. Retired from dentistry, he maintains a busy schedule. He is a life member of the BTÌìÌÃAlumni Association. He served on the Alumni Board of Directors for more than six years and was vice president two of those years. Ellis is a 2002 graduate of the Faulkner County Leadership Institute, and a member of the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontists. He was vice president two of the three years he was on the Court Appointed Special Advocates Board. Ellis has served on the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center advisory board for 13 years. “I felt like I got a great education and with all the social involvement, I learned to follow and I learned to lead.  With the educational background, I felt like that prepared me to go on to dental school and to have a very successful life with 30 years in the United States Army Dental Corps,” Ellis said. “So I’m very grateful to BTÌìÌÃfor all those experiences, and education, that they gave me.”

Night of Distinction Gallery

Night of Distinction Video

She became the director of annual giving and part of the development team in September 2014. The move to development was a natural progression in her BTÌìÌÃcareer. “It was an easy transition. The pipeline starts with alumni membership and then those members typically become donors to the annual fund and, eventually, major gift donors. It’s been challenging, but working in Alumni Services really helped,” Fowler said.

In her new role, her primary responsibility is raising money for the BTÌìÌÃFund. The motto of the BTÌìÌÃFund is, “Every Gift. Every Year.” The BTÌìÌÃFund is comprised of unrestricted and designated annual gifts and supports student scholarships, faculty grants, research grants and program enhancements.

The BTÌìÌÃFund supports STEMulate Academy, a program to jumpstart college-level math and science education. It was also used to fund a faculty grant connecting BTÌìÌÃstudents with scientists via Google Hangouts and a Girls of Power conference for 8th grade girls to experience and embrace the study of science. The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre (AST) was started with a faculty grant from the BTÌìÌÃFund. AST provides theatrical opportunities for students, faculty and community members. Participants take part in every aspect of the theatrical process including assisting with props, building sets and acting on stage with professional actors from around the country. AST presents four productions in a repertory format each summer. This year’s productions are “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, “The Merchant of Venice”, “As You Like It” and “Fiddler on the Roof”.

Fowler’s work in development is more focused, but no less hectic. Numerous giving appeals must be organized and planned. Last fall’s Thank a Bear campaign had current BTÌìÌÃstudents sending thank you notes to donors. “It was a great success. Students learned that it takes more than just tuition and fees to provide all the opportunities a BTÌìÌÃeducation has to offer. Donors enjoyed receiving the notes with personal messages from the students,” she said.

In February, Fowler launched a valentine appeal for married alumni who met at UCA. It encouraged each couple to give the dollar amount of their wedding anniversary. “We received gifts from couples who have been married 35-57 years. Next year, I’m going to include a card so they can tell us how they met at BTÌìÌÃand share their story.”

Fowler started her career at BTÌìÌÃin 2006. She first worked in Student Services and then moved into Alumni Services in 2007. She was the assistant director of Alumni Services until 2014. She served as the advisor for the Association of Future Alumni (AFA). Fowler worked with Young Alumni (anyone 35 years old or younger), the legacy brick program and scholarships. A lot of her work was event-based or programmatic, so she was also responsible for securing sponsorships to cover the costs of those events or programs.

In 2005, Fowler was on the Greek housing committee and remembers hearing talk of the possibility of the creation of a Greek village. The sorority houses, which are phase one of the project, broke ground in the spring of 2014 and will open in the fall of 2015. “One of the advantages of being at BTÌìÌÃso long is that it allows you to see dreams come true,” Fowler said. BTÌìÌÃprovides the brick and mortar for the houses. Any upgrades, such as wood flooring, kitchen backsplashes and crown molding are provided by each sorority. Fowler has been advising the National Panhellenic Council (NPC) and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sororities on fundraising. She likes to stay connected to students and is the faculty advisor for Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.

Haley and her husband, Michael, are both BTÌìÌÃgraduates and hope their children, Crafton and Campbell, will attend UCA.

Friday, June 12, 2015 | 6:10 p.m. | First Pitch 7:10 p.m.

The event will be held Friday, June 12, starting at 6:10 p.m. and will feature a casual buffet of burgers, hot dogs, beans, chips, popcorn and soft drinks. Guests will enjoy the game from the Tracks Inn picnic area as the Travs square off against the Springfield Cardinals.

Tickets
Contact the Office of Alumni Services
501-852-2955 or