Rachel Farhat agreed to be part of a University of Central Arkansas commercial, but she missed her scheduled arrival time due to car trouble.

She emailed the video crew from her phone and stated, “If I can work this out in time then I will be there and ready, but if not, I am very, very sorry for any inconvenience I have caused.”

Not wanting to shirk her commitment to UCA, she arrived roughly two hours late, only to learn that the video shoot was a hoax.

Instead of being in a BTÌìÌĂcommercial, Farhat was being awarded the H.M. Firestone and Family Scholarship in the amount of $4,000 per semester for up to four semesters.

Farhat could barely find the words to respond when she realized what was happening.

“I feel like I’m getting pranked,” Farhat said, as she came to grips with the moment. “I feel overwhelmed and embarrassed to cry in front of all of you.”

Farhat thanked the university for recognizing her with the scholarship.

She and several other students were surprised to learn that instead of being in a BTÌìÌĂcommercial, they were receiving scholarships through the BTÌìÌĂFoundation.

“We’ve actually done this for two years as a way to creatively and visually capture the moment a student’s life is transformed by receiving a scholarship award,” said Mark Heffington ’04, executive director of University Marketing and Communications at UCA. “The videos are shown at campus events like the Scholarship Reception in the fall and Laurels & Stripes in the spring.”

Although Reyna Gomez had seen scholarship videos at the Scholarship Reception in fall 2019, she was still surprised to find herself in the midst of filming one.

“They put the video on of people getting a scholarship, and I thought, ‘That’s great for them,’” Gomez said. “I never thought I would be getting it, too.

“This is the greatest help I could get. I’m not usually emotional, but this is, like, so big. I love UCA.”

Gomez received an Arch Ford Endowed Scholarship in the amount of $4,000 per semester. The biology major hopes to later attend the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to become a physician.

Current or admitted students can apply for privately funded scholarships from January to March each year. The application consists of basic information such as name, major and classification, as well as other questions. Based on their responses, students may be prompted to submit one or more short-answer responses or essays.

The university recently began using the AwardSpring software, which allows students to apply for specific scholarships. The system also intuitively determines eligibility for other scholarships and makes application.

“We build the application out with all of the questions that are related to all the different scholarships,” said Chad Hearne ’04, ’19, executive director of the BTÌìÌĂFoundation. “And then based on the answers to those questions, that’s what will drive their eligibility.”

The nearly 300 privately funded scholarships are categorized as BTÌìÌĂFoundation; BTÌìÌĂAlumni Association; college-, department- and program-specific; or special interest scholarships.

As of Feb. 28, 1,666 students had applied for scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year. For the 2019-20 academic year, 2,384 students applied for scholarships through the foundation. In 2018-19, 2,555 applications were completed, with 771 students being awarded a total of $1,478,259 in private scholarships.

Many students are finding that the gap between their financial aid package and the cost of tuition and other expenses is growing, Hearne said, pushing the need for privately funded scholarships.

“That’s where the foundation comes in with the role that we play in trying to help fill that gap,” he said.

Victoria Fountain received a general scholarship from the BTÌìÌĂFoundation. The Conway native works three jobs and lives with her family in Conway to save money while earning her degree in nutrition.

“This is the first scholarship that I’ve ever received, and I’m so grateful,” she said. “This is going to help me so much. Every time I work, I always have to put the majority into my savings, so this is kind of like a cushion for me that I didn’t have.”

Christina Salas is a music education major and a member of the Bear Marching Band. She agreed to be a part of the BTÌìÌĂcommercials, believing she would play her piccolo as part of the shoot. Instead she received an Arch Ford Scholarship in the amount of $6,000 per semester for up to four semesters.

“This means so, so much. This past year, I got a job, and I was also donating plasma. And I was also doing Uber Eats,” Salas said. “So this helps lift some of the burden of just having to do everything and be everywhere at once and having all that stress.”

The University of Central Arkansas’s University Scholars program is a four-year honors experience rooted in disciplinary expertise and leadership. It operates as a complement to the Schedler Honors College.

“We said, ‘Perhaps we could design kind of a complementary program that ran alongside the Schedler Honors College that allowed us to meet the needs of a slightly different type of student, but who is still highly motivated, still high achieving, still really focused on academics, but was coming in a different place than maybe the Schedler Scholars were,’” said Patricia Smith ’01, ’03, dean of the Honors College.

While the Honors College focuses more on interdisciplinary studies and service, the University Scholars program focuses on students developing skills within their major while growing as leaders. Its pilot phase began 2018-19, and it can currently enroll 30 students in each cohort.

The program includes an introductory course, honors sections of lower-division core classes taught in departments around campus and a thesis project within a student’s major.

“We have oral communication that is taught by a communication expert in the School of Communication. This semester, we’ve got an American history class that’s taught by a historian in the Department of History, but it’s just for students in the Scholars program,” said Leah Horton ’97, ’17, director of the University Scholars program and lecturer in biology.

Incoming BTÌìÌĂstudents are welcome to apply to both the Schedler Honors College and the University Scholars program but can only participate in one. University Scholars provides an annual $1,000 stipend and a private room upgrade scholarship so that students may reside in Farris Hall, a residence hall for Honors College students.

“All of the Scholars live within one wing of Farris Hall, so they get to know each other very well,” Horton said. “We have the mentors in place, so the students know from the very beginning that there are people really close by, in close proximity, that care deeply about their success. We know that being connected on campus plays a pivotal role in student success and retention.”

Horton teaches the students’ introductory course of the program, which centers on developing disciplinary expertise, leadership and research skills. She also helps with recruitment, scores applicants and helps students become acclimated to the program.

“We want them to understand that in order to solve and be a productive part of solving real-world problems that they’ve got to have that disciplinary expertise. “But they also have to be able to work in interdisciplinary teams because problems don’t get solved in silos. So you’ve got to be able to work across disciplines to find solutions,” Horton said.

Sarah Friedman, a chemistry major and math minor who graduates in 2021, joined the University Scholars program’s first cohort of students.

Friedman said the program has helped her develop her approach to learning, critical thinking and research. As part of her contract class, which are courses where scholars and faculty work together to develop an additional honors component related to the class, she completed a project and presentation that expanded on content taught in one of her chemistry courses.

“I think that it’s definitely laid a foundation and good starting point for learning a different way, having different perspectives and keeping open-mindedness to whatever possibilities come up, and also helping with skills like writing, communication [and] leadership skills,” she said.

Smith said the University Scholars program is not meant to be a replacement for the Honors College. Rather, it operates under the values Honors College founder Norbert O. Schedler set for the college.

“We’re taking the best principles that Norb taught us from the Schedler Honors College and applying that to that program,” Smith said. “We don’t mean for the program to be a second best. It’s not ever going to be the Schedler Honors College in the same way; it does have different goals. We do want it to be a second option for students who see that type of program as a better fit for them.”

University Scholars program leaders said they hope that when students finish their years in the program, they go on to be civically engaged leaders and lifelong learners.

“The broader their experiences are, the better they’re going to be able to relate to people, and we need that in order to move forward as a society,” Horton said.

Launched in 2017, the Bear Partners program allows transfer students to enjoy special privileges on the BTÌìÌĂcampus before beginning classes. Students who sign up for the Bear Partners program receive a BTÌìÌĂstudent identification card and can use Torreyson Library resources, both in person and online. They also receive free admission to regular season BTÌìÌĂathletic events and select Reynolds Performance Hall events. When Bear Partners students transfer to UCA, the application fee is waived.

The three Bear Partners institutions are Arkansas State University-Beebe, University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton and University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock.

“In creating the Bear Partners program, the university wanted to be more intentional in engaging this transfer student population and making them feel comfortable when they come to UCA,” said Brian Corbin, director of Transfer Services at UCA.

Already in place were 2+2 agreements, a class-by-class plan for transfer students to complete two years at a community college and two years at BTÌìÌĂin their chosen major. Academically, transfer students were all set, but the Bear Partners program expands the campus experience.

Since its inception, 167 UACCM students, 92 ASU-Beebe students and 43 UA-PTC students have joined the Bear Partners program.

UACCM sophomore nutrition major Hayley Stewart has used her Bear Partners status to great advantage. Stewart and her daughter attended a performance of “Pete the Cat” to fulfill a class requirement to attend a play. She also has conducted research through the Torreyson Library to write a paper for a class.

“Sometimes we have students who plan to transfer to BTÌìÌĂand are nervous about money. I have encouraged them to sign up for Bear Partners so they can use BTÌìÌĂresources but also be eligible for scholarships,” said Stewart, who also works in the UACCM financial aid office.

Stewart, a married mother of two, plans to transfer to BTÌìÌĂin fall 2020 to complete her bachelor’s and, hopefully, later attend the master’s program in dietetics.

Bear Partners students are eligible to apply for the Bear Partner Scholarship, which covers full BTÌìÌĂtuition and mandatory fees for the chosen student’s remaining four semesters at UCA. Currently, BTÌìÌĂoffers one Bear Partner Scholarship per academic year to a student from each of the three partner institutions. Recipients of this highly competitive scholarship are chosen by officials at each of the community colleges.

Junior Madeline Brodsky, an accounting major from Conway, was the first recipient of the Bear Partner Scholarship.

“I am extremely grateful for being chosen as the recipient of the Bear Partner Scholarship,” Brodsky said after she was notified. “It is very humbling to receive this great benefit from UCA. This scholarship has enabled me to focus my resources of time and effort to achieve my academic goals and be a good representative of UCA.”

Brodsky transferred from UACCM to BTÌìÌĂin fall 2019. She said she enjoyed a successful first semester as a BTÌìÌĂbear and became a member of Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society in the College of Business.

“My first month at BTÌìÌĂwas kind of overwhelming, but with the help of my adviser and instructors, I’ve settled in,” she said.

Darren Jones ’00, UACCM vice chancellor for Student Services, praised the innovative approach in welcoming transfer students.

“Around 45% of our UACCM population is from Faulkner County,” Jones said. “Judging from the BTÌìÌĂT-shirts and swag we see on campus, our students are excited to transfer to UCA, and I think the Bear Partners program makes that move even easier.”

After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, John Anglin decided he wanted to become a high school physics teacher.

“When I retired from the military, I struggled with the separation from the military, and I decided I needed a mission,” Anglin said. “And I realized that mission is to teach.”

A combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Anglin is currently enrolled at the University of Central Arkansas.

“I’m significantly older than the other students in the classes I’m taking. I’ve had a full career outside of school. I’m effectively retraining,” Anglin said. “There’s the whole experience of not living on campus. As a nontraditional student, I started out feeling less connected to the daily activities going on and to the resources that were available to me.”

Two examples of UCA’s work to help nontraditional students connect to campus resources are the Nontraditional Student Organization (NTSO), which introduces nontraditional students to other offices and resources available on campus, and Minton Commuter College (MCC@Old Main), which also houses the Student Veterans Resource Center.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, much debate exists regarding what constitutes a nontraditional student, with the prevailing characteristic being those over 24 who are seeking an undergraduate degree.

“With a dwindling number of traditional 18-year-old first-year students coming to college, nontraditional students are a growing demographic,” said Kevin Thomas, associate vice president for Enrollment Management. “Especially in terms of BTÌìÌĂOnline.”

Thomas said he gained “a whole new respect for nontraditional students” when his wife, Toni, went back to school. He believes that creating flexibility and removing roadblocks to success are key to making nontraditional students feel welcome and helping them succeed.

“We’re looking toward advising and financial aid offerings that will run into the evening,” he said. “Another thing is to make sure that our services are always available online, which helps everyone, but specifically nontraditional and online students.”

The NTSO also provides lounge space, coffee, snacks and computer use to anyone who visits the space in Bernard Hall.

“The NTSO is a way for students to mingle together and to get involved in career services,” said Kathy Clayborn, interim director of Nontraditional Student Services and executive director of Career Services. “Most nontraditional students, their focus is to come back to continue their education so they can get another or a better job.”

She pointed to a mailing list run by NTSO coordinator and former nontraditional student Crystal Woods as one of the biggest ways students connect with resources, free services and events.

“A lot of our students are on a shoestring budget, and it really helps if we can point out things that are available to them,” Clayborn said.

MCC@Old Main is part of UCA’s Residential Colleges and designed to give commuters the same type of co-curricular educational opportunities and home-away-from-home experiences that on-campus students have.

Located on the second floor of Old Main, MCC@Old Main provides students a lounge area with free coffee, kitchen facilities, meeting space, a lactation suite and storage lockers as well as a quiet study room with computers.

“Just show up,” said Chris Craun, MCC@Old Main academic director, who defines a commuter as a student who has to physically commute to campus. “If you live in an apartment two blocks away, that’s a commute.”

The Student Veterans Resource Center includes priority services for veterans. “We try to create both quiet and social spaces for our students,” Craun said. “We have a core group of about 25 to 30 students who are here every day, with lots of other people coming through. It is a great community.”

At the University of Central Arkansas, multiple resources exist to ensure the success of first-year students.

The Office of Student Success, for example, hosts regular academic success workshops, supplemental instruction, tutoring, peer coaching and more.

Julia Winden Fey, director of the Office of Student Success, said that first-year students often face higher academic expectations than they’re accustomed to while also entering adulthood. She said the office aims to empower students to build self-efficacy and become better learners.

“The numbers will show that we lose 30% of our freshmen in one year. So obviously, we want it to impact that loss and decrease it right away,” she said.

Senior Jacob Christie, a religious studies and psychology major who has worked in the office since 2015, said the office equips students with the tools they need to improve their academic performance.

“I really think that it’s important to help them to understand how to study properly, what proper study skills are out there, how to better take notes [and] how to best manage your time,” he said. “These are really important things that I think a lot of students might not have picked up in high school or might have not been properly prepared for for college.”

For success in transitioning to college living, UCA’s Learning Communities provide settings where students live and learn in the same environment. Students housed in residential colleges take courses in their learning community and participate in programming that both expands on content taught in their classes and strengthens their study skills.

UCA’s Learning Communities include five residential colleges and one commuter college: EDGE Residential College in Hughes Hall (EDGE@Hughes), The Stars Residential College in Short/Denney Hall (The Stars@Short/Denney), STEM Residential College in Arkansas Hall (STEM@Arkansas), HPaW Residential College in Baridon Hall (HPaW@Baridon), Business Residential College in Bear Hall (Biz@Bear) and Minton Commuter College in Old Main (MCC@Old Main). BTÌìÌĂis the first and only public institution in the state with a residential college system.

“Our data show that students who start off in a residential college have a 12% higher retention rate,” said Jayme Millsap Stone, director of Learning Communities. “They just stay, and they graduate at a higher rate as well, and it’s because the first year is their foundational year. What we’ve seen in the past is even if their first year is tougher than they thought, it gives them enough of a firm foundation to go on to their sophomore and other years.”

For first-year students who are in need of remediation or support in the shift to college, the Department of Student Transitions, formerly known as University College, offers courses that strengthen students’ academic skills and personal development. Its 12 faculty members teach math, literacy, writing and a Journeys to Success course that focuses on practicing time management and study strategies.

“If you were not a great student in the past, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to walk you through how to be a great student now and in the future,” said Amy Baldwin, director of the Department of Student Transitions. “We don’t want them to feel like they’re trapped in whatever labels that they had before they got here.”

Tyré Tillman, a junior nursing student, enrolled in the Journeys to Success course his first semester.

“It kind of had a big impact on my success, with being in that class and having [Baldwin] as a professor,” he said. “She’s basically the backbone of my success at BTÌìÌĂbecause that was the first class I’ve ever taken, my first time ever learning about the campus resources—it’s basically what made me into the student that I am today.”

The course introduced him to the Office of Student Success, which led him to a peer coach, the writing lab and tutoring. It also led him to become a peer coach in the Office of Student Success, a role he’s had for two years.

“BTÌìÌĂis on your side, and BTÌìÌĂwants you to succeed,” he said. “Whether that’s being a first-year student resident, whether that’s being first-generation, whether that’s being a minority or whether that’s just being someone that is nervous about school as a whole, I would just like to say that BTÌìÌĂis on your side, especially with being a first-year student.”
Stone said her department can’t fulfill its mission without working with other resources on campus.

“You literally have every corner of campus working to support the first-year students and trying to build that safety net so they can’t fall through,” Stone said. “No group can do it by themselves. I think BTÌìÌĂhas one of the best examples; we’re really a national role model on how to do that.”

University of Central Arkansas donors, supporters and friends once again helped make university history.

BTÌìÌĂraised $1,126,580 during its sixth annual Day of Giving held March 5, establishing another all-time fundraising record. It was the first time the institution raised more than $1 million in a single Day of Giving event.

The fundraising total is a 49% increase over the previous year’s record of $757,939. A record of 1,668 donors contributed during the 24-hour fundraising event. Donors included alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends, who were challenged to make a gift of any amount to support the campus. Donors participated from 47 states and Puerto Rico, eight countries and also included a constituent in Antarctica.

The university announced the news during a March 6 celebration at the Amphitheater on campus. The celebration featured BTÌìÌĂcheerleaders, band members and a cookout for campus partners and donors.

“Setting a record for participants and then reaching, and surpassing, the $1 million mark is a remarkable feat! This shows the incredible support of our alumni, donors and community partners,” said BTÌìÌĂPresident Houston Davis. “They are making a huge difference in the lives of our students, and their generosity will be felt in the state and beyond for generations.”

Day of Giving has raised $2,427,363 for students and programs since its inception in 2015.

This year’s Day of Giving theme, Take Your Pick, referenced the numerous funds available for donors to choose from during the campaign. By providing multiple funds, donors were able to select and support the areas that most aligned with their specific interests.

Funds raised during Day of Giving support numerous student, campus and community needs such as scholarships, state-of-the-art equipment, experiential learning opportunities, and first-class exhibits and performances on campus that are available to the larger communities of Conway, Faulkner County and central Arkansas.

In support of Day of Giving, the Student Government Association hosted a fundraising station at the Student Center to focus attention on students supporting students. The SGA also provided a 100% matching gift for the first $2,000 in student donations. The matching gift will support the Emergency Student Scholarship Fund through the BTÌìÌĂFoundation’s annual fund.

Numerous other departments identified challenge matches that were unlocked for Day of Giving. The following donors pledged a matching challenge to benefit a variety of funds: Gary Bunn ’88, Janet Filer, Carolyn Ishee ’75, Michael Mills, Louis Nadelson, Vicki Groves-Scott and Karen Sullards ’72, ’75 (College of Education Enhancement Fund); Gayle Seymour (College of Fine Arts and Communication); Peter Mehl (College of Liberal Arts); Tom Williams (College of Liberal Arts and the College of Fine Arts and Communication); Stephen Addison (College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics); Joe and Connie Whisenhunt ’95, ’96 (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre); and Acxiom, American Safeguard Insurance, Conway Development Corp., Conway Regional Health System, Dave Creek Media and Edafio Technology (Conductor).

“Day of Giving is an especially inspiring fundraising effort,” said Haley Fowler ’06, director of Annual Giving. “Students, faculty and staff from across our campus come together in a determined effort to raise funds for scholarships and programs. The energy this year was amazing!”

Recognizing the need for access to free feminine hygiene products on campus, two Student Government Association members lead an initiative to make it happen.

“This campus is over 100 years old, and no one thought about it, and that’s the only reason we didn’t have this resource for so long,” said Jennifer Cale, SGA’s vice president of finance.

In spring 2019, the University of Central Arkansas installed feminine hygiene product dispensers in women’s and gender neutral restrooms across campus.

Cale first considered the benefit of free feminine hygiene products when on a trip to Missouri State University. The then-senior in high school noticed a box of pads and tampons in a campus restroom. When she enrolled at UCA, she joined SGA with the goal to impact campus in a similar way.

When Cale first brought up the idea at an SGA retreat, the response was “crickets,” she said.

“I think a lot of people probably felt like it wasn’t an achievable mission,” said Amber DiPersia, SGA’s junior class president. “A lot of things that seem really out of reach might get ignored.”

To get the initiative moving, Cale and DiPersia teamed up and began researching other institutions that offered free feminine hygiene products to students. They brought a motion to SGA to allocate money to a pilot phase of the product dispenser program, which passed unanimously.

However, with the support of Vice President of Finance and Administration Diane Newton and Finance and Administration project coordinator Jennifer Newton, SGA bypassed the pilot phase and fully implemented the dispensers across campus. The dispenser program is funded by the university.

“They basically paid for it the same as they would with paper towels and toilet paper, and they didn’t raise tuition for it,” Cale said.

The dispenser program doesn’t include residence halls.

“That way it keeps people in class,” DiPersia said. “You don’t have to run back to your dorm to go get something. If you get your period in class, you can just go to the bathroom and solve the issue right there, and then you’re back in the class.”

As part of their research, Cale and DiPersia met with Adam Hensley ’15, recycling and custodial services manager at the Physical Plant, who they say was their biggest help. Hensley conducted research on vendors, feasibility and more.
“It was pretty awesome because they knew what they wanted,” Hensley said. “They didn’t necessarily know 100% how to get there, but they knew they needed to talk to different people, and they kept trying to get more and more people on board. I think without them doing that this project really wouldn’t have ever got off the ground.”

Nonresidence hall buildings that are planned for future construction will also include dispensers, Hensley said.

“It definitely keeps students in the classroom, which is an important thing,” he said. “But I think this shows, moreover, that if you actually put your mind to something and you have something that you want to be successful with on campus or elsewhere, as long as you just keep working at it and put in the work that you can make stuff happen.”

Cale said SGA and BTÌìÌĂare always open to work with student ideas.

“The university deeply cares for its students,” she said. “Even though an idea or a project or a change that you want to see on campus may be shut down or delayed or whatever, it won’t fall on deaf ears. The administration here is very responsive about everything that a student brings up, and they will do everything in their power to make your experience on campus better.”

From utilizing mock interviews and resume writing assistance to job search databases and career fairs, Robinson attributes the office with helping her earn an internship with Cintas that has resulted in a full-time job offer.

“I did my first interview here, and I did three more at the location,” she said. “It was a four-interview process, and after that they told me I got the internship.

“With that internship, they’ve offered me a full-time job after I graduate.”

Robinson expects to enter a management trainee program with the company and work at the Maumelle location after she graduates in May.

This kind of story is familiar in the Office of Career Services, said Kathy Clayborn, interim director of Nontraditional Student Services and executive director of Career Services.

“Our mission is to assist students with their educational experience by providing career planning programs, presentations and employment opportunities,” Clayborn said.

Career Services hosts campus interviews periodically from September to April each year. Companies and small businesses come to campus to conduct interviews with selected students for full- and part-time work or internships. In the 2018-19 academic year, the office reported hosting nearly 700 campus interviews.

Additionally, more than 6,200 students sought career opportunities through coaching sessions, career fairs, mock interviews, resume reviews or other services in the same year.

The office hosts dozens of programs, initiatives and events each semester including the World of Work Career Closet, or WOW Closet.

The WOW Closet started approximately 10 years ago when Clayborn received a call from a woman who was entering retirement and asked whether she could donate her wardrobe to BTÌìÌĂfor student usage. Clayborn accepted.

The WOW Closet has grown from clothing being stored in an employee’s office to a space on the third floor of Bernard Hall, with a dressing room, daily hours and a part-time employee to manage the distribution process. The closet houses clothing, shoes and accessories for male and female students, who are allowed one complete outfit per year.

The Student Government Association supports the initiative by paying for clothes to be cleaned before being given to students. Sororities, fraternities, faculty, staff and several churches support the WOW Closet with donations, Clayborn said.

Other initiatives and programs hosted by Career Services are Step Ahead, Service by the Slice and Countdown to Graduation.

The office recently adopted a platform called Handshake that allows students to register for events, complete online career assessments and resume reviews, and search for employment.
“It’s really like a virtual career center, almost to the point where students can look at positions that we post. And then they can look at events that we have going on, and then they can also go on there and make appointments with us,” said Robyn Williams ’15, ’17, associate director of Career Services. “They are able to look on the dashboard and say, ‘OK, Career Services has Dress for Success coming up next week,’ and then they can register for that.”

Students may also apply for jobs while using Handshake, Williams said.

The largest events, and perhaps the most popular, hosted by Career Services are the Fall Career Fair and Spring Job Fair for all academic majors. Smaller fairs — such as the STEM Career Fair, Health Career Fair and Teachers’ Fair — provide an opportunity for students to be more targeted in their career planning. Hosting smaller fairs has also allowed room for growth.

Clayborn said the space used for the career fairs accommodates about 82 vendors. The fall and spring fairs were often filled to capacity with a waiting list. The three additional fairs allowed some employers and graduate and professional schools to visit campus at a different time. That has worked for several years, but all the fairs have begun to reach capacity or have a waiting list.

“If I consistently have about 10 to 15 people on the waiting list, I’m going to break [the fall and spring fairs] out to two consecutive days,” Clayborn said.

She also hopes to better serve UCA’s online students.

“I can see just as many students using the Career Services online as in-house,” Clayborn said.

Bring together two outstanding University of Central Arkansas alumni, Faulkner County youth and Bears football, and the outcome is a unique community partnership that could change lives.

“The idea is, in life and in football, you’ve got to go the full distance. You’ve got to go the hundred yards,” said Troy Braswell ’02, Faulkner County Circuit Court judge. “You make a mistake, or you’ll do something that sets you back. You call the next play. You can’t quit.”

Hence the 100-Yard Club, an initiative that exposes court-involved youth from the Faulkner County Juvenile Court system to BTÌìÌĂfootball. Starting in fall 2019, Braswell joined forces with Nathan Brown ’09, Bears head football coach, to establish the club.

“I know that sports can bring people together, teach you roles and responsibilities and hard work, and high school students look up to college athletes,” Braswell said. “The 100-Yard Club is another example of BTÌìÌĂmaking a difference in the community.”

The two designed the program to include three points of contact. In the first, youth visit a Bears team practice. Youth were invited to Estes Stadium and could bring a family member. They toured the facilities, met players and coaches, and later attended the practice.

“They got a chance to be on the field and be in a position to watch our coaches coach, watch our players respond to adversity and being coached hard,” Brown said. “Sometimes, especially in situations that people get in, it’s hard to take constructive criticism.”

The practice session allowed the youth to see young adults close to their own age respond positively to feedback, Brown said.

The second contact was attending a Bears home football game. The youth had sideline passes, access to pregame activities and the locker room.

“It was an opportunity for them to actually watch the performance, the game,” Brown said. “This is why we worked so hard. This is why you’ve got to be eligible in the classroom.”

For that game, the Bears played Stephen F. Austin, winning 30 to 7.

Braswell and Brown decided the third meeting would be a formal dinner with some of the BTÌìÌĂplayers and the youth who attended the first two sessions. Braswell said it should be five youth who are eligible. The objective was to have all three activities in the fall, but the Bears’ outstanding winning season has delayed the dinner. Braswell and Brown are working to schedule the meeting later in the year.

To support an initiative of this kind, the 100-Yard Club needed approval from the university, BTÌìÌĂAthletics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and others. Braswell recalled some of the parents’ reaction when presented with the opportunity to participate in the program.

“We had one young man whose mom, when we told her, broke down and cried because somebody was giving her kid a chance,” Braswell said. “Actually, it was two parents. One cried in court, and the other cried downstairs with the probation officer.”

Braswell and Brown recognized ways to modify the existing model for the club and and have begun planning activities for more youth to participate.

“What we’re doing is not about being soft with kids. It’s about being smart in the way we handle them in probably the most volatile time of their whole life,” Braswell said. “Justice requires punishment, but within justice, there are opportunities for compassion and mercy.”

When he left his day of work as the University of Central Arkansas’s veteran’s service coordinator March 16, Williams developed intense chills, an unusual symptom for him when encountering any illness. Already informed of the symptoms COVID-19 can cause, Williams self-isolated and later tested positive for the virus.

Williams’ coronavirus experience included a 17-day hospital stay, with eight of those days being on a ventilator. He is now home and furthering his journey toward recovery.

“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” he said.

During his week of self-isolation at home, Williams’ symptoms worsened. He developed a 100-degree fever, cough, headaches and tiredness. He also lost his sense of taste.

Staff at the Veterans Affairs clinic in Conway tested the Marine Corps veteran for flu and strep throat before suggesting he receive the coronavirus test at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock. When preparing to be admitted to the hospital in Little Rock, Williams’ temperature was at 102.4. His truck was even roped off in isolation.

He doesn’t remember what was going through his mind at the time.

“I really couldn’t tell you other than I was just leaving it in their hands and the good Lord upstairs,” said Williams, who noted he believed he would be fine.

It was clear the virus had taken up much of Williams’ lungs. During his stay, a doctor explained to Williams that he would need a ventilator—and that there was a chance he may not be removed from it.

“That is when reality really set in for my wife and my kids and everybody else here because she knows what it means when you go on a ventilator,” said Williams, whose wife, D’Anna, is a nurse. “Being that they can’t come and see me, and I can’t talk to them, that was getting very scary at that point.”

During his hospital stay, Williams lost more than 25 pounds. He was periodically woken up and given commands to test his body’s functions. He was fed through a tube, and doctors used FaceTime so that D’Anna could see him and stay updated due to hospitals prohibiting visitors to limit the spread of the virus.

Williams has very little memory of what life was like on the ventilator.

“For me, it was only like a day. I only missed a day. But come to find out, it was eight days later,” he said.

He does remember, however, feeling comforted by being in the care of health care professionals, some of whom were BTÌìÌĂalumni.

“I did notice a couple of nurses that were actually BTÌìÌĂstudents. At least one or two of them were my veteran students,” he said. “That made me feel good that I actually knew somebody there, individuals there, that I could depend on and that I’d be taken care of. That’s why I wasn’t as worried.”

Everyday functions have become a struggle for Williams. He lost a significant amount of muscle strength and dexterity, and his cognitive ability weakened. For instance, he struggles with control over writing and his hands shake after forming about five words.

Williams was required to complete certain tasks before being allowed to go home, such as showing improvement in his balance and mobility and staying fever free for four days.

At-home recovery for Williams includes working toward strengthening his mobility, being able to walk without requiring the use of an oxygen tank and improving cognitive abilities. His days feature exercise routines, chess, trying to remember passwords, and responding to the many friends and family who have been reaching out to him.

When he was cleared to go home and recover April 8, his discharge included hospital staff as he exited the building. The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System dubbed him its “miracle patient.”

“I don’t think I’m a miracle patient,” he said. “I think that the doctors and nurses there, they worked the miracle because for me to go on that ventilator, it was all guesswork. The thing is if they would have took me off too early or too late, it could have been a different scenario.

They did a tremendous job making sure that they were monitoring me well, checking me out over those days, seeing if I was progressing. I guess that’s why they were waking me up, asking me to do these different commands and stuff to make sure that I’m still up and functionable. I’m not the miracle; it’s what they did down there.”