The University of Central Arkansas launched the public phase of the largest fundraising effort in university history on April 9. The campaign, BTĚěĚĂNow: Impact Arkansas and Beyond, is a comprehensive capital campaign with a goal of raising $100 million.

“Breaking through the ceiling of $100 million announces that our students, our faculty, our staff and our alumni belong in select company in American public higher education,” said BTĚěĚĂPresident Houston Davis. “It is about how big our aspirations can become and how this great university can further support the dreams of our students.”

In announcing the public phase of the eight-year campaign, the university also announced that $72.5 million has been raised toward the total goal of $100 million. The total includes a surprise announcement of a $3 million estate gift from longtime BTĚěĚĂsupporters Rush ’76 and Linda Harding ’82. This gift brings their total giving to their university to $7.2 million, making them the highest individual donors to the university. The Hardings are serving as BTĚěĚĂNow campaign co-chairs for 2021.

The Harding family has an exceptional legacy at UCA. The couple, two of their children, Shaylea ’06 and Payne ’09, and Rush’s parents, Buddy ’51 and Martha Stone Harding ’53, are all alumni of the university. Rush served on the BTĚěĚĂBoard of Trustees for 21 years, including three terms as chair, and was named a Distinguished Alumni award recipient in 2007. Additionally, Linda and Rush were co-chairs of the university’s Centennial Campaign.

For more than 33 years, the Hardings have supported BTĚěĚĂthrough scholarships, programming support, endowed professorships and numerous sponsorships. Their gifts have also provided for two iconic campus locations: the Amphitheater in the Student Center Courtyard and Harding Centennial Fountain and Plaza where the campaign launch event was hosted.

In making remarks, Rush Harding said that UCA, Conway and its people are all very special. “And, what makes it special are all of you, the stakeholders in this community and this university. Thank you for being a part of my life and a part of the life of my family. Thank you,” Rush said.

In appreciation of the Hardings’ gift to UCA, the photography studio in the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts will be named the Linda Harding Photography Studio.

Because participation is so important to the success of the campaign, in addition to the monetary goal, the university set a participation goal of 15,000 individual active donors. Alumni, friends and others can support the campaign by contacting the BTĚěĚĂDivision of Advancement at 501-450-3421 or ucanow@uca.edu or visiting .

Davis was joined at the campaign announcement by members of the BTĚěĚĂBoard of Trustees; Mary Bane Lackie, vice president for University Advancement; Jeff Standridge ’90, chair of the BTĚěĚĂFoundation Board of Directors; university mascot Bruce D. Bear; and other special guests and alumni.

The celebratory event included high energy performances by the BTĚěĚĂBear Marching Band. Hundreds of faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and attendees tossed a commemorative coin into the Harding Centennial Fountain, symbolizing the value of participation.

Planning for BTĚěĚĂNow began in 2017 with a campaign study committee. Preparations included meeting with existing donors to understand their core values and priorities, developing a campaign fundraising plan that best connects donors with the university’s strengths and needs, expanding the donor base through increased engagement with alumni and friends and equipping the Advancement Division with the tools needed to meet fundraising goals. The campaign began its quiet phase in June 2016 and will conclude in July 2024.

These efforts produced tremendous results during the quiet phase of the campaign, resulting in the university exceeding its fundraising goals for four consecutive years, including raising $15.8 million in 2019-20 in spite of the pandemic, and it is on track to exceed the 2020-21 fundraising goal by June 30 of this year.

BTĚěĚĂhas also seen significant growth in the number of seven-figure gifts and experienced strong support for capital projects including the Integrated Health Sciences Building, the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts and Greek Village II. Over the past seven years, UCA’s combined annual Day of Giving efforts have raised more than $3.1 million in impact for students, the campus and community and established the university as the leader in the state for Day of Giving efforts. This year, BTĚěĚĂincreased donor participation by 21%.

After setting the goal to surpass $1 million four years ago, the BTĚěĚĂFoundation now awards more than $1.5 million in private endowed scholarships annually.

BTĚěĚĂNow is the result of years of work; numerous conversations with alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students and community leaders; and countless meetings with campaign leadership teams and university marketing partner Eric Rob and Isaac.

“During our campaign readiness study, we were routinely told by individual donors and others that $40 million in an eight-year campaign was a reasonable goal, and the majority said that $50-60 million would be a stretch for a university like UCA, but there were a few supporters that joined our internal leadership team in saying, ‘If not now, then when?’” said Davis. “If ever BTĚěĚĂwas going to break through the $100 million level, why not now? The time is now and thus, BTĚěĚĂNow was born.”

BTĚěĚĂNow includes four campaign pillars: success, culture, wellness and excellence. Success is growing university endowments to remove financial barriers to student success. Culture distinguishes UCA’s commitment to raising the bar for arts in central Arkansas, which will help usher in new social, cultural and economic opportunities for the region. Wellness signifies UCA’s leadership in health care education and wellness in Arkansas. Excellence showcases the exceptional disciplines, partnerships and unique experiential experiences that contribute to student success and community growth.

“Real fundraising success is about participation,” Lackie said. “Every gift — large, small, individual, and corporate — adds up to huge impact.”

Established in 2017, the Baxley Foundation Scholarship Fund provides full-ride scholarships that cover tuition, books, fees, housing and a meal plan. The scholarship is funded through the student’s senior year as long as the recipient remains in good academic standing with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be an Arkansas resident who graduated from an Arkansas high school. The scholarship stipulates that students must be ineligible for federal aid and therefore rely upon student loans or family for financial assistance.

“Our intent is to alleviate the financial burden of students, allowing the students to focus on their studies and make positive contributions to society post-graduation,” said Paul Baxley ’98 on behalf of the foundation at the time the scholarship was established. “The Baxley Foundation is delighted to support a university that three of our family members attended.”

“The Baxley Foundation Scholarship took a weight off of my shoulders,” Okolo said. “It gave me the chance to spend more time on my studies, as well as build relationships that will last many years.”

As the youngest of five children and daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Okolo always knew she had to find a way to earn an education, but she wasn’t sure how. During her freshman year, she earned a scholarship that paid for most of her expenses, but she had to work to pay for her books. When she received the news that her last three years of college would be paid for in full, Okolo was able to focus on school instead of how to pay for it.

“It makes me feel very special that a family who doesn’t even know me offered to pay my college tuition,” she said. “They believed that I could be more than just a scholarship. The fact that the Baxley family and BTĚěĚĂfaculty are willing to help college students so much blows my mind every day.”

With this scholarship, Okolo was able to take advantage of all that BTĚěĚĂhas to offer. She was a member of the Association of Future Alumni, President’s Leadership Fellows, Women of Excellence and the Pre-Physical Therapy Club.

The May 2021 graduate majored in health sciences with a concentration in physical therapy. She begins work toward earning a doctorate in physical therapy at BTĚěĚĂin the fall.

Chavez was joined by her parents, Martin and Anna, when she met with the Baxley family via Skype. For Chavez, the Baxley Foundation scholarship was “life changing.”

“The Baxley Foundation Scholarship, along with BTĚěĚĂCareer Services, has pushed me forward in both my schoolwork and my career,” she said. “I love the resources at UCA, and I would choose it just for the resources. They offer so much to students including resume help, the WOW Closet and career fairs.”

Chavez graduated in May and pursued a business management major with a minor in psychology. To prepare for her career, she spent the past two years working at a local bank as a teller. She also worked closely with the bank’s human resources department, realizing her passion for the field. As a result, she joined the Human Resources Club at UCA.

“We got to attend the SHRM [Society of Human Resource Management] Convention in Hot Springs where I got to network with HR professionals and get a more in-depth look at what it’s like to be in the field,” she said.

Chavez emphasized that the Baxley scholarship propelled her forward to new heights.
“It pushed me to be more ambitious,” she said. “I knew I was going to have the chance to finish college and prepare for my career.”

On a day when record levels of snowfall blanket Arkansas, the CEO of Garcia Wealth Management, like many others, is ordering his children to remove their snow-drenched clothes.

“They want to go outside and play in the snow,” Osmar A. García ’13 said. “In, out, in, out. Melted snow puddles everywhere.”

He doesn’t mind, as he is still able to help families and individuals establish their finances and build wealth to ensure a secure future. Osmar and his brother, Gilberto ’17, are co-founders of Conway’s Garcia Wealth Management through Northwestern Mutual. Established in 2019, Garcia Wealth Management began with three employees — Osmar, Gilberto and an associate — and today has nine employees and clients in 24 states. The brothers’ success is born from their desire to build a legacy not only for their families but also for those in their community.

“I was the first in my family to go to college,” Osmar said. “I was not exposed to a lot of scholarship opportunities because my family simply didn’t know how to guide me in that. While I was going to the University of Central Arkansas, I worked in the banking industry, and I would see people come in who couldn’t get to the next step in their lives because they didn’t have their finances together. That was something I knew I could help others do.”

While Osmar was graduating with a degree in finance, Gilberto was entering as a freshman on an athletic scholarship. He played as an offensive lineman for the BTĚěĚĂBears while studying finance and risk management. After graduating, he pursued his master’s in business administration.

“I knew I wanted to either study finance or become a coach,” said Gilberto, who serves as president of Garcia Wealth Management. “Osmar studied finance, and some of my teammates and our Kappa Sigma brothers also, were pursuing finance as a major. The education, networking connections and internship program with Northwestern Mutual offered at BTĚěĚĂare equal to or better than other universities. I don’t think we would be where we are today without UCA.”

Unbeknownst to each other at the time, Osmar and Gilberto were both talking with Northwestern Mutual about starting a financial planning practice in 2015. Both wanted to serve their communities and help other families build wealth while leaving a legacy of their own for their children.

“It’s motivating to have ‘Garcia’ in the name of our business,” Osmar said. “It’s cool to be in business together because we learn from each other. We complement each other well.”

“We’re proud to go to work every day and build something as a legacy,” Gilberto added.

Both brothers frequently return to BTĚěĚĂto give back and inspire students. On March 7, Osmar spoke on a panel to approximately 100 BTĚěĚĂgraduate students. Gilberto encourages students to learn from alumni whenever the opportunity arises.

“Whatever you want to do, someone else has already done it and knows the process,” Gilberto said. “Go be with them, ask questions and learn from their experience.”

Osmar agrees: “If you show me the five people with whom you spend the most time, I’ll show you your future. If you want excellence in your life, keep excellent people around you.”

One of those five people for both Osmar and Gilberto is BTĚěĚĂPresident Houston Davis.

“We are so proud to be alumni of UCA, and we admire what Dr. Davis has done since arriving and all the initiatives he is putting into place to make BTĚěĚĂa collegiate contender,” Osmar said. “When he was made president in 2017, it was like a big family reunion. Everyone was cheering and hugging. He’s brought the same sense of family and legacy to BTĚěĚĂwe hope to instill in Garcia Wealth Management.”

Gilberto said he is most impressed by Davis’ willingness to be present on every level.

“He may be in a board meeting one hour, then taking Instagram photos with students the next,” he said. “He gets the concept of community, and that is one reason he is successful and why we have such deep roots as BTĚěĚĂalumni.”

“My time at Arkansas State Teachers College was among the happiest times of my life. I have very fond memories, and it was kind of a stress-free time,” McIntosh said.

Her favorite memories include having Gene Hatfield ’47 as a professor, serving as Miss Conway her junior year, working with the on-campus drama club and being named a Who’s Who for her class. Although it’s a 24-hour drive from her current home in North Hills to Conway, McIntosh has maintained a stalwart connection to campus through her small annual giving and her many college friendships with individuals such as Paul Henson ’57. The two became friends while Henson was serving as president of the Student Senate, now the Student Government Association.

When McIntosh learned that she could strengthen her connection to BTĚěĚĂthrough a five-figure gift of $10,000, she did not hesitate.

“My philosophy in life is every little bit helps, whether it’s kindness or gift or talent or whatever you have to offer, every little bit counts,” McIntosh said. “I wanted to do it in honor of Paul Henson. He’s been such a wonderful human being and been kind to so many needy people. I wanted to honor him and Mr. Hatfield.”

McIntosh’s gift exemplifies one of the ideals set forth in the university’s recently announced comprehensive capital campaign: every gift counts.

“Large gifts are incredibly important to the campaign, but many of our university friends and donors cannot make gifts of $1 million or more,” said Mary Bane Lackie, vice president for University Advancement. “At the heart of all of our conversations and planning around the campaign, we have recognized this. The success of this campaign absolutely depends on every gift, regardless of size.”

The campaign, “BTĚěĚĂNow: Arkansas and Beyond,” launched publicly April 9 with four pillars as its foundation: success, culture, wellness and excellence. The campaign’s financial goal is to raise $100 million, as well as to connect with 15,000 donors through a variety of giving types and levels.

Planned giving is one focus area for the campaign. One example of this was an approximate $50,000 gift from Mike Mason ’85, a 2017 BTĚěĚĂretiree. Mason earned a bachelor’s in biology and worked on campus before retiring. He included a bequest to the university in his final wishes.

Lackie said that sustained giving is also an option for alumni and friends as they decide how to support BTĚěĚĂduring the capital campaign.

Jim Schneider ’62 worked for many years in alumni relations on the BTĚěĚĂcampus. He and his wife, Peggy ’66, ’80, have been longtime supporters of the university, but they began making regular donations about 10 years ago to create a scholarship in their names.

“Peggy and I established a system of recurring giving every month, so we’ve been doing that for the last 10 years,” he said. “The scholarship is not big, but it’s growing pretty good.”

The couple created the James W. and Peggy Schneider Scholarship that supports full-time students with a GPA of 2.75 or above. Selection is primarily based on financial need and academic performance. Now that the scholarship has been endowed, the Schneiders have been able to meet the last recipient of their scholarship who is currently a medical student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

“That’s the best part of giving, having the private satisfaction of knowing that you helped someone else, and that’s what we’re put here to do,” Jim said. “We would never have been able to become a large donor, but by becoming a small donor on a consistent basis, we’re having an impact. Not many folks are going to have the resources to give the million-dollar gifts, but almost everybody can give something on a monthly basis.”

When enrolled as an Honors College student at the University of Central Arkansas, Jessica Harden ’03 began unraveling what she understood about the world. She challenged her beliefs, became exposed to different philosophies and followed her curiosity. As head of design for the J. Paul Getty Museum, she facilitates visual experiences that help others do the same.

In her role at the esteemed museum, Harden oversees a team that designs exhibition and gallery interiors, finishes, signage and didactic materials at Getty’s two campuses in Los Angeles: the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.

Harden was always drawn to the way museums provide teaching and learning experiences, something that museum design enables.

“What I really loved about the arts and museums is they were really thinking about how people learn … tactile, mechanical, kinesthetic and different ways of learning,” said Harden, who began her role in September 2020. “Some of it is auditory, some of it is reading, some of it’s video. So really thinking about many different mediums and what mediums best suit the activity or the learning that needs to happen.”

Though she’s worked in museum design for about two decades, Harden didn’t always see herself in an arts career. Growing up in East Texas’ Bowie County, Harden was always creative and mechanically inclined; she was raised on a farm, so she knew how to repair and build, and she designed her own prom dress. She even played around with her grandmother’s craft of painting but ultimately viewed art as more of a hobby than a career path — until she attended UCA.

At UCA, Harden’s academic strengths were in mathematics and the sciences, but she struggled with testing. A math professor advised her to take courses that sounded fun, and something clicked.

“He was like, ‘Who do you like being around? Because that’s who you need to surround yourself with,’” she said. “For me, that was just such a mind-blowing insight. I was like, ‘I really like these art people,’ and he was like, ‘Go take some more art classes, spend some time in there, see what happens.’”

Through her various art classes, Harden discovered a relationship between the arts and science. She explored chemistry through photography and ceramics. She identified physics and geometry when building furniture for her 3D design class. It was a connection that the Honors College’s interdisciplinary focus helped to bridge. “There were always things where I suddenly [saw] real-life applications for the abstract concepts that I had learned in math and science,” she said.

Harden also took part in real-life experiences in the museum space. She completed a work-study job at the BTĚěĚĂBaum Gallery, where she realized her love for art installation. She even landed an internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where her knack for exhibition design solidified.

After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts from UCA, Harden received a Master of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and began work at Staples & Charles in the Washington, D.C., area, a renowned design firm that worked with Yale University Art Gallery and the Delaware Art Museum’s Pre-Raphaelite galleries. There, Harden spent about four years sinking her teeth into the firm’s work on the renovation of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

“You never have the same challenge twice,” she said. “Every show that you’re designing, you’re learning a new story. You’re learning about a new artist. You’re learning about new artwork. You’re researching a different time period, different design cues and typography and material resources. It’s a new, interesting challenge every single time.”

Following the opening of the Detroit Institute of Art project, Harden decided to move closer to home and joined the Dallas Museum of Art, where she served for 12 and a half years, gradually building an exhibition design team that included graphic design, gallery technology and carpentry, and eventually grew to include interpretation, editing and translation. She worked on about 18 to 22 exhibitions a year, including 2019’s “Dior: From Paris to the World,” a profile on the impact of fashion designer Christian Dior. For the exhibition, Harden approved designs and structural plans and oversaw the production of event materials. She has called the exhibition “the most challenging and ambitious” project she’s worked on at the museum.

After Harden learned of the opening as head of design at the Getty, she felt it was a perfect fit: Its prestige was a draw, and it boasts a design department of eight full-time designers, more than her previous employment. Plus, she could explore Southern California and hike the Santa Monica Mountains in her down time.

“One thing that has become really interesting and apparent to me is that, even though I may not be designing anymore, I’m still using a creative mindset in relationship to leadership and also to life,” she said. “I think that started with the Honors College and continued through art and museums.”

In its latest economic impact study, Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy organization, found that the arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity in 2015.

Fine art makes communities richer. It is essential to lives and businesses and a significant driver of the economy — a concept that is too often overlooked.

“We often think of the arts as something extra, but they are key. Creative people stimulate innovation and strengthen competitiveness in the global marketplace,” said Gayle Seymour, professor and associate dean in the University of Central Arkansas College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS). Seymour serves on the board for Arkansans for the Arts, a state chapter of Americans for the Arts.

The study explores various regions across the country, including northwest Arkansas. There, the arts and culture sector generated $14.3 million in local and state government revenue and supported 4,647 jobs.

“It’s not just artists who are generating this income, it’s all the people who love the arts,” Seymour said. “Think about people who spend their money in restaurants and hotels, park their car and hire a babysitter. There are all kinds of stimulation in the economy that stem from the arts.”

In central Arkansas, the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts is scheduled to open in fall 2022. It will strengthen UCA’s position as a leader in the arts community and make Conway an artistic anchor for the region.

With UCA’s close connection to Conway and other surrounding communities, the center will amplify and improve the art scene and increase tourism while serving as a laboratory for student collaboration. Luckily, the impact of UCA’s investment in the arts expands far beyond our campus.

“We believe that community development facilitates economic development. And a key part of community development is quality of life,” said Shelby Fiegel, director of the BTĚěĚĂCenter for Community and Economic Development and the Community Development Institute. “Art plays a huge role in that quality-of-life piece.”

In the past, jobs at industrial plants and factories were major attractions for cities. Today, with improved technology and mobility, people are drawn to areas with other amenities, including the arts, Fiegel said.

The Windgate Center will include a 450-seat concert hall, a 175-seat black box theater and an art gallery, all of which will be connected by a wide corridor to allow mobility for large equipment from one facility to another.

“The location of the building is going to be a front porch for the campus in both a literal and figurative way,” Seymour said. “We want the public to also see this as a resource for them as well. It’ll be a game-changer for our community.”

Bryan Massey is professor and chair of the Department of Art and Design in CAHSS. Massey, a skilled sculpture artist, understands how much art enriches our understanding of the world around us.

“A lot of people look at a rock and see a rock,” Massey said. “But I can look at it as something more. My job is to take away everything that doesn’t belong and create a sculpture.”

There are so many opportunities that exist for people with an art degree, Massey said, because art is in everything, from the design of bridges and buildings to clothes and landscaping.

“You have to know you want to do it and have a passion for it,” Massey said. “I tell my students to start with the solid foundation of the principal elements of what art is. Then you can build on that as you begin to find your own creative voice and style.”

Many of his students have found great success in the fine arts, which is one reason CAHSS has one of the strongest art programs in the country. In 2019, BTĚěĚĂbecame the first university in the nation to start a student chapter of Americans for the Arts.

Seymour, an art historian, said that BTĚěĚĂhas prioritized the arts since its founding in 1907; indeed, one of the seven initial departments was dedicated to the arts.

“None of this happened magically. We stand on the shoulders of great visionaries and leaders. Because of them, it’s our duty to see even further and make them proud,” Seymour said.

Faculty and students from the School of Nursing provided almost 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines to the Conway community in partnership with Conway Regional Medical Center and Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway.

Presley Mullins ’21 has a passion for helping people. She came to the University of Central Arkansas with the intention of becoming a doctor, but she soon realized that she could help others in a different way.

“When I realized that the nurses are the ones who spend all day with the patients and that the nurses are the ones that know everything about the patients and provide all their care, I was like, ‘I think that’s really what I want to do and maybe not be the doctor,’” Mullins said. “Nurses can connect with patients in a different way than doctors.”

Mullins was a senior nursing major with a minor in honors interdisciplinary studies. The Cabot native was among 120 BTĚěĚĂSchool of Nursing students who volunteered at two Conway vaccination clinics in spring semester as part of their community health nursing course. Mullins said she found great joy in this process.

Between January and April, BTĚěĚĂSchool of Nursing students and faculty administered more than 12,000 vaccines and served more than 1,300 hours.

Four BTĚěĚĂinstructors lead the community health nursing courses: Leslie Blackwell, clinical instructor I; Annette Gartman, clinical instructor I; Laura Gillis, assistant professor; and Andrea Taylor-Garza, clinical instructor I. The course focuses on nursing outside of the hospital setting and includes hospice, home health, and public schools amid a myriad of other areas, Gartman said.

Through this course, enrolled nursing students participated in vaccination clinics to earn needed patient contact hours at Conway Regional Medical Center and Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway.

“It’s been such a beautiful partnership between us and the hospitals because they’re getting the vaccine doses, and they’re getting all the clinics set up, and we just come in and provide the manpower to actually enable them to give large numbers of doses in a short amount of time,” Gartman said.

Susan Gatto, director of the BTĚěĚĂSchool of Nursing, said faculty and students have stepped up to be community partners throughout the pandemic.

In April 2020, the School of Nursing donated personal protective equipment to Conway Regional and Arkansas Pediatrics of Conway. The donation included 150 isolation gowns, 400 surgical masks and 200 surgical caps, as well as 6,000 small, 6,000 medium, 6,000 large and 5,600 extra-large gloves.

Twenty-four faculty members volunteered 220 hours and administered 2,766 vaccines to doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in December and January.

“It was over Christmas break, so it really wasn’t a hard sell at all. Everybody was very excited to be a part of it,” Gatto said. “We gave a lot of hours, and we gave a lot of shots. And then when the students came back, the community health faculty said, ‘Hey, we have students. Let’s make this part of the clinical for community health.’ That’s how the vaccine clinics started.”

Nursing faculty visited the clinics to monitor students and provide assistance and guidance when needed.

“The students are so excited,” Gatto said. “They just feel like they are contributing to the health and safety of their future healthcare colleagues and the public.”

Priya Gopal ’21 was a level IV nursing student minoring in addiction studies when she volunteered with Conway Regional, vaccinating at least 25 patients.

“I was nervous for the first couple of injections, but I kept the big picture in mind,” Gopal said. “I knew that I was part of something that was bigger than myself. I felt humbled to be a part of a monumental time in history.”

Hunter Cassidy ’21 vaccinated at least 30 patients during his time at Conway Regional. He hopes that students’ efforts will help bring normalcy to everyone’s lives.

“A couple of patients described [student volunteerism] as being hopeful in a time where so much has changed and health care workers have been worked to the max, that we as students are stepping up to be the fresh new wave of workers to push back against the pandemic and work towards getting back to the way of life that we all loved before COVID-19,” Cassidy said.

Michael Murry ’99 embarked on a one-man social media campaign in December to encourage African Americans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I wanted to use my platform to inform and educate people that receiving the vaccine is a safe and viable option for them when made available,” Murry said.

Murry is a nurse and currently serves as a lead clinical case coordinator at Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway where he assists patients in the transition from hospital to home care. He understands through firsthand accounts the distrust some African Americans have in taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

Murry believes this mindset about the coronavirus vaccines boils down to the speed of their development and skepticism of the health care system after historical health care inequality. According to a 2020 study conducted by University of Michigan researchers, African Americans are less likely than white Americans to have health care coverage and more likely to avoid care due to cost barriers.

Using his Facebook and Instagram accounts, Murry documented his journey starting with his first dose of the vaccine on Dec. 17. He posted daily comments for approximately one week describing the ease of the process, as well as the after-effects. He continued posting his social posts after taking the second dose on Jan. 7.

“If I could have convinced one person who was on the fence, I feel as if [the campaign] was successful,” Murry said.

Some of Murry’s posts included levity such as, “Feeling great, and my stomach got flatter between dose 1 and dose 2!”

From his recollection, Murry’s highest level of engagement was approximately 750 likes on Facebook and 230 likes on Instagram. The response to the social media content was largely positive, and several individuals reached out through direct messages to ask questions about the vaccine or other health-related concerns, Murry said.

His campaign even got a nod from Little Rock-based television station KATV. Reporter Desmond Nugent interviewed Murry for a story that aired on Jan. 19.

In the interview and in his social media messages, Murry tried to explain that the coronavirus vaccines were approved for emergency use to treat the virus and prevent it from spreading. He said it is normal for the COVID-19 vaccine development to seem unorthodox. Murry encourages the public to reach out to their primary care physicians regarding pre-existing conditions and for more information on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Information is available for you to go out and do your own reading. I will never tell someone, ‘Yes, you need to get the vaccine,’ but I will encourage it,” Murry said.

Murry was one of the first African American males to graduate from the BTĚěĚĂSchool of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During his time at UCA, Murry was an active member of the Student Government Association, Students for the Propagation of Black Culture and the Iota Pi chapter of Phi Beta Sigma. Murry was also a student-athlete for the BTĚěĚĂBears football team. He met his wife, Nikeba Davis-Murry ’98, at UCA.

Murry has continued making an impact in the community and on the university in his postgraduate endeavors. Murry is a charter member and current president of the Black Alumni Chapter through the BTĚěĚĂAlumni Association. In late 2020, Murry was appointed to the BTĚěĚĂFoundation board. He served as fundraising chair for Phi Beta Sigma during the construction of Greek Village II. Murry also serves as regional director for the Southwestern Region of Phi Beta Sigma.

Murry said he plans to continue his health care campaigns beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

“The experience was an eye-opener for me, I learned that people are not just out there for me to post pictures of fun stuff. As long as I am able to, I will promote health care and use the platforms I have,” Murry said.

More than 450 student-athletes representing 18 sports finished the fall 2020 semester with a cumulative GPA of 3.16. This marks the 16th consecutive semester that UCA’s student-athletes have maintained a GPA above 3.0.

Across the 2019-20 school year, UCA’s women’s teams held a 3.43 cumulative GPA and a 3.54 during the spring 2020 semester. The men’s teams recorded a 3.08 cumulative with a 3.07 mark for the spring. All Bear squads maintained a 3.22 cumulative GPA for the year and a 3.15 GPA for the spring semester.

Sixteen of the 18 sports had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

“We are proud of our accomplishments in the classroom,” Athletic Director Brad Teague said. “The BTĚěĚĂcoaches have developed a culture here of recruiting quality students. Their emphasis on developing the whole student has made us a great program.”

Teague attributes the success of UCA’s athletes to a variety of sources. “In addition to our coaches, credit must be given to our academic advising staff and the great faculty at UCA.”

Will Siler ’21, a football deep snapper from Searcy, held a 4.0 GPA in biology/pre-medicine and has been accepted to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

“Maintaining success in the classroom as well as on the field is something that required lots of dedication, and seeing it come to fruition in the form of being accepted into medical school has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life,” Siler said. “My teammates and coaches have been some of my biggest fans throughout the entire process, which made it all the more worth it!

“Juggling football and school has definitely been a challenge, but BTĚěĚĂprovides every resource that an athlete needs in order to succeed. The athletic advising staff makes a point to help student-athletes through every academic challenge.”

Individual focus and time management to balance their dual demands are common themes mentioned by several of the academic stars as keys to their success.

“A practice schedule made it easy to plan my day around,” said Logan Gilbertson, a junior baseball pitcher from Cabot who boasted a 4.0 for his master’s in health education. “As long as you get ahead of your work, then you can be effective in the classroom and on the field.”

Gilbertson said playing baseball made his experience at BTĚěĚĂmore meaningful and impactful.

“It is even better that I am getting my education while playing the game that I love,” he said. “It is better to do what you love because you never know when it will be taken away from you.”

Ravin Rhodes, a junior middle blocker on the volleyball team from Los Angeles, said at times athletics required more of her attention, and at other times academics did. She sports a 3.44 as an exercise science major.

“Finding success on and off the court is one of the greatest feelings as a student-athlete,” Rhodes said. “All the nights spent in the library, the time getting extra reps in the gym and the early mornings getting up for weights to study right after pay off when you get to see the physical results.”

She said she especially appreciated using her platform and voice as a student-athlete to share important messages.

“I believe this is one of the most important takeaways from my experience and I will cherish it forever,” she said.

A’Javius Brown ’21, a defensive lineman from Jackson, Mississippi, agreed. Brown held a 3.46 GPA in applied science with an emphasis in pre-dentistry. He will return for one more season of football as he pursues post-baccalaureate studies in hopes of bolstering his chances of acceptance to dental school.

Until receiving the offer from the Bears, Brown said he had had no plans to attend college on an athletic scholarship.

“I’ve always been academically inclined, but of course, college brought its own difficulties,” he said. “Since day one, I’ve faced numerous obstacles — being an African American kid at a predominantly white institution, 4.5 hours away from home and starting a life on my own for the very first time at the age of 18 seemed to be the perfect recipe for disaster — but God saw otherwise.”

He said once he experienced the rigorous coursework and hectic schedule of a BTĚěĚĂathlete, he had to develop a routine that included studying and completing assignments on travel and game days.

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the transition to online classes in March 2020, Brown, like many other students, was further tested.

“Teaching yourself Organic Chemistry II is no fun,” Brown said. “However, I went back to my roots — created a study plan, watched videos and joined several outside discussions with classmates. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s all been worth it.

“I wouldn’t trade this institution, its coaches, staff, faculty and my experience for anything in the world,” he said. “I’ve made lifelong friends, even found a family member, won conference championships and gained accolades both on and off the field.

“It’s been a journey that I’m not quite sure I’m ready to end. BTĚěĚĂis home, an important piece of who I am and always will be. Thank you forever, and as always, Go Bears!”

As a child growing up in Swansea, Wales, Stephen Addison developed an interest in the sciences. His homeroom teacher, a physicist, invited him to join a club where Addison built electronics such as radios and metal detectors. Addison was his teacher’s informal lab assistant at 13. By 16, he was taking his first computer science class.

Early exposure to science and technology laid the foundation for Addison to become a scientist, and for years he’s been working to make Arkansas more technologically competitive in his roles as faculty member and administrator in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM) at UCA. A few years back, the University of Central Arkansas became home to the state’s first fully functional cyber range for educational training and began offering a bachelor’s in cybersecurity. The college is now working toward offering a data science degree.

“What we want to do is ensure that Arkansas is the vanguard of having people trained for that new economy, both in cybersecurity and data science,” he said. “We are moving in that direction.”

Addison arrived in the United States in 1978 and earned both his master’s and doctorate in physics at the University of Mississippi. While studying at Ole Miss, he learned that the BTĚěĚĂphysics department, now the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was hiring.

Addison started as an instructor at BTĚěĚĂin 1984 and has held many roles in CNSM: associate professor, associate dean, physics department chair and even STEM Institute director. He has served as dean of CNSM since 2012.

As chair of the physics department in 2002, Addison sat down to compose a list of skills he believed would become increasingly important in the next 25 years and strategized ways BTĚěĚĂcould fit into that vision. That was the first time he considered the notion that cybersecurity education could thrive at UCA.

“The goal is not just to have a great program in the department, but to build an infrastructure so that central Arkansas is a hub of cyber and data science activity,” he said. “So when people think about these things, they’ll think about, ‘There are great programs in Arkansas. If you want talent, that’s where you relocate your company.’ In order to really build things, you have to build beyond the university.”

Needing a strong foundation, Addison quickly got to work. The college recruited experienced faculty, developed its courses, and the computer science program eventually earned Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology (ABET) accreditation. Over time, the program added computer engineering, a data science track for the computer science program and, most recently, a cybersecurity degree. With the support of a $500,000 grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in 2017, the college houses the cyber range, a sandboxed environment that allows students to learn to detect and defend against cyber threats.

“If we want a first-rate cybersecurity program, we needed the state-of-the-art equipment, which was the cyber range,” Addison said.

Cyber threats harm society on all levels, from identity theft to medical records to everyday appliances, Addison noted. He pointed to a reported cyber threat in Oldsmar, Florida, from early February involving the hacking and attempted poisoning of the city’s water treatment system. In an increasingly technology-driven society with a continued need for data protection, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is only rising.

“All of our utilities are controlled by computers, and if you disrupt them, then that can wreak havoc,” he said. “It’s for reasons like that that cybersecurity is so overwhelmingly important.”

To complement the cybersecurity program, the college has been working toward implementing a standalone degree in data science. The program is subject to approval by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board this year.

“I think the future is rosy for all of those programs,” Addison said.

Addison also works to ensure that, through partnerships with K-12 schools and other colleges and universities, students across the state can use the cyber range. Addison was part of an effort to bring a $20 million National Science Foundation research grant to Arkansas last year. With BTĚěĚĂbeing one of the participating institutions under the grant, the university will help develop a system where students at two-year schools can eventually earn a four-year degree from BTĚěĚĂin computer-related programs.

Addison’s passion for improving the prospects of the university and the state might have to do with how much he enjoys Arkansas.

“I’ve been lots of places,” he said, “and I have to say that I can’t imagine living anywhere other than Conway, Arkansas.”