UAPB Magazine | Spring/Summer 2017

A Publication for Alumni and Friends of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

SPRING / SUMMER 2017

DR. FREDDIE HARTFIELD LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT OF A LIFELONG EDUCATOR

41

RECAP

Fall 2016 graduates celebrate as they move their tassels from the right to the left side of their mortarboards.

Richard Redus

CONTENTS

5 6 54 60 61

Chancellor’s Letter News & Events Athletics Class Notes In Memoriam

Features 46 COVER STORY

LEAVING A LEGACY OF LEARNING

DR. FREDDIE HARTFIELD

by Donna Mooney Photography by Brian Williams

From the cotton field to the classroom, to the cow farm, Dr. Freddie Hartfield talks about education and life after retirement

34

42

44

Having spent more then 50 years as an instructor at UAPB, Dr. Freddie Hartfield now spends his days tending the herds on his cow farm.

POSITIONING THE PRIDE

UAPB has been a nerve center for student success for more than 140 years; now, the institution is poised to impact the next century with new strategic and master plans

CHANGING THE GAME

How alumnus Dr. Shaun Anderson is using his research to bridge the gap between athletics and advocacy

WATER WORKS

Alumnus Salvador Mondragon manages aquatic resources for public use with the Missouri Department of Conservation

Volume 4 No. 1 Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander, J.D., Ph.D. Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Marla Mayberry Editor

Tisha Arnold Copy Editor

Donna Mooney Creative Director

Brian T. Williams Contributing Writers

Knowles Adkisson Tisha Arnold Staphea Campbell William Hehemann David Hutter Donna Mooney Contributing Photographers

Brad Mayhugh Richard Redus Randy Tindage Brian T. Williams Correspondence and Address Changes University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ATTN: UAPB Magazine 1200 N. University Drive, Mail Slot 4789 Pine Bluff, AR 71601 870.575.8946 Email communications@uapb.edu Website www.uapb.edu/magazine UAPB Magazine is published two times a year by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a member of the University of Arkansas System.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all in every aspect of its operations. The university has pledged not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status or disability. This policy extends to all educational, service and employment programs of the university.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Let Us Know What You Think!

We want to know what you think of this issue of UAPB Magazine. To share your opinions, email us at communications@uapb.edu.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff broke ground to add an annex to the Delta Housing Complex. The new four-story structure will house the residential life office, a police substation, and 144 additional dorm rooms.

See more on page 32

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Brian Williams

4

STAY CONNECTED uapinebluff

@uapbinfo

uapbtelevision

@uapb

CHANCELLOR'S LETTER

As Chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, I have the privilege of working with committed faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters who share a common purpose – to make our students’ dreams come true. This sense of unity has allowed us over our 144 year history to remain steadfast in pursuing excellence and developing the talents of all who pass through the doors of our great university.

As you are aware, the mission of the university is to promote and sustain excellent academic programs that integrate quality instruction, research, and student learning experiences responsive to the needs of a racially, culturally, and economically diverse student population.

Our institution is dedicated to providing access and opportunity to academically deserving students and producing graduates who are equipped to excel through their contributions and leadership in a 21st century national and global community. Since its establishment, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) has had a rich history of providing its students with a challenging yet nurturing educational experience. That tradition continues today as a result of the respectful partnership between the university and its constituents, the steadfast focus on our mission, and the consistent philanthropic support of all who cherish and love “Dear Mother.”

As we approach the end of another successful school year, it is with Golden Lion pride that we express our sincere appreciation to you for contributing to the success of our programs and initiatives that has lead our students to this point…GRADUATION! Your pride in this institution and your generosity continually speaks volumes, and we are grateful for the support you give.

UAPB students consistently excel in the classroom, on the field and court, in the community, and in the workforce. This high standard is sustained, in part, because of your continued generosity. We are grateful to our alumni and friends for their gifts over the last year.

Major gifts from the Dr. Samuel J. Shacks Trust and individuals such as Bill and Shari Jones greatly contribute to the progression of our institution. These gifts not only significantly impact our classrooms and our programs, they represent an investment in our students and a vote of confidence for our faculty and staff.

Currently, we have a few fundraising initiatives which include our Football Investment and Scholarship Fund Initiative. This initiative was created to raise funds to allow the Golden Lion football team to compete on a level playing field with their rival teams. Most of UAPB’s sister institutions supplement their athletics budget by playing the large NCAA Bowl Subdivision teams that pay guarantees usually ranging from $500,000 to $800,000 or more. Playing just one such game tremendously impacts that program’s ability to remain competitive by providing funding for scholarships, travel, equipment and facility enhancement. As of date, we have raised over $270,000. We have not completely met our goal but we are well on our way thanks to our supportive constituents. Other initiatives include our Annual Spring Phonathon, where our student callers reach out to alumni and friends for support towards the greatest needs of our university. This year, we are pleased to secure over $116,000 in pledges. We also continue to gain

support for the Alumni Endowment Fund and the Lifeline Scholarship Endowment, which was established to benefit students in dire need. All of this would not be possible without the help of you!

We extend our heartfelt appreciation in helping make the difference. We ask that you help to keep the momentum up through your continued and increased support.

Together, we are making a strong impact on our students as we prepare them to be the next generation of leaders and pioneers. So here’s to making a strong and lasting difference through continued financial and volunteer support of our students and university!

Go Golden Lions!

Laurence B. Alexander, J.D., Ph.D Chancellor

Spring/Summer 2017 5

news and events

The Institutional Action Council (IAC) of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has continued the accredited status for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) for a 10-year period that runs through 2027. The re-affirmation of UAPB’s accreditation follows submission of an extensive assurance argument and campus visit from peer reviewers.

“I’d like to commend the entire university for doing a magnificent job in demonstrating the great quality of our academic programs and the notable achievements in collectively fulfilling our mission,” said UAPB Chancellor Dr. Laurence B. Alexander.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff first received accreditation in 1950 and has been continuously accredited as a four-year institution since that time.

“The reaffirmation of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ’s accreditation status with the Higher Learning Commission is testimony to the quality and direction of educational opportunities UAPB students enjoy,” said Dr. Jacquelyn McCray, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “The university is growing in numbers and stature and the very positive reaffirmation documents

Higher Learning Commission reaffirms university accreditation through 2027 the commitment and effort of university faculty, staff, and students to pursue academic excellence in all endeavors.”

Approximately 100 faculty, staff, administrators, students and other university constituents worked as a team to articulate the academic strength, values, and devotion to high quality of education for its students.

“As we examined ourselves, there was confirmation that UAPB provides to its students excellence in teaching and learning, and is an exceptional place for students to study and interact with faculty and peers.” said Dr. George Herts, Dean of the School of Education, Dean of the Division of Continuing Studies and Graduate Education, and HLC Accreditation Liaison.

HLC accreditation assures quality by verifying that an institution (1) meets standards and (2) is engaged in continuous improvement. Colleges and universities use an accreditation process to evaluate their educational programs for continuous quality. Once accreditation is granted, or in UAPB’s case, reaffirmed, it assures students and prospective students that an institution’s academic programs meet nationally recognized standards.

$400,000 state transportation alternatives grant awarded for campus pedestrian mall The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff received a $407,000 grant from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).

Funded by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), the grant was the largest of its kind given to a state university in the 2016 awarded projects.

The funds will be used toward phase 1 of a pedestrian mall and related improvements to be installed on Kennedy Drive. The improvements are required in order to create a safe pedestrian access corridor connecting existing parking north of campus to the campus core. According to Robert Wall, director of facilities management, the pedestrian mall is the first step in accomplishing one of the key goals in the Campus Master Plan by removing Kennedy and providing improved pedestrian access. The scheduled improvement includes pavement removal at vehicular drives and parking areas, installation of new pedestrian walks, pedestrian 6

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

lighting, signage, landscaping, site furnishings and improved storm drainage.

The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) provides funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on and off road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities and environmental mitigation; safe routes to school projects; and projects or construction of boulevards and other roadways largely in the right-of-way of former Interstate System routes or other divided highways. Agencies of city, county, state or federal government and duly incorporated private/non-profit agencies, who partner with local public agencies (LPAs), can apply for these funds if access to the project by the general public is provided throughout the life of the project.

UAPB signs $19.3 million energy performance contract to increase campuswide efficiency, sustainability When complete, project will reduce university’s energy usage by 32% Performance Services, a design-build energy performance contractor based out of Indianapolis, IN, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) have signed a wide ranging $19.3 million energy performance contract through the Arkansas Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) Program. The project will deliver LED lighting, water, building envelope, HVAC, and controls upgrades across campus. Additionally, the campus’ chilled water loop will be optimized and re-engineered for maximum efficiency.

The keystone of the project is a 321 KwH photovoltaic solar array that will rank as the largest public solar installation in Arkansas once completed.

The energy performance contract is the largest of its kind completed under the AEPC Program. Once completed, the project will decrease UAPB’s energy consumption by a sizable 32%, making UAPB the first state university to meet the 30% energy reduction mandate signed into law by Act 1494 of 2009. Energy savings from these improvements are guaranteed by Performance Services to cover the costs of installation on an annual basis over 19 years.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Performance Services to make significant strides to improve our energy infrastructure,” said Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, chancellor of UAPB. “These upgrades will benefit everyone in the Golden Lion community.”

UAPB and Performance Services worked with the Arkansas Energy Office (AEO), administrator of the AEPC Program, to develop the project. The office offers assistance to state agencies, institutions of higher learning, municipalities and counties through its seven-step AEPC program. “This project quite demonstrably shows UAPB’s commitment to environmental sustainability and campus improvement on a large scale,” said Chet Howland, energy program manager for AEO. “Further, the economic benefits of such an undertaking cannot be understated, as we estimate the project will result in an economic impact of more than $60 million to Jefferson County and Pine Bluff while remaining budget neutral for the university.”

Department of Nursing receives full approval from Arkansas state board

The Department of Nursing has been granted full approval by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) for the prelicensure (generic) program. The approval extends through 2020.

“The new nursing program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is off to a great start under the able leadership of Mrs. Diann Williams, a highly competent and recognized Nurse Educator,” said Dr. Jacquelyn McCray, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “The university is committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the program and contributing greatly to the supply of practicing BSN nurses in this region of the state.

The action of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing signals its confidence that the UAPB Nursing Program will be a major player in addressing this need.”

The department began pursuing ASBN accreditation after the program returned in 2015. Since then, the curriculum has been redeveloped, new faculty and staff were hired,

and Nursing Department Chairperson Diann Williams was awarded the first Endowed Nursing Professorship in Rural Health by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

“Full Approval for the new nursing program is a great achievement,” said Williams. “Since opening the program in fall 2015, faculty and staff have worked diligently for this day. There is excitement and a sense of real accomplishment, however, we continue to take seriously our role and responsibility to our students and communities of interest to maintain the standards of the profession. I look forward to continuing this momentum.”

Established by the Arkansas Legislature in 1913 to safeguard the life and health of its citizens, the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) achieves its mission by developing standards for safe nursing care, approval of nursing schools and regulating licenses to practice nursing.

Spring/Summer 2017 7

news and events

UAPB students learn French language, culture during study abroad program in Toulouse

by William Hehemann

Two University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff students recently returned from a four-week study abroad program at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures in Toulouse, France. In addition to completing courses in French language, Natalie Carr, a senior major of computer science, and Demetrius Johnson, a May 2016 graduate of computer science, learned about French culture and toured the historic landmarks of southwest France.

During the study abroad program, Carr and Johnson completed a four-week intensive program in French language, earning credit hours that will apply to their coursework at UAPB. After their daily language courses, the students attended workshops on French music and cinema.

“My favorite part of the study abroad experience was the challenge of actually being able to adapt and survive in a foreign country on my own,” Carr said.

“At the University of Toulouse, I appreciated being surrounded by students from all around the world and learning about their cultures and languages. Outside of the classroom, I enjoyed visiting the cultural sites of Toulouse and tasting the traditional French dishes.”

Johnson said he also enjoyed meeting students from around the world and traveling with them on weekend excursions to cultural heritage sites. The program included a trip to the city of Carcassonne, where the students visited a medieval fortified settlement on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“I appreciated the chance to learn about the French culture,” Johnson said. “The French are a very nice people and they have a boldness in their attitude. They take pride in their health and diet, and have a love for wine and fashion.”

8

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Natalie Carr, a senior major of computer science, and Demetrius Johnson, a May 2016 graduate of computer science, learned about French language and culture during a four-week study abroad program at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures in Toulouse, France.

Carr said she appreciated seeing the courtesy the locals in Toulouse showed each other.

“Being respectful and greeting people seemed to be very important,” she said. “One of my key takeaways was the respect people show for elders, always ensuring they are alright and helping them with anything they need. It was refreshing to see several people offering their bus or metro seats to elders.”

Johnson said he recommends other UAPB students consider studying abroad because it is an excellent opportunity to explore other parts of the world and learn how other cultures live.

“Even if you are worried about the culture shock of a new destination, just know that it is a worthwhile experience that you will likely enjoy no matter the differences from what you are accustomed to,” he said.

Carr said students who put themselves in an unknown, foreign environment have a unique opportunity to learn more about the world as well as themselves.

“Studying abroad is an eye-opening experience that has an effect on one’s personal growth,” she said. “In own my experience, I feel more empathetic to immigrants in America since studying abroad.”

Students should take advantage of the UAPB Office of International Programs to enhance their educational experience and open doors to new opportunities, Carr said.

This project was supported by the program titled “From the Mississippi Delta to the Niger Delta: Strengthening Teaching and Extension Capacity at UAPB to Enhance International Programming,” USDA – National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Grant #2012-38821-20258.

Alongside other students from across the globe, Carr and Johnson completed an intensive course in French language.

The study abroad program included site visits to historic landmarks of southwest France including the Auch Cathedral Basilica;.

The city of Toulouse is the capital of France’s southern Languedoc-Roussillon/Midi-Pyrénées region. The University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès was founded in 1229.

Spring/Summer 2017 9

news and events

Students study the genetic code during study abroad program in Mexico City

by William Hehemann

Two students of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff recently returned from a two-month study abroad program in Mexico City. Annette Craig, a junior computer science major, and Makonnen Allen AckerMoorehead, a May 2016 graduate of computer science, assisted scientists and researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in a study on the emergence of amino acids.

Under the guidance of their advisor, Dr. Joseph Onyliagha, associate professor of biology at UAPB, Craig and Moorehead collaborated on a study of the emergence of a standard alphabet of 20 geneticallyencoded amino acids based on the distribution and analysis of the enzymes involved in amino acid biosynthesis. Their work involved recording the enzyme distribution in the three domains of life: eukarya, bacteria and archaea.

“Craig and Moorehead participated in important research that will help determine relationships between enzymes involved in ancient and recent pathways of amino acid biosynthesis,” Dr. Onyliagha said. “The data sheds light on how the genetic code evolved. It is important to note that evolution of the genetic code signaled the origin of life on earth.”

After collaborating with faculty and students at the university in Mexico City for two months, Craig said she was inspired by their thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm towards education. Moorehead said he also appreciated the educational atmosphere at UNAM, which encouraged education through active research.

“People at the university are so knowledgeable in the subjects they are majoring in,” he said. “Outside of class, students are engaging in research and hands-on training from the start of their education. They aren’t just learning subjects, but rather starting to know their subjects through active participation.”

Moorehead said his favorite parts of the program were the knowledge and new friends he gained at UNAM, as well as the chance to meet locals around Mexico City and try Mexican cuisine.

“My time in Mexico was the first time I had ever been abroad, but it definitely will not be my last,” Craig said. “My favorite part of the experience was getting to know the Mexican people, culture and food.”

10

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Dr. Joseph Onyliagha (left), Annette Craig and Makonnen Allen Acker-Moorehead.

In addition to the research they conducted, the students were able to visit historic and cultural sites throughout Mexico City, as well as the Xochimilco Archaeological Museum and Botanical Garden.

“I would recommend studying abroad to students to see what life is like in other areas and to experience other cultures,” Craig said.

Moorehead said studying at another university abroad gives students a different perspective on education and how learning is given and received in other parts of the world.

The National Science Foundation Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program funded the program titled “The Genetic Code of Protein Molecules” through research award #1401293.

Additional funding was provided through the program titled “From the Mississippi Delta to the Niger Delta: Strengthening Teaching and Extension Capacity at UAPB to Enhance International Programming,” USDA – National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Grant #201238821-20258.

“Destination Graduation” program assists seniors with financial hurdles The senior completion program, “Destination Graduation,” is helping low-income senior-level students graduate from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB). Implemented by the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Success at UAPB, the pilot initiative purports to reduce the number of senior-level students who officially withdraw from the University, for various reasons including unmet financial need. Fall 2016 was the first semester of implementation for the project funded in part by the Association of Public and Landgrant Universities (APLU), the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) and UAPB. Preliminary data suggest that the program is working. Fiftyfive senior-level students received awards to pay balances or assist with tuition. The one-time award provides assistance to students who are near graduation with small balances that may prevent their persistence to receiving a degree. Students are required to pay 25 percent or $400.00 towards their balance to receive the maximum award. Students also agree to maintain GPAs, participate in professional and career development programs and participate in community service activities.

Of the seniors assisted, 24 graduated in December 2016 while 31 are graduating in 2017. Kim Jones-Sneed, the Senior Completion Coach at the UAPB Student Success Center (SSC), stated “the center was extremely busy with phone calls and walk-ins as word spread on campus about the program.

Numerous seniors contacted our office to inquire about the Senior Completion Award. Unfortunately, the need is greater than the available funds and some did not meet the minimum criteria, while others were not in a position to pay the 25 percent.”

The UAPB Division of Enrollment Management and Student Success (EM) currently partners with the Office of Institutional Advancement and Development (IAD) to secure donor-generated funds designated for student assistance.

Annual giving campaigns sponsored by the IAD and the UAPB Foundation source these funds that are mainly alumni generated. Additionally, a percentage of general scholarships funds are designated specifically for seniors.

Psychology student’s poster gets recognition Ciji Ramos, an undergraduate psychology student from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, presented an original research poster at the Arkansas Psychological Association’s Conference. His poster was the runner-up for best undergraduate poster and he received an “Outstanding Student Poster” certificate.

Ramos’ poster dealt with his research on whether one’s beliefs in their own ability to complete tasks is different for Black and White males who complete race-stereotypical activities. His research project was overseen

by Dr. Angela Andrade and Dr. Anthony Austin, who are both assistant professors of psychology at UAPB. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ramos transferred to UAPB from the New Mexico Military Institute to play baseball for the Golden Lions. After graduation, he endeavors to obtain a master’s degree in computer science.

Founded in 1949, the Arkansas Psychological Association is a statewide, non-for-profit, professional organization whose purpose is to advance psychology as a science, a profession, and a means of promoting human Ciji Ramos (left), is pictured with his certificate for Outstanding welfare in a challenging and changing world. Their members represent Student Poster at the Arkansas Psychology Association well-trained, highly-credentialed, and clinically-experienced mental Conference. Joining him at the acceptance were assistant professors of psychology Dr. Angela Andrade and Dr. Anthony healthcare professionals in Arkansas. Their members are actively involved Austin. in providing psychological services in private practices, hospitals, and community mental health centers. Others teach in undergraduate and graduate academic programs, conduct cutting-edge research, serve in administrative positions for human service programs, and dedicate countless hours as committee members and chairs of various boards on the state, national, and international level.

Spring/Summer 2017 11

news and events

Marla Mayberry

Marla Mayberry appointed Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, Development Marla Mayberry, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, joined the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff asVice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and Development.

“Today, I celebrate new beginnings!” said Mayberry. “I am honored to serve among the dynamic team at UAPB. A promising beginning that I am certain will yield incredible opportunities for the students, university, and the state!”

After a national search conducted by Gonser Gerber, a firm that specializes in advancement and development, Mayberry was hired to replace James Tyson, who left the position last year.

Mayberry has more than 20 years of progressively responsible experience leading nonprofit and higher education 12

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

development teams. She has led organizations through start-up, survival, turnaround and growth modes.

Her understanding of distribution channels encompasses major fundraising, community advocacy and involvement, strategic planning, process improvement, financial management, leadership, and government. Before she arrived at UA, she had major fundraising roles for four years as Executive Director of the YMCA of Greater Tulsa and four years as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League.

Prior to leading the Urban League, she served as Vice President of Education Development. In addition, Mayberry served as the Tulsa-area Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters

of Oklahoma. Her leadership has extended beyond the workplace. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Phillips Theological Seminary, 2025 Vision Commission Board for the City of Tulsa, the Economic Development Initiative – Leadership Team, Links, Inc. and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Mayberry also has served as an adjunct instructor in the Metro Campus Communications Department at Tulsa Community College.

She holds a Master of Human Relations degree with an emphasis in Organizational Development from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Langston University. She and her husband Lee are the parents of 5 daughters and one grandson.

Dr. Marilyn BaileyJefferson receives Conference President’s Award for advocacy of early child development

Dr. Marilyn Bailey-Jefferson

Dr. Marilyn Bailey-Jefferson, assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), received the 2017 Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) President’s Award at its 68th Annual Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi, recently.

The award is presented at the annual conference to a state advocate for early childhood education for her/his contributions at the state level in the field of advocacy and contributions in fostering the professional growth and development of early childhood professionals.

Dr. Bailey-Jefferson is facilitator of the Family Development, Assessment of Young Children and Administration and Supervision of Child Care Centers courses.

In addition, she is director of the UAPB Child Development Center and executive director of the newly-funded Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Project. She has successfully collaborated with 14 community partners in seven counties along with the university.

“My aim is to support our young early childhood professionals as they develop in wisdom and skill to take over when it is time for me to turn over the reins.” said Dr. Bailey-Jefferson.

Dr. Bailey-Jefferson was one of three exemplary Arkansans honored at SECA, a 13-state regional organization of early childhood professionals and parents who share a common concern about the well-being of children. Kathy Stegall received the SECA Outstanding member Award and Elizabeth Scudder received the Marian B. Hamilton Award for outstanding leadership in pre-K education.

UAPB named to 2017 “Military Friendly” List for third consecutive year The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has earned the 2017 Military Friendly® School designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs®, STEM Jobs SM, and Military Spouse. First published in 2009, Military Friendly® Schools is the most comprehensive resource for veterans today. This is the third consecutive year UAPB has earned the designation.

Each year, the list of Military Friendly® Schools is provided to service members and their families, helping them select the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from Victory Media’s proprietary survey.

The distinction lets people from surrounding areas know that we are taking care of veterans when they come here, from the boots to the classroom,” said Michael Bumpers, director of veteran affairs and disability services at UAPB. “It’s an honor to be able to have students that come here and not only get an education, but be prepared to serve their country,” said LTC Willette Alston-Williams, professor of military science at UAPB. “It’s good to know that whether they come to school after having served, or come here to prepare to serve, that this institution is doing its part.”

According to Daniel Nichols, a Navy Reserve veteran and Chief Product Officer at Victory Media, “Our ability to apply a clear, consistent standard to the majority of colleges gives veterans a comprehensive view of which schools are striving to provide the best opportunities and conditions for our nation’s student veterans. Military Friendly® helps military families make the best use of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other federal benefits while allowing us to further our goal of assisting them in finding success in their chosen career fields.”

UAPB will be showcased along with other 2017 Military Friendly® Schools in the annual Guide to Military Friendly® Schools, special education issues of G.I. Jobs® and Military Spouse Magazine, and on militaryfriendly.com.

Spring/Summer 2017 13

news and events

CHANCELLOR’S FACULTY AND STAFF AWARDS Distinguished teaching award

This award recognizes those engaged in the highest quality teaching or instruction. Nominees had to possess extensive knowledge and mastery of the subject matter, innovation in course and curriculum design, ability to inspire, guide, and mentor students through independent and creative thinking, service as a mentor, collaborator, and consultant to other faculty and teaching assistants, and work that enriches the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Dr. DeMarr Woods Instructor

Dr. Janette Wheat Associate Professor

Department of Music

Department of Human Sciences

Distinguished Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award

This award recognizes distinction in or contribution to his/her scholarly field; significant impact on communities, whether local, national, or global; and significant impact on UAPB research communities (e.g., undergraduate research, mentoring or fostering graduate student research, interdisciplinary research projects, or leadership in a research center or broad research initiative).

Dr. Marilyn Bailey-Jefferson Assistant Professor Department of Human Sciences

University Outreach and Engagement Award

This award recognizes all types of public service; it would reward those whose service have the greatest impact for the university. It is given annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including public service internships and community partnership projects.

Asm H. Sorker Research Associate

Department of Agriculture

University Global Engagement Award

This award recognizes faculty and/or non- classified staff members for outstanding contributions to global education and international programs at the University or in their field or discipline. Criteria for the award include: promotion of significant international understanding, global engagement, international education, and/or institution building, at home or abroad, either through their institutional position or in other leadership capacities; identification of innovative educational opportunities, inspiring colleagues, students and staff to engage globally; and/or service to the global community as a leader.

Dr. Ryan Watley Assistant Professor

Department of Chemistry and Physics

Dr. Pamela Moore Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences

14

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

university customer service award

This award recognizes those who exhibit the highest degree of customer service. The University is fortunate to have faculty and staff members who demonstrate continuous, meritorious performance. However, there are those whose performance consistently exceeds the standards and expectations set for their position. This award is intended to recognize those staff members whose commitment and performance has made a significant impact on the University.

Brenda Allen Extension Assistant Specialist School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences

Marikka Bender Research Project Analyst

Division of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development

Delila Thurman Research Associate

Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries

Spring/Summer 2017 15

news and events

Dr. Wei Du, Dr. Mansour Mortazavi receive $500,000 U.S. Army research grant for enhancement of laser, LED technology

Dr. Wei Du

Dr. Mansour Mortazavi

Dr. Mansour Mortazavi, professor of Physics and Dr. Wei Du, research scientist of Lasers and Nanoscience Laboratories at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) received a $500,000 grant from the United States Army Research Lab to build measurement systems for advancement in mid-infrared laser and LED (light emitting diode) technology. The grant will enable the research team to develop a novel SiGeSn technique from fundamental material study to advanced optoelectronic devices demonstration. Such research allows the team to implement the recently proposed research vision, “Silicon-based Longwave Integrated Optoelectronics (LIO),” which is beyond the current success of Si-Photonics in near infrared (NIR) wavelength range. This cutting edge new material research will be done in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (UAF).

The material – a combination of silicon, germanium and tin grown on silicon substrates – will create a silicon optoelectronics “superchip” by improving processing speed, reliability and efficiency through combining photonic and silicon based devices.

The technology will improve lasers and detectors in a wide range of applications such as lasers for medical use, infrared detections, and optical communications.

Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) EPSCoR, the research team at UAPB 16

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

has a strong collaboration with UAF, where material growth and device fabrication research have been extensively performed.

By leveraging the existing facilities in UAF such as the Nanoscale Material Science & Engineering Building (NANO) for material characterization and the High Density of Electronic Center (HiDEC) for device fabrication, the newly built measurement systems will complete the capability of passive device characterization at UAPB, which makes the institution well equipped to pursue worldwide leading positions in Silicon-based LIO. In addition to the significant research and technological accomplishments, the project provides graduate and undergraduate training in semiconductor device characterizations and development of novel infrared materials. The success of this project will undoubtedly lead to opportunities for commercialization of technical innovations to significantly contribute to the economic development of Arkansas.

Dr. Pamela Moore receives travel grant for Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar in France, Germany

by William Hehemann

the intentional manner in which French society engages with the challenges of social inclusion in an era characterized by terrorism, the fluid migration of people and ideas and the continuing inequality that persists in modern society.”

In addition to visits to higher education sites, the program included walking tours of historical and cultural sites in Marseilles, Paris and Aix-en-Provence, France.

The FFSB, a 12-member board appointed by the U.S. president, selected recipients of the Fulbright awards in collaboration with the Franco-American Fulbright Commission in France. The grants were made possible through funds appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress, as well as contributions from partner countries and the private sector.

Above: Dr. Pamela Moore speaks about the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the U.S. land-grant system to other Fulbright seminar participants and representatives of AgroParisTech, a leading French graduate school for education and research in life sciences, agronomy, food technology and the environment.

Dr. Pamela Moore, associate dean for global engagement, Office of International Programs at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, recently received a travel award by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB), which funded her travel and participation in the Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar held at locations in France and Germany.

Twelve program participants, including Dr. Moore, represented universities from the U.S. including California, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Maine and New York. The intensive two-week learning experience included programs focused on promoting social equality at high school and higher education levels, as well as European strategies for higher education integration in a global context.

Participants also learned about the specifics of the higher education system in France during meetings and site visits in both Marseilles and Paris. The seminar ended at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany, during a three-day joint session with German Fulbright seminar participants.

“Spending an extended period of time reflecting deeply on the role of higher education in a global context with fellow international education administrators and university officials was an absolutely wonderful experience,” Dr. Moore said.

“The program was multi-dimensional, with stimulating and informative dialogue taking place between American colleagues and French citizens in the higher education sector, all from diverse walks of life. I was particularly impressed with

According to the FFSB, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between Americans and people from other nations through international educational exchange programs. The organization’s goal of international understanding is based on a commitment from Fulbright grantees to establish long-term communication and collaboration in educational, political, cultural, economic and scientific fields.

Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists and teachers. They include Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients and thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

Spring/Summer 2017 17

news and events

BEHOLD THE BLACK AND GOLD Homecoming 2016 was a time to replenish pride in the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. With the theme, “Behold the Black and Gold,” a host of events were held throughout the week for alumni, students, and the community-at-large.

Photos by Richard Redus

UAPB faculty, staff, and students celebrate together during the Black and Gold Pride Assembly.

John E. Smith ‘61, second from the left, presented a check for $334,185.00 to establish the John E. Smith and Charlene Smith-Gaines Vesper Choir Fund. UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander, Vesper Choir Director Michael Bates, and Director of Development and Title III Programs, Dr. Margaret Martin-Hall.

Ashleigh Marie Tate is officially crowned as the 87th Miss University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff during the coronation ceremony.

18

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Charles Smith Bell ’72, of Hindman Park Golf Pro Shop tees off during the annual Alumni Endowment Scholarship Golf Tournament.

The Jones Family presented a check for $200,000 to benefit the completion of the Torii J. Hunter Baseball, Softball, and Little League Complex. Pictured is UAPB Chancellor Dr. Laurence B. Alexander, Men’s Baseball Coach Carlos James, Bill Jones, Sissy Jones, Sharri Jones, Murphy Jones, Director of Development and Title III Programs, Dr. Margaret Martin-Hall;

Gene E. McKissic, Sr. (center) representing the Bobby Wayne Daniels Trust, presented a check for $335,004.82 to benefit the Alumni Scholarship Endowment Fund during halftime. He is photographed with UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander, and Director of Development and Title III Programs, Dr. Margaret Martin-Hall.

Spring/Summer 2017 19

Mark

can’t reach his full potential

without you!

Please invest in the lives of students like Mark by making a gift today!

Mark Robinson Industrial Technology St. Louis, Missouri Senior

Over 90% of students attending UAPB

today receive some form of financial aid. First-generation college-going students have a significant presence at UAPB. A large percentage of our students come from rural communities or urban cities where they and their families live at or below the national poverty level. Your gift to scholarships assists such students with attaining a college degree.

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Office of Development • UAPB Foundation Fund 1200 North University Drive, Mail Slot 4981 • Pine Bluff, AR 71601 Phone: 870-575-8701 • Fax: 870-575-4605

news and events

Chancellor’s Fall Convocation

Cory S. Anderson encourages students to learn from failure

Cory S. Anderson, executive vice president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, delivers the keynote address during the Chancellor’s Fall Convocation at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Cory S. Anderson, executive vice president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation encouraged University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff students, faculty and staff to learn from failure during his address at the Chancellor’s Fall Convocation. He prefaced his speech with a brief history on Winthrop Rockefeller himself. Considered the ‘black sheep’ of his family, Rockefeller chose to leave New York and enlist in the military, where he ultimately met someone that convinced him to visit Arkansas. That visit enamored Rockefeller, prompting him to purchase Petit Jean Mountain.

“One of the richest men of that time that had houses all around the world, [Rockefeller] decided to make his home here in Arkansas,” Anderson said.

Continuing the brief history lesson with Rockefeller’s decision to take a job as the first commissioner of economic development, Anderson said it was Rockefeller’s mission to end poverty in Arkansas – unfortunately, that mission failed. According to Anderson, the lesson about Rockefeller’s failure to complete his mission was that he did it successfully because he never stopped trying to accomplish it.

“For every success that we see, there is at least one thing that didn’t go as planned,” Anderson said.

“Success is impossible without failure.”

Reflecting on the eight years of work it took to launch the Forward Arkansas initiative at the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Anderson said it took four years for his boss to convince him that failure was ok and another four years for him to figure out why. He outlined his life lesson with the acronym, D.I.V.E, saying that everyone needs to DIVE into failure.

The first letter in the acronym stands for desire.

Anderson said that you should desire to succeed, but be prepared to learn from failure if things don’t work out immediately. The second letter stands for inevitable, meaning that failure is inevitable.

According to Anderson, the key is to keep pushing so you can get better. Anderson continued with his acronym to help the audience understand that fear is also valuable. He stated that the return on investment that comes as a result of learning from failure is valuable to your development as a person.

“Every time you fail, you learn something,” Anderson said.

The final letter in D.I.V.E stood for exciting.

He stated that we often tend to not want to rock the boat in our lives and play it safe. Anderson challenged the crowd to take risks.

“If you’re about realizing your vision, despite your failures, you’re going to be subject to commentary and criticism that brings a new level of excitement to your life,” Anderson said.

Anderson summed up his speech admonishing students to continue working toward their goals, using failure as fuel instead because strong leaders are needed for the evolving world we live in.

“I’m rooting for you to fail your way to a greater impact on Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, the State of Arkansas, this county, and the world,” Anderson said. “What I see here before me today are the raw materials that can make that happen.”

Spring/Summer 2017 21

news and events

Black History Month Assembly

Journalist Roland Martin encourages students to work to be the best

by David Hutter | Courtesy of the Pine Bluff Commercial

Journalist, columnist, and NewsOne Now host Roland Martin addresses the audience during the Black History Month program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Journalist Roland Martin challenged University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff students to establish a strong work ethic and exceed expectations Tuesday during a keynote speech to celebrate Black History Month.

Martin prefaced his lecture by calling himself a “discomforting spirit.” He advocated for reading voraciously, making professional and personal connections, not minding critics, and asking uncomfortable questions to powerful people.

“It amazes me the number of people who walk up to me and say, ‘I want to do exactly what you do,’” Martin said. “They look at me and say ‘I want to be on TV and radio.’”

After probing deeper, Martin recalled many people react with dismay when he discusses the commitments that are precursors to excellence.

22

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

“I am not convinced people want to put the work in that’s necessary to go to the next level,” Martin said. “It’s time to go to work. ... Do you want to put the time in to perfect the craft?”

Martin carries back-up camera equipment, which enables him to produce his radio show. He visited his alma mater Jack Yates High School in Houston on Monday and broadcast his national show from there.

“I needed the students to see what happens when you put the work in, what the payoff is when you get older,” Martin said.

He demanded people take ownership for themselves and their peers. He asked students to raise their hands if they know of a classmate who is at risk of failing their classes. Many students raised their hands, prompting Martin to ask they help their classmates.

Martin shared an instance from when he was a student at Texas A&M studying communications. He was deliberately 15 minutes late for a 50-minute writing class and left 15 minutes early. He gave himself only 20 minutes to do a writing assignment to prepare himself for his professional communications career. Although he earned an 84 percent on the assignment, his professor chastised him, and Martin advised students not to emulate him in this specific instance.

“She was angry with me,” Martin said. “I said, ‘I am different. The rest of these students don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Two-thirds of the students in our journalism department did not want to be journalists. They transferred in from other programs. They simply wanted to get a degree from Texas A&M.’” His professor did not understand he was not trying to be good, but great. His broader point was to exceed expectations in a limited time frame.

“When you are trying to be great, you put the work in differently,” Martin said. “When other people leave early, you stay late. When other people are playing around, you are not playing around. When others are taking road trips, you are staying back working on your craft. I understood exactly where I was trying to go so I was putting the work in. When you put the work in, other folks are clueless about what you are trying to accomplish.”

Professional athletes prepare extensively for a game, and he advised all people to follow this advice.

“How do you prepare for game day?” Martin said.

Martin takes offense to people who claim that school is not important. He referenced black Americans who have never made more than $15,000 annually, yet managed to own homes.

“Over the last eight years, we have seen 53 percent of black wealth being wiped out due to the home foreclosure crisis,” Martin said.

“When I look at where we as black folks are in 2017, the challenge has to be to every single one of us,” Martin said.

“I am not convinced people want to put the work in that’s necessary to go to the next level...It’s time to go to work. ...

Do you want to put the time in to perfect the craft?”

He challenged people to be great, and has visited historically black colleges and universities during the past eight years speaking with their students and presidents.

“They did not say jack when [historically black colleges and universities] were being eviscerated with federal funding but too many of us say ‘We love a black president so much. We are not going to fight for our own.’ I have a problem with that.”

He discussed black students who were denied admission at Little Rock Central High School in 1957 at the order of Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus. Faubus ordered the National Guard soldiers to bar the black students’ entry into the school.

“I am not satisfied on this day,” Martin said. “I have a problem walking down that street for Central High School and thinking back to all the hell that nine black kids went through just to get into a school. I have a problem listening to one of them talk about being body-slammed into a locker as one of the federal troops standing there said ‘I didn’t see what happened.’ I juxtaposed that with folks who say school is not important.’”

A nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate, Martin is the senior analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, where his daily segment is heard on more than 100 stations and by 8 million people daily. He is also the author of three books: “Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith”; “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America”; and “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House.”

After the lecture, Martin took questions from students and signed copies of his latest book.

Roland Martin signs copies of his book after the Black History Month assembly.

Richard Redus

Spring/Summer 2017 23

news and events

3 OT H A N N U A L

CHANCELLOR’S BENEFIT for the ARTS The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff celebrates 30 years of the arts The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff hosted its 30th Annual Chancellor’s Benefit for the Arts to a sold out audience at the Pine Bluff Country Club. With FBT Bank and Mortgage, and Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel as the presenting sponsors, the black tie gala will began with a reception and silent auction followed by a dinner and program. Donna Terrell, FOX16 news anchor served as mistress of ceremonies.

The honorees were Dr. Carolyn Blakely, Interim Chancellor Emeritus and retired educator; Kevin Cole, artist and educator; Dr. Martha Flowers, family practitioner; Dr. Joe Hargrove, cardiologist; and Scott McGeorge, president and chief executive officer of Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel.

Since its inception, the benefit has created a revenue flow of more than $650,000 to help support UAPB’s arts programs and the educational goals of students enrolled at the university. Proceeds from the annual benefit have been used to support art exhibits, theatrical productions, concerts and recitals, scholarships, museum tours for art students and performance tours for the choir, bands and theater groups.

Chancellor’s Benefit attendees were serenaded with a litany of selections from members of the UAPB Jazz Ensemble.

The Benefit event was supported by a capacity crowd at the Pine Bluff Country Club.

24

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

UAPB Chancellor Dr. Laurence B. Alexander (third from left) joins Benefit honorees Scott McGeorge, Dr. Carolyn F. Blakely, Dr. Joe Hargrove, Dr. Martha Flowers; and Kevin Cole.

University of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt enjoys the evening’s festivities with his wife, Susan.

Donna Terrell, FOX16 anchor and mistress of ceremonies for the Benefit, entertains the audience.

Spring/Summer 2017 25

news and events

Youth Motivation Task Force Assembly CNN’s Sellers challenges students to examine past, assess the present Bakari Sellers was the guest speaker for the annual Youth Motivation Task Force assembly at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Sellers made history in 2006 when, at just 22 years old, he defeated a 26-year incumbent State Representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation.

Sellers focused his presentation on two questions: How far have we come? and Where do we go from here? He related that they are simple questions, however, they are necessary in navigating the journey we call life. Sellers waded through a litany of little-known heroes like George Elmore, a business owner who fought for the right to vote in democratic primaries in South Carolina. Because of his light complexion, Elmore figured he could register to vote and was subsequently denied access because of his ethnicity. Elmore would go on to file a lawsuit to that effect that cost him everything - people stopped patronizing his businesses, and terrorized him and his family. He eventually won his lawsuit against the state of South Carolina, making it possible for African-Americans to vote in primary elections.

“I think about the laws which attempt to disenfranchise black voters all the time,” Sellers said. “I have to ask myself, since George Elmore in 1946, how far have we come?”

Sellers shared another story about Sara Mae Fleming, a day laborer who in 1947 filed a lawsuit against the electric and gas company that owned the bus she was assaulted on. This happened 17 months before the case with Rosa Parks that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.

He continued with a lawsuit (Briggs v. Elliott) that was filed in 1949 to allow African-American children to ride the same kind of school buses Caucasian students rode.

The lawsuit was the landmark case that led to a more widely known lawsuit filed in 1954, Brown v. The Board of Education.

“The case received a unanimous vote of approval,” Sellers said. “It was argued successfully that segregation creates a sense of inferiority by placing children in an environment not conducive to learning. Think about that and ask yourself, over 60 years later, how far have we come?”

Sellers surmised that progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. With the audience fully engaged, he made the transition to talking about where to go from here.

Referring to the book, Where do We Go From Here? by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he stated that the book gave two options for moving ahead - chaos or community.

“I can’t help but believe that when we look at the news that we see what’s going throughout the world and in our communities. We can’t help but see chaos,” Sellers said.

26

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

“The challenge for those under the sound of my voice is to seek community.”

Sellers spoke about his father, Dr. Cleveland Sellers, who befriended Stokely Carmichael and ultimately joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He reflected in great detail about his father’s involvement in one of the deadliest civil rights demonstrations in the country at the All Star Bowling Alley. His father was also part of a second demonstration at the bowling alley that was redirected to the campus. Gathered around a bonfire, they were descended upon by South Carolina State Troopers who lined the embankment around the campus and opened fire. Known in history books as the Orangeburg Massacre, three students were killed and another 28 were injured, including Sellers’ father who suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder. In the midst of seeking treatment at a local hospital, his father was identified and arrested because of his involvement in SNCC. He was convicted for rioting and spent time in prison.

“The lessons I learned from him and others [like Sara Mae Fleming, Eliza Briggs, Emmett Till, Medgar Evers] was that the answer to where do we go from here lies fundamentally for us to rededicate ourselves to loving our neighbors and dreaming with our eyes open.”

Fastforwarding to winning his seat in the legislature, Sellers talked about endorsing President Barack Obama.

During a campaign appearance in Sellers’ district, he was on stage with Obama, Usher Raymond, Chris Tucker and Kerry Washington at South Carolina State University. The event was held in the gym named after the students killed in the Orangeburg massacre.

“In that moment, I was only 19 miles away from where I decided to dream with my eyes open and had the audacity to believe that I could be a part of changing the world,” Sellers said. “I was only 150 yards away from where my father was shot and the blood of my family literally ran through the soil.

[It was there] that I was able to understand the shoulders of all the heroes and sheroes that I stood upon.”

He left the audience with a quote by Benjamin E. Mays, “In all things that you do, do them so well that no man living, dead, or yet to be born can do them better.”

According to Sellers, the quote is the definition of excellence and the journey for which we have the keys to success.

“Of course I want to meet all of you at the top,” Sellers said.

“More importantly, I want someone at the end of this journey to simply say, job well done.”

Bakari Sellers speaks to the audience during the annual Youth Motivation Task Force Assembly

“...the answer to where do we go from here is for us to rededicate ourselves to loving our neighbors and dreaming with our eyes open.”

HBCU Readout Day at the White House The White House Domestic Policy Council hosted a listening session with over sixty presidents and chancellors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Before the listening session, all of the HBCU leaders were invited to meet President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in the Oval Office.

In the listening session, Vice President Mike Pence, along with Secretary DeVos addressed the HBCU leaders. The HBCU listening session also included representatives from several executive departments and agencies, such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and White House offices such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Legislative Affairs.

The HBCU leaders discussed ways they could improve education and enhance the infrastructure of their schools. Participants shared expert insights on policy issues impacting their individual campuses.

Vice President Pence emphasized President Trump’s commitment to making HBCUs a priority again. Participants shared best practices and ideas on how to create a better partnership between the Trump Administration and HBCUs. The listening session also included representatives from leading HBCU organizations: Thurgood Marshall College Fund, United Negro College Fund and National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.

Spring/Summer 2017 27

news and events

Women’s History Month Jasmine Guy offers advice to UAPB students

by David Hutter | Courtesy of The Pine Bluff Commercial

“When you get out there, they are not going to have a conversation with you when you mess up...It takes effort and selfawareness.”

Actress Jasmine Guy addresses the audience during the Annual Women’s History Month Assembly

Actress Jasmine Guy urged students to define themselves, value education and know their history Thursday as the keynote speaker for Women’s History Month at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Drawing on her professional and personal lives, Guy drew a packed crowd to the John McLinn Ross Theater at the Hathaway-Howard Fine Arts Building. Guy shared stories from her acting and directing careers that involved themes of race and gender.

“We are not getting anywhere without men and women, blacks and whites, Native Americans and Latinos,” Guy said, eliciting applause. “We are human beings: We are part of the American fabric. The threads do not hold together alone.”

As a young performer, Guy said she had a boss who berated her in front of her colleagues. Guy said she was hurt but did not let this boss define her.

Guy said she watches the television shows “Love and HipHop,” “Black Ink Crew” and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” although she approaches these programs with “a discerning eye.”

28

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

“I know what is fabricated or manipulated and what is being called reality is basically a soap opera,” Guy said. “... We are being portrayed as young women who are so angry and so hurt that we don’t know how to control ourselves, that we don’t know how to support each other, that we don’t know how to embrace who we are. And that’s not my experience. I don’t have friends like that. I don’t call somebody for support who is going to tear me down.”

Guy advised students to be truthful but also to deliver a message to someone in an appropriate setting and politely. She specified that this is not the same as blurting one’s thoughts carelessly.

“To tell somebody the truth and to know they can trust you to tell you the truth takes a lot,” Guy said. “And that’s for men and women. To me, that’s the greatest gift and I have to receive it and accept it as a gift if it is given to me in that way. It may not be something I want to hear.”

As a daughter of two educators, Guy advised students to work hard, set career goals, and graduate.

Guy became an entertainer not to become famous but because “God told me how to communicate.”

A fan poses for a photo with Jasmine Guy wearing a Hillman College Sweatshirt from the popular TV series, “A Different World.” Guy was the widely-known southern character, Whitley Gilbert, on the show.

Members of the UAPB John McLinn Ross Players perform a scene from their production of For Colored Girls Who have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.

She alluded to President Donald Trump but did not mention his name.

“I can’t even tell you what I call the man,” Guy said. “... Look at that face for another four years. And he spit on the disabled, and he spit on immigrants, and he spit on black people, and he spit on women, and he still got elected. That’s the power of a white man in America.”

Guy said she challenges herself to take her words and put them into action.

“If I am only here because I am famous from a show that I did 30 years ago, it’s meaningless,” Guy said, referring to her character Whitley Gilbert on the hit sitcom and “Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World.”

“If I don’t share my soul with y’all, it’s meaningless. We may not be the president, the mayor, the chairman of the board, but you have individual relationships in your own life. We have our own communities. We may affect one or two people as opposed to a million or 200- and that’s enough.”

She told the students to define their own values and that how they carry themselves defines their work ethic.

“We are not slaves; we are not on a plantation,” Guy said.

“You have choice. And nobody may see it, unless you put it on Instagram, which you love to do. ... I don’t get it.”

She advised that after college people will not care about their knowledge or lack of knowledge.

“When you get out there, they are not going to have a conversation with you when you mess up,” Guy said. “You’re just gone. ... That enough is hard. It takes effort and self-awareness.”

Guy implored the students that “the movement starts within.”

Guy has starred in or directed many productions, including: “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf ”; “Miss Evers’ Boys”; “Blues for an Alabama Sky”; “The Colored Museum”; “The Fourposter”; “The Nacirema Society”; “Broke-ology”; “Fool For Love,” and “God of Carnage,” at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, where she also directed the opera “I Dream,” celebrating the life and journey of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. UAPB students performed “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.”

After her prepared remarks, Guy held a question-and-answer session.

UAPB Chancellor Laurence Alexander thanked Guy for her speech and recognized former UAPB Chancellor Carolyn F. Blakely and members of the board of visitors.

“We are so pleased and delighted to have had such a dynamic speaker,” Alexander, who has a doctorate degree, said. “Thank you so much Ms. Guy for traveling all the way here to Arkansas to bring down the house. You are quite a visionary. You are a beacon of light for so many around this nation and indeed around the world.”

Spring/Summer 2017 29

news and events

Mass Communications Month CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield shares her journey

by David Hutter | Courtesy of The Pine Bluff Commercial

CNN journalist Fredricka Whitfield advised University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff students to achieve their dreams through hard work as a speaker for the university’s celebration of mass communications month.

A daughter of Nora Whitfield and the late Olympic gold medalist sprinter Mal Whitfield, Fredricka Whitfield discussed her personal and professional journeys and paid tribute to her parents. Whitfield also paid homage to journalists who risk their lives by reporting in war zones.

“I like to say you dream big and you dream often,” Whitfield said. “You have to see yourself doing something.

Do not stop at one dream. There is no straight line toward reaching your goals. You’ve got to leave your comfort zone and you’ve got to be adaptive. ... I like to call it a contract with self. Someone along the way might say to you ‘No way. It’s not going to happen.’ I heard it not from my family members or friends but from people out there.”

Whitfield said her parents taught her to have an open mind. Her mother graduated from Prairie View A&M University and developed her own career, while her father became a diplomat.

Whitfield told students that journalism hinges on being factual, being prepared, researching people, knowing history and developing sources. She juxtaposed these ideas by noting the development of cellular and satellite phone technology that have occurred during a period of 30 years.

“The responsibility of journalists is huge,” Whitfield said.

She took her first journalism job at a Charleston, South Carolina, television news station earning $13,000 annually, even though she thought she could do better.

Her mother advised her to take the job, and Whitfield credited her father and mother for overcoming obstacles.

Her father fought in World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen. She called her parents her “American heroes.”

“They endured some real hardships, unlike any that I

30

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

may ever face,” Whitfield said. “They endured the brunt of water fountains and bathrooms separated by color; front doors locked for rear door entrance only; real unnecessary inexplicable sanctioned indignities. Because of them, I like to believe just like many of you — my friends in this room — that we really do not know what hard is comparatively. “... When you relate to and think about some of the hardships that those before us have gone through so that our way is made more easy and more clear, I think I really can handle anything. You really can handle anything.

There is nothing that is too hard.”

UAPB senior Alicia Dorn is majoring in mass communications with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. She introduced Whitfield, who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Howard University, a historically black institution in Washington, D.C. “In addition to her successful career, she is a mother of three children, including a set of twins,” Dorn, who was born in Pine Bluff, and grew up in Dallas, Texas, said. ” ... Prior to CNN, Mrs. Whitfield was a correspondent for NBC News, NBC Nightly News, and The Today Show and Dateline NBC. She covered stories such as the 2000 presidential election with George W. Bush and Al Gore as well as the 1996 Olympics. ... She has reported from all over the world, including from the Persian Gulf region and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

Former UAPB professor and interim chancellor Carolyn Blakely thanked Whitfield for sharing her story with students.

“We loved you — you have done an outstanding job,” Blakely said.

“I like to say you dream big and you dream often. You have to see yourself doing something. Do not stop at one dream. There is no straight line toward reaching your goals. You’ve got to leave your comfort zone and you’ve got to be adaptive. ... I like to call it a contract with self...”

Fredricka Whitfield addresses the audience during her presentation for Mass Communications month at UAPB.

Spring/Summer 2017 31

news and events

Above: Carla Martin, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration; Robert Wall, Director of Facilities Management; Dave Sadler of Nelson Architectural Group; Ralph Owens, Dean of Student Life; Milae Wilson, Student Government Association President; Elbert Bennett, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; Lloyd Garrison, President & CEO of CDI Contractors; UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander; Jill Floyd, Project Manager; Cerise Inganji, Project Administrator; Blake Helm, Sr. Project Manager; and Jonathan Semans, Director of Central Arkansas Operations prepare to break ground on an annex for the Delta Housing Complex.

UAPB breaks ground on dormitory annex Dorms at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff are bursting at the seams thanks to an ever-increasing student population. To help ease the growing pains, university officials are in the early stages of renovating and adding 200 rooms to the structure.

UAPB has grown by 5.8 percent this past fall to 2,658 students, and even more growth is expected next year, said Robert Wall, director of Facilities Management, which oversees the buildings and grounds on campus.

“All of this is great for the campus and great for the city of Pine Bluff,” Walls said. “We are the university of choice for Southeast Arkansas, and we do a lot for the local economy.”

32

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

The annex will consist of a four-story structure with 144 rooms that will be added to the existing building, creating a courtyard in the middle, according to Director of Facilities Management Robert Wall.

The new dorms will feature a suite-style layout and have all the modern amenities and will also house the residential life office and a police substation. The estimated cost of the project is $11 million dollars with an expected completion date of Fall 2017.

Brian Williams

Brian Williams

Current view of the Delta Housing Complex.

Artist rendering of the annex addition to the Delta Housing Complex.

Spring/Summer 2017 33

then and now

Positioning the Pride

UAPB HAS BEEN THE NERVE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS FOR MORE THAN 140 YEARS; NOW THE INSTITUTION IS POISED TO IMPACT THE NEXT CENTURY WITH NEW STRATEGIC AND MASTER PLANS Photographs and historical information provided courtesy of the University Museum and Cultural Center

BRANCH NORMAL COLLEGE IS ESTABLISHED

1873 1870

1880

DR. JOSEPH CARTER CORBIN AS THE PRINCIPAL

1875

1890

1902 ISAAC FISHER, A GRADUATE OF TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE AND A DISCIPLE OF BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, HEADED THE INSTITUTION UNTIL 1911.

1900

CORBIN AND HIS STUDENTS MOVED TO A NEW STRUCTURE, A 20 ACRE PLOT ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CITY BETWEEN WEST SECOND AND FOURTH AVENUES.

1882 In 1873, State senator John Middleton Clayton sponsored a legislative act calling for the establishment of Branch Normal College, but it was not until 1875 that the state’s economic situation was secure enough to proceed with it. That year, Branch Normal was established as a branch of Arkansas Industrial University, now the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Its primary objective was educating black students to become teachers for the state’s black schools. Governor Augustus Hill Garland,

34

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

1927

1943

BRANCH NORMAL COLLEGE NAME CHANGED TO ARKANSAS AGRICULTURAL, MECHANICAL AND NORMAL COLLEGE (AM&N).

1910

1920

DR. LAWRENCE A. “PREXY” DAVIS, SR. WAS NAMED HEAD OF THE COLLEGE AT AGE 29, THEN THE YOUNGEST COLLEGE PRESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES.

1930

1940

JOHN BROWN WATSON NAMED HEAD OF THE COLLEGE AND HIRED A STRONG FACULTY. THE FIRST INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS TEAMS WERE ORGANIZED. THE GOLDEN LION ALSO BECAME THE COLLEGE'S MASCOT.

1928 Arkansas Industrial University board chairman D. E. Jones, and Professor Wood Thompson hired Joseph Carter Corbin in July 1875 to make a determination about locating Branch Normal in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) because of the town’s large black population and its place as the major economic center in southcentral Arkansas. Corbin was subsequently elected as principal at a salary of $1,000 a year.

The first class consisted of seven students. During the year, seventy-five to eighty students were enrolled, but the average attendance was forty-five to fifty the last three months of the school year.

Several setbacks occurred that delayed the actual opening of the school.

195

1972

AM&N MERGED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SYSTEM, THUS BECOMING THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT PINE BLUFF (UAPB). DR. LAWRENCE A. DAVIS, SR. ASSUMED ROLE AS UAPB’S FIRST CHANCELLOR. DR. DAVIS RESIGNED IN 1973 AFTER HAVING SERVED 30 YEARS AS HEAD OF THE INSTITUTION.

50

1960

1970

W.E. O’BRYANT BELL TOWER WAS BUILT.

1947 The first building was an old frame house in need of much repair, but repairs were delayed because of illness among the workers.

Lumber and furniture were ordered for the new building, but the boat carrying them sank in the river.

The first location for the Normal School was a one story frame house built to serve as a barrack and located on the corner of Lindsey and Sevier streets (now Second Avenue and Oak Street).

1980

1990

DR. CAROLYN F. BLAKELY NAMED INTERIM CHANCELLOR, MAKING HER THE FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE IN THE POSITION.

1990 The school opened on September 27, 1875 with seven students in attendance. Corbin described these students as scholastically heterogeneous - one could read very well but not write legibly.

Others knew enough mathematics to cipher through ratio and proportion, but were reading at less than first grade level.

The students entering Branch Normal College were certainly disadvantaged since: 1.) They and their parents were just ten years

DR. LAWRENCE A. DAVIS, JR. WAS UNANIMOUSLY NAMED CHANCELLOR OF UAPB.

1991 2000

2010

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN AQUACULTURE/FISHERIES IS APPROVED.

2011

removed from slavery and 2.) “Few” if any preparatory schools of proper character had existed prior to this time in the State.

In June 1882, after seven years, Corbin reported with great pride that “The first colored student that ever graduated and received a college degree in the State was graduated from Branch Normal College. Between 1882 and 1895 ten students would receive the Bachelor of Arts degree before the reduction of the collegiate program at Branch Normal.

DR. CALVIN JOHNSON IS NAMED INTERIM CHANCELLOR OF UAPB.

2012 2020

2030

DR. LAURENCE B. ALEXANDER IS NAMED UAPB’S NEXT CHANCELLOR.

2013

E X E C UT I V E S U M M A RY

Looking Toward the Future

14

Above: Artist rendering of the University Drive corridor Inset: Rendering of New Student Center in the Campus Core

STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITIES

MASTER PLAN PRINCIPLES

Five strategic priorities emerged from the input gathering and feedback during the development of the strategic plan. These five strategic priorities serve as the organizing framework for the strategic plan. For each priority, one or more strategic goals were developed and actions steps were identified for each strategic goal. The strategic priorities, goals, and initiatives are the foundation for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 2015-2020 Strategic Plan.

Master Plan Principles were derived directly from Strategic Plan Values. The principles have been helpful in translating abstract characteristics of the values into concrete physical opportunities to improve campus facilities and grounds in alignment with the future vision of UAPB.

1

Create and Sustain a Culture of Academic Excellence, Success, and Renewal Necessary to Grow Enrollment

2

Increase the Effectiveness and Efficiency of University Operations and Systems

3

Modernize and Upgrade University Infrastructure and Facilities

4

Strengthen the Capacity to Attract Diverse Streams of Revenue and Resources

5

Enhance and Improve UAPB’s Reputation and Visibility

1 2

Enhance the living/learning community by focusing on student life needs

3

Extend the framework of the historic campus core to create a coherent, connected, and safe campus

4

Partner with the city of Pine Bluff to expand opportunities for social and economic development Expand and enhance campus infrastructure to better serve academic needs and quality of life issues

5

Maximize synergistic relationships and shared resources to spur innovative academic and research collaboration

6

Create multiple activity centers to build community through engaged participation in varied campus activities

7

Design classrooms, labs, and blended learning modalities to teach 21st century learners

8

Honor the unique UAPB campus heritage and provide stewardship for natural, human, and fiscal resources

recap

“Education is going to get you out of the morass of poverty.

As graduates, you exemplify that...”

Richard Redus

LIVE WITH PURPOSE Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy implores graduates to combine education with compassion

by David Hutter | Courtesy of the Pine Bluff Commercial

U

niversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff graduates were advised to combine their education with compassion to help humanity.

About 215 UAPB students earned either a bachelor, master, or doctoral degree, according to the program. Relatives and friends cheered their entrance in the Pine Bluff Convention Center.

Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture, was the keynote speaker.

As a child born into a poor family in India, Ramaswamy shared a story of gratitude toward his mother, Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was inspired by these three people for their sacrifice, dignity, compassion and love.

Ramaswamy said his mother got married at age 15 and quit school in eighth grade. His father served in the Indian Army and died saving a man. As a result, his mother raised his three brothers and himself while working three jobs to provide for their needs.

“Education is going to get you out of the morass of poverty,” Ramaswamy, who has a doctorate degree, said. “As graduates, you exemplify that. She worked long hours so that we could go to Jesuit schools.”

Gandhi used peaceful demonstrations to secure Indian independence from Great Britain and to fight against classism, racism, and other forms of bigotry. Ramaswamy encouraged graduates to be moral leaders.

Ramaswamy asked the crowd to Google the name Norman Borlaug, an American biologist and humanitarian.

“He is said to have fed one billion people, including yours truly. I was fed by the American taxpayers’ investment in my education,” Ramaswamy said. “I went to a college in India that was built by the University of Tennessee. I had the privilege of coming to America and the rest is history. Out of the blue I received a phone call one day from the White House saying President Obama would like to appoint you to this position.”

He praised the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for leading peaceful demonstrations on behalf of black Americans so they may have equal rights with white Americans and live harmoniously as brothers and sisters.

Ramaswamy lamented that both Gandhi and King were murdered.

Earlier in the program, UAPB student LeKesha Webb-Collins shared her reflection of being a student at the university and earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She followed in her mother’s footsteps.

“On behalf of the nursing program, I am happy and proud to say that my learning experience throughout the past two years has prepared me as well as my classmates to be able to handle the growing changes in health-care and the increasing workforce demands for nursing professionals.”

UAPB Chancellor Laurence Alexander praised the students, their families, friends and asked they give a Golden Lions roar to recognize visitors and dignitaries.

“This day represents a day of honor,” Alexander, who has a doctorate degree, said. “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in him.”

Spring/Summer 2017 41

alumni profiles

Changing the Game

HOW ALUMNUS DR. SHAUN ANDERSON IS USING HIS RESEARCH TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN ATHLETICS AND ADVOCACY

by Tisha D. Arnold

F

rom janitor to student to homeless and everything in between, Dr. Shaun Marq Anderson has seen his share of difficult times. He now enjoys a career that is the cultivation of those experiences and a curiosity for how people view sports and its role in society. As an assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University, he researches an aspect of organizational communication known as corporate social responsibility. He specifically looks at sports organizations and how they can have a positive impact on the community.

“I always looked at sports from a different angle,” he said. “Instead of just looking at sports from a fan perspective, I always wondered, why we as a society put so much onus on sports, especially among black youth, as the only avenue to success?”

Born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Dr. Anderson grew up near UAPB with his grandparents, mother, and two older sisters in a small home on Havis street. A product of Dollarway School District, his grandfather was the only male figure in his life until he passed away when Dr. Anderson was 11 years old. It was difficult for his family to deal with his grandfather’s passing, but his Mom fought hard to keep him off the street because he had tremendous potential.

“Everybody knew there was something special about me. They knew I would go places and do things, so they tried really hard to keep me from being swayed the wrong way.”

Dr. Anderson made preparation to attend UAPB, but his family didn’t have a lot of money.

42

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

His Mom and late grandfather were janitors and he found himself utilizing the same profession his mother and grandfather were in to pay his way through college. For the first couple years, he would go to class until 3 p.m. and then to work at Jack Robey Junior High School as a janitor from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. This was a full time job.

“Thinking about it now, it was one of the best decisions that helped me become organized, be structured and make plans. The way that I stuck to my life then helped me to get to where I am now.”

During his time at UAPB, Dr. Anderson worked heavily in sports reporting at KUAP where he worked with people like Tim Stubbs and Carl Whimper.

He says that coupled with writing for the Arkansawyer inspired him to look at sports differently. Working at FOX16 in sports production after graduating from UAPB, he was learning the ropes on how to become a news director one day. He never envisioned pursuing a Ph.D., because his intention was to move up in management at a TV station.

At the time, he wanted to work for ESPN and focus on sports in society. He had a chance to accomplish that goal when he received an interview with ESPN the semester before graduating from Arkansas State University with his master’s degree.

After rounds of interviews, he was told that he had an opportunity to become an assistant producer for a new show they were starting.

A month went by and Anderson noticed he hadn’t heard from them. When he called, he was told that the recession necessitated a hiring freeze. His position was canceled.

To him, this was his one shot at working in professional sports.

In a time that opportunities seemed to abound, it looked as if doors were shutting in his face.

Anderson relocated to Dallas to work as an educational communications consultant. He was ultimately let go from that position because the company was shutting down. Back at square one again, he ended up losing his apartment and vehicle, leaving him homeless for a year before he was able to get enough money to move back to Arkansas with his mother and grandmother.

It was during that time, now 2012, that Dr. Anderson said he had to make a decision on what his next move was going to be.

“I always looked at sports from a different angle. Instead of just looking at sports from a fan perspective, I always wondered, why we as a society put so much onus on sports, especially among black youth, as the only avenue to success?”

Randy Tindage

He was at his mom’s house for a month battling depression. He was applying for jobs, but no one was hiring him. It wasn’t until he was contacted by one of his former professors from Arkansas State University who encouraged him to pursue a terminal degree.

He found himself applying and being accepted into the doctoral program in Organizational Communication at West Virginia University. He familiarized himself with the faculty and garnered a full tuition waiver as a graduate teaching assistant.

Using what little money he had, Dr. Anderson bought a Greyhound bus ticket for his two-day trip.

With $50 to his name, he made his way to Morgantown.

After his first year, he received glowing reviews from the undergraduate students he served. He was promoted to teaching graduate level courses and awarded the prestigious W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship.

Dr. Anderson’s reputation continued to grow as news spread of his research in sports and social change. He eventually began to work with the Athletics department at WVU to create and implement life skills programs for their football and basketball players. He also worked with a few professional teams such as the Pittsburgh Pirates. After working with the Pirates, he wondered if other teams were dealing with the same issues of reaching urban youth and contacted the central office for Major League Baseball.

He had the opportunity to assess the social outreach programs for all 30 of their teams. Although he was only able to speak with half of the teams within his one-year timeframe, the project became the subject of his dissertation. Before he arrived, no one in the history of doctorate programs at WVU had been able to conduct research from a global sports organization. Since graduating in May 2016, Dr. Anderson has been able to work with even more sports teams in his new position as assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University.

Along with teaching, mentoring and research, his current project includes working with social responsibility in the construction of a new stadium in Lost Angeles that promises to be one of the largest complexes in the country.

Spring/Summer 2017 43

alumni profiles

Water Works

ALUMNUS SALVADOR MONDRAGON MANAGES AQUATIC RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC USE WITH THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

by William Hehemann

D

Salvador Mondragon

uring the fall, Salvador Mondragon, a 2007 graduate, often spends weekdays setting nets to survey crappie and other fish populations in the public impoundments of Missouri. During the winter, he plans to spend more time in the office, logging data collected during the year, writing reports and preparing for next year’s fisheries management activities.

44

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

The variety of responsibilities Mondragon undertakes throughout the year is one of the favorite parts of his career as a fisheries management biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).

“As plans can change fairly regularly, you can never expect a typical work day in fisheries management,” he said.

“In the early spring we usually start out by sampling rivers and then move straight into lake fishery surveys.

By early summer I’m conducting many fishing and educational programs for the 16-county region I cover, as well as overseeing lake habitat enhancement activities such as planting beneficial aquatic vegetation and controlling invasive plant species.”

Mondragon said part of the MDC’s mission is to professionally manage the fish and associated aquatic plants and animals of Missouri for the use and enjoyment of the public. To help ensure healthy and productive waterways, his duties include collecting water chemistry measurements from impoundments and streams to check water quality and compiling and interpreting fish population and habitat data for public lakes managed by the MDC. Other job duties include conducting fish kill investigations in public lakes and streams, as well as investigations in cases of pollution or violations of the Clean Water Act. “My favorite days are spent working in the field,” he said.

“There’s just a special feeling you get when you are out on the water on a calm spring or fall morning when the environment around you is changing with the seasons.”

Mondragon says a large portion of the job involves interacting with the public. He regularly provides technical assistance to private landowners regarding fish and aquatic plant management, including advice on the application of herbicides and other chemicals.

Community outreach activities including coordinating fishing clinics, pond and stream management workshops, field days, career days, fishing events and youth organization camps.

“I really enjoy getting the chance to meet members of the public who use some of the lakes or streams I manage, as well as those who participate in the fishing events we conduct around the region,” he said.

Mondragon’s career at the MDC began when he started working as a resource technician. He was later hired as a fisheries specialist, working at fish hatcheries in Sweet Springs and Warsaw, Missouri before being promoted to his current position at the office in Cape Girardeau.

The variety of experience Mondragon gained while pursuing a degree in fisheries biology at UAPB proved beneficial when applying for positions as a biologist, he said.

“During my education at UAPB, the professors at the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence made sure I obtained as much hands-on experience as possible,” he said.

“I appreciated the hands-on training included in many fisheries courses that were offered at the undergraduate level. I worked for a different professor or graduate student every year on the various research projects being conducted at the time. I spent a lot of time at the aquaculture research station, working with baitfish and on channel catfish production studies.”

Mondragon said influential professors at UAPB included Dr. Steve Lochmann and Dr. Mike Eggleton, professors of aquaculture and fisheries. During a lab course with Dr. Lochmann, he read bass otholiths, the calcium structures in bony fish that biologists use to determine age and growth-rate of fish. He worked with Dr. Eggleton on a study of largemouth bass in the Arkansas River that involved the use of electrofishing.

“During my final year, I had the chance to work with Dr. Wes Neal, former professor of aquaculture of fisheries at UAPB, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on a creel survey being conducted in Little Rock urban lakes,” he said.

Mondragon said he has always enjoyed working with fish. Originally from Lake Village, Arkansas, he grew up working on several farms in Chicot County, including a fish farming operation. He credits his friend Dean Evans as the first person to suggest going to college to obtain a degree in aquaculture/fisheries.

“I had worked for Mr. Evans at a deer camp for a couple of seasons,” he said. “He noticed my potential and encouraged me to contact Dr. Carole Engle, the director of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence at the time. He was a friend of Dr. Engle’s and both of them helped me obtain a full scholarship to attend UAPB.” During his spare time, Mondragon likes to spend time outdoors and enjoy the Missouri waters that he works to conserve.

“I like to hunt but enjoy fishing the most,” he said. “Wade fishing for smallmouth bass in Missouri’s clear water is my favorite type of fishing, and I also enjoy bowfishing during the summer months.”

Mondragon is married to Imelda Mondragon. The couple has two sons, Salvador Andrew and Liam Marco Mondragon.

“During my education at UAPB, the professors at the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence made sure I obtained as much handson experience as possible.

I appreciated the hands-on training included in many fisheries courses that were offered at the undergraduate level..."

Spring/Summer 2017 45

COVER STORY

LEAVING a LEGACY of LEARNING FROM THE COTTON FIELD TO THE CLASSROOM, TO THE COW FARM, DR. FREDDIE HARTFIELD TALKS ABOUT EDUCATION AND LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT

by Donna Mooney

cover story

48

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

From The Beginning

V

Dr. Hartfield stands in front of his herd of Angus cows on his farm in Pine Bluff. He has 30 cows on his 40-acre property.

ery few people can boast of the type of work history Dr. Freddie Hartfield has. He came to the University as a milk boy with little experience and a dream. When he retired after 67 years of continued service, he left a legacy of knowledge, inspiration and accomplishments.

Until May 2014, Hartfield, mathematics professor extraordinaire, had become a well-established figure at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Many UAPB alumni from across the nation boast that Hartfield taught them mathematics or at least that he was their instructor. Hartfield came to this institution on June 2, 1941, when he enrolled in J.C. Corbin High School at the age of 16; he was 90 years old when he retired.

Always bright-eyed, with a cheery disposition, he strolled into Corbin Hall conference room wearing his signature brown suede bomber jacket and jeans. His white mustache is well groomed, and he exudes distinct southern charm that is genuine and fascinating.

On this particular day, Hartfield told the story of how he came to work, love and commit to Dear Mother.

He was raised in Elaine, Arkansas, a small town located in Phillips County. He said his mother died in childbirth and his greatgrandmother, Sarah Hartfield, raised him. Because they were an odd family, this elderly woman with an infant son, Hartfield said other family members treated them like outcasts, ostracized and ignored.

They wanted his great-grandmother to let someone else raise him, but she refused.

Years later, tough times with little money and sometimes little shelter, led an 11-year-old Hartfield and Sarah Hartfield (who was 80-years-old by then) to work in the cotton fields, making 75 cents a day. At 12-years-old, he made $2 a day, picking cotton for 50 cents per hundred a day. Freddie Hartfield said he could pick more cotton than his “mother,” so he told her to stay home and he would work. During the six-month off season, he attended Elaine High School seven miles from home – walking both ways. The highest grade in the school was 8th grade, so Hartfield said he participated in and graduated the 8th grade three times – each time as the valedictorian.

Prof. Cleo Frye, a vocational teacher, and his wife, Velma “Red” Frye of Elaine (both Branch Normal graduates) successfully convinced Sarah Hartfield that Freddie Hartfield should attend J. C. Corbin High School in Pine Bluff to further his education.

Spring/Summer 2017 49

cover story

From J.C. Corbin to AM&N Frye brought young Hartfield to Lewis Hall and left him there, but he had no money for school or food.

At the time, Dr. John Brown Watson was the school president. Dr. L.A. Davis, Sr. was an English teacher then and worked in the admissions office.

Hartfield credits Davis, Sr. for helping him get into and remaining at the school by giving him a job to pay for tuition.

“I became the milk boy – that was my scholarship,” Hartfield said with a grin. “I milked 20 heads of cows twice a day by hand. We had milk in the dining hall for morning and afternoon meals. Milking paid for room, board and tuition.” One day, Hartfield said Watson took notice of his work. “He called me into the office and gave me a check for $15 – more money than I had ever had in my life! I took off running like I just got religion! I cashed that check and bought just what I needed at a nearby dollar store – a suitcase, a pair of pants and a shirt - and whatever was left was sent back home.”

After Hartfield graduated from J.C. Corbin High School, he began working at the Pine Bluff Arsenal and attending AM&N College. For four years, he worked eight hours a day, making 51 cents an hour, moving cluster bombs. Each time he was paid, he kept only the money he needed for transportation and food and sent the rest back home.

Dr. Hartfield is shown with his wife, Mrs. Verna Mae Hartfield

“I was committed to taking care of that old lady, and I didn’t realize until I went home that she was saving that money for me,” he said.

“She kept that money in a belt around her waist.

Later, I used some of that same money to build her a house near me here in Pine Bluff.” Sarah Hartfield died in 1959.

“The Lord was taking care of me all those years and I’ve been blessed,” he said. “UAPB gave me my start, and anything I can do to further the cause and education of students, I will do. I’m for UAPB. Without UAPB, I would have still been on the farm in Elaine.”

Hartfield graduated from AM&N College in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. Consequently, he was 23-years-old when began teaching agriculture at AM&N. After he discovered his passion for mathematics, Hartfield received a master’s degree in mathematics education in 1957 from the University of Arkansas, and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Kansas State University.

He Married His "Girlfriend" Although he’s proud of his educational accomplishments, Hartfield is even prouder of his family. He’s been married more than 73 years to Verna Mae Hartfield – who he affectionately calls “his girlfriend.”

With a twinkle in his eyes and a tender smile, he talked about his first and only love.

“...UAPB gave me my start, and anything I can do to further the cause and education of students, I will do. I’m for UAPB. Without UAPB, I would have still been on the farm in Elaine.”

From the collection of Dr. Freddie Hartfield

cover story

52

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

“Be true to yourself and then you can require the same of others. I believe that education is a requirement for young people today, and especially African Americans. It is a great necessity for going forward in life...”

“I believe that a husband should love his wife like Christ loves the church and be willing to die for it,” he said. “I saw that little dark-skinned girl walking by the Bell Tower one day, while we were both attending J.C. Corbin High School. She worked in the laundry facility. I asked about her and we started talking - for three years.” Hartfield said he wanted his future wife to understand that he was responsible for his “Mother” and he had to take care of her.

Freddie and Verna Mae Hartfield (a native of Lake View, Arkansas) married the day after she graduated from J.C. Corbin. Because of the times, Hartfield said his oldest child was born on campus property. “Black women were not allowed in the hospital back then, so a midwife delivered my oldest child in the little hut house we lived in.” Their children are Barbara Cooksey of Pine Bluff, Freddie Hartfield, Jr., of Atlanta, and Lynette Hartfield Daniels of Stockton, California. They also have four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Not Quite Retired At 92 years-old, he’s a full-time farmer now with 30 cows on his 40-acre property. Most people would be surprised to know that for the majority of his professional working years, Hartfield raised hogs. “Years ago I had about 300 head (of hogs) that I kept on the farm buying and selling them,” he said. “Back then, I made better money selling hogs than I did teaching. When I first started working at the University, I taught agriculture for 10 years.”

Hartfield calls himself a one-man-show, caring for his cows – Angus and mixed breeds. “I get up and work every day,” he said. “In the morning I feed the cows and make sure they are taken care of. I don’t take any medication.”

He thoughtfully explained his philosophy of life and education. “Be true to yourself and then you can require the same of others,” he said. “I believe that education is a requirement for young people today, and especially African Americans. It is a great necessity for going forward in life. Get an education by all means, but first have the Lord in your life, and then all other things will be added unto you.”

Interview over, Hartfield waves good-bye and actually jogs down the hallway to his truck outside.

Spring/Summer 2017 53

golden lion athletics

ULTIMATE UAPB greats honored at star-studded ceremony

"Mean Joe” Greene signs a jersey for an attendee of the event as Dennis “Dirt” Winston looks on.

by Knowles Adkisson | Courtesy of the Pine Bluff Commercial

“Mean” Joe Greene was staring down from the podium in the banquet hall of Little Rock’s Robinson Center. The Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famer, flecks of white now dotting his trademark beard, was looking at an unusually tall man seated at a table in front of him. The man—New York Knicks Hall-of-Famer Willis Reed—nodded back.

“Oh, yeah,” Greene said. “Those were the days. Those were the days. It’s a pleasure always.”

He was talking about the talent that filled the rosters of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) during the 1960s, when Greene and Reed starred as undergraduates before going on to legendary professional careers.

The two sports icons came to honor two of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ’s greatest athletes, James “Red” Allen and L.C. Greenwood, whose jerseys were retired in ceremonies Friday, February 24, 2017 in Little Rock and Saturday, Friday, February 25, 2017 at halftime of the UAPB men’s basketball game.

Allen played from 1960-1964 for UAPB, known then as Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College. He is the school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball with 2,837 career points. Greenwood started four years on the Golden Lions’ defensive line from 1965-1969. He later collected 73.5 career sacks in 13 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowls.

Both players were inducted posthumously. Greenwood died in 2013 at age 67.

Allen died in 2014 at age 73. It was the second jersey retirement celebration held

by UAPB. The university retired the jerseys of Golden Lions basketball greats Jesse Mason and Harold Blevins in 2016.

Grainy footage of Allen’s highlights that played Friday showed a wispy guard who jetted around the court, stopping suddenly to launch deep, improbable shots. A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., his teammates called him “Tampa Red.” He scored 70 points in his first game as a freshman against the College of the Ozarks in Clarksville. It was a spectacular prelude to a career in which the 5-foot-10, 150-lb. guard averaged 28.6 points. He shared the backcourt for three seasons with Blevins. As a senior, Allen averaged 31.6 points and Blevins 25.5 as the Golden Lions scored more than 100 points per game.

Several people, from Reed to former UAPB President and Chancellor Lawrence A. Davis, Jr., noted that Allen played when there was no three-point line.

The NCAA did not adopt the three-point line until 1986. The college men’s threepoint line is 20 feet, 9 inches from the basket. The NBA three-point line is 23 feet, 9 inches.

Allen habitually drained 30-footers. He scored more than 40 points in several games as a senior.

54

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

People still talk about the time he exploded for 56 points that season in a double-overtime, 129-124 victory against Reed and Grambling College, now Grambling State. The performance included a 40-foot shot by Allen as time expired in regulation to send the game to overtime.

“I believe that if James ‘Little Red’ Allen was playing today, he would be recognized just as well—because of the way he could score—as a little guy in San Francisco by the name of Steph Curry,” Reed said. “That’s how good a player Little Red was. He was a great, great player.”

Despite his success at the college level, Allen went undrafted by the NBA due to his lack of size. He toured five seasons with the Harlem Clowns, a group similar to the Harlem Globetrotters. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he became a fixture of playground basketball and appeared in several commercials for Nike.

Reed said he believed Allen will one day be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, citing renewed recognition of HBCU players from the past.

Reed said he traveled to Little Rock both to pay homage to Allen and because the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) “means a lot to me.”

“Man, let me tell you something,” Reed said.

“We had a lot of great players coming out of these all-black universities.”

Re-gaining some of that athletic prominence will require more investment from alumni, Reed said.

UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander (third from left) is pictured with Harold Allen, brother of posthumous honoree James “Red” Allen; special guest Willis Reed of the New York Knicks; Annie Greenwood, brother of posthumous honoree L.C. Greenwood; and special guest “Mean Joe” Greene of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Associate Athletic Director Alyse Wells-Kilbert (center) is pictured with special guests Willis Reed of the New York Knicks, and “Mean Joe” Greene of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Introduced by former University of Arkansas and Steelers linebacker Dennis “Dirt” Winston, Greene bridled at the mention of his nickname, which he dislikes.

“Dennis,” Greene said. “I worked hard to get rid of that mean image, you know that?”

But the longtime defensive lineman grew serious when reminiscing about his longtime partner Greenwood, whom he lined up next to for 13 years. Together with Ernie Holmes and Dwight White, Greene and Greenwood formed the “Steel Curtain,” what many experts believe is the greatest defensive line in the history of football. Greene is its lone surviving member.

Greenwood stood out for the gold cleats and protective goggles he wore.

The NFL fined him $100 per game for the cleats, which Nike paid.

A native of Canton, Miss., Greenwood was a 6-foot-6, 245-lb. defensive end who could nonetheless run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds. The combination of size and length made Greenwood a pass-rushing

terror. In Super Bowl 9 he batted down a pass by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton that was intercepted by Greene. The next year, he sacked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach four times in Super Bowl 10.

Greene and Greenwood were both drafted in 1969, and for more than a decade they played next to each other as left defensive end and left defensive tackle. The pair grew so familiar that they implemented what Greene called their own “mini-game plan” during games.

When he wanted to improvise on a play, Greene would look left.

“You could see through [Greenwood’s] goggles: ‘I’m gonna get you,’” Greene recalled Friday. “I was blessed because I was playing next to a guy that understood the game like I did.”

Many times, Greene said he asked what L.C. stood for. Always, the answer was, “Lover-Cool, Lover-Cool.” Greenwood’s low-key presence brought a different flavor to a defensive line that ran hot.

When you compete, Greene explained, “it gets hostile”—he declined to repeat

the language they used, because “it would curl your ears”—but Greenwood never said much of anything. He could play his game, Greene said, “without any fussin’ or ruckus.”

While Greenwood will forever be remembered as a pillar of the “Steel Curtain,” some feel he should have received more recognition. Three other members of that Steelers defense— cornerback Mel Blount and linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert—are in the NFL Hall of Fame. Greenwood was considered and passed over at least seven times despite strenuous campaigning

by Greene, who still is bothered by the omission.

“I do think that L.C. should be in the National Football [League] Hall of Fame,” Greene said.

Deeply religious, Greenwood attended church often. His sister, Annie, spoke on his behalf.

“He was my big brother and also my best friend,” she said. “He did not make it to the Hall of Fame, but he is in God’s Hall of Fame.”

Spring/Summer 2017 55

golden lions athletics

AND

A Night with NFL Greats The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Athletics held its second annual Legends and Legacies fundraiser, an evening with NFL stars on September 22, 2016 at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The proceeds went to the UAPB Football Scholarship Investment Fund.

In order to compete against the nation’s major Bowl Subdivision the NCAA requires Football Championship Subdivision programs like UAPB to award a minimum of 57 scholarships for at least two consecutive seasons. UAPB is nearly 20 scholarships below that minimum.

Once the Football Investment and Scholarship Fund campaign has met its goal to fund the needed scholarships, the university will not only be able to increase the number of scholarships awarded to its football players, but it will also assist the program in becoming consistent championship contenders in the conference.

NFL Legends in attendance included former Dallas Cowboy and Phoenix Cardinal Jay Novacek; former Washington Redskin Jeff Bostic; former Atlanta Falcon and Buffalo Bill and UAPB alumnus Wallace Francis; former Carolina Panther, Chicago Bear, New England Patriot, Detroit Lion and UAPB alumnus, Dante Wesley; and former Washington Redskin and current Head UAPB Football Coach Monte Coleman.

The event was co-hosted by Craig O’Neill, KTHV11 news anchor, and Tim Stubbs, the voice of the Golden Lions sports.

Novacek told a story at the event about how he was unable to catch most passes while Coleman covered him over a three-season period in the 1990s. The two had been rivals as part of the decades-long Washington Redskins/Dallas Cowboys on-field feud. But off the field, they can now laugh and joke about their memories in the NFL, Coleman said.

56

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Items on display for bid during the silent auction included jerseys from the late L.C. Greenwood, Robert Griffin, III, signed footballs, and tickets to Redskins game.

Wallace Francis autographs UAPB football helmets during the reception and silent auction.

UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander (second from the right) is pictured with Legends and Legacies special guests Jeff Bostic of the Washington Redskins; Wallace Francis of the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills; Monte Coleman, UAPB’s head football coach, who played with the Washington Redskins; Jay Novacek of the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals; and Dante Wesley of the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.

Spring/Summer 2017 57

class notes Army Lt. Gen. Aundre F. Piggee ’81 has assumed duties as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, following the promotion of the Stamps native to his new rank, becoming one of 50 lieutenant generals in the United States Army.

Gen. Piggee oversees policies and procedures used by all Army logisticians throughout the world from the Pentagon.

Prior to joining the Army staff he served as the director of Logistics and Engineering, United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, FL. While serving at Central Command, Piggee spearheaded initiatives to reduce the Army's footprint in Afghanistan; to build partner capacity in Iraq; and train and equip missions in Syria.

Gen. Piggee was commissioned into the United States Army in 1981 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where he graduated as a distinguished military graduate with a bachelor of science degree in biology. He has a master of science in material acquisition management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in military strategy from the Army War College.

His military education includes the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, the Ordnance Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms Staff Services School, the Logistics Executive Development Course, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College.

His most significant assignments include: Director of Logistics and Engineering, United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Commanding General, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Kaiserslautern, Germany; Assistant Chief of Staff, J4 and Combined Forces Command, C4, United States Forces Korea, Seoul, South Korea; and Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff, Army, the Pentagon.

Aundre Piggee

The Honorable Tonya Alexander ’91 was appointed to Division Six of theArkansaas' 2nd Judicial Circuit Court. She is the first AfricanAmerican female judge to serve in the position in the history of the district.

Alexander was born in Pine Bluff and raised in Altheimer. During her time in The Delta she witnessed something that would influence her career decision.

Kevin Cole ’82 was honored by The Society and the Atlanta City Council by Camille Love at the Southwest Art Center with a proclamation renaming the South Fulton High School Juried Art Competition to The Kevin Cole South Fulton Juried Art Competition. The society also proclaimed March 9, 2017as Kevin Cole Day.

58

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Alexander received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 1991.

She studied law at the University of Arkansas. In 1996 Alexander served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Olly Neal on the Arkansas Court of Appeals.

For the past 16 years, Alexander has worked as a solo practitioner in her private practice until 2015.

Leroy Davis, was appointed to the The Southern University and A&MN College System Board of Supervisors as a representative

of the 2nd Congressional District. Davis s a retired professor and dean of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. Additionally, Davis is a former mayor and councilman of the City of Baker. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a master of science degree from the University of Illinois, and a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois.

Jackey Cason '65 received the United States Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama.The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes, celebrates and holds up as role models Americans making a positive impact as engaged and deeply committed volunteers.

Cason was recognized for his commitment to education. After retiring from Chicago Public Schools, he has worked tirelessly to secure college scholarships for hundreds of students in Chicago. In addition, he has consistently led fundraising efforts to enable countless students to attend his alma mater, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

The recognition was presented in Chicago by Reverend Alvin Love, pastor of Lilydale First Baptist Church. Pastor Love is the Faith Based Advisor to President Obama. In President Obama’s Letter of Congratulations to Cason, he stated, “...we will only renew American if we all work together: individuals, the private sector, and government must combine efforts to make real and lasting change so that each person has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential. While government can open more opportunities for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities.”

Above: Pastor Alvin Love, Theresa Jamison, Jackey Cason, Jacqueline Peebles (Cason’s Daughter), and Ernest Pebbles (Cason’s Son-in-law)

Steven Porch ’97, was appointed by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to serve as 10th Judicial District Circuit Judge.

Porch, of Monticello, has been the managing attorney in 10th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office since February 15, 2008. The office handles 90 to 95 percent of all of the criminal cases in the district which includes Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha and Drew counties.

Porch received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma Law School in 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Little Rock Central High School. He has lived in Monticello since 2003.

Dannelle Walker Whiteside ’06, was recently named General Counsel for Austin Peay State University.

Whiteside, who previously served as General Attorney for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will lead the APSU Office of Legal Affairs and serve as secretary for the University’s Board of Trustees.

Prior to her work with the U.S. Department of Education, Whiteside served as General Counsel to the Tennessee State Board of Education.

She was named a Nashville Emerging Leader in the Education category by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, a Nation’s Best Advocate: 40 Lawyers Under 40, and a Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30.

She has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas,Fayetteville, where she was a Dean’s Scholar and president of the Black Law Students Association.

Whiteside earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was president of the UAPB Student Government Association.

WE WANT TO KNOW *Photos and book covers must be 300 DPI in resolution and in pdf or jpeg format

Dannelle Walker-Whiteside

Send your accomplishments, milestones and publications to communications@uapb.edu

class notes Dr. Mamie Parker’ 80 was awarded the Emmeline Moore Prize by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) at its annual meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to the AFS, the Emmeline Moore Prize recognizes the efforts of an individual society member who has demonstrated exemplary service to the cause of equal opportunity of access to higher education in fisheries and professional development in any of the disciplines of fisheries science or management.

The award is named for Emmeline Moore, the first female president of the AFS, who served from 1927 to 1928.

Dr. Parker is the former assistant director of fisheries and habitat conservation at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). She became the first African American to head a regional office for the FWS when she was appointed regional director for the 13 northeastern states.

In her 30-year career with the FWS, Dr. Parker worked in a number of positions and locations including Washington D.C., Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia and Massachusetts. She served as the ecosystem coordinator in the Great Lakes and Big Rivers Region, working in a variety of program areas including national wetlands and coastal mapping, fish hatcheries, contaminants, invasive species, marine mammals and wetland restoration and protection.

Dr. Parker was designated the authorized official for the negotiations with General Electric Corporation to clean up the Hudson River and challenge mountaintop mining activities in West Virginia. She also played a major role in helping protect U.S. waters from invasive species such as the Asian carp and snakehead fish.

Some of Dr. Parker’s accomplishments include receiving the FWS’s highest honor, the Ira Gabrielson Award for Leadership, as well as the Presidential Rank Meritorious Service Award, which recognizes extraordinary accomplishment in the Department of the Interior. As an Arkansas native, she was also introduced into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame for her accomplishments in fisheries leadership on a national scale.

Throughout her career, Dr. Parker has been an advocate for minorities in

Geoff Foughnor

Geoff Foughnor ’88, opened a new office by franchisee Express Employment Professionals, in Culver City, California. The franchise offers traditional temporary and contract staffing, temp-to-hire evaluation and direct hiring options in a variety of fields, including commercial, administrative, customer service, technical and professional.

Foughnor is a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he attended Dollarway Senior High School and UAPB.

Durwick Galloway '91, a field outreach coordinator for Harmony Health Plan, Inc., was named Northern Illinois Care Coordinator of the Year by the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP). Galloway received this honor in recognition of his hard work and dedication to serving Harmony’s Medicaid members in Illinois. IAMHP issues two Care Coordinator awards annually, one in the northern region and one in the southern region.

60

Mamie Parker

the FWS and throughout the fisheries profession.

According to the AFS, she has been a pivotal figure in AFS workshops on diversity in the fisheries profession.

Dr. Parker graduated from UAPB with a degree in biology in 1980. She later earned a master’s degree in fish and wildlife management and a doctoral degree in limnology from the University of Wisconsin.

He graduated from UAPB with a bachelor’s degree in business management and earned a master’s of business administration from the University of Phoenix. Foughnor attributes his success in part to UAPB’s Philosophy of Education and the opportunities that were afforded to him to advance his professional development.

While at UAPB, Foughnor was provided the opportunity to intern at the University of Colorado’s Business Advancement Center.

Galloway and other Harmony care coordinators work face-to-face with lowincome families and children, seniors, and people with disabilities and other complex medical needs to help them navigate the health care system to ensure access to the appropriate level of care in the most appropriate setting. Care coordinators develop collaborative care plans with physicians to manage members’ chronic conditions and connect members to

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

The internship in business technology and entrepreneurship fueled his interest in one day owning his own business. He began his professional career as an HR manager before transitioning into the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. During his 16-year tenure in healthcare sales, Foughnor moved from working as a sales representative to becoming a regional sales manager.

community-based organizations to address social service needs, such as food, housing and transportation.

Galloway joined Harmony in 2016. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a master’s degree in social work from Loyola University in Chicago, and a Master of Business Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

in memoriam Chelsey S. Harris ’11, of Strong, Arkansas, died Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016. She was born on Dec. 2, 1986, in El Dorado. She was a 2005 graduate of Strong High School. She graduated from UAPB with a degree in criminal justice. She was employed as a juvenile probation officer with South Arkansas Youth Services. She was a member of Pine Grove Primitive Baptist Church in Strong. Survivors include her mother, Sherralynn Thrower Harris of Strong; her father, Chester Harris of Strong; one daughter, Chloe Harris of Strong.

Mrs. Linda Faye Hill '71, of Hamburg, Arkansas, passed away Tuesday, November 08, 2016 at St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, AR. She was a lifelong resident of Hamburg, a retired School Teacher of the Hamburg School District and a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 37 years, Augustus “Bubba” Hill (July 24, 2004), her father, Carl “Raymond” Lewis (October 31, 2001), stepfather, James “Suddie” Council (August 5, 2015), one brother, Christopher Lewis (July 8, 2001), one sister, Julia Marie Jackson, and one grandson, D’Andre Seals (June 17, 2014).

Linda was always readily available to provide a helping hand to anyone who needed her.

Herman Orr ’66, was born in

Tupelo, Mississippi to the union of Reverend Oscar and Evangelist Squllar Orr. He was the youngest son of their 10 children.

He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and received his Masters in Guidance and Counseling from UW-Platteville in 1970.

He pledged Omega Psi Phi in 1968 and in 2016 was awarded the lifetime achievement award from his chapter, Kappa Phi. He loved encouraging children and dedicated 32 years to MPS as an administrator, and countless volunteer hours to organizations close to his heart.

Virgil Turner '59, of Lonoke, Arkansas died October 19, 2016. He was born June 4, 1931, the sixth of seven children born to James and Eliza Turner in Mineral Springs, Arkansas. His siblings preceded him in death. At age 17 he enlisted in the US Army and was deployed during the Korean War and the German Occupation. After six years of service, he was honorably discharged and returned home to complete high school. He attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration. In 1958 he married Lillie Mae Jones of Lonoke,

She earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Education from AM&N now the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Continuing her education earning a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, a G/T Certification from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and completed advance studies at Arkansas State University and University of Louisiana Monroe.

She leaves to cherish her memories: her mother, Katherine Council of Hamburg, AR; two daughters: Kymara Seals and Kenetta Ridgell (Michael) all of Pine Bluff, AR; one stepdaughter: Michelle Hill-Richards (Robert) of Denver, CO; two brothers: Carl “C.T.” Lewis (Karen) of Hamburg, AR; Lexie Lewis (Sandra) of Crossett, AR; two sisters: Bridgett Lewis of Hamburg, AR; Juanita Booker (Ralph) of Gary, IN; eight grandchildren: Shabrean Seals, Rodney Seals, Michael K’Von Ridgell, MiKeia Ridgell, Robert Richards, Jr., Tateeyon Richards, Favyoun Richards and Shundreka Richards, six great-grandchildren and a host of other family and friends.

There was never a time in his life when he was not educating and mentoring children.

He worked with Beckum-Stapleton Little League Baseball, The LaVamway Milwaukee Boys Club Boosters, Youth Basketball Association, The Young Anglers Fishing Association, Black Male Empowerment Program, Kids On The Water Fishing Association, and The Joy Center.

He died January 18, 2017. He leaves behind his wife, Saundra; daughters Pauline, Kathy and Stacey; his foster son Curt; son- in-law Ramel; “adopted” son Rod; and mother-inlaw Rosetta. His grandchildren Josetta, Trinity, Felicia, Megan, Joie, Jonah, Noah, and Skye. His remaining siblings Joe, Arthur (Carolyn), Merle, Viola, Lawrence (Dorothy), and Dorothy (Robert) will work to comfort the scores of nieces and nephews.

Virgil relocated to the Chicago area in 1959 where he lived for 23 years. There he served in various community organizations including the Chicago Board of Education, Children's Hospital and the Cook County Community and Economic Development Association. In Lonoke he continued in public service as the Executive Director of the Arkansas AIDS Foundation, coordinator of the Smart Take Charge program, and the Lonoke High School POWER program. He served on the Lonoke Quorum Court, Lonoke Park District, and worked as a consultant for non-profit organizations.

A man of strong faith, he was ordained as a minister at St. Paul Church and served as an Associate Minister at Union Valley in Lonoke and Prairie Chapel in Hazen. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and a host of other family and friends.

Spring/Summer 2017 61

in memoriam Willie T. Summerville ’66 died

Peter's Basilica in Rome. He received many honors throughout his teaching career, including being named Hometown Hero in Education by President Clinton in 1999.

During his matriculation at AM&N College, Summerville served as SGA President, member of Phi Beta Sigma International Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, John Brown Watson Sunday School, and Vice President of the Golden Lions Marching100 under Mr. Harold Strong.

Marcella Barnes ‘03 of Pine Bluff

died May 14, 2017. She was born on April 5, 1957 in Altheimer, Arkansas to Nora Ester and Marcella Jones. She united with the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Cornerstone, Arkansas under the leadership of Pastor Robert Willis and later Pastor Charles Helloms, Sr. After uniting in marriage to Pastor Aaron E. Barnes, Sr., Marcella joined Mulberry Grove Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Frank Shelton, Sr., and later the current pastor Dr. Robert A. Anderson, Sr. After her husband accepted the call to preach and then pastor, Marcella became a member of the New Home Missionary Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She was faithful as a wife and serving untiringly as First Lady of New Home Missionary Baptist Church. Serving and helping others was her passion.

In 1976, Barnes graduated from Altheimer School District.

After being in the workforce several years, she decided to continue her education. Marcella first pursued her religious studies at Breath of Life School of Ministry where she received a certificate of completion in 2000.

She then attended Southeast Arkansas College with a focus

on General Studies in Education and later transferred to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2003. Marcella received a Master of Arts degree in counseling at the Walden University.

While pursuing her degree, Barnes worked as a teacher's assistant for the Watson Chapel School District. After completing her education, she began working for Delta Resource Independent Living as a Counselor until she retired.

Barnes was preceded in death by her parents, Nora Ester and Marcella Jones; a sister, Brenda Jones; and a nephew whom she helped raise, Howard White.

She leaves to cherish her memory, a devoted husband, Pastor Aaron E. Barnes, Sr.; daughters, Sherita Thomas and April (Shawn) Davis both of Pine Bluff, AR; sons, Jevon Barnes and Joshua Thomas, both of Pine Bluff, AR; Willie Thomas, Jr. of Conway, AR; Myron (Candace) Barnes, Sr. of Austin, TX; Aaron (Veronique) Barnes, Jr. of San Antonio, TX; a nephew whom she loved as a son, Dennis (Lashawn) Qualls of Chicago, IL; sisters, Ruth (Henry) Williams of Flint, MI; Ocie (Jeff) Lockwood of Scott, AR; Maxine (Dewayne)Rochell of Hensley, AR; brothers, N.E. Jones, Jr. of Flint, MI and Robert (Lynn) Jones of Augusta, GA., a beloved mother-in-law, Viola Barnes of Wabbaseka, AR; 17 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, 9 brother-in-laws, 10 sister-in-laws, a host of nieces, nephews, other loving relatives, and friends.

Landers Isom Jr. ‘57 died Sunday, May 28, 2017. He was born in Kokomo, Arkansas, to the late Landers Sr. and Susie Beatrice Isom. Landers was a 1957 graduate of Arkansas AM&N College (now UAPB) and University of California-Berkeley. He was a longtime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a founding member of the UAPB/ AM&N DFW Alumni Association. He served honorably in the United States Army and had a lengthy career in government

service, working for the U.S. Postal Service, Department of Agriculture and Department of Housing and Urban Development. He later was employed by Tarrant County Appraisal District. A passionate golfer, Landers spent his retired years as assistant golf pro at Cedar Crest & LB Houston courses in Dallas. He is survived by his son, Landers Marshall Isom (Najullah); stepdaughter, Andrea Pierce-Johnson; grandchildren: Christopher Isom (Amaris), Tashandra Isom, Michael Isom (Amy), Marshall Isom-Timms, Anthonye Pierce, Jenae Peters; great-grandchildren,Tasmine Isom, Chase Isom, Keegan Peters, Alyvia Isom; special friend and trusted sidekick, 'Nubby', nieces; nephews; cousins; other relatives; and friends.

March 7, 2017. He taught choral music in Urbana schools for over 38 years. During his tenure with the Urbana Schools, his choirs sang at many venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D. C., the Lobby of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and St.

Donna Cunningham '61, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, died Saturday, April 29, 2017. Cunningham was a

1961 graduate of Arkansas A.M. & N. College and was a member of the Delta Omega Omega Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

62

UAPB Magazine • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Gwendolyn Starlard '66 died

November 10, 2016. Born April 18, 1933 in Madison Arkansas, (St. Francis County), she graduated from Lincoln High School in Forrest City, Arkansas and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arkansas A. M. & N. College (Now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff). She also received a Master of Education degree from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville); a Specialist in Aging degree from North Texas State University, Denton, Texas; a Master of Science degree in Aging from University of North Texas, Denton, Texas; and did further study at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), University of Kentucky at Lexington, KY., and the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.

She began her professional career at Lincoln High School at Forrest City, Arkansas.

Her career interests and accomplishments were in the field of gerontology. As a faculty at AM & N / UAPB, she held the positions of Assistant Professor of Sociology / Gerontology and associate professor of Gerontology.

She held numerous positions in local, state, and national professional organizations including being the first female and first African-American to be elected president of the Arkansas Sociological association. She was also appointed to the first Governor’s Advisory Board on Alzheimer’s Disease. Actively involved in research on aging, her most important work was the publication of a book entitled Voices of Elderly Black Women: Marian Glover Lacey ‘60 of Little

Rock, Arkansas died June 5, 2017, surrounded by family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, Silas and Lucinda Glover and brother, Silas Glover Jr. She attended Arkansas AM&N College, (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Lacey received a Master's of Education from Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.; a Specialist degree in Educational Administration from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

During the first ten years of her career as an educator, she taught English in the Arkansas delta cities of Helena, Eudora and Clarendon. The next thirty years of her education career were in Little Rock. She taught English at Dunbar Junior High School, served as Assistant Principal at Central High School, and returned to Dunbar Junior High as the principal. In 1988, she was named principal of Horace Mann Arts and Science Magnet Junior High School. During her tenure there, the school won several awards, and was named a 1997 Milken National Educator.

Upon her retirement in 2005, the Little Rock School District instituted the Marian G. Lacey Teacher of the Year Award.

Lacey was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Beta Pi Omega Chapter and was initiated into

A Historical Perspective. She served as a researcher for the Arkansas Delta: Landscape of Change Delta Cultural Center Helena, Arkansas. She was also on the board of Area Agency on Aging and very active with the Cancer Society. She retired from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 1996.

Moving to Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1960, she and her family joined First Missionary Baptist Church. She later became a member of New St. Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church, where she served as Vice President of the Missionary Society, as a member of the Ester Circle, as the first chairman of the Scholarship Committee. She chaired the Communities for the Love Fellowship and Prayer Brunch for several years.

She was a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and received the gold medallion for 50 years as a member of the sorority. Other affiliations include: American Association of Retired Persons and the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Links Inc. She was proceeded in death by her husband, Dr. Victor D. Starlard, whom she married December 24, 1952. He died June 3, 1995; her parents Willard and Erma Whitaker and sister Vhaness Chambers. Survivors include a son Willard E. Starlard (Doris); a daughter Vicki L. Starlard-White; four grandchildren, Richard D. McDonald (Tammie), Ramon M. Stewart, Chinara Grace Starlard and Courtney Nicole Starlard; a great grandchild Bryce A. Stewart; a niece Anita R. Farver (Augusta) and a great niece, Chasity P. Farver; beloved twin cousins Maurice Dorn and Janice Whitaker; a special daughter Mrs. Joann ShineWilliams; and adopted son and daughter Rev. Laydell and Della Jordan; a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives and friends. the Alpha Rho Chapter at Arkansas AM&N College in 1959.

She was also a charter member of Eta Sigma Omega Chapter in Helena, Ark., serving as chapter president from 1967-1969.

She served as the Graduate Advisor for Epsilon Phi Chapter at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She was a Golden Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated based on her fifty plus years of service.

She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Jesse J. Lacey Jr; daughter, Cynthia D. Lacey, Little Rock, Ark.; sons, Jeffrey J. Lacey, Little Rock, Ark.; Dr. Julian K. Lacey (Camille), Rowlett, Texas; two loving grandchildren, Jillian Lacey and Caden Lacey, Rowlett, Texas; brother, Judge Don E. Glover (Dorothy), Dermott, Ark.; sisters, Virginia Halliday (Doc), Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; Barbara Littlejohn (Michael), Lansing, Mich.; Dr. Esther E. Fahm (Tunde), Menomonie, Wis.; Carlotta Hallamon (Terence), West Bloomfield, Mich.; brother-in- law, Levi Lacey, Detroit, MI; sister-in- laws, Doris Glover, McGhee, Ark.; Leoda Sims, Vicksburg, Miss.; adopted sisters, Mamie Bramlett, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; and Janet Davis Tate, Little Rock, Ark.; nieces, Wilda Payton, Altadena, Calif.; Judith James, Little Rock, Ark.; Lysandra Hobbs (Curtis), Jonesboro, Ga.; and Dorcedar Glover, Oxford, Miss.; nephews, Richard Payton, Phoenix, Ariz.; Ronald Glover (Kimberly), Little Rock, Ark.; Doven Glover, Centerville, Ohio; Babatunde Fahm Jr. (Shaudy), Norcross, Ga.; adopted daughters Robbin Bailey, Kristie Byers, Kimberly Lang, Sharon Patton, adopted godddaughter Marian Bailey; and also cousins, relatives, sorority sisters and many friends.

Spring/Summer 2017 63

UAPB MAGAZINE

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 1200 North University Drive -Mail Slot 4789 Pine Bluff, AR 71601-2780

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2017

GAME 1

GAME 2

GAME 3

GAME 4

GAME 5

VS

@

@

@

@

SEPT. 2 6:00 PM MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

SEPT. 9 6:30 PM UNIVERSITY OF AKRON

SEPT. 16 6:00 PM ARKANSAS STATE

SEPT. 23 TBA JACKSON STATE

SEPT. 30 TBA ALABAMA A&M

GAME 6

GAME 7

GAME 8

VS

VS

VS

PINE BLUFF, ARK.

AKRON, OHIO

JONESBORO, ARK.

JACKSON, MS

HUNTSVILLE, ALA.

HOMECOMING OCT. 7 TBA MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

OCT. 14 || 2:30 PM CENTRAL STATE || PINE BLUFF, AR

OCT. 28 2:30 PM SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LITTLE ROCK, AR

PINE BLUFF, ARK.

GAME 9

GAME 10

GAME 11

VS

@

VS

NOV. 4 2:30 PM GRAMBLING STATE

NOV. 11 1:00 PM PRAIRIE VIEW A&M

NOV. 18 2:30 PM TEXAS SOUTHERN

PINE BLUFF, AR

PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS

LITTLE ROCK, AR