Ex-parks director to receive degree
FAYETTEVILLE -- Richard Davies, who retired last year after leading the state's Department of Parks and Tourism for 25 years, will receive an honorary degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Davies worked nearly 43 years for the department, according to UA. He will receive an honorary Doctorate of Arts and Humane Letters on May 14 at the school's all-university commencement ceremony and deliver remarks to graduating students.
Davies served as state parks director before his appointment by Gov. Bill Clinton in 1990 to lead the department. He was a key figure in the 1996 passage of Amendment 75 to the state constitution. Voters established a one-eighth cent conservation sales tax.
He earned a journalism degree from UA in 1972 and served for 27 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, according to UA.
"He is a public servant who has clearly made Arkansas a better place," Chancellor Joe Steinmetz said in a statement.
New top university spokesman named
FAYETTEVILLE -- Mark Rushing has been named the top spokesman for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Rushing began his appointment April 1 as assistant vice chancellor of university relations. Since Jan. 1 he had been acting director for UA's university relations office.
He joined UA in 2012 and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from UA as well as a master's degree in journalism from the University of Memphis. He previously had worked as a broadcast journalist and as director of a public relations firm.
The university relations department handles media inquiries, social media, university branding and marketing, promotion of fundraising efforts, and website design and development, among other duties.
Rushing replaces Laura Jacobs, who this year began a new role as chief of staff for Chancellor Joe Steinmetz.
He now earns a salary of $136,000. Previously, he made $88,000. Jacobs, in her previous role as leader of university relations, earned $183,855.
Team to research Teflon's resilience
FAYETTEVILLE -- A $450,000 research grant to improve nonstick Teflon coatings has been awarded to University of Arkansas at Fayetteville researchers.
Min Zou, a mechanical engineering professor, and Jingyi Chen, an assistant professor of chemistry, will use the National Science Foundation grant to research the wear resistance of polytetrafluoroethylene, better known as Teflon, a trademarked name.
The coatings have use in various industrial applications but can become easily worn away, Zou said in a statement released by UA.
"This severely limits its applications," Zou said in a statement. The UA research team will study using another substance, polydopamine, to improve wear resistance.
Wal-Mart pledge promotes diversity
FAYETTEVILLE -- A pledge of $150,000 from the legal department of Wal-Mart will support a diversity program at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
"The legal profession has trailed most others in attracting, retaining and advancing diverse talent," said Karen Roberts, executive vice president and general counsel for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in a statement released by UA.
Hispanic students made up about 6 percent of the 375 enrollments last fall at the UA School of Law, according to data from UA. Black students made up about 5 percent.
Wal-Mart's legal team will give $50,000 each year for the next three years to support the Summer Pre-law Program Arkansas, an annual program for students from underrepresented groups. The program began in 2012.
"We are thankful for Walmart's tremendous generosity for SPPARK," said Stacy Leeds, dean of the law school, in a statement. "This is an established program that is making a real difference, and Walmart's support gives it the opportunity to continue and to grow."
Global Campus has new interim chief
FAYETTEVILLE -- Donald Judges has been appointed the interim leader of online and distance education efforts for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Judges will begin July 1 as interim vice provost for distance education and leader of UA's Global Campus. He will step in for the departing Javier Reyes, who is leaving UA to become dean of the business college at West Virginia University.
The appointment is for one year, UA announced. Judges began working at UA in 1989 as a faculty member. Last year, Judges took on the role of second-in-command at UA's Global Campus, which supports online and distance education programs.
UA's online degree programs and courses have increased in recent years, with 12,293 students taking at least one online course in 2014-15 compared with 7,161 in 2012-13.
"Don Judges will provide a seamless transition in leadership for the Global Campus," Provost Ashok Saxena said in a statement. "He has been a key part of every major decision since joining the Global Campus and looks forward to continuing its forward momentum."
Judges will make a salary of $250,000 in his new role. He currently earns a salary of $170,155.
Metro on 04/24/2016