Steinmetz on board of university group
FAYETTEVILLE -- A membership organization of land-grant and other public universities last month named Chancellor Joe Steinmetz to its board of directors.
Steinmetz will serve a three-year term on the board for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, an advocacy organization on matters including student aid legislation and science policy.
The Washington, D.C., organization counts more than 200 college campuses as members.
"I am honored to serve on the APLU Board and ensure that the University of Arkansas is actively engaged in the national conversation about the important higher education issues facing all public and land-grant universities," Steinmetz said in a statement.
He is one of seven at-large members on the 27-member board, and was elected by members of the organization's 2017 board, said David Edelson, a spokesman for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
$999,847 U.S. grant to aid degree effort
FAYETTEVILLE -- A $999,847 grant from the National Science Foundation will support an effort to increase the number of low-income students earning degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, widely known as STEM fields.
The Path to Graduation program "will specifically target those areas of Arkansas where there are many minority and first-generation students but few opportunities to pursue STEM education," Lynda Coon, dean of UA's Honors College, said in a statement.
Two groups of 18 students each year beginning next fall will receive annual scholarships of up to $5,500.
The program is described by UA as an extension of its Honors College Path Program, which began in 2014 to recruit high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to the university.
Affordable housing focus of initiative
FAYETTEVILLE -- Architecture students will study affordable housing designs for the region with help from a $250,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
A studio course in the spring, a regional symposium and a design competition will make up the Housing Northwest Arkansas initiative.
The events are "designed to be of maximum public impact and value," Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, said in a statement.
Public presentations will be part of the Feb. 4 symposium, with events taking place in Fayetteville and Bentonville.
Administrator adds research-chief job
FAYETTEVILLE -- An administrator for graduate and international education also will serve as the university's interim top research officer beginning Jan. 3.
Kim Needy, dean of the graduate school and international education since 2014, will step in for Jim Rankin, who is leaving to become president of his alma mater, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Needy will be co-chairman of the committee to find Rankin's replacement, with an internal search to begin early next year.
Trish Starks, an associate professor of history, will serve as the other co-chairman.
Needy earns a salary of $260,615 as dean and will receive supplemental pay of $2,150 per month while she serves as interim vice provost for research and innovation, according to UA spokesman Steve Voorhies.
2 poets win $1,000 in 2 competitions
FAYETTEVILLE -- Two poets have won contest prizes that include publication of their work by the University of Arkansas Press.
Peter Twal will receive $1,000 as winner of the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize, awarded to a first or second book of poetry by a writer of Arab heritage.
UA Press and the Radius of Arab American Writers oversee the competition.
Angel Garcia has won the $1,000 CantoMundo Poetry Prize given to a book of poetry by a U.S.-based Hispanic writer.
UA Press and literary organization CantoMundo accept contest submissions.
The poetry competitions first gave out awards in 2016.
Professors to offer new look at classics
FAYETTEVILLE -- A two-week program for teachers looking to adapt classic literature for students will be directed by two professors with support from a federal grant.
Lissette Lopez Szwydky-Davis and Sean Connors have been awarded $173,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to conduct the training scheduled to begin June 18.
Kindergarten-through- 12th-grade teachers from across the country will be able to apply for a $2,100 stipend to cover travel and expenses to the UA-hosted training event that will focus on the characters of Frankenstein and Cinderella.
Teachers will learn about multimedia cultural histories of the characters while developing instructional materials.
Metro on 12/17/2017