Firm gives $100,000 to support initiatives
FAYETTEVILLE -- A $100,000 check from Phillips 66 will support business and engineering initiatives at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the university announced.
The Houston-based company "has a great history of involvement with the University of Arkansas, and we value our relationship with them," UA's Katy Nelson-Ginder, assistant vice chancellor for university development, said in a statement released by the university.
Executives with the company visited April 28 and met with faculty and students, UA said in a statement.
4,000 graduates set for 8 ceremonies
FAYETTEVILLE -- More than 4,000 students have registered to take part in University of Arkansas, Fayetteville commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, according to UA.
The All University Commencement, where graduate degrees are awarded, will take place Saturday morning at Bud Walton Arena. More than 900 students are expected to participate.
Rev. Becca Stevens, founder and president of Thistle Farms in Nashville, Tenn., will be the commencement speaker. Thistle Farms is a residential and social enterprise program for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution and addiction.
The university's largest college, the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, will have its ceremony Friday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena, with more than 1,000 students expected to take part.
Five ceremonies for other colleges and schools within UA will take place Saturday, and the UA School of Law will hold its ceremony on May 20.
Program's leader to resign Aug. 15
FAYETTEVILLE -- The leader of the honors program within the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's largest college will step down Aug. 15.
Sidney Burris, an English professor, has led the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program since 1993. The program has more than 1,100 students, according to UA.
Burris plans to focus on a UA initiative he co-founded in 2007, the Tibetans in Exile Today program, according to the university.
He joined UA in 1986 and is credited by the university with helping develop its Sturgis Fellowship Program for top students, as well as crafting plans for what became UA's Honors College.
"He's always looking to make, grow and nurture programs that better our students and the world," Todd Shields, dean of Fulbright College, said in a statement released by UA.
Kirstin Erickson, an associate professor of anthropology, will take over as director of the Fulbright College Honors Program.
$100,000 pledged to fund scholarship
FAYETTEVILLE -- A new scholarship for University of Arkansas, Fayetteville international students with financial need will be established with a $100,000 pledge from a retired UA agriculture professor and a library faculty member.
The Lucas and Janet Parsch Endowed International Student Scholarship, named after the Fayetteville couple making the bequest, will go to undergraduate and graduate students from foreign countries.
"Both Janet and I were first-generation college students, and thus we recognize that there are many barriers to going to college," Lucas Parsch, who retired from UA's agriculture department in 2011, said in a statement released by the university.
"However, financial barriers are the greatest barrier, and they are probably even greater for international students from developing countries."
Janet Parsch holds a tenured faculty position with UA libraries. The couple began working at UA in 1982.
ROTC program wins MacArthur Award
FAYETTEVILLE -- The Army ROTC at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville has been named one of eight winners of the MacArthur Award for the 2015-16 school year.
The Razorback Brigade-UA Army ROTC was presented the honor Tuesday by Col. Jason Halloren, commander of the U.S. Army Cadet Command's 5th Brigade, which covers an eight-state region including Arkansas.
The awards from the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation are based in part on cadet performance and cadet retention rate. The eight winners were selected from among 275 senior Army ROTC units nationwide, according to an announcement from UA.
About 125 cadets are members of the Army ROTC program based at UA, though some attend other schools in the region, said Diane Smith, an Army ROTC administrative specialist.
Metro on 05/07/2017