Welcome to the November 2024 Round Up of the Fulbright REVIEW Blog

Hello Fulbright College friends, supporters, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and students,

It’s been an eventful and busy fall, and I hope that you and yours will soon be able to slow down, take a deep breath, rest and enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

In the spirit of saying thank you and expressing appreciation, this November edition of the Fulbright REVIEW is full of impactful stories about giving, scholarship recipients, research, and some of the folks who make the college so incredible.

Our college listening tour remains in full swing, and I can’t believe the associate deans and I have met with nearly every department’s faculty and staff teams, as well as many alumni, donors, and community partners.

As I’ve mentioned in the Round Up before, this spring we will launch a college-wide initiative that will lead to a new Fulbright College strategic plan, and I am certain that much of what we have learned from the listening tour will inform that plan. More details on that soon.

On a personal note, November is an ideal time to reflect on all that we are grateful for. My family and I spent more than 20 years in Texas, and we are so grateful to be back in the beautiful hills of Northwest Arkansas, at a university that embraces its land grant mission and serves as a public good for the entire state.

I am also deeply grateful for the warm, supportive, and friendly welcome that we have received. And I have to say that it’s especially meaningful to spend this season with all of you – the faculty, staff and friends of Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Fulbright College is a special place because of each of you and all that you do to support our shared mission. Thank you!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and my team via fulbright@uark.edu.

Sincerely,

Brian E. Raines
Dean, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

HIGHLIGHTS:

In top news, the U of A launched its new Land of Opportunity Scholarship initiative, and we’ve been celebrating both National Native American Heritage Month and International Education Week this month.

In this edition we’re also highlighting three students who thanks to three scholarships and the donors who created them are each closer to making their educational and career dreams come true, and an innovative art exhibit that showcases the work of 51 of our outstanding faculty.

Readers can also get to know a first-generation student gaining hands-on clinical experience, an alumnus who can predict the weather, and this year’s Homecoming Queen.

Then, learn how stress, illness, or personal health worries may cause healthcare workers to show bias, see how we’re leading the way in geosciences professional development, and find out how our MicroCT has helped our researchers win more than $12 million in funding.

You can also meet a writer who won a prestigious state prize, and another who just released three brand new works including a novel set in Fayetteville, a memoir, and a translation.

We also recently started a new University of Arkansas Museums docent tour program, brought a group of third graders to campus to experience Prehistoric Day, and celebrated as KUAF 91.3 FM raised more than $140,000 in support.

You can also get to know a triple major who won a research award for her work in counterterrorism, a group of math students who visited a national lab, and a chemistry grad student with a passion for traveling.

Next, meet two scholars who were accepted into a prestigious political conference, the winner of an inaugural geosciences representation scholarship, and a group studying safe drinking practices and behaviors.

In recent breakthroughs, one of our researchers won an award to study materials that could lead to faster and more energy efficient computers, while another’s work calls for a revaluation of a past evolutionary theory.

In classroom innovation news, we’re teaching students how to integrate AI tools into their resumes, while our Instructor Coaches are providing one-on-one help to learners.

You can also help congratulate a college leader who is one of only 10 artists selected for a national leadership program, and a professor named the U of A’s inaugural Provost’s Faculty Resource Fellow.

Then, hear how one of our top musicians fared in an instrumental performance competition, and cheer on the the Lyrique Quintette faculty quintet-in-residence members who won another award.

Finally, help us recognize three communication faculty members who picked up multiple awards for research and advising, and a professor who snagged an Emmy-nomination for his documentary on Arkansas accents.

And, if you’d like to learn more about the extraordinary people, initiatives, projects and activities that make up Fulbright College, please visit our Facebook, Twitter / X, Instagram or LinkedIn social media channels. Our handle is @uarkfulbright on all.

As always, we’ll keep providing you with more new stories at fulbrightreview.uark.edu. We hope you’ll stay tuned.