Monticello Live

The University of Arkansas at Monticello Athletics Department is encouraging fans attending Thursday night’s season-opening football game to wear green clothing in support of the Boll Weevils as they take on the West Alabama Tigers.

Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium. The game is being featured on the Gulf South Conference TV Game of the Week package.

UAM students attending the game will be given a free “I Bleed Green” t-shirt upon arrival by showing their UAM identification card. With the GSC-TV crew in Monticello, UAM is moving the student section to the visitor’s side grandstands so the students will be exposed to main television cameras. In addition, prizes will be given out at random every quarter.

Cellist Angela Park, the 2009-2011 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist winner for strings, will present a free public performance September 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Arkansas at Monticello Fine Arts Center.

Park’s performance is being sponsored by the UAM Division of Music, the Southeast Arkansas Concert Association, the Monticello Music Club, and the Pine Bluff Musical Coterie. (more…)

University of Arkansas at Monticello jazz conductors Gary Meggs and Les Pack will put down their batons and pick up their instruments to serve as featured artists at the Hot Springs Jazz Festival September 18 in downtown Hot Springs.

Meggs, a nationally known saxophone artist, will join Pack, a jazz guitarist, to perform with the Arkansas Jazz Orchestra and other nationally known jazz groups. The festival runs from September 14-19 at various locations around Hot Springs. (more…)

Pictured from left (first row) are Mary Whiting, Debbie Gasaway, Dr. Clay Brown, (second row) Lathan Hairston, Jay Hughes, and Scott Kuttenkuler.

The names and faces are the same, but the job titles and responsibilities have changed or expanded.

In a major administrative reorganization announced recently by University of Arkansas at Monticello Chancellor Jack Lassiter, Dr. Clay Brown, formerly vice chancellor for student affairs, has been named vice chancellor for advancement and university relations. Jay Hughes, formerly dean of students, will replace Brown as vice chancellor for student affairs. Scott Kuttenkuler, formerly director of advancement, will become dean of students and director of governmental relations. Director of Admissions Mary Whiting is now dean of enrollment management while Controller Debbie Gasaway and Business Manager Lathan Hairston have been named associate vice chancellors in the Office of Finance and Administration. (more…)

A walk-on who became the most prolific passer in the history of collegiate football in Arkansas and a team of overachievers who won the only men’s basketball title in school history highlight the 2010 induction class for the University of Arkansas at Monticello Sports Hall of Fame.

Record-setting quarterback Kevin McCarn and the 1956 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference champion Boll Weevil basketball team will be inducted at a ceremony on the UAM campus October 14. They will be joined by All-American wide receiver Anthony Giovingo, multiple All-American sprinter Roger Franklin, the late Boyd Miller, a basketball standout in the late 1940s, and the late Quentious Crews, an All-American end and later head football coach.

The Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Green Room of the John F. Gibson University Center. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased by calling Jim Brewer at (870) 460-1274 or Reginald Glover at (870) 460-1028. A reception, which is open to anyone attending the banquet, will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the home of UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter and his wife, Judy. (more…)

University of Arkansas at Monticello Athletics Director Chris Ratcliff has announced the hiring of Amy Fenolia as the institution’s NCAA Compliance Officer. Fenolia also serves as an admissions specialist at UAM.

Fenolia comes to UAM after spending almost three years holding various positions at Valdosta State University. She began her athletics career in August of 2005 as a graduate assistant for athletics administration at VSU, a position she held through May of 2007 before becoming the school’s director of ticketing and game operations. (more…)

“Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country,” a traveling exhibition that tells the story of the explorers’ historic 1804-06 expedition from the viewpoint of the Indians who lived along their route, will be on display at the Taylor Library and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas at Monticello beginning August 27. (more…)

Senior wide receiver Jywin Ceasar and senior linebacker Carlton Johnson have been selected to the 2010 D2Proday.com Preseason All-America 3rd Team.

Ceaser and Johnson are also on the Consensus Draft Services Preseason All-America list as honorable mentions, and both were selected to the 2010 Preseason All-Gulf South Conference team. (more…)

The University of Arkansas at Monticello football team officially began on-field preparation for the upcoming 2010 season on Thursday with a morning practice.  The team will conduct walk-through drills this afternoon before repeating Thursday’s schedule on Friday.  Including Thursday’s schedule, there are 26 practices before UAM opens its season on Thursday, September 2 at home against West Alabama. A photo gallery with pictures of Thursday’s practice can be found at the official UAM Athletics facebook page:   http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=247304&id=231135571141

Pictured from left (first row): Monica Hall, Kathryn Walsh, Isabel Bacon, Ruth Gordon, Carol Trana, (back row) Emily Barnett, Special Sanders, David Lee Johnson, and Tanesha Curl.

Seven current and former University of Arkansas at Monticello students spent three weeks in Costa Rica recently as part of the school’s Study Abroad Program.

The program is designed to develop oral proficiency in Spanish through total immersion in the culture and day-to-day life of a Spanish-speaking country. The students lived with Costa Rican families, participated in dance and cooking classes, and attended movie nights and soccer games. (more…)

The UAM Colleges of Technology at Crossett and McGehee recently awarded associate degrees, technical certificates, and certificates of proficiency to June graduates of their technical programs.

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Former University of Arkansas at Monticello men’s basketball players Billy McDaniel and Nate Newell were recently selected to the Gulf South Conference All-Decade Team. McDaniel made the first team, while Newell made the second team.

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The University of Arkansas at Monticello football team has been selected to finish eighth in the Gulf South Conference in the 2010 season, announced Monday by the league office. North Alabama is the favorite to win the league.

UAM received one second place vote, one third place vote, two sixth place votes, four seventh place votes, one ninth place vote and one 10th place vote for a total of 46 points, just one point behind seventh place prediction, Henderson State. (more…)

The University of Arkansas at Monticello will serve as one of seven host sites for the Arkansas Economic Breakfast Series August 18 from 7 to 9:15 a.m. in conference room A of the Taylor Library and Technology Center.

The breakfast meetings will be coordinated by Accelerate Arkansas, a statewide volunteer group of business and education leaders dedicated to raising the per capita income of Arkansas. Each breakfast will bring together business, community, government and education leaders to discuss topics affecting the state’s economic growth. (more…)

University of Arkansas at Monticello volleyball coach Nicole Smith has announced the addition of eight players for the upcoming 2010 season.

Smith, the 2009 GSC-West Coach of the Year, has signed five high school seniors to go along with two NCAA Division I transfers and a transfer from Lee College in Texas.

“After losing a great group of seniors last year, I am very excited with this group to not only pick up where we left off last year, but also build up the great nucleus we have with our current players,“ said Smith. “All of these young ladies are very hardworking and love the game… All of our freshmen are going to be expected to step in and contribute right away, and the transfers will provide a good balance of experience with our upperclassmen.” (more…)

University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball coach Carlos James has announced the signing of 11 transfers from the NCAA Division I, NAIA and junior college levels to join the team for the 2011 season.

“I am very excited and proud of the recruiting class the Coach Marc MacMillan and I have put together for the 2010-11 school year,” said James. “We believe these student-athletes will usher UAM baseball into the next stage of building a championship program.” (more…)

Season tickets are now on sale in the UAM Department of Athletics. Individual reserved seating season tickets for each event are available, and an All-Sports season ticket is also available. (more…)

The numbers are up across the board at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, a trend that has UAM officials excited as they anticipate another record enrollment for the fall semester.

Those numbers include record enrollments for both the just-completed Summer I term and the current Summer II term as well an increase in students who have pre-registered for the fall semester. (more…)

The chief executive officers of nine universities in Arkansas and Oklahoma announced on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, that they intend to apply to the National Collegiate Athletic Association for permission to create a new NCAA Division II conference.

The members of the proposed new conference will be the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Arkansas Tech University, East Central University, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Southern Arkansas University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. (more…)

The nursing program at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the dean who directs the program are the subject of a two-page feature article in the current issue of “Nursing Education Perspectives,” the national bimonthly publication of the National League for Nursing.

The article, co-written by Leslie Block, managing editor of “Nursing Education Perspectives,” and Pamela Gouner, assistant professor and dean of the UAM School of Nursing, spotlights the nursing program and its recent accomplishments as well as profiling Gouner and her leadership of the program.

“This is a tremendous honor for both Mrs. Gouner and the School of Nursing,” said UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter. “Our nursing program has long been recognized at the state level for its academic rigor and excellence and that recognition is now reaching a national audience. ‘Nursing Education Perspectives’ is more than a popular journal – it is a peer-reviewed publication that is respected in the nursing profession. To be featured in this way speaks volumes for the work, not only of Mrs. Gouner, but of a dedicated and well-trained faculty. I offer my congratulations to the entire nursing faculty and Dean Gouner for this recognition.” (more…)

Dr. Ronald Sitton, associate professor of journalism at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, was recently named to the board of directors of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Sitton joined the UAM faculty in 2004 and has served as advisor for both the university yearbook, The Boll Weevil, and the online newspaper, The Voice. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello awarded degrees to the following students at May commencement exercises:

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Sharon Cantrell has been appointed assistant vice chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology at McGehee.

A Dumas native, Cantrell holds a master of education degree from UAM and has been part of the UAM-CTM staff for 18 years. “Sharon has been a valuable member of our leadership team at the McGehee campus,” said UAM-CTM Vice Chancellor Bob Ware. “She is loyal, dedicated and has an unwavering commitment to the institution and its mission. I am pleased to have her as a member of our administration.” (more…)

Alumni and friends of the University of Arkansas at Monticello are invited to UAM Family Night with the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock on July 13.

The Travs’ game with the Frisco Roughriders begins at 7 p.m. A picnic for UAM alumni and friends will begin at 6:00. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets include game admission, all-you-can-eat hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks.

Advance reservations are required by no later than June 25. To reserve tickets, contact the UAM Office of Advancement at (800) 467-8148 or (870) 460-1028.

Joshua Hunter Gillum of Monticello, a senior political science major at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, recently presented a poster of his paper entitled: “Is Islam Peaceful or Violent: Comparing Islam and Christianity to Reveal the Propaganda of Terrorism” at the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) annual conference in Chicago.

More than 8,000 entries were received from students across the country but only 276 were chosen for presentation. Gillum’s paper was inspired by a two-day conference held at Georgetown University in October entitled “A Common Word between Us and You: A Global Agenda for Change,” and the writings of Georgetown Professor John Esposito.

Gillum participated in a student discussion session with Professor Esposito’s Middle Eastern Politics class and was a co-presenter of a paper entitled “Overcoming Asymmetry in U.S. Relations with the Middle East: A Strategic Paradigm of Engagement,” which was written with Dr. Carol Strong, interim dean of the UAM School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Gillum’s paper on Islam and Christianity was presented earlier to the Arkansas Political Science Association (ArkPSA) annual conference held at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Gillum presented a paper entitled “Al Qaeda: A New Generation of Terror” at the ArkPSA conference hosted by Arkansas Tech University, winning an award for best undergraduate paper.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello football team has earned four honorable mentions to the 2010 Consensus Draft Services Preseason All-America teams. 

The four from UAM to earn the honors include senior quarterback Scott Buisson, senior wide receiver Jywin Ceaser, senior linebacker Carlton Johnson and junior punter Derek Jambon. (more…)

The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) of the University of Arkansas at Monticello raised $1,500 during the 2009-10 academic year to present to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The committee, which consists of two members from each intercollegiate sport, held three main fund raising projects during the past year.

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`The Student Activities Board at the University of Arkansas at Monticello has turned sound fiscal management into a gift to the university. SAB members recently purchased three Dell computers to be presented to the Taylor Library and Technology Center to be used by the general student population.

The $3,600 gift was made by conserving the SAB budget for the 2009-10 academic year.

Pictured from left are SAB member Ronald Forte, a senior psychology major from Monticello; Micah Bateman, SAB vice president and a senior speech and physical education double major from Pine Bluff; SAB President Zack Tucker, a senior political science major from Marked Tree; and Mindy Holcomb, director of student programs and activities and staff advisor to the SAB.

MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello recently released its Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List for the spring semester that included 35 UAM student-athletes.

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The 2010 University of Arkansas at Monticello football schedule features three Gulf South Conference TV games of the week with two of those games to be held at Convoy-Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.

The 2010 Boll Weevils are set to open the season on Thursday, September 2 at 7:05 p.m. at home against West Alabama for the first GSC-TV game of the year. The contest will be considered a non-conference game despite both teams being a member of the GSC. That week, UAM will also be hosting its “100 Year Celebration.”

The team will then take its first of seven road trips of the season on Saturday, September 11 to Baton Rouge, La. to take on Southern University of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (NCAA Division I-FCS). Southern replaces Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which bought out of the third year of a three-year contract.

UAM stays on the road to open GSC play with Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia on Saturday, September 18 at 7 p.m. at A.U. Williams Field on the OBU campus.

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Behind sophomore pitcher Kayla Jackson’s two wins in the circle, including her third no-hitter of the season, the 23rd-ranked University of Arkansas at Monticello softball team beat the 12th-ranked Alabama-Huntsville Chargers twice on Monday to advance to this weekend’s NCAA South Super-Region Tournament against host Valdosta State. (more…)

Allen Sharpe is the new men’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Sharpe was introduced at press conferences in Monticello and Little Rock on Tuesday by UAM Athletics Director Chris Ratcliff. Sharpe is the 14th men’s basketball coach in school history and the son of former UAM Coach Gary Sharpe, who coached the Boll Weevils from 1985-91. (more…)

Members of the UAM nursing faculty are (from left) Pam Gouner, assistant professor and dean, Charlotte Denton, associate professor, Leia O'Fallon, associate professor, Sharon Walters, associate professor, Anita Shaw, associate professor, Christine Felts, associate professor, James Crow, assistant professor, Laura Evans, assistant professor, and Belinda Wells, assistant professor.

Graduates of the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s four-year bachelor of science in nursing degree program achieved the state’s second highest passing rate in 2009 on the National Council for Nursing Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

The results were released recently by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. UAM’s BSN nursing graduates passed the NCLEX-RN at a rate of 96.55 percent, trailing only UA-Fayetteville’s 97.3 percent passing rate. UAM has been ranked among the top five in the state for the past five years. (more…)

Three players from the University of Arkansas at Monticello softball team and one player from the baseball team have earned spots on the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Teams. 

From the 22nd-ranked Cotton Blossoms, sophomore Kayla Jackson and senior Emilie Hobbs earned District 6 First Team honors, while senior teammate Becca Tipton made the second team. With their first team selections, Jackson and Hobbs will automatically be placed on the ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team. (more…)

Despite going 4-1 over the past week with the only loss coming to 2nd-ranked Valdosta State, the University of Arkansas at Monticello softball team fell to No. 22 in this week’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll and No. 5 in the latest batch of the NCAA South Region Rankings. 

The Cotton Blossoms (50-10) debuted at No. 24 in the NFCA poll on April 7, then spent two weeks at No. 23 before moving up to No. 18 last week. The team is currently tied with No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne (50-7) for the nation’s highest win total. (more…)