The 2026 graduates of the Practical Nursing program at the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology-Crossett (UAM-CTC) recently achieved a 100% first-attempt pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

This achievement marks the 17th time since 1998 that all students who completed the PN program sat for the NCLEX-PN and passed it on their first attempt. It is also the second consecutive year that the program has achieved a 100% first-attempt pass rate.

The NCLEX-PN is a standardized licensure exam required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing that evaluates whether nursing graduates have the knowledge and skills to practice safely and effectively. The perfect pass rate reflects the program’s commitment to excellence and demonstrates that UAM-CTC graduates are well prepared to provide quality care in today’s health care environments.

Dr. Tracy Tucker, vice chancellor of UAM-CTC, stated, “We are exceptionally proud of our recent PN graduates. These students have completed a strong program that does an exceptional job of preparing students to be nurses with an abundance of knowledge, excellent communication and personal skills and a desire to serve others through this career. They showed dedication to complete this rigorous program in just 10 1/2 months, but their greatest accomplishment is that every single one of them passed the NCLEX-PN on the first attempt!”

The University of Arkansas at Monticello has announced the appointment of Brian Hargis as vice chancellor for Advancement. Hargis assumed the role on September 1, 2026, bringing more than two decades of experience in relationship building, community leadership, strategic partnerships, fundraising support and organizational growth across the banking and nonprofit sectors.

A proud UAM alumnus, Hargis earned his Bachelor of Science in agriculture business degree from UAM and has remained deeply engaged in advancing opportunities throughout southeast Arkansas. In 2016, he completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, further strengthening his leadership and financial management expertise.

Prior to joining UAM, Hargis served nearly 15 years as community president for Simmons Bank in Monticello, where he led market operations and cultivated strong partnerships among businesses, nonprofit organizations, civic leaders and community stakeholders in southeast Arkansas.

Throughout his career, Hargis has demonstrated a unique ability to connect philanthropic resources with community needs. Most notably, he partnered with the Simmons First Foundation to secure support for numerous organizations and initiatives, including UAM, the SEARK Concert Association, the Miracle League of Southeast Arkansas, Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Family Services and The Centers for Youth and Families.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) Division of Music will host its Fall Faculty Showcase on Monday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center on UAM’s Monticello campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The concert presents the artistic talents of the UAM music faculty and special guests. Faculty performers include Lester Pack (guitar), professor of music at UAM; Scott Bearden (voice), associate professor of voice at UAM; Dr. Kevin Bryson (trombone), director of jazz studies and assistant professor of low brass and jazz at UAM; Dr. Hee-Kyung Juhn (piano and harpsichord), assistant professor of piano at UAM; Dr. Kylan Bigby (marimba), assistant professor of percussion at UAM; and Leah Venable (flute and recorder), adjunct instructor of flute and school methods at UAM. Special guests include Julia Buckingham (piano), Joe Vick (bass), Philip House (drums) and UAM student Chloe Stainbrook (voice and bass). 

The concert will also feature an original composition, “Boll Weevil Blues,” written specifically for the concert by Dr. Bryson. 

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) held its 2026 Homecoming Week October 5-10.

On October 8, during UAM Athletics’ annual UAM Sports Hall of Fame banquet, Monte Erwin, Jake Nowlen, Danielle Rollins, Katherine Taju and De’Andre Washington were inducted into the UAM Sports Hall of Fame. Nat Grubbs was named the 2026 Sports Hall of Fame Spirit Winner.

On October 9, the UAM Alumni Association hosted a reception for this year’s alumni award winners. Dr. Drew Perry and Francis J. Porto III were the recipients of the Young Alumni Rising Star Award. Achievement and Merit recipients included Dr. Barrett L. Brown, Hani W. Hashem, Kathy Lyon, Shela Upshaw and Leslie “Les” Walz. Greg Montgomery received the 2026 Continuing the Connection Award. Kelly and Anna Koonce were honored with the Chancellor’s Legacy Award. Karen Cantrell, Ethan Clemons, Jacob Courson, Indica Rose Gist and Dante Salazar were the student recipients of the 2026 Alumni Association Scholarship, and Kenna Elliott was the student recipient of the 2026 UAM Alumni Legacy Scholarship.

On October 2, the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, bringing political, higher education and forestry leaders from across the state to its campus in Monticello. 

Forests in Arkansas support $16 billion of the state’s economy annually through wood products, tourism and hunting. However, increased threats to forest health from invasive pests, changing disease behaviors and climate stressors such as flooding and drought pose risks to this important economic asset. Until now, Arkansas has had no in-state facilities for testing forest diseases and insects. 

UAM, a leader in forestry, allied health and agriculture workforce development in Arkansas, aims to serve the state to remedy these issues. The Arkansas Forest Health Research Center is a top facility of its kind in the Southeast United States, leading research for mitigating the effects of insects, disease and environmental stressors on forests. 

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attended the event as a special guest speaker and, during the ceremony, highlighted the center’s potential impact on the region, stating, “This new forest research center won’t just improve this school, it’ll drive additional investment into southeast Arkansas.”

Twelve women have been named to the 2026 Homecoming Court at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). The 2026 UAM Homecoming Queen will be selected by a vote of the student body and announced during a pre-game coronation ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. on October 10, prior to the 2 p.m. kickoff of UAM Football’s homecoming game against Oklahoma Baptist University. 

The members of the court include Baylee Jo Allison, Riley Kate Derryberry, Ebonee Octavia Farmer, Fallon Elise Johnson, Ronnie Hope Johnson, Paige King, Alexandria Lewis, Bryleigh Myers, Victoria Wynne O’Neill Rivera, Lauren Elisabeth Spoon, Brooklyn Thompson and Nicole Weaver.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) has released the 2026 Homecoming Week schedule. Homecoming events will take place from October 5-10.

On October 8, the UAM Department of Athletics will host its annual UAM Sports Hall of Fame Banquet. During the banquet, Monte Erwin, Jake Nowlen, Danielle Rollins, Katherine Taju and De’Andre Washington will be inducted into the UAM Sports Hall of Fame. Nat Grubbs will also be honored as the 2026 UAM Sports Hall of Fame Spirit Award winner. For tickets or more information, contact the Department of Athletics at 870-460-1157.

On October 9, the UAM Alumni Association will host its annual lawn party and reception for the 2026 alumni award winners. Award recipients will include Dr. Barrett L. Brown, Hani W. Hashem, Kelly and Anna Koonce, Kathy Lyon, Greg Montgomery, Dr. Drew Perry, Francis J. Porto III, Shela Upshaw and Les Walz. Attendance is free; however, to assist with planning and preparations, attendees should RSVP by October 3 to the Office of Alumni Affairs at 870-460-1127.

The homecoming football game will be held on October 10. The UAM African-American Alumni Association will hold its annual breakfast at 8:30 a.m. For tickets to the breakfast or more information, contact Classie Jones Green at 870-556-0527. Homecoming tailgate parties will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tailgate Row, adjacent to Weevil Pond. The Weevil Walk of Champions and Homecoming Parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. The coronation of the 2026 UAM Homecoming Queen will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium, and UAM Football will kick off against Oklahoma Baptist University at 2 p.m. During the game, UAM Cheer and the UAM “Pride of Southeast Arkansas” Marching Band will perform.  

On Friday, October 2, the University of Arkansas at Monticello will hold a public ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center on UAM’s Monticello campus.

In February 2024, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration received approval to allocate $16.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to UAM for the construction of the center. At the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2024, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced an additional $1 million from state settlement funds for the project. The family of John W. Spivey also contributed $400,000 to support the addition of the John W. Spivey Conference Center. 

The research center, poised to be among the top facilities of its kind in the Southeast United States, is designed to address a critical gap in Arkansas’ forest research capacity. Prior to the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, the state lacked in-state facilities to test for forest diseases, invasive insects and climate threats that increasingly threaten its $16 billion annual forestry economy. Estimates indicate the center will generate a $157 million annual economic benefit to Arkansas by protecting against lost values of trees and forest products and increasing the workforce for forestry, allied health, agriculture, wildlife and related fields.

In addition to the research wing and the conference center, the building includes a wing of biology and chemistry labs to benefit all UAM students, including those in natural sciences, allied health, agriculture, natural resources and other highly demanded career fields.

For additional information on the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center and the ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held at 132 Science Center Drive, Monticello, Arkansas, on October 2, contact Dr. Michael Blazier at blazier@uamont.edu or 870-460-1152.

When Brittany Leek walked onto the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus as a student studying animal science, she likely never imagined she would one day return to UAM to help shape the next generation of agricultural students.

Now, after 13 years of teaching agriculture at Drew County High School, Leek is back at her alma mater as an animal science instructor in the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, bringing with her years of classroom experience, a deep connection to the local agricultural community and a passion for creating opportunities for students.

A return to where it all began

For Leek, returning to UAM feels like coming home.

“I’ll have the chance to stay connected to all the things I love and hold dear and continue to provide opportunities for a different type of student, as well as create opportunities for high school students and ag teachers to visit UAM,” Leek said.

The School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) has established a new partnership with Drew Central Elementary School to build a Literary and Math Learning Lab Classroom. The partnership provides teacher education candidates at UAM with opportunities to apply their coursework in a public-school setting while supporting instruction for elementary students. 

Supported by the UAM Centennial Grant, the partnership has equipped the lab classroom with the necessary technology and high-quality instructional materials designed to enhance learning for both UAM students and Drew Central Elementary students.  

The partnership’s pilot course is Teaching Literacy, which is taught on the Drew Central Elementary campus by Crystal Grimes, instructor of education at UAM. College students enrolled in the course have been admitted by the School of Education as teacher education candidates. Candidates work directly with an elementary classroom selected specifically for the partnership. Candidates first learn literacy concepts and instructional strategies from Grimes and then teach those concepts to the elementary students, assessing their progress to identify learning gaps. If a learning gap is detected, candidates create a plan to help students strengthen those skills. The entire process occurs under the supervision of Grimes and Drew Central Elementary teachers.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) will host its annual Parent/Family Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 26, on UAM’s Monticello campus. 

This year’s Parent/Family Appreciation Day invites relatives of students to enjoy an afternoon of family-friendly activities with the UAM community and cheer on UAM Football during its game against the Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boys.

Activities will begin at 2:30 p.m. on the south side of Weevil Pond and include music, face painting, a temporary tattoo booth and a variety of games. Students may bring any number of family members.

At 3:30 p.m., the Walk of Champions game-day parade will begin on Tailgate Row. 

The Chancellor’s Tailgate Cookout will begin on the south side of Weevil Pond following the parade. Families can visit the registration tent at the south end of Tailgate Row between 3:45 and 5:30 p.m. to receive free tickets to the cookout and free passes to the football game. The first 300 individuals to register will also receive a free UAM T-shirt. 

On Thursday, September 17, the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) Division of Music, in collaboration with the SEARK Concert Association, National Federation of Music Club (NFMC) and Pine Bluff Musical Coterie, will host a concert featuring mezzo-soprano Claire McCahan, the 2026 NFMC Young Artist Winner, accompanied by pianist Mary Scott Smith. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Harris Recital Hall in the Music Building at UAM and will last approximately one hour. The event is free and open to the public. 

Claire McCahan is regarded as a musician of sincerity and versatility, delivering compelling and honest performances across Baroque, recital, opera and contemporary repertoire. Winner of the 2022 Joy in Singing International Art Song Competition, the 2022 National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards, the 2025 NFMC Young Artist Competition and the 2025 Federation of the Art Song Fellowship, McCahan is an accomplished recitalist, devising programs revealing thematic connection across time and language. Along with collaborative pianist Barbara Noyes, she co-founded Horizon Duo, dedicated to creative programming of contemporary and classic repertoire. The duo made their New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in 2023. Praised for her interpretations of J.S. Bach, she is the winner of the 2025 American National Oratorio Competition, an alumna of the American Bach Soloists Academy and a featured soloist on the Boulder Bach Festival’s first commercial album. 

When severe weather threatened the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s (UAM) fall semester welcome-back concert, a new student lounge became the unexpected hero. 

On the evening of August 18, UAM held a grand opening for Weezy’s, the campus’s new sports-bar-style student lounge in the John F. Gibson University Center. At the same time, country artist Patrick Averill performed on the University Center lawn in UAM’s first campus concert since 2016, bringing students, faculty and staff together for a long-awaited night of music and entertainment. 

Then the clouds rolled in.

Shortly after the concert began, rain and lightning swept across campus, and hundreds of people fled back to their cars and dorms. However, instead of ending the festivities, more than 100 students sought refuge in the University Center, setting the stage for an unforgettable opening night at Weezy’s. Students packed into the lounge, filling the couches and chairs and mingling beneath the glow of Weezy’s bright neon-green sign. Averill happily continued his acoustic setlist inside, turning Weezy’s into a concert venue. 

With the storm in the background, students sang along, cell phone lights glowing in the air, and Weezy’s became exactly what it was designed to be: a welcoming place to connect, unwind and build community. 

The University of Arkansas at Monticello Forestry Club will host the Tall Pines Timber Challenge on Saturday, September 12, at the Bradley County Fairgrounds as part of the Bradley County Fair.

Designed as a fun, family-friendly introduction to forestry and timbersports, the Tall Pines Timber Challenge will give members of the public an opportunity to learn about forestry skills and traditions while participating in a friendly competition. Participants of all experience levels are encouraged to join in, and the emphasis is on having fun and trying something new.

The event will have divisions for both youth and adults. 

A youth division will begin at 10 a.m. and is open to participants ages 10 through high school seniors. Youth competitors will test their forestry knowledge and skills in events including tree identification, forestry equipment identification, compass and pacing and a tree cookie toss.

The adult division, open to participants ages 18 and older, will begin at 1 p.m. and will feature traditional timbersports events such as crosscut sawing, axe throwing, Jack and Jill, and more.

No experience is necessary to participate. UAM Forestry Club students will demonstrate the events throughout the competition and help participants learn how each event works. For events requiring a partner, Forestry Club members will also be available to team up with participants who need a partner.

The exhibition “into the current: eroding and evolving” by Brooke Cassady will be on display from August 19 through October 21 in the Glassblock Gallery in the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). There will be a closing reception and activation of the gallery space on Wednesday, October 21, from 6 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

“Working across ceramics, fibers and metals, I build objects and installations holding the tension between lack and excess, between the solitary self and the collective unconscious, weaving through all living matter,” said Cassady. “I engage the alchemy of air, fire and water, transmuting raw material into form to give shape to what has no shape.”

The exhibition, which spans both floors of the Glassblock Gallery, is based on the concept that “everything alive is in the process of becoming and dissolving,” explained Cassady. “What do we keep and what do we release? Shells and nests outlive the creatures that built it. Seed hold plants that have yet to emerge. This altar begins with what can still be touched: clay, sand, bone, the record of a hand’s touch pressed into earth. Small pinches of clay dissolve slowly in a jar of water over the course of the show, an invitation to let go of something. Upstairs, the waters of the unconscious unravel. Between the two floors, suspended in the open air, eight porous vessels escape from their nets, dredging what is buried into the light.”

Emily Davis, a college and career coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology-Crossett (UAM-CTC), was recently recognized as the Top Performing Career Coach of Region 5 at the 2026 Arkansas Career and Technical Education Summer Conference. The conference was held from July 20 to 24 at the Saline County Career and Technical Campus in Benton, Arkansas.

The college and career coach position housed at UAM-CTC is provided through the College and Career Coach Program administered by the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Career and Technical Education (DCTE). According to the DCTE website, “The College and Career Coach Component is designed to motivate and support Arkansas students and adults achieve their goals as it relates to college and career planning through intensive hands-on programs and services.”

Davis, a Monticello native, joined UAM-CTC in September 2024 to serve in Region 5, which includes several institutions participating in the program throughout eastern and southeastern Arkansas. Davis currently works with the Crossett and Drew Central School Districts.

Before joining UAM-CTC, Davis spent eight years working for Mainline Health Systems in health care. She left for a short time before returning to Mainline to work in marketing and public relations. Davis credits her experience at Mainline with helping prepare her for her current role as a college and career coach. 

The 2026 graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) recently achieved a 100% first-attempt pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

This achievement marks the program’s first 100% first-attempt pass rate since 2023.

The NCLEX-RN is a standardized licensure exam required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing for nursing graduates seeking to become registered nurses. Passing the exam demonstrates that a graduate has met the national standard of education and training necessary to begin practice as an entry-level nurse. 

The graduating cohort includes Kaitlyn Clark, from Hamburg; Annie Figueroa, from Warren; Harley Latta, from Warren; Fabiola Mondragon, from Dumas; Graci Philips, from Star City; Courtnee Poppy, from Maumelle; and Noemi Salazar, from Hope.

The stage is set for an exciting new campus event at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM). On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., UAM will kick off the fall semester with an outdoor concert featuring country act Patrick Averill.

The event will also include yard games, refreshments and opportunities for students to connect with campus organizations and one another. The event is free and open to the UAM campus community. 

The event is sponsored by UAM Student Programs and Activities. James Hanten, director of Student Programs and Activities, is responsible for bringing the concert to UAM. “I started asking students what kinds of special events they wanted to see at the university,” Hanten explained. “One of the things that kept coming up was a concert on campus.”

Less than a year after its creation, the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) Trap Shooting team proved to be right on target, finishing among the nation’s best at the 2026 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National Championship. 

The team arrived at the national competition, held from July 10 to 18 at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio, locked and loaded to compete in the co-ed collegiate American Trap event. 

Each member fired 200 rounds over the course of a two-day competition. The number of successfully shot targets was the shooter’s final score, and the team’s five highest individual scores were combined to determine the final standing. UAM Trap Shooting earned a ninth-place finish, landing them among the top ten of more than 70 collegiate teams.

In addition to the American Trap competition, one team member participated in the Super Sporting Clays event, which the team plans to incorporate into next year’s practice schedule.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) continues to transform higher education in Arkansas through an innovative campus-within-a-campus model that is redefining how rural students earn bachelor’s degrees while creating lasting economic benefits for communities across the state.

What began in 2023 as a single partnership has rapidly evolved into a statewide initiative spanning nine community college partners, creating one of Arkansas’ most significant higher education collaborations. The model provides students with the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree from UAM while remaining on their local community college campus, removing many of the financial, geographic and personal barriers that have historically prevented students from completing a four-year degree.

For rural Arkansas, the initiative represents a transformational investment, not only in students but also in the future workforce and economic vitality of communities throughout the state.

“The campus-within-a-campus model represents one of the most significant innovations in higher education access in Arkansas,” said Dr. Peggy Doss, chancellor of UAM. “For many students, relocating to pursue a bachelor’s degree is simply not an option. By bringing the university to students rather than requiring students to come to the university, we are creating opportunities that change lives, strengthen communities and support the state’s workforce needs.”

Two students from the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) participated on a team that recently won third place at the AI Hackathon and HealthTech Startup Week competition in Little Rock. 

The event, held at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) from June 8 to 12, was open to high school and college students from Arkansas and surrounding states. Hosted through a collaboration between UA Little Rock, local health care providers, NVIDIA and Google, participants from a variety of health, technical and business backgrounds of all experience levels were brought together to earn AI certifications, learn from health care professionals and solve real-world challenges using AI tools. 

This event was the first hackathon experience for UAM students Pronita Ghimire, a freshman double majoring in computer science and mathematics with a data science option, and Kshitiz Khatiwada, a sophomore double majoring in computer information systems with a cybersecurity concentration and mathematics with a data science option. Friends since high school in Kathmandu, Nepal, the two were eager to participate to advance their knowledge and skills.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) is set to make history with the launch of its innovative UAM Collegiate Academy, which will be piloted in partnership with Drew Central High School. This initiative marks the first time in Arkansas that a four-year university has partnered with a public school district to offer high school students a no-cost pathway to earning an associate degree before graduation.

The UAM Collegiate Academy, which will begin in the fall 2026 semester, represents a bold reimagining of higher education and workforce preparation in the state. By enabling students to complete up to 60 hours of college credit during their high school years, the program empowers participants to earn a bachelor’s degree in as little as two years after high school, saving them time and money while accelerating their entry into professional careers.

“This is a soft introduction to the collegiate world for high school students,” said Dr. Peggy Doss, chancellor of UAM. “It allows them to engage in career exploration and university life while in a very safe and supported environment, maturing with guidance from both high school teachers and college professors. This program reimagines the timeframe and method to deliver college degrees to students, creating an incredible return on investment.”