University of Arkansas

University of Arkansas senior honors student Burgin Rome and her thesis mentor, Shari Moxley, assistant teaching professor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences, are offering a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training free to U of A students. Youth Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based program that equips individuals who work with or care for youth with practical skills to recognize and respond to emerging mental health challenges. The training emphasizes early intervention strategies, supportive communication and connecting youth with appropriate help before concerns escalate into crises.

A thesis exhibition by third-year master of fine arts candidate Serena Caffrey, All Signs Point, invites viewers to engage with movable banners that explore attention, presence and ambivalence. At first glance, the sensory delight and imaginative versatility of All Signs Point feels like something of childhood play, with animated language simply guiding viewers to "WALK, SUPPORT, GATHER." These and other words function like mantras: easy encouragements to direct action in gentle and productive ways. However, their phrasing is fickle and could easily be shuffled. "DON'T WAIT" when reversed implies an entirely different meaning: "WAIT, DON'T." Meaning is rendered ambiguous, or at least in constant renegotiation.

Daniela Pineda-Vizcaino, an international business and Spanish major, has been selected for the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) Global Leaders Internship Program. Pineda-Vizcaino will spend the 2026 spring semester in Washington, D.C., gaining experience in both congressional and corporate offices.

Faculty and students from the U of A's apparel merchandising and product development program attended the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, with several delivering scholarly presentations. The 2025 conference, titled "Gateway to a Brighter Future," brought together students, educators and industry professionals to share research and pedagogical advancements focused on inclusivity, innovation and sustainability within the textile and apparel industry.

Grace Helmers, a Master of Professional Accounting student in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, has secured a postgraduate technical assistantship with the Financial Accounting Standards Board. She is only the second U of A student to achieve this honor, and the first since 2012. The assistantship is highly coveted and reflects the growing recognition of the William Dillard Department of Accounting on the national stage.

A student team seeking to raise awareness about whole health care captured one of the top prizes at Demo Day, a bi-annual event showcasing a semester of learnings in the McMillon Innovation Studio, the University of Arkansas' campus innovation hub. The team partnered with Community Clinic to create Wellness on Wheels, a mobile education and resource van. The program, unveiled Dec. 3 at the U of A's Institute for Integrative & Innovative Research, helps raise awareness in the community by attending local events to teach whole health principles and distribute preventative tools.

Four recent graduates from the Department of Communication's nationally-recognized Master of Arts program were honored with outstanding thesis awards at the 2025 National Communication Association Conference in Denver, Colorado. Notably, the department swept the M.A. thesis awards category for NCA's Master's Education Section.

The School of Art in the University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is proud to announce that four of its members have been awarded Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships. Represented at all levels - faculty, staff and students - the awardees include assistant professor of Foundations Jean Schmitt, equipment technician Andrew Blackwell, assistant director of communications Elizabeth Muscari and MFA candidate Serena Caffrey.

From planning when and how a package of bacon is going to be produced to when you pick it up and place it in your grocery cart, Allison Primm's influence is there from start to finish. An associate product manager for Tyson Foods, Allison, a native of Rogers and a 2023 graduate from the University of Arkansas, is responsible for leading cross-functional teams responsible for the planning, production, distribution and marketing of Wright Brand and Jimmy Dean bacon - which produce and distribute millions of pounds of bacon each year.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering Community and Student Engagement Committee organized the first Biomed ENGAGE DESIGN showcase to provide undergraduate and graduate students with an opportunity to inspire and engage with the next generation of biomedical engineering students. The event brought close to 250 high school students together for an up-close look at medical devices, research models and other prototypes that covered a range of topics from regenerative medicine, genome engineering, neural engineering, biomedical imaging, machine learning and organ-on-chip platforms.

Lexi Applequist, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. researcher at the University of Arkansas and cofounder and CEO of Humimic Biosystems, has earned a spot on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Science list for 2026 - a recognition that underscores her groundbreaking work in revolutionizing how drugs are tested before reaching patients.

The Master of Science in Operations Management Program in the College of Engineering announce the recipients of two departmental scholarships for the spring 2026 semester, Julian Mpirirwe and Meerim Seiitova. These awards recognize outstanding graduate students who demonstrate academic excellence, professional promise and a commitment to service.

University of Arkansas Student Involvement and Leadership, along with Associated Student Government, announced the Top 20 Homecoming Queen and King candidates, who will advance to interviews for selection as the top seven finalists. The student body will then vote for the 2025 Homecoming Queen and King. Registered student organizations and Greek chapters nominate candidates. To qualify, candidates must complete at least 90 credit hours, plan to graduate in the 2025-26 academic year, hold a minimum 2.25 GPA, enroll full-time, and maintain a record free of conduct or academic integrity violations.

For the past three years, the Golden Cardinal search has been a staple for A-Week participants. A small, three-pound metal cardinal is hidden on campus, and a new clue is published each day of A-Week, leading students one step closer to finding it. This year, the Golden Cardinal was hidden in the brush at the bottom of the Garland Parking Garage and found by freshmen Andrea Sikora and Katie Tucker.

The University of Arkansas had a strong showing at the 2025 Missouri Valley District Institute of Transportation Engineers (MOVITE) Fall Meeting in Des Moines. MOVITE represents transportation professionals across six states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The organization was chartered in 1951, and the University of Arkansas student chapter joined in 1993.

At the mention of Rome, Italy, the taste of gelato, the sight of the Colosseum and the smell of freshly made pizza probably spring to mind. But for students and faculty at the University of Arkansas Rome Center, Italy's capital city means more than these top-of-mind tourist tropes. Instead, it's an educational hub centered in a city more than 2,000 years old, with access to remarkable architecture, extraordinary art and the opportunity for cultural immersion.

Twenty-eight supply chain management majors from the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas were inducted into the Sigma Chi Mu Tau Honor Society in the 2024-25 academic year.

The U of A is recognizing students for making the Spring 2025 Chancellor's List. To qualify, undergraduate students must attain a 4.0 GPA for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours of coursework. The Spring 2025 Chancellor's List is available online.

More than 300 undergraduate students earned bachelor's degrees during the fall 2023 term in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. These undergraduate students earned their degrees in areas of study that span across one of four academic disciplines in Fulbright College: fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

With family and friends witnessing, the Razorback Battalion - the University of Arkansas Army ROTC - commissioned eight second lieutenants into the United States Army on Dec. 15, 2023. These second lieutenants went through at least four years of training here on campus and at various military installations throughout the country. The ceremony was held at Giffels Auditorium. The cadre at the Razorback Battalion are very proud of our newest lieutenants. They will be a great contribution to the U.S. Army.

Students achieving academic excellence have been named to the University of Arkansas Spring 2025 Dean's List. The honor recognizes undergraduates with GPAs of 3.75-3.99 and Law students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Spring 2025 Dean's List is available online.

Nine music students from the University of Arkansas' Department of Music, part of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, competed at the statewide Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition hosted at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. The Young Artist competition is open to students ages 19-26 who are currently enrolled in collegiate programs. The winners will have the opportunity to compete at the national level against winners from other states.

The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences recently welcomed more than 1,800 first-year undergraduate students to the college and to the greater University of Arkansas campus community for the fall semester, adding to the 6,344-person university-wide freshman class and to the more than 32,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students at the U of A.