University of Arkansas

All musical artists need access to a marketplace, and Hill Records at the U of A is providing that connection for Arkansans. The record label, which is completely student-run, creates promotional campaigns for Arkansas artists while providing hands-on learning for students interested in the music business. In "Short Takes: On the Record," Hill Records president Abbie Petersen, director of operations Natalie Jenz and Malibu Moon singer/songwriter Blake Diaz give a behind-the-scenes look at what makes their experience with the label so unique.

What started out as a response to labor shortages in poultry processing plants during the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a robotics system that can learn by imitating human movements to handle chickens. Using an advanced imitation learning algorithm and camera perceptions, researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station have developed ChicGrasp, a dual-jaw robotic gripper with pinchers that can grasp a chicken carcass by the legs, lift and hang it on a shackle conveyor to be moved on for further processing.

About 200 sorority members, alumni and supporters gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new Alpha Phi chapter house at the U of A. The $25 million, 37,000-square-foot facility will be located on Sorority Row at the corner of West Maple Street and North Wilson Avenue. Construction begins this spring, with the house scheduled to open in August 2027.

Two U of A students have been named finalists for the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the nation's premier graduate fellowship for aspiring public service leaders. Jessica Doss, a junior from Little Rock, and Muskan Taori, a junior from Bentonville, were selected as finalists from a competitive national pool of candidates recognized for their academic excellence, leadership experience and commitment to careers in public service. The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate study, leadership training and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.

The College of Engineering's pipeline of aspiring engineers keeps growing. A record 746 first-year students declared their majors during Decision Day events, surpassing last year's mark of 726.

The Latino Alumni Society honored new graduates at the 2025 Winter Meritos Latinos Reception at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. Speakers at the event from LAS were Cecilia Grossberger and Carolina Vargas. Brandy Cox gave remarks from the Arkansas Alumni Association. A highlight of the reception was the presentation of graduation stoles to 12 graduating students nominated by U of A faculty and staff.

Senior Ashton Laurent's path to Senior Walk began in elementary school in his hometown of Pine Bluff, when he began playing the violin, then the viola, sparking his passion for sharing music. Now a senior on track to graduate with a bachelor's in music education in May 2026, he is currently interning in the Bentonville School District teaching orchestra and general music. He plans to continue his studies after graduation, and has been acceptedinto the Master of Music in Black Sacred Music program here at the U of A - the only one of its kind in the nation.

Faculty, staff and students from the University of Arkansas Department of Horticulture were recognized for strong participation and multiple student awards at the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting held in Louisville, Kentucky. Department faculty and staff contributed to the conference through research presentations, session moderation and student competition leadership.

The U of A College of Engineering is proud to announce the winners of the 2025-26 Student of the Year Awards. These honors, presented by Engineering Career Connections, recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional technical skill, leadership and professional growth during their industry placements.

No matter where your path at the U of A takes you, the Substance Education, Assessment & Recovery program at Pat Walker Health Center encourages all Razorbacks to Stay RazorSharp. SEAR provides direct individual and group interventions to university students with alcohol, cannabis and other substance-related concerns and offers a variety of research-based prevention, early intervention and recovery support services.

Mahboobeh Hemmati, a doctoral candidate in the Environmental Dynamics program, recently had her paper selected as an Editor's Choice Article in Buildings, an international peer-reviewed journal on building science, building engineering and architecture. Hemmati's paper, "Comparison of Embodied Carbon Footprint of a Mass Timber Building Structure With a Steel Equivalent," compares the amount of pollution created by the construction of a mass timber structure versus a steel-framed version of the same building. Her research concludes that mass timber significantly reduces the building's carbon footprint.

When T.J. Williams talks about Northwest Arkansas, he doesn't just describe it. He can navigate it from memory. He knows where buildings sit in relation to one another, how the land slopes beneath Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and which corners of the University of Arkansas campus catch the light at night. He knows these places so well, in fact, that he has rebuilt them, block by block, inside Minecraft.

University of Arkansas faculty and students recently introduced local elementary school students to computer science through the Hour of Code program. Organized by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the program paired university student volunteers with children from kindergarten through fourth grade to complete hands-on coding activities.

The University of Arkansas School of Art, housed in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, is hosting the United States International Poster Biennial, a juried exhibition with stops across the world. The exhibition, at the Studio and Design Center, offers community members a comprehensive survey of poster designs from around the world, which includes several designs from School of Art faculty and students. A highlight of the exhibition is a dedicated U of A wall showcasing work by U of A-affiliated designers and emphasizing the institution's growing impact in international design spaces.

Students achieving academic excellence have been named to the University of Arkansas Fall 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 Fall 2025 Dean's List is available online. Students on the Chancellor's List who achieve a 4.0 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours of coursework, also automatically earn recognition on the university's Dean's List.

The U of A is recognizing students for earning a place on the Fall 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 Fall 2025 Chancellor's List is available online. All students on the Chancellor's List also automatically earn recognition on the university's Dean's List, which honors undergraduates who achieve a minimum grade-point average of 3.75 for the term while completing at least 12 credit hours.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.