University of Arkansas

The U of A School of Law and the Law Alumni Society Board of Directors are pleased to announce the 2026-27 Student Ambassadors. The five students selected are Hudson Anderson (3L), Julia Beck (2L), Jakara Mills (2L), Jac Shaddoxx (3L) and Colton Williams (2L). These student ambassadors were chosen through an application and interview process with Law Alumni Society board members. They will represent the School of Law at alumni, donor and special events during the year. Ambassadors will also attend Law Alumni Society Board meetings and work with the Office of Development and External Relations to support alumni and donor engagement. The program gives students the opportunity to connect with alumni and the legal community while building important professional and interpersonal skills. As ambassadors, they will welcome guests, help with events and obtain hands-on experience in alumni relations and development.

After leading the Razorback Marching Band through Early Week and three weeks of regular rehearsals, four drum majors are ready to take the field for the season opener this Saturday as Arkansas hosts the University of North Alabama. Jose Rodriguez of Springdale, Mackenzie Schofield of Bentonville, Keri Brewington of Conway and Aiden Bowen of Fort Smith were selected as drum majors following a competitive audition process held during the spring semester. Schofield, Brewington and Bowen are serving in the role for the first time, while Rodriguez returns for a second year and will serve as head drum major.

For many U of A students, some of the most valuable lessons happen outside the classroom, where ideas meet real-world constraints, and design decisions have tangible consequences. This summer, Colin Barker, a rising fourth-year landscape architecture student from Lee's Summit, Missouri, put those lessons into practice through a five-week internship at Garvan Woodland Gardens. This outreach center of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the U of A is located on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs.

From the deep blue waters of the Caribbean to brightly colored schoolrooms, through bustling hospital hallways and at lively sports venues, students in the College of Education and Health Professions immerse in hands-on learning across various settings. In the 2025-2026 academic year, 1,649 students in the college were involved in internships and clinical experiences, with 95% of them in Arkansas, learning in 64% of the state's 75 counties.

Family is very important to La Taschya Harris. When she enrolled in a doctoral program after 15 years of working with students who are also parents at National Park College in Hot Springs, it was partly to prove she could achieve her dream while caring for her adult son with disabilities.

University of Arkansas graduate Cole McCallum has been selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Lafayette Fellowship, a nationally competitive program that supports outstanding American students pursuing graduate engineering education in France while strengthening scientific and technological collaboration between the United States and France. McCallum, who graduated in May with bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and physics, was one of 30 fellows selected from more than 3,400 applicants nationwide for the program's inaugural cohort.

U of A seniors Conrad Haslauer and Nadine Moustafa earned first place in the KPMG Cybersecurity Challenge in March, a national, industry-sponsored competition that puts students' cybersecurity and business skills to the test.

When Matthew Findlay completed his Bachelor of Architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in 2024, he knew he'd eventually become an architect. What he didn't know yet was what kind of architect he wanted to become.

U of A doctoral graduate Sonali Lenaduwe is investigating the genes that help baker's yeast survive extreme stress, research that could offer broader insights into human health. Because yeast and humans share thousands of genes, identifying the genetic mechanisms behind yeast stress resilience may help scientists better understand how human cells respond to environmental pressures and conditions such as inflammation and cancer.

Instead of spending the summer rehearsing on campus, members of the U of A Razorback Marching Band performed before an international audience in London celebrating America's 250th anniversary.

Three U of A representatives recently attended the inaugural SEC Food Pantry and Basic Needs Summit hosted by the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. The summit brought together student leaders, community partners and professional staff to share ideas and best practices for addressing food and basic needs insecurity on college campuses.

Four University of Arkansas students have received English Teaching Assistant Awards through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and one student has been named an alternate for the prestigious international exchange program.

The U of A's Italian Program proudly welcomed 17 outstanding students into its chapter of Gamma Kappa Alpha, the national Italian honor society, during its annual initiation ceremony in April. Gamma Kappa Alpha recognizes exceptional academic achievement in the study of Italian language, literature and culture at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. The honor society promotes a deeper appreciation of Italy's rich cultural heritage while encouraging continued scholarly excellence among its members.

Students achieving academic excellence have been named to the University of Arkansas Spring 2026 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 2026 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 Spring 2026 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 2026 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.

The American Oil Chemists' Society recently recognized two food science researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station for contributions to science in their field. Ali Ubeyitogullari, an assistant professor of food engineering, was presented with the society's Health and Nutrition Division New Investigator Research Award, and Sumanjot Kaur, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Food Science, received the Thomas H. Smouse Memorial Fellowship.

Fort Smith native Isabella McCoy has always been curious about how things work. Fortunately, her choice to major in data science was a good fit. "Going into data science gives me the opportunity to do work across a wide variety of fields," she says, "and the ability to analyze these fields and learn about why they are the way that they are. Now a junior, Isabella is on track to graduate in 2027 with a bachelor's in data science, with concentrations in business data analytics and social data analytics, as well as a minor in mathematics.

A total 85 Arkansas student-athletes earned their way onto the 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll as part of the league's total of 1,514 student-athletes. The 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of cross country, football, soccer and volleyball. It is based on grades from the 2025 Spring, Summer and Fall terms.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.