University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas Global Campus chose 34 students to receive the W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship in the 2025-26 academic year, totaling $62,000. The Manning Scholarship helps support U of A students studying in online undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Many of these students remain in their communities, work full-time and take care of their families while earning a degree. "We are committed to helping students overcome what we know is the greatest barrier to higher education - the need for financial support," said Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and leader of the Global Campus. "With a small fund established after longtime staff member W.E. Manning died in 1993, Global Campus has continued to grow the scholarship fund to increase the number of awards we make. Funds committed by Global Campus, along with contributions from generous donors, make this possible. The students who receive this scholarship are making significant contributions in their communities and workplaces," she said. The Global Campus scholarship committee selected recipients based on their financial need, academic merit and significant community service. Preference was given to first-generation higher-education seekers and Arkansas residents. Learn more about U of A online students on the Student Experience page of the U of A ONLINE website, where online degree programs are showcased. Anyone can donate to the scholarship fund online.

University of Arkansas's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences honored nine students in five different majors with annual academic awards. Students recognized include Cason Frisby, Presidential Scholar; Tristen Avent, Dale Bumpers Distinguished Scholar; Eniola Ola, Dale Bumpers Distinguished Scholar, Dallis Beverlin, Dale Bumpers Distinguished Scholar; Sally Hamm, John W. White Outstanding Student; Riley Swofford, Spitze Public Policy Legislative Internship Award; Reese Mitchell, Stanley E. Reed Internship Award; Ashley Rivera, Bumpers College Alumni Society Rising Senior Award; Jasma Holland, Bumpers College Alumni Society Scholarship. Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs.

Three University of Arkansas students were awarded the highly competitive Goldwater Scholarship, an honor established by Congress in 1986 to support college students pursuing research careers in science, mathematics and engineering. Student researchers Abhinav Komanduri, Jared Noel and Ian Popp will receive $7,500 from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Foundation. "Research is a core enterprise at the University of Arkansas, and undergraduate research is a key component of that research," said Charles Robinson, chancellor. "It is an important aspect of our approach to teaching as well. Congratulations to them, their research mentors, their departments, and their colleges." With these three new recipients, 67 U of A students have earned this prestigious recognition since its inception.

The University of Arkansas honored its most recent graduating class with a series of spring commencement ceremonies at Bud Walton Arena and Barnhill Arena, and the School of Law's ceremony at the Fayetteville Town Center. Chancellor Charles Robinson emphasized the significance of this milestone for students and the broader community, "Graduation is not just a celebration of academic achievement, but a testament to the resilience and hard work of our students, the dedication of our faculty and staff and the steadfast support of loved ones who helped make this day possible. As these students step into the next chapter of their lives, they carry forward the spirit of excellence that defines the University of Arkansas. We are proud to recognize their accomplishments and look forward to seeing the impact they will make in Arkansas and beyond." Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs, more than 100 major fields of undergraduate study, over 90 master's programs and more than 50 doctoral programs. The university is consistently ranked among the top public universities in the nation and as one of the few colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. Recordings of all ceremonies are available on the U of A YouTube channel, and printed program books are available online. For more information for families and guests, please visit commencement.uark.edu.

The University of Arkansas is recognizing students for making the Spring 2025 Chancellor's List. "Achieving a perfect GPA while taking a full schedule of classes is a testament to these students' hard work, discipline and commitment to excellence," said Chancellor Charles Robinson. "Congratulations to everyone who earned a place on the Chancellor's List, and best wishes for continued success through graduation and beyond." To qualify for the Chancellor's List, undergraduate students must attain a 4.0 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours of coursework. All students on the Chancellor's List also automatically earn recognition on the university's Dean's List, which includes scholars with a minimum 3.75 grade-point average. The Spring 2025 Chancellor's List is available online.

The University of Arkansas announced students who earned a spot on the Spring 2025 Dean's List. "We are incredibly proud of the students who have earned a place on the Dean's List this semester," said Provost Terry Martin. "Achieving this level of academic success is no small feat and is evidence of their dedication and perseverance in their academic pursuits. It is also a testament to the families, friends and mentors whose encouragement and support have been vital to their academic journey." Undergraduates who earned a grade-point average between 3.75 and 3.99 during the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours were named to the Dean's List of their respective colleges. School of Law students who earned a 3.0 grade-point average or higher during the semester were named to the Law School Dean's List. The Spring 2025 Dean's List is available online.

More than 1,100 students were named to the Fall 2024 Dean's List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. To qualify for the Dean's List, students must achieve at least a 3.75 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours. "It is with great pride that we celebrate the outstanding achievements of these students who have earned a place on the Dean's List this semester," said Brian E. Raines, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "This recognition reflects not only their academic excellence and dedication but also their resilience and commitment to learning." "We also want to recognize these students' families and supporters, the Fulbright College faculty and staff, and the wider University of Arkansas community who have all helped champion these students every step of the way on their pursuit of academic excellence," Raines added. More than 8,000 students call Fulbright College home and are pursing areas of study and research across the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Learn more about Fulbright College at fulbright.uark.edu.

Alassandra Holsted, a U of A undergraduate student majoring in communication, sociology and criminology, was recently recognized as the runner-up for the prestigious Stephen A. Smith Award at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. This award is named after the founder of Lambda Pi Eta, professor emeritus Stephen A. Smith. It is presented by NCA's Lambda Pi Eta division to honor students who exemplify academic achievement in communication studies. Holsted was honored for a competitively selected research paper presented at the conference.

More than 2,000 students were named to the Fall 2024 Chancellor's List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. To qualify for the Chancellor's List, students must achieve at least a 4.00 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours. "Earning a place on the Chancellor's List is an extraordinary achievement that speaks volumes about these students' dedication to their scholarly pursuits," said Brian E. Raines, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "This honor exhibits their unwavering commitment to reaching for the highest levels of academic success." "We also want to acknowledge the families, supporters, Fulbright College faculty and staff, and the broader University of Arkansas community, whose encouragement and guidance have been instrumental in supporting these students throughout their journey." Raines added. "We are incredibly proud of these students and their exemplary hard work and passion for learning." More than 8,000 students call Fulbright College home and are pursuing areas of study and research across the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Learn more about Fulbright College at fulbright.uark.edu.

More than $4.9 million in scholarships was awarded to 1,855 scholarships to students in Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas this year. These scholarships are made possible from the support of donors, who include alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Fulbright College, and aid students across the college's four academic disciplines: arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. "Fulbright College is committed to supporting our students in every way possible and in all aspects of their college experience," said Brian E. Raines, dean of Fulbright College. "We are grateful for the generosity of the college's friends and supporters, whose contributions empower us to provide the tools and resources our students need to thrive."

More than 2,700 students were named to the Spring 2024 Dean's List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. To qualify for the Dean's List, students must achieve at least a 3.75 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours. "We are delighted to honor our outstanding students who have achieved placement on the Dean's List this semester," said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean of Fulbright College at the University of Arkansas. "Their academic excellence and dedication to our mission of advancing peace through education are truly commendable." "We also extend heartfelt appreciation to the families, friends, and Fulbright College faculty and staff whose steadfast support makes higher education a reality for our students," added Sloan. "Their encouragement is instrumental in our students' success, and we are grateful for their contributions to our community." More than 7,000 students call Fulbright College home with areas of study and research across the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Learn more about Fulbright College at fulbright.uark.edu.

Ten U of A undergraduate and graduate students have been chosen as semi-finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship Program at the United States level. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers two primary awards: the English Teaching Assistantship, which allows students to work as assistants to English teachers across the globe, and the Study/Research Award, which allows students to pursue graduate study or independent research at international institutions.

Main Hill Media, the student-run advertising agency, won eight awards from the Associated Collegiate Press, and Hill Magazine, the student-published feature magazine, was second nationally in best of show.

Breannah Small, a student of African and African American studies and journalism/political science in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has been accepted into the American Political Science Association's Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University and a summer research program at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Service Learning Initiative highlighted the success of University of Arkansas faculty and students at the 2023-24 Outstanding Contributions to Service Learning Award Ceremony on March 11 at the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence.

University of Arkansas students, all of whom are students in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, scored big in the Next Gen(eration) Humanities Conference poster competition in Little Rock earlier this month, winning first and second place along with honorable mention. Every U of A student who attended the conference received recognition.

Debaters Hadley Adkison, Carter Stainton, Daisy Rehbock, Hannah Morris, Jaci Sabatini, Jonas Lansford, Matthew Cook and Megan Dial brought home four awards from a virtual tournament in late February.

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 graduates were celebrated on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at commencement ceremonies in Bud Walton Arena. 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. "On behalf of our faculty, staff, and the entire U of A community, we offer you a big congratulations - you did it," said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean of Fulbright College. "You survived the late-night study sessions, the group projects, the times of uncertainty, and so much more to reach this milestone." Videos of the live-streamed commencement ceremonies are also available on the U of A's YouTube channel. Printed program books were handed out to graduates and are available online.

The U of A Speech and Debate Society was victorious again at the University of Central Arkansas' End of Hi-Bear-Nation Debate Tournament the weekend of Feb. 2-4. The team will next travel to Dallas Baptist University the weekend of Feb. 23-25. After that, they'll compete at the online Union University tournament March 1-3, before ultimately attending the IPDA National Tournament and Convention April 12-15.

The Mid-America Arts Alliance announced the 2023 Artist 360 Awards last fall, and the School of Art in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences celebrates the art graduate students and an alumna undergraduate student as grant recipients, as well as all local artists awarded project and student grants. School of Art graduate student recipients include Ana Buitrago, Melissa Loney, Larissa Ramey, Jocelyn Reid and recent alumna Augusta Zuerker, who graduated with art history and studio art degrees.

U of A student Sherjeel Naeem was recently named a finalist for the 2024 Luce Scholarship. Naeem, a senior and native of Greenwood, is an honors anthropology and biology major in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The Luce Scholarship Program, a nationally competitive program of the Henry Luce Foundation, provides recent graduates with funded, immersive professional experiences in an Asian country. After years of limiting applicants to those from select member universities, the Henry Luce Foundation recently opened the application to students and alumni from all U.S. colleges and universities.

More than 2,500 students were named to the Fall 2023 Dean's and Chancellor's Lists in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. To qualify for the Dean's List, students must achieve at least a 3.75 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours. To qualify for the Chancellor's List, students must also achieve at least a 4.00 grade-point average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours. "It's such a pleasure to be able to recognize our impressive students this semester who made the Dean's and Chancellor's Lists and who make Fulbright College, the University of Arkansas, and their hometowns incredibly proud," said Kathryn Sloan, the college's interim dean. "This achievement demonstrates their academic excellence and commitment to our mission of peace through education." "I'd be remiss not to also recognize the family, friends and Fulbright College faculty and staff who support these students - and all of our students - in their education journey," Sloan added. "It's the support of these individuals who make the dream of higher education a reality for our students, and we're grateful for their influence and support." More than 8,000 students call Fulbright College home with areas of study and research across the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Learn more about Fulbright College at fulbright.uark.edu.

In November 2023, 14 students from the U of A competed at the International Model United Nations conference held in Erfurt, Germany, and left with five top honors. The students, mainly from the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, are majoring in economics, international studies, political science and biochemistry. At the conference, the Arkansas teams represented the United Kingdom and Bolivia delegations and competed with 40 other colleges and universities with some 450 students from around the world.

The Speech and Debate Team finished in the top 10 nationally, and members Hadley Adkison, Megan Dial, Austin Keefe, Colten Nichols and Jaci Sabatini also placed in the top 10 in various divisions of competition. The team, which was originally founded in 1896, has grown significantly since reinstalling in spring of 2021, jumping from nine active members in spring of 2022 to 32 at the end of this fall semester.

With family and friends witnessing, the Razorback Battalion - the U of A 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.

Lambda Pi Eta (LPH), the honor society for communication majors in the Department of Communication in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, held their fall 2023 Induction Ceremony on Dec. 5. LPH welcomed 43 new members in the fall 2023 cohort. Students must be invited by Jake Dionne, assistant professor of communication and LPH advisor, to become members of the honor society after meeting the academic requirements. To be invited to be a member of Lambda Pi Eta, students must have completed 60 semester credit hours with a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA and completed 12 semester credit hours in communication studies with a minimum 3.25 GPA. Students in LPH are in the top 35% of their class and are encouraged to develop their studies through undergraduate research.

Over several weeks during the fall 2023 semester, Andrew Ruegsegger spent much of his free time exploring a small, undeveloped area on the south end of campus in search of plants. Ruegsegger, a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in anthropology and minoring in philosophy, biology and natural resources management at the U of A, was interested in learning more about botany, diverse native plant communities of the area and the process botanists use to document plants by collecting and preserving specimens in a herbarium.

The U of A Speech and Debate Society competed in the final tournament of the fall semester this past weekend, entering competitors at the University of Jamestown's "Jimmie Jingle Virtual Tournament." Competing against 18 schools across 12 states, the U of A Speech and Debate Society saw Hadley Adkison, Matthew Cook, Megan Dial, Maddie Fritz, Max Green, Austin Keefe, Jaci Sabatini, Benjamin Shoptaw and Aubree Watkins positively represent campus and bring home plenty of accolades.

Two legal communication students from the Department of Communication in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences won an award at the most recent meeting of the National Communication Association. Alondra Gilbrech and Reaves Robinson were named as the runners-up for the James L. Golden Outstanding Student Essay in Rhetoric Award. This highly competitive award honors the best student essay on the history, theory, or criticism of rhetoric.

Ten U of A graduate students competed at the annual 3 Minute Thesis competition earlier this month, a competition challenging graduate students to present a simple and compelling speech about their research and its significance in just three minutes. Mostafa Mahmoudi, a doctoral student in chemistry, placed first; Christina Barnes, a doctoral student psychology, placed second; and Kindler Norman, a doctoral student in physics, won the People Choice Award.