University of Arkansas

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The Graduate School

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Graduate School News Archive

First Semester ENDY PhD Student Receives Grant Award Totaling $71,000
-- Posted by tfisher on Monday, April 30 2007

Environmental dynamics program doctoral student Byron Winston has recently been awarded a USGS grant to study taste and odor problems associated with Beaver Lake, Northwest Arkansas' sole drinking water supply. Every year, during the summer months and leading up to the fall lake turnover, two chemicals 2-Methyl Isoborneol (MIB) and Geosmin impart a characteristic earthy taste and foul odor to the water noted by the residents of northwest Arkansas. Although this problem has no harmful side effects to humans, customer complaints and treatment costs can be overwhelming. Presently, the organisms responsible for the production of these compounds and the environmental conditions conducive to their proliferation have not yet been fully documented at Beaver Lake. In other lake systems throughout the world, the abundance of cyanobacteria-blue green algae have been linked to taste and odor problems. However, there is a lack of correlation between the cyanobacterial abundance and the concentrations of MIB and Geosmin at Beaver Lake. Winston and his advisor Dr. Sonja Hausmann suspect that actinomycetes may also be contributing to the production of MIB and Geosmin. In this collaborative effort between the University of Arkansas, United States Geological Survey and the Beaver Water District, Winston aims to document the organisms responsible for these compounds and the environmental conditions conducive to their proliferation. Winston's hope is that the information derived from the study will be useful in establishing management practices to reduce the occurrence of the taste and odor compounds at Beaver Lake.

Accreditation Team to Visit
-- Posted by tfisher on Tuesday, April 10 2007

Faculty, staff, students invited to meet with members of Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to offer questions, resources.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A 12-member evaluation team representing the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will visit the University of Arkansas from April 15 to 18 as part of a comprehensive evaluation for accreditation of the university.

Students, staff and faculty are invited to meet with team members to ask questions about the accreditation review as well as to offer comments and resources that might aid the team's evaluation. Two team members will meet with each of the three constituencies from 3 to 3:45 p.m. Monday, April 16, in the Arkansas Union. Interested faculty will meet in Room 511; staff in Room 512; and students in Room 513.

The University of Arkansas has been accredited by the commission since 1924, and its last evaluation was performed in 1997. The Higher Learning Commission is one of six accrediting agencies in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis.

For the past year and a half, the University of Arkansas has been engaged in a process of self-study, addressing the commission's requirements and criteria for accreditation. The self-study addresses five criteria set forth by the Higher Learning Commission:

Mission and integrity.
Preparing for the future.
Student learning and effective teaching.
Acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge.
Engagement and service.
Using a relatively new accreditation option, the University of Arkansas has been allowed to go through a "special emphasis" review process, in which the university customized its self-study to reflect the work of the 2010 Commission. The 2010 Commission has issued four reports since 2000 to set benchmarks for improvement of the university and provide documentation of its successes.

A copy of the self-study and other resources are available at http://selfstudy.uark.edu.

The evaluation team will gather evidence to show that the self-study was thorough and accurate. The team will then recommend to the Higher Learning Commission a continuing status for the university. Following a review process, the commission itself will take final action. The commission may be contacted at (312) 263-0456 or at http://ncahigherlearningcommission.org/.

Contact:

Bob Smith, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs
Academic Affairs
(479) 575-2151, bobsmith@uark.edu

Charlie Alison, managing editor
University Relations
(479) 575-6731, calison@uark.edu

UA Grad Programs Ranked Among the Best
-- Posted by tfisher on Tuesday, April 10 2007

Two programs recognized in U.S. News and World Report's 'America's Best Graduate Schools' 2008.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas School of Law and the rehabilitation education and research program of the UA College of Education and Health Professions have been recognized in the 2008 edition of U.S. News and World Report's annual "America's Best Graduate Schools."

The School of Law is ranked in two categories. For the third straight year it is listed among the "most diverse" law schools in the country. It is also ranked with 35 other schools in the "third tier" of the best American law schools.

The rehabilitation education and research program of the College of Education and Health Professions is ranked 15th among graduate rehabilitation counseling programs in the annual U.S. News survey.

School of Law

The School of Law has the highest percentage of African American students of any institution that is not one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, according to the U.S. News publication. African American students make up 18 percent of the Law School enrollment, up from 16 percent last year. "America's Best Graduate Schools" also compiles a diversity index, based on the proportion of all minority students in a law school - excluding international students - compared to the mix of racial and ethnic groups on campus. On that index the School of Law is ranked in a tie for fifty-first place among 73 schools, a drop from last year.

"I'm pleased that we continue to be recognized for our diversity," said Dean Cyndi Nance. "We are working on ways to do even better. We will, of course, continue our efforts to attract African-American students. In addition, we are in the process of developing several new initiatives to help us reach out to and to recruit increasing numbers of top quality Asian-American and Hispanic-American students."
"I believe that our increasing diversity will help us achieve the goal that remains our top priority, improving the over-all ranking of the School of Law. Our beautiful new building, strong student credentials, increased success in external competitions, and the addition of our newest faculty members should all help to earn the School of Law the recognition it deserves."

Rehabilitation Education

The rehabilitation education and research program offers a master of science degree in rehabilitation counseling and a doctoral degree in rehabilitation education and research. It also received the No. 15 ranking in the U.S. News survey in 2003, the last year the publication announced rankings in this category.

"The College of Education and Health Professions is thrilled to receive this report," said Reed Greenwood, dean of the college. "The program and its faculty deserve this recognition for their extremely high quality of teaching, research and service."

Richard T. Roessler, University Professor of rehabilitation education and research, joined the UA faculty in 1971 and served as the program coordinator for two years.

"The faculty is proud of this national recognition, particularly because it tells the students they made a good choice," Roessler said. "It also reaffirms the contributions of the research and publications of the faculty and the program. However, we are not satisfied with this and will make every effort to be in the top 10 next time."

Brent T. Williams, assistant professor of rehabilitation education, coordinated the program from 2002 through last year and led it through the intensive process that resulted in re-accreditation through the academic year 2013-14. The Council on Rehabilitation Education review identified the program as excellent with no suggestions for improvement.

"A student's choice of graduate school is based on different criteria than undergraduate school," Williams said. "Students often look for measures of excellence in their specific field when choosing a graduate program."

Lynn C. Koch, associate professor of rehabilitation education and research, came from Kent State University to join the faculty last fall as program coordinator. Roessler and Williams said her addition will significantly contribute to the quality and visibility of the program.

Contact:

Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations
University Relations
(479) 575-3583, voorhies@uark.edu

Heidi Stambuck, director of communications
College of Education and Health Professions
(479) 575-3138, stambuck@uark.edu

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