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ChancellorMarch 13, 2026
Campus Update, March 13, 2026
Written By: Terisa Riley
Happy Friday, colleagues and students,
It appears we are projected to have another beautiful spring-like weekend, and I hope
each of you find some time to go outside to get your dose of Vitamin D...but be sure
to wear your sunscreen!
It has been a very busy couple of weeks, and I look forward to catching up with all
of you via this message and when I see you on campus.
Transfer Road Show—UAFS joined UA-Pulaski Tech for a transfer road show where we talked with prospective
students and with administrators about ways to smooth transfer pathways. We were happy
to identify about 8-10 academic programs that will be very appealing to PTC students
who want to move to Fort Smith or complete their degrees online.
We began hosting Transfer Road Shows last year and experienced a 23.3% increase in applications and 19.5% increase in admits from the schools we visited (UA-Rich Mountain, NWACC, Carl Albert State College,
NorthArk Community College). On Tuesday, March 17, we will host our final Transfer
Road Show of this academic year at UA-Cossatot Community College.
State of the City Address—Last night, UAFS hosted the Fort Smith Mayor's State of the City Address. During
the event, we featured videos produced by two of our outstanding students, Jacia Hayes
and Riley Bieker, Ray Gosack Ambassador Interns for the Sound Collection Lab in the
Department of History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy. Their ability to collect and
archive important, precious stories about Mayor George McGill and the City of Fort
Smith are a testament to the value of the Sound Collection Lab.
Also, many thanks to Dr. Williams Yamkam for his hard work, leadership, and collaboration
with the City of Fort Smith in order to host such an important event.
Local Lead Organization Grant—This morning, I received notification that UA-Fort Smith has been selected as a Local
Lead Organization (LLO) for the Arkansas Department of Education's Office of Early
Childhood. Many congratulations to Drs. Shelli Henehan and Ronette Hayes for their
hard work to craft a compelling proposal which will earn more than $330,000 this year
to promote and support early childhood education in Sebastian and Scott counties.
Safety Training Day: For the first time, UAFS will host Safety Training Day on Thursday, March 19 from
1-4 p.m. In the Boreham Library. This day will provide employees with an opportunity
to learn important information about the use of fire extinguishers and AEDs, CPR basics,
Stop the Bleed techniques, and the Heimlich maneuver as well as how to operate evacuation
chairs. This training is free and open to all employees, but you must sign up today.
Theatre: The Department of Music and Theatre proudly presents the play Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco at the Breedlove Auditorium on the nights of March 19, 20, and
21 at 7:00 p.m. You can get tickets here.
Athletics: Good luck to UAFS Baseball at their home game on Tuesday, March 17 at 1 p.m. Also,
good luck to Men's tennis at the University of the Ozarks on Wednesday, March 18.
Don't forget: We have one more full week of classes and activities before spring break.
Have a great weekend.
Terisa Riley
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- Chancellor
Media Relations
The UAFS Office of Communications fields all media inquiries for the university. Email Rachel.Putman@uafs.edu for more information.
Send%20an%20EmailRachel Rodemann Putman
- Director of Strategic Communications
- 479-788-7132
- rachel.putman@uafs.edu