As part of homecoming festivities at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, the Alumni Association will make three awards on Feb. 29. 

 

The Alumni Reunion Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 29 in the Reynolds Room in the Smith Pendergraft Campus Center. Those interested in attending the dinner and supporting the award winners may register here.

 

Annually, the Alumni Advisory Council, working with Alumni Director Rick Goins, identifies two graduates – a senior leader and a more recent graduate – who have shown a heart for service and leadership acumen. Beginning last year, the Alumni Association added a third award: one for someone who supports the university who is not a graduate of the school.

 

This year, the council determined the Young Alumni Award will be presented to Brittany Slamons, graduate of the class of 2009. The Honorary Alumni Award will be made to the late Chancellor Joel Stubblefield, and the Diligence to Victory Award will go to Judy I. and Larry D. Loux, members of the Fort Smith Junior College class of 1960.

 

“We are honored to recognize these alumni and friends as a way to show their continued impact on the university and community,” Goins said. “We are proud of the university’s continuity in the community, which they represent.”

 

Young Alumni Award

 

The Young Alumni Award is awarded to alumni younger than 40 who have distinguished themselves through service to the university, community, state, or nation and who are strong leaders within their career fields. Slamons, now employed at the university, is director of the Academic Success Center and TRIO director. She served as the chapter advisor for Gamma Phi Beta for almost 10 years after her graduation. A statement nominating her for the award described her as the true “embodiment of a Lion in all that she does,” and said “she never settles for less than her best. Maybe most importantly, she shows her pride and love for UAFS by continuously helping to make it a better place for new Lions.” Casey Millspaugh, ’11, the 2019 awardee, will present the award.

 

“Brittany has shown her Lion’s heart through her activities on campus when she was a student, through her volunteer activities since, and through her current position, which allows her to support at-risk students,” Goins said.