University of the Ozarks Innovation Hub Producing Ear Guards for Healthcare Workers

University of the Ozarks is utilizing its Innovation Hub to help provide relief to local healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ethan Hefley, information technology network manager, is leading the University’s efforts in producing ear guards for masks on four 3-D printers in the Innovation Hub, which was established last semester.

The ear guards help healthcare workers who experience discomfort from extended use of protective masks. The ear guards were designed by Quinn Callander, a 12-year-old Canadian boy scout who was searching for a simple but effective device that would prevent the elastic bands on a mask from rubbing against the backs of people’s ears.

Callander’s design, a wide plastic strap that goes around the back of the head, has notches so the wearer can loop the mask’s elastic straps around whichever notches are most comfortable, allowing them to adjust the tension while keeping the mask firmly in place. He made the strap’s design available for others to download from the open-source 3D printing community Thingiverse.

3-D Printed ear guards

Hefley said he has printed about 150 ear guards as of Thursday afternoon and has distributed almost 100 to healthcare providers in Clarksville.

“I was looking for a way that we could utilize our 3-D printers in this effort to fight the coronavirus and I looked into masks, but that just wasn’t going to work,” Hefley said. “My wife saw (Callander’s) prototype on the internet and brought it to my attention. I felt like this would be a perfect way to utilize the 3-D printers to assist our healthcare workers.”

Hefley said the four 3-D printers can produce a combined 20 ear guards every two and a half hours at a cost of about 35 cents a mask in material, which is a corn plastic filament.

Hefley delivered about 20 ear guards to the Clarksville Medical Group on Thursday morning, much to the delight of administrator Jeri Williams and her medical colleagues.

“These ear guards will help tremendously for the nurses who are having to wear masks all day long a daily basis,” Williams said. “Our personnel have no choice but to wear masks right now at all times and the constant rubbing has become a real problem. The ear guards are the perfect solution. We are extremely excited and appreciative to get these.”

Hefley said he also dropped off 30 ear guards Thursday at the Johnson Regional Medical Center for their healthcare workers to try out. Before he even had time to get back to the office, hospital administrators called and requested 30 more.

“The neat thing is that the ear guards are making a difference and the healthcare workers are excited to be receiving them,” Hefley said. “It’s rewarding to know that the we can play a small role in assisting them in this fight against the virus.”

University of the Ozarks Alumni Board Names Grant in Honor of Joe Hoing

The University of the Ozarks Alumni Association Board of Directors has decided to name one of its most prestigious student grants in memory of Joe Hoing, the University’s beloved long-time dean of students.

Photograph of college teacher

At its annual winter meeting on Feb.22, the board voted to establish the Joe Hoing Student Involvement Grant. Formerly known as the Alumni Connections Student Involvement Grant, it is awarded for projects and initiatives that enrich connections between alumni and current students.

Hoing, who died in August at the age of 71, served as dean of students at Ozarks for 29 years, until his retirement in 2014. The former college All-American football player also taught fitness and weight training classes at Ozarks for many years.

“The Alumni Board members wanted a way to recognize Joe Hoing and the positive impact he left on so many students at Ozarks,” said Justin McCormick, associate director of alumni engagement. “In his honor, the board felt that by renaming a pre-existing grant serving student involvement would capture this dedication and allow students for generations to continue to work toward the legacy he left at Ozarks.”

University of the Ozarks Adds Women’s Wrestling

University of the Ozarks will launch a women’s wrestling program beginning the 2020-21 academic year, Eagles Athletic Director Jimmy Clark announced this week.

The program will be a club sport for the 2020-21 year and will move to an NCAA Division III varsity intercollegiate program starting in the fall of 2021, according to Clark. The new team will expand Ozarks’ varsity sports offerings to 21 intercollegiate programs.

The University has offered men’s wrestling since 2014. The current men’s wrestling head coach, LeRoy Gardner, will also lead the women’s program. The University will hire an additional assistant coach to assist with the new program.

“Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in this country in both college and high school and we’re excited about offering this opportunity for women who want to compete on the collegiate level,” Clark said. “We’ve been considering adding it for a couple of years and with our men’s wrestling program thriving, we felt it was the right time to add it. We’ve got the facilities and infrastructure in place, so it just seemed like a natural fit.”

In 2019, the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) sanction women’s high school wrestling in Arkansas, becoming the 18th state to have the sport at the high school level.  Nationally there were 2,980 high school sponsoring teams and 21,124 girls wrestling at the high school level in 2018-19, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. That’s up 5,000 from the previous year.

In addition, women’s wrestling was voted in January as an Emerging Sport in NCAA Division III, a giant step toward it becoming an NCAA sanctioned championship-level sport in the near future. There are approximately 65 colleges and universities nationwide who sponsor NAIA or NCAA women’s wrestling programs, including Lyon College in Arkansas.

Gardner, a former NCAA Division III national champion wrestler at Wartburg College who was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010, has watched the rapid growth of women’s wrestling.

“As a wrestler and a coach I have been excited about the growth of women’s wrestling,” Gardner said. “Now, even more so with the growth in the region and the opportunity to share with these student-athletes all the University of the Ozarks has to offer. It is an exciting time for our sport, campus and community.”

Clark said he hopes to have about 5-10 wrestlers in the program in the fall of 2020 as the team goes through a limited schedule as a club sport.

“That will give us a full year to get the program completely up to speed and to prepare our student-athletes to compete on the varsity level,” Clark said.    

Collegiate women’s wrestling is currently classified as a winter sport, with competition beginning in October and running through February. The Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs the sport and has overseen the national championships since 2008. Until the NCAA structure has been approved and implemented, Ozarks will join and compete in the WCWA. Women’s wrestling has been an Olympic sport since 2004, and will be contested in its fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

University of the Ozarks Students Create Marketing Plans for Local Businesses

Four local Johnson County business owners recently received marketing and promotion recommendations for their businesses, courtesy of University of the Ozarks students in Marketing Instructor Jaime Encinas’ Promotion Strategies class.

As part of a semester-long class project, students were divided into small groups to work with the local business owners to create ways to help market and promote their businesses. The groups presented their plans to the business owners on campus in December, as part of their final exams.

Working with the Clarksville-Johnson County Chamber of Commerce, Encinas enlisted four local businesses to take part in the class project — King Gallery, La Michoacana Dulce Vida, KK’s Dance Company and Reveal Cabinet & Closet.

“This was an exciting exercise,” Encinas said. “The idea was twofold: One, exposing the students to working with real businesses in real situations, and taking just another step in getting the University closer to our local community. The project was to develop a promotion strategy for each of four local businesses, or clients, based on their own strategic goals. It represented the largest portion of the students’ grade, which highlights its importance.”

Encinas said the students put serious effort into the project.

“In some cases they went through significant but valuable changes from step to step, resulting in ideas quite different from what they had started early on,” he said. “But that is how the real world works.”

Group of students and adults pose for a group photograph in a classroom

Dulce Baeza of La Michoacana said she was impressed with the students’ work and appreciated the perspective the students provided.

“To be able to get feedback on my business from the perspective of younger people is very valuable,” Baeza said. “Sometimes we think we know what people want but that’s not always the case. And, it’s not easy to think about these things when you’re busy just trying to run the business every day. It was great to hear their ideas and opinions on ways to promote the restaurant.”

The students who worked on the Reveal Cabinet & Closet project recommended the business expand its social media and digital presence by setting specific goals, something that caught the attention of owner Sheena Higby.

“I liked the idea of setting social media goals and then tracking the results, something I hadn’t really thought of,” Higby said. “Getting the unique perspective of this demographic is something we don’t have the luxury of doing, so I thought it was a great way to get some new ideas.”

The students also appreciate the opportunity to work on a real-world project.

“To be able to work with real clients on real problems, using research and then pitching our ideas to the clients was a great experience,” said senior Valeria Carias of Honduras. “When we were first told about the project, I was a little terrified because it seemed overwhelming. But once I met with the client and we started putting together a plan, it was exciting to know that you’re helping a real business succeed.”

Alexandria Corona, a senior psychology major from Houston, Texas, was part of a three-person team that worked on a strategy for King Gallery, an art gallery and store in downtown Clarksville. Their plan included creating awareness and appreciation for art in the area through events such as a “Night at the Museum,” and with the slogan “Enrich Yourself.”

“It was a great experience to work as a team with one main objective — help King Gallery grow its brand and its reach,” Corona said. “When you work on these projects, you start to understand the obstacles and challenges that small businesses face. I was definitely outside my comfort zone on this project, but I think it prepared me to do these types of things in the future.”

Tanner Young, a senior psychology major from Euless, Texas, said working on the project opened a new perspective for him.

“Even though I had experience doing quite a bit of research in the past, I had never conducted business research and it was quite different,” Young said. “When Professor Encinas told us that there were no due dates, only deadlines, I think it sunk in that this wasn’t just class work; this was like a professional project that we were working on. It was really quite humbling to know that the businesses trusted us to work with them and to help them.”

Seniors Denise Garcia of Clarksville and Barbara Yanez of Chile worked with KK’s Dance Company to help the business increase awareness and retain students.

“This project made me realize how these small companies really need help and how I can help make a difference for them,” Yanez said. “I plan to pursue a career in business and marketing so I thought this was extremely helpful for me.”

Encinas said he enjoyed watching the students make their final presentations to their clients.

“It was exciting to see some of the business owners nodding their heads in agreement and it was even more exciting to hear their positive comments at the end,” Encinas said. “Some of the clients may actually implement some of the ideas, perhaps even the slogans created by the students.”

“I must express my gratitude to the Chamber of Commerce for their support from the initial contacts with the clients to assessing the students’ presentations,” Encinas said. “And, of course, my sincere appreciation to each of our clients, the local businesses that worked with us, confiding their goals, and giving us the time both on campus and on their premises. Without their support, this project would have been impossible. This was indeed as close as the students get to work in a real business environment.”

University of the Ozarks Develops Affiliation with Greystone Prep School

Administrators from the University of the Ozarks and Greystone Prep School

University of the Ozarks has entered into an affiliation with the Greystone Preparatory School and will house their military programs at the University, beginning the summer of 2020. Greystone officials were on campus this week to finalize the agreement.

Greystone, which has been based at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, for the past 16 years, has both a one-year and a new four-year program for students planning a career in military leadership. The one-year program is a college-level academy preparatory school that prepares candidates for nomination, appointment and success at one of the five U.S. service academies: the Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.; the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.; the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.; or the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y.

The new four-year program is for U of O students enrolled in either the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Navy Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program, United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class, Coast Guard Scholars Program, Officer Candidate School or who are veterans. All programs potentially lead students to not only earning their bachelor’s degree, but ultimately a commission as an officer in the Armed Forces.

Greystone is best known for its success with academy candidates who aspire to earn their nomination and appointment to one of the five federal service academies. For those seeking their academy appointments, the Greystone motto is “Academy Preparation, University Education,” which reflects its unique level of academy preparation. It is the only academy prep school in the nation affiliated with a four-year, fully accredited university.

Over the course of the last 16 years, Greystone has helped over 475 young men and women to realize their dream of military service as academy trained and educated leaders of character while at Schreiner University. Greystone at Ozarks will now utilize its unique program of structure, organization and oversight to expand their capacity and assist those who seek their commission as officers in the Armed Forces through the other military commissioning programs.

U of O was selected by Greystone from more than 130 colleges and universities from around the country that met its very high academic, athletic and facilities standards.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected to join into a partnership with a prestigious program that has a long and proven track record of success in preparing young people to serve our nation in the academies and as commissioned officers,” said U of O President Richard Dunsworth. “Being selected by Greystone is a wonderful testament to the great work that our faculty, staff and board of trustees are doing in educating and preparing our students for their next steps. We look forward to helping Greystone continue its success of developing tomorrow’s military leaders.”

University officials expect about 20 Greystone freshmen on campus for the start of the Fall 2020 Semester and up to 50 students in the program within 2-3 years.

Under the affiliation model, Greystone academy-bound students will be full-time U of O freshmen and can earn up to 38 transferrable college credits. All Ozarks courses will be in sync with military academy first-year courses which enable many students to validate, or test out of, academy courses which provide these students with a significant advantage over other students entering the academies directly from high school or any other academy prep school.

The Greystone program was started by retired Navy Commander David Bailey, a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who remains the program’s executive director. According to Bailey, the Greystone model is simple — combine the strength and flexibility of a four-year, fully-accredited liberal arts university with a dynamic academy preparatory program that was specially designed by academy faculty, staff and alumni intended to maximize the scholastic, athletic and leadership credentials of each candidate.

Since its founding, a very high percentage of students have received formal congressional/senatorial nominations to their respective academies and approximately 85% of students have earned their final appointments to one of the five academies, according to Bailey.

“For Greystone, the easy part of the academy process is getting these students their nomination and appointment and the hard part is to keep them at the academies for four years so they can graduate and earn their commission as an officer,” Bailey said. “Greystone is not a one-year academy prep program, but rather a life-long commitment to these leaders ensuring they succeed. Over the past 16 years, of all the Greystone students who have entered the academies, 94% graduate and go on to serve and lead.”

Regarding the Greystone four-year program, Bailey said, “Greystone will utilize the same academy prep program it currently employs to oversee the academic, athletic and leadership development of these outstanding young people. As these four-year students advance at U of O, they will not only excel academically, but they will be afforded expanded leadership opportunities and experience to ensure these students not only graduate in four years, but they will exceed the expectations of their respective commissioning program – which starts their military careers by enabling them to stand out from all others in the same programs nationwide.”

Bailey added, “I am looking forward to joining the Ozarks campus community and serving the needs of those young patriots who aspire to serve this great nation.”

All Greystone students will be required to provide over 100 hours of community service per year. “They will be starting their life of service by performing their duties on the Clarksville stage, but within the next four to five years, these same Greystone students will be serving the nation on the world stage.” Bailey said.

The Greystone program will be housed in one of the University’s apartment-style residence halls. Dunsworth said the University may hire additional faculty, particularly in mathematics and the sciences, to accommodate the curriculum needs of Greystone students.

Dr. Freed Named Director of Teacher Education at University of the Ozarks

Dr. Allison Freed, assistant professor of education/science education, has been appointed director of the Pat Walker Teacher Education Program, University of the Ozarks officials announced this week.

Dr. Allison Freed

The promotion is effective immediately for Freed, who has taught at Ozarks since 2015.

“It’s an honor to be named the director of teacher education,” Freed said. “Moving forward, our department will continue our collaborative efforts to provide comprehensive teacher education for Ozarks students. My hope is to continue to support the strengths of the program while also working to meet the needs of our future teachers in an ever-changing world.”

A native of Michigan, Freed earned her Ph.D. in educational psychology and educational technology from Michigan State University. She has taught school in rural Michigan, London and Chicago, completed a fellowship in Botswana, been a wilderness trip leader in Wyoming, and served as a study abroad program leader in The Netherlands, France and Germany.     

“I am delighted that Dr. Freed has stepped into this role at the University and look forward to seeing how the Pat Walker Teacher Education Program moves forward under her leadership,” said University Provost Dr. Alyson Gill. 

Freed published two pieces of research and will or has presented at two international conferences this year. The first publication, The Journal of Sustainability Education, examines the relationship between university students’ environmental identity, decision-making process, and behavior. She also published a book chapter in Pedagogies and Pedagogical Challenges.  Her presentations this year are at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the Council for International Education Exchange (CIEE) conferences.

Freed also serves as the advisor of the Ozarks Student Education Association and the Planet Club.

University of the Ozarks Ranks Among Top in “Grateful Grads” Index

University of the Ozarks ranks among the top colleges in the country in producing “happy and successful alumni,” according to Forbes magazine’s 2019 Grateful Graduates Index.

Announced in August, the 2019 index ranks U of O first among Arkansas universities and No. 87 in the country. The index ranks the top 200 private, non-profit institutions by examining the percentage of alumni who make donations to their colleges and the total amount of those donations, adjusted for enrollment.

Forbes describes the index as “an alternative measure of colleges’ return-on-investment (ROI) that takes more of a Marie Kondo approach to college ranking. We boil down the analysis to a single factor. Does your alma mater ‘spark joy’ in your heart, enough to cause you to reach into your wallet and show your gratitude in the form of a donation?”

Forbes’ look at this return on investment measures gratitude in two ways, the seven-year median gifts per full-time enrolled student and the average percentage of alumni who give back, regardless of the amount donated.

“University of the Ozarks has a long and proud tradition of philanthropy and each year our alumni and friends of the University show their support of the University’s mission through their gifts,” said Lori McBee, vice president for advancement and alumni engagement. “The Grateful Graduates Index is another testament to the generosity and loyalty of our alumni and friends.”

During the 2018-19 fiscal year, which ended June 30, Ozarks received $7.2 million in gifts from alumni and friends of the University for scholarships, academic programs, facilities and campus operations. The University recently surpassed the $47 million mark in its current $55-million Climb Higher Campaign, which runs through December 2020.

University of the Ozarks to Present Halloween Concert, Trunk-or-Treat

The University of the Ozarks will present a pair of family-friendly events for the local community during the week of Halloween.

The music department will present the 19th annual All Hallows’ Eve Concert on Monday, Oct. 28, in Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel. In addition, the Office of Student Affairs will sponsor a Trunk-or-Treat event from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31.

The concert begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Audience members are encouraged to come in costume.

The All Hallows’ Eve Concert is traditionally one of the University’s most popular musical events of the year and will feature music by the U of O music ensembles, under the leadership of choral director Dr. Jonathan Ledger, as well as by Walton Professor of Music and University organist Dr. Sharon Gorman. Bethany Walker will serve as collaborative pianist and Dr. David Strain, professor of English and classics, will be the event’s narrator.

Gorman will present organ music that will include the traditional Toccata in D minor of J. S. Bach, as well as selections from Harry Potter, Hocus Pocus, The Phantom of the Opera, Jurassic Park and other popular movies.

Presented by the University’s Eagle Productions and Residential Life, Trunk-or-Treat will be held in the parking lot of the Walton Fine Arts Center. Children are encouraged to dress in costume and candy will be handed out by U of O students and employees.

For more information on these events, please contact the Office of Public Relations at 979-1433.

Arcia Selected as New Chief Financial Officer at University of the Ozarks

Gloria M. Arcia has been selected as the new vice president for finance and administration at University of the Ozarks. She will begin her duties on Nov. 1.

Arcia has worked at Broward College in Pembroke Pines, Fla., for the past two years as the college’s dean of business affairs for its South Campus and Partnership Centers. Previously, she was the assistant dean for business and finance at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., from 2014-17.

At U of O, Arcia will be the chief financial officer, serve on the executive management team and lead the University’s administrative and finance operations.

“I am honored and very eager to be joining the University of the Ozark family,” Arcia said. “Giving back is a tremendous part of my personal philosophy and I was excited to see that U of O shares similar philosophies. I am grateful to be welcomed to an institution that values not only my management and financial skills but my personal philosophies as well.”

Arcia has an associate’s degree from Miami Dade College, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Florida International University and an MBA with a specialization in Management from Barry University. She is completing an Ed.D. in organizational leadership and learning with a specialization in human resource development from Barry University.

Arcia worked for Barry University for 11 years, with increasing responsibilities. She served as an administrative assistant and business manager before being promoted to assistant dean for business and finance. At Miami Dade College she served as academic advisor to the Honors College.

At Broward, Arcia managed all operation and financial management of the college’s South Campus and its Partnership Centers. She also managed all construction and renovation projects and served as the deputy incident commander for the campus and centers during emergencies and critical incidents.

Arcia is bilingual in both Spanish and English. She and her husband, Aaron, are foodies and enjoy watching films and cruising. They have a son, Alexandre (13), and a daughter, Alexis (5).

Arcia replaces former CFO Jeff Scaccia, who resigned in the spring to accept a position in South Carolina.