“A Case for Grade Inflation in Legal Education,” forthcoming in the University of San Francisco Law Review, has garnered attention from legal and education scholars and mainstream media for its assertion that law schools should set their “good academic standing grade point average at the B- level.”

Since being uploaded to the Social Science Research Network, the article has been downloaded nearly 350 times.

It is among the top 10 downloads on the SSRN in the following categories: LSN: Legal Education (Topic), Journal of Legal Education eJournal, Law Educator: Courses, Materials & Teaching eJournal, Law & Society: The Legal Profession eJournal, Legal Theories, Policies & Practices, Law & Society, Philosophy of Law eJournal, Humanities Network, Philosophy Research Network, and Subject Matter eJournals.

Legal blogs and mainstream media have also taken notice, including the ABA Law Blog, MSN Now, and WSJ Law Blog.

The outstanding undergraduate award went to Malcolm Scott, a McNair Scholar mentored by Dr. David Montague. Scott has been accepted into the criminal justice graduate program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His research involves the recidivism rates of imprisoned African-American males. Scott is from Wabbaseka, near Pine Bluff.

Rocio Roles received the outstanding master’s level student award. She already has two peer-reviewed publications to her name and will present original research at the American Society of Criminology in Atlanta this fall. A member of Phi Kappa Phi and the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, Roles was born and raised in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and moved to the United States when she was 19.

Roles received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UALR, where she graduated summa cum laude in May 2012. Her research interests are gang membership and violence, drug markets and communities, and race and ethnicity. Her most recent research project examines the Hispanic experience with crime and criminal justice in Arkansas.

Kyle Burgason received the outstanding Ph.D. student award. He was recently published in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence, a Top 10 journal in the field with a 90 percent rejection rate for all articles that are submitted. Burgason is originally from the small farming community of State Center, Iowa. He is a magna cum laude graduate of East Tennessee State University, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees there.

His research interests include policing, ethics in criminal justice, criminological theory, structural and cultural context of violent crime and victimization, capital punishment, and the optimal foraging theory and its applications to crime. Burgason hopes to teach the next generation of criminal justice scholars and continue his research following his doctorate degree.

The Department of Criminal Justice at UALR is the flagship criminal justice program in the state. It houses three centers dedicated to specific types of research and service, including the Center for the Study of Environmental Criminology, the Juvenile Justice Center, and the Senior Justice Center.

As director, Young will supervise staff in the newly reorganized Office of Admissions leading university recruitment and student admissions. She was named the interim director of recruitment in 2012 and assumed her new role effective May 20.

Young most recently worked in the College of Engineering Information Technology (EIT) as assistant dean for undergraduate affairs. As assistant dean she provided leadership in new student recruitment programs and provided student and faculty/administration support.

In addition, she provided leadership for the EIT Ambassador Program and organized many recruitment events for the college and university, including the recent Discover UALR spring recruitment event.

“Ms. Young brings with her a strong set of skills, high energy and creativity that will be key in building programs to attract new UALR students,” said Dean Kahler, vice chancellor for enrollment management for UALR.

Kahler added that Young’s student-centered approach would be highly successful in developing relationships to help build enrollment at UALR.

Gealt will serve as CMU’s next executive vice president/provost effective Aug. 1. He will oversee the university’s academic division and serve as the second highest-ranking administrator.

“Dr. Gealt came to UALR as dean in 2006 and leaves with an excellent record of administrative accomplishments,” said Toro-Ramos. “We wish him all the best and are certain he will be equally successful in his endeavors with Central Michigan University.”

As dean, Gealt oversaw the departments of applied science, biology, chemistry, earth science, health sciences, mathematics and statistics, nursing, and physics and astronomy.

He was instrumental in securing several major institutional gifts for college and was active in joint curriculum development with the UALR College of Education.

Gealt previously held positions at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Ind., and Drexel University in Philadelphia.

“I heard 80 percent, and I just thought to myself, ‘That can’t be right,’” Scott said. “Unfortunately, I found out it was true.”

Not content to simply acknowledge the problem, Scott, a McNair Scholar and May 2013 UALR graduate, is now on a mission to come up with a solution.

Much of Scott’s undergraduate research focus has been on trying to better understand some of the underlying causes of the high recidivism rates among the roughly 1 million African-American men incarcerated in the U.S. penal system.

The issue hits close to home for Scott. Of the 10 males who grew up with Scott in the small town of Wabbaseka in Jefferson County, only one other besides him has avoided either incarceration or death.

Shortly after high school, Scott worked at the Tucker Maximum Security Unit near Pine Bluff to help support his family. There he got a close-up view of death row inmates.

Scott’s background in corrections eventually landed him in the security division of the Little Rock financial services firm Stephens Inc., where he was encouraged to work a flexible schedule so he could finally finish his degree.

As an undergraduate, Scott discovered in his research the important role family members play in recidivism: 40 percent of former inmates will not regress into criminal behavior if the family is intensely involved in the prisoner’s re-entry to society.

Scott has presented his findings at criminal justice conferences from Atlanta to Houston, and he recently received a certificate of appreciation from Little Rock’s Community Based Re-entry Initiative for his efforts.

UALR’s Department of Criminal Justice also recognized Scott with its annual Undergraduate Student of the Year award during its recent honor convocation.

“He really represents the type of person our department is about,” said Dr. David Montague, Scott’s advisor. “I cannot say enough about him. He handles himself with integrity and competence.”

Scott’s post-baccalaureate plans now include graduate school at University of Missouri-St. Louis, one of the top criminal justice programs in the country.

After that?

“I am coming back to Arkansas and implementing what I hope to learn from the best scholars,” he said.

“If we don’t set our standards high, then who will? I hope in my lifetime maybe we can make a tremendous difference.”

The Foundation Funds Tracking and Administration system, or FFTA, was introduced in February to UALR budget heads by FFTA team members, Sarah Travis, Dara Goad, Chris Hamilton, Christian O’Neal and Laura Wentz.

Wentz said the FFTA system was developed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences almost eight years ago to more accurately track and monitor foundation account expenditures there.

“We learned of this product a little over a year ago and got the ball rolling to bring it to UALR,” she said.

The UAMS advancement team provided the software to UALR free of charge, and UALR Central Information Technology staff members, Nathan Nolan and Daniel Richards, adapted the system to fit the UALR environment.

A multidisciplinary pilot group is using the system now, with plans underway to implement it campus wide as training schedules allow. The UALR Office of Development’s goal is to have all campus users trained by mid-to-late summer.

Among the system’s features that improve upon the older system:

Storage: Account information such as new account forms, gift agreements, signature forms and transfer forms are stored in a digital format. Payment authorizations are done electronically.

Sharing: The web-based application enables all new account documents to be viewed on any computer as long as the user has the appropriate security rights.

Searching: All data entered into the application’s new account form is searchable as is data from payment authorizations, enabling accessibility when searching processed payments.

Loss Prevention: Old accounts transfer into a digital format to protect against further decay due to age or being misplaced.

Conservation: The new system reduces the amount of paper used on campus anywhere from 2,250 to 15,000 pages each month for an estimated total of 86,000 pages annually.

Accountability: The system automatically forwards payment authorization for approval, enabling correct signatures. The chain is visible to all appropriate people.

Loss Prevention: The system eliminates loss of payment authorizations. When the final upload process is in place, it will further eliminate loss in the mail when sending paper copies to the Foundation.

Reporting: The system furnishes reports on a wide array of metrics associated with payment authorizations such as number of requests by department, time spent for each request to be processed and total dollars requested by account.

As system users are trained across campus, they’ve expressed their satisfaction with the variety of new features that come with the product.

“I really like that all the information about the fund will be easily accessible,” said Director of Finance Laura Challenger Webb of the UALR College of Business.

“We have several authorizations that were lost in transition to the Office of Development so I like the tracking system. This will be so much easier and convenient for all those involved, from originator to the final approver. I love the reduction of paperwork as well.”

“The trainers were very considerate of our time constraints and delivered a thorough and well-organized session,” said College of Business Dean Jane Wayland.

Moix, a journalism major from Conway, received the honor on the heels of serving as The Forum’s news editor for the 2012-13 academic year. The Forum is UALR’s weekly student newspaper.

He also won second place in news writing for “No charges sought in case of former dean, says attorney,” and sports feature writing for “Team manager turned player is fueled by his past.”

Moix interned at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He received a second place award for Reporter of the Year at last year’s convention.

In addition, The Forum maintained its third-place ranking in the Newspaper General Excellence category for the second consecutive year.

Other newspaper staff members earned honors in the following categories:

• Justin Rowland, first and second place, newspaper advertising

• Bryron Buslig, second place, cartoon strip or single panel entertainment cartoon; second place, art/illustration

• Liz Fox, second place, review writing for “English band reflects on career with new reissue and material;” second place, meeting/speech coverage for “Oxford American editor talks new gig, commute;” second place, newspaper headlines for “History Channel pillages, plunders and perplexes with new miniseries”

• Matt Johnson, second place, sports story writing for “Lady Trojans shine at Sun Belt;” second place, news photo for “Ladies punch third straight ticket to NCAA”

• Jennifer Ellis, third place, election/political writing

• Alexis Williams, third place, personality profile for “Naming the 900: spotlight on the class of 2016”

• Paige Mason, third place, cartoon strip or single panel entertainment cartoon

• Sarah Melero, third place, editorial cartoon

• Ricky Harris, third place, editorial page layout

• Jennifer Ellis, honorable mention, sports page layout

• David Ellis, honorable mention, general column writing

• Chelsey McNiel, honorable mention, feature writing for “Field House to host women’s roller derby”

Staff of The Forum Focus also picked up awards in ACMA’s magazine categories:

• Sarah De Clerk, first place, special features writing for “Campus garden provides opportunity for education and cooperation”

• Mason, first place, magazine art/illustration for “Guide to the native plants populating the campus garden”

• Rowland, first place, contents page design; first and second place, magazine feature layout; third place, magazine cover design

• Harris, first and second place, magazine feature layout

• McNiel, second place, feature news photo for campus garden photo

• Williams, third place, nonfiction writing for “The Joint”

The collection of 1,400 artifacts was donated to the center by Arlene Hirschfelder and Paulette Molin in 2012 and consists of advertisements, sports memorabilia, toys, books, clothing, and other items depicting Native American stereotypes.

Hirschfelder and Molin have been collecting since the early 1970s. Hirschfelder is a noted educator and award-winning author of dozens of books on Native American culture, education, and youth. Molin is also an educator and author, writing primarily on Native American youth and children’s literature.

“While our society has become more sensitive to stereotypes for most racial and cultural groups, it has been reluctant to give up stereotypes of American Indians,” said Tony Rose, the center’s assistant director. “The persistence of these images has a significant impact on how all people perceive the ‘human-ness’ of Native Americans. This collection will be a tremendous resource for researchers and teachers looking at questions of racial intolerance and the impact stereotyping on material culture.”

The center hopes to open the exhibit in the summer of 2014. The grant was one of 21 given out by the council this year.

Students from across Arkansas came to receive awards through the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP), which supports academically gifted seventh graders based on standardized test scores earned in elementary or middle school.

Cooper, a 17-year-old Little Rock native who participated in the TIP program as a seventh grader, became an overnight sensation when he won the Teen Jeopardy tournament earlier this year, bringing home the $75,000 grand prize.

The self-effacing teen, winner of the highly competitive Gates Millenium scholarship, told the students to study hard but also to nurture their hobbies and interests outside of academics.

UALR has been the site of the Duke TIP Awards Recognition Day since Arkansas joined the Duke Talent Search in the 1980s. The campus played host to the nearly 1,000 seventh-grade students and families who arrived on campus for the annual event on Thursday.

At least one state recognition ceremony is held in each of the states with the largest Talent Search enrollments. In Arkansas, 587 students qualified for the recognition ceremony of the 1,196 who tested.

Dr. Ann Robinson, director of UALR’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, said the award ceremony is a joint effort between UALR and Duke University, supported by the UALR Office of the Provost.

Provost Zulma Toro delivered opening remarks for the ceremony.

UALR adds own scholars day

In 2007, the Mahony Center established UALR’s Talent Search Scholars Day to showcase UALR faculty and programs to a college-bound cohort of students and their families.

Held in conjunction with the ceremony honoring Duke scholars, the event is a UALR program organized and administered through the Mahony Center, which invites UALR faculty from high profile programs that appeal to up-and-coming scholars.

“We ask faculty to prepare a day of engaging activities for the students,” Robinson said. “As director of the center, I offer simultaneous sessions for parents who often have lots of questions about developing their child’s interests, talents, and motivations.”

Jeremy Chamberlain, a Ph.D. biology student who works in the lab of UALR Assistant Professor Matthew Gifford, was one of the researchers who sought to engage a group of talented students gathered in a Stabler Hall classroom on Thursday afternoon.

As his pet boa constrictor was being passed among the students, Chamberlain spoke of the differences between reptiles and amphibians. On the large white board behind him were written such didactic short phrases as “skin vs. scales” and “claws vs. toes.”

To further illustrate the point, several native species of reptiles and amphibians were trotted out from their small containers on a table near the front of the room for the students, who diligently answered Chamberlain’s flurry of questions.

“Nailed it again,” Chamberlain responded, enthusiastically.

Long after his interactive session with the students had formally ended, the group asked more questions about Chamberlain’s interest in herpetology and even bestowed a befitting nickname for the boa–Mr. Squeeze.

Other TIPsters also had the opportunity to learn about plaster casting, nanotechnology, music composition, and a host of other activities.

The Duke TIP day and UALR Talent Search Scholars Day is held each May.

Kinnaman is the founder of Kinco Constructors Inc., a Little Rock based construction company. He served as its president and chief executive officer for 27 years. He will receive on Saturday an honorary doctor of construction education.

Kinnaman’s contributions to the Construction Management program at UALR include funding the Jack Kinnaman Constructor Endowed Scholarship and the Phyllis Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship in memory of his first wife.

He is also leaving a bequest in his will to provide additional funding for construction scholarships.

UALR Professor and Department Chair Michael Tramel said Kinnaman and one of his company managers were instrumental in getting the program its American Council of Construction Education accreditation in record time.

“As a long-time member of the ACCE, he provided valuable insight into the self-study, selection of the ACCE visiting team, and assistance from the Industry Advisory Council during the visit,” Tramel said.

Kinnaman is a founding member of the Arkansas chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, and in 1996 was named “Business Executive of the Year” by Arkansas Business. In 2002, he was inducted into the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame.

Kinnaman is a fellow and former president of the American Institute of Construction (AIC), where he co-authored the AIC Code of Ethics and was a two-time recipient of the National AIC Professional Constructor Award.

In late 2000, Kinnaman sold the company he founded to four longtime employees and formed Kinnaman Consulting LLC, a consulting firm with an emphasis on construction dispute resolution.

He owned and operated Kinnaman Consulting until his retirement in 2006.

“No business leader in Arkansas has devoted as much time, nor had as much impact, on the programs for educating and training future construction industry leaders as Jack Kinnaman,” said UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson.

Anderson added, “He had a vision for construction education in the state. Not only did he help launch the program at UALR, he has promoted it and supported its development into the highly successful regional and national level it enjoys today.”

In addition to UALR, he has served on the Construction and Architecture Advisory Committees at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Clemson University, Southern Arkansas University Tech, and John Brown University.