I am excited to be addressing you in this March issue of the Student Affairs Bulletin. This is my first column for the publication after being appointed Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the beginning of February by Chancellor Robinson. I am very proud to be leading the Division – a Division made of staff who really understand the student experience, and provide students important connections and resources, fun and educational events, and leadership opportunities outside of the classroom.
One of those recent events was the Better in Black photo exhibit, which was an idea of staff member AnReckez Daniels, assistant director of Multicultural Programs & Diversity Initiatives. “With this photo project, I want to freeze this time at the University of Arkansas for Black students, faculty, and staff. We are here. We are present. We are making everyone feel our presence as the University of Arkansas etches its black history,” Daniels said of the exhibit, which was shown in the Anne Kittrell Art Gallery in the Arkansas Union. The exhibit featured more than 60 portraits of Black U of A students, faculty and staff.
Our staff and student Q&As this month come from our main Division and Dean of Students offices. Ginny Perlman is the office manager for the Division of Student Affairs and has been in her job about 1 year. “My greatest joy in the almost one year I’ve been here is coordinating our biannual Razorback Remembrance Event where we honor students that have passed,” Perlman said. “I really enjoyed every piece in planning this event with the utmost goal of making it as special as possible for families and friends.” Perlman is married with two children, and the whole family loves traveling and watching SEC sports. Anna Welsh is a second-year graduate assistant for Lori Lander, associate dean for Campus Life. Welsh will graduate in May with her Masters in Higher Education and has plans to return to Manhattan, Kansas to work at her undergraduate Alma Mater Kansas State. Welsh has taken on a lot during her time in Campus Life, and really helped transform the way the Division recruits and hires Graduate Assistants. “I enjoy working with the college student population because for many it is the first time they are experiencing independence from their families and have the freedom to explore or reinvent themselves,” Welsh said.
University of Arkansas Greek Life is thriving and winning awards. The Arkansas Panhellenic Council was recently recognized as recipients of the 2023 Council Compass Awards at the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values, as well as Council Impact Awards while attending the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association Conference. For the second year in a row the Council has been awarded the Sutherland Award from the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values. This award is among the highest level of council achievements and recognizes the top Panhellenic Council in the nation. We are very proud of these young women and their advisors and have that story for you.
And lastly, we have an article that first appeared in Arkansas News, about my appointment as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. You can learn a little more about me in that story.
Thanks for reading the March 2023 issue of the Student Affairs Bulletin. If you have ideas for stories or would like more information on anything you read here, please email Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications at sflanagi@uark.edu.