We are just a few weeks into the Fall 2022 semester and once again we have welcomed the largest Freshman class in history to the University of Arkansas. We are also on track to set another record for overall enrollment as well. While campus is bustling with students and activities, we haven’t missed a beat in doing all that we can to give students the best U of A experience, and help set them on the path to success. Below are a few highlights of this month’s stories.
“A-Week” is the week before classes start, and we fill it with activities to help students get familiar with campus using certain themes – academic success, personal wellness, campus involvement, spirit and tradition, and community. We had lots of fun, informative and exciting events for our new students, from the time they moved in, to the beginning of classes on Aug. 22.
Some of you may remember that the Razorback Baseball team made it to the College World Series (CWS) this past Spring. Ok who can forget it really? While the Hogs didn’t come out on top, the Campus Food Pantry certainly did. Razorback and other fans in Omaha kept Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina hopping during the tournament. The owner of Rocco’s, Kevin Culjat, said he had to close during the height of COVID pandemic, which put a strain in his business, but the CWS fans were so generous during the CWS that he decided to give back to two University food pantries including the University of Arkansas’ Full Circle Campus Food Pantry.
Speaking of food, our Campus Food Pantry also benefited from the Walmart Shareholder’s Meeting held on the U of A campus this Summer. Razorback Food Recovery volunteers gathered more than 9,000 pounds of food and repackaged and distributed that to local food pantries including our very own.
In this issue’s Q&As we learn about a couple of folks from the Arkansas Union. Jody Cochran is the Human Resources Supervisor for the Union and has been with Student Affairs for more than 6 years. In his time away from work Jody enjoys doing woodworking, making cutting boards and furniture. Sophia Schmidt is a Graduate Assistant for the Arkansas Union, working on their social media and marketing efforts, which is a perfect role for her as an MBA student majoring in Marketing in the Walton College. Schmidt is from Overland Park, Kansas and says when she graduates in May her plan is to move out of Northwest Arkansas, maybe to a big city and see where life takes her.
Thanks for reading the September issue of the Student Affairs Bulletin. If you’re interested in more information about anything you see here, or have story ideas, please email Scott Flanagin, executive director of communications at sflanagi@uark.edu.