From left to right: Marge Niblock, Catherine Sandahl, Sally Garrison, Pat Crump and Leslie Kneeshaw

To many college students and younger generations, the Inn at Carnall Hall is a boutique-style hotel that sits on the corner of Maple Street and Arkansas Avenue. Patrons can relax with views of Old Main lawn before going inside to enjoy an upscale dining experience at Ella’s Restaurant. Once a women’s only dormitory, Carnall Hall now serves as the meeting spot for eight University of Arkansas alumni who come together each year to reminisce of times spent on campus and the changes they’ve noticed from years past.

“We’ve been doing this for a few years now,” said Pat Crump BA’52. Admitting that their gatherings usually occur when her daughter, Leslie Kneeshaw BA’83, is in town, Crump takes the lead when organizing the yearly reunion.

Graduates of 1952 and 1953, the group all knew each other through various clubs, one in particular, Mortar Board. “There is a big Mortar Board connection between me, Catherine [Sandahl BA’53], Pat and Sally [Garrison BSSW’53],” said Marge Niblock BA’53.

However, the connections didn’t stop there. While pursuing a journalism degree, Crump and Sally’s husband, Jerol Garrison BSJ’53, shared many of the same journalism classes. While Crump served as a typist on the 1952 Razorback Yearbook staff, and Garrison as a staff writer with the The Arkansas Traveler, the two became friends through the various courses taught by “Uncle” Walter J. Lemke, as well as collaboration on the student newspaper.

Reflecting on their time spent at the U of A, Crump can’t help but notice the vast changes that have occurred throughout the years. “The campus is much bigger now than it was back in my day. The boys from World War II were still here, but the campus was so much smaller then,” she said. While in attendance, less than 4,000 students were enrolled at the University of Arkansas, a far cry from the nearly 25,000 students that arrived on campus this past fall.

Now in their early 80s, Crump and her fellow alumni are already seeing the continuation of their legacies through their children and grandchildren. While the days of girls wearing long skirts with ankle socks, and boys wearing pleated khakis or rolled up jeans are a thing of the past, the graduates of 1952 and 1953 keep the memories alive with each passing year.

This year’s list consisted of 15 young professionals. Those who are U of A graduates include:

• Bethany Freeman BSBA’10, MBA’12
• Brooke Moreton
• Michael Dodd BSBA’12
• Matt Fryar BSA’06, JD’09
• Lindy Janes BSBA’05
• Max Mahler BSBA’09
• Kenny Cason BS’10
• David Bradley BA’06, MA’08
• Joseph Hayes BA’07
• Chance Chapman BSBA’07
• Nicole Chapman BA’08, JD’11

To find out more about Fast 15, visit the NWA Business Journal online.

The party will begin at 4 p.m. and wrap-up at 5:30 p.m. in the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. This is our favorite event of the year because it’s our way of saying “THANK YOU” for Workin’ Like A Hog to support our campus and the University of Arkansas!

Mingle with your favorite colleagues, sip a cold beverage, enjoy delicious treats and a FREE 2013 WLAH T-shirt!

This event is sponsored by WealthPath Investments Advisors.

Visit the Workin’ Like a Hog event page to RSVP! The deadline is May 24.

Not a member? No problem! Activate your membership TODAY to attend the event. You can join online or submit the payroll deduct form.

Ted Dorn, co-president at Simmons Foods Inc.

Ted Dorn and Jenny Jennings have received outstanding alumnus honors from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Dorn is the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award and Jennings is the recipient of the Bumpers College Alumni Society Young Alumni Award.

Dorn is co-president of three Simmons Foods Inc. affiliates – Simmons Feed Ingredients, PRO*CAL and Sensora LLC. He has been with Simmons for 17 years.

He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in animal science from Arkansas in 1982. Read More

University of Arkansas graduating seniors Clint Shoemake of Bartlesville, Okla., and Katie McGehee of Ozark were recognized with the 2013 Senior Honor Citation during the Arkansas Alumni Association Board of Directors luncheon on May 10.

Established 48 years ago by the Alumni Association, the award recognizes a senior man and woman who exhibit outstanding academic achievement, campus and community involvement, and leadership. Students were required to be a member of the graduating class of 2013 (finishing degree requirements in August or December 2012 or May 2013.) The citation includes a personal memento, a $500 cash award, life membership in the Arkansas Alumni Association as well as permanent recognition on the student Honor Wall at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House.

A Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow with the U.S. Department of State, Shoemake received his degree in anthropology and political science. Taking advantage of the college experience, he has studied abroad three times in Tanzania, India and Ghana. Researching African politics, human rights and forced migration, and eventually female entrepreneurs, Shoemake is grateful for the many opportunities to travel abroad and experience the world. Aiming to work in the realm of foreign policy, he admits that working with “outstanding mentors” and learning Arabic, French and Swahili, “has prepared me to represent the United States to the world.” This summer, he will serve as an intern in the Office of the Coordinator for Cuban Affairs with the U.S. Department of State before pursuing a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from Tufts University.

A dedicated leader on campus, Shoemake served as the president of Students for a Free Tibet. Organizing a fundraiser to benefit Tibetans and Seven Hills Homeless Center, he encouraged others to donate food to the center. In turn, Fayettechill Clothing Company agreed that for every can donated, they would donate one dollar towards educating Tibetan refugee children. His involvement and leadership within the organization enabled him to be a part of the Dalai Lama’s University of Arkansas campus greeting in 2011.

McGehee, a University of Arkansas Alumni Endowed Scholar and Dale Bumpers College Scholar, received her degree in poultry science with a minor in environmental, soil and water sciences. Admitting that she never imaged growing up to be “the girl who raises chickens in Africa,” McGehee credits the University of Arkansas with a quality education that helped to refine her skills and talents – a path “that has proven to be more challenging and fulfilling than I could have ever dreamed on my own,” she said. Basing her thesis on the commercial poultry operation in Rwanda, she looks forward to the day when she can return and work to aid in the agriculture future of Africa.

Believing that it is important to get involved in something that is bigger than yourself, McGehee embraced the various leadership opportunities presented to her on campus. Serving as the president of the Poultry Science Club, she and six officers organized the club’s involvement within the community, the department and in the poultry industry. As treasurer, she helped produce a video for the Pfizer’s Reach, Teach, Learn Grant, which won the Poultry Education Program and $3,000 grant.

The Arkansas Alumni Association and the University of Arkansas are proud to recognize faculty who display achievements in teaching, research and service through four annual awards: the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award, the Rising Teacher Award and the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Awards. This year’s recipients, Manuel D. Rossetti, Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon, Cheryl Ann Murphy and Russell D. Meller will be honored during the 69^th annual Alumni Awards Celebration during homecoming weekend.

Rossetti, a professor of industrial engineering and associate department head, is receiving the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award. Rossetti joined the University of Arkansas faculty in August 1999, after completing his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering at the Ohio State University. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, and is an internationally known researcher in the field of industrial engineering.

Rossetti’s peers and colleagues recognize him for his achievements in teaching courses in computer simulation, inventory control, probability and statistics, database design, and transportation and logistics. He has been named outstanding teacher by the industrial engineering department three times, was voted best teacher by undergraduate students twice, received the John L. Imhoff College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award in 2011 and was elected a fellow for the Institute of Industrial Engineering in 2012.

His primary research and teaching interests include the design, analysis and optimization of logistics, manufacturing, health care and transportation systems using computer simulation and operations research techniques. Rossetti said his mission is to be “a world-class scholar who promotes innovative teaching and research within an environment that values learning, hard work, intellectual curiosity and collaborative research.” Rossetti works to develop new methods and techniques in the field of industrial engineering and identifies and solves problems within the fields of logistics, manufacturing and health care. He has served as an investigator on 47 projects totaling $4,536,444 in grant funding, sole investigator for 19 projects totaling $984,709, and the primary investigator for 40 projects totaling $3,160,223. He has also authored and co-authored 37 research reports.

Grob-Fitzgibbon, recipient of the Rising Teacher Award, is a history professor and the director of programs in international relations at the University of Arkansas. He joined the faculty in 2007 and has since accepted the position of the Cleveland C. Burton Professor of International Programs. Grob-Fitzgibbon teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and believes in exposing students to the profession and not just historical “facts.” He encourages students to think and read critically by training them in the ways of a historian’s thought process. By requiring students to submit book reviews, he engages them in insightful discussion and provides students a chance to learn the skills that are necessary for a historian to succeed in the field.

Grob-Fitzgibbon has helped rework the graduate advising system within the department and obtained a superior reputation among his students. One student in particular said, “Dr. Grob-Fitzgibbon is an excellent source of knowledge both as a history instructor and as someone to seek out for teaching advice. In addition, he brings to the university a passion for writing and research that, in combination with his teaching abilities, is rarely found.”

He is respected among his peers, who view him as an innovative and rigorous teacher in history and international relations. He has written three books, numerous articles and book chapters, and is referred to as a “highly productive research faculty member.” In 2012, he received multiple awards including the Mentor Award from the University of Arkansas Honors College, the Master Teacher Award from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, a certificate of appreciation for outstanding teaching by the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center, and was elected a fellow by the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy.

Murphy, who’s receiving a Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for service, is a professor of educational technology and the program coordinator for the department of curriculum and instruction. She also serves as the director of distance education for the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. As the director, she oversees policy development, data gathering, compliance, strategic planning, quality assurance and faculty and student support. Murphy joined the University of Arkansas faculty in August 1996.

Murphy is also a distance learning consultant and a consultant peer reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. She is active in eight national and international profession organizations, and locally, she serves on the athletics and course evaluation committees, teaching council and distance education task force just to name a few.

Since joining the faculty, Murphy has been awarded the Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Foundations Department Outstanding Teacher Award three times, as well as the Outstanding Service Award once by the department and once by the College of Education and Health Professions.

Meller, who’s receiving a Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for service, holds the James M. Hefley and Marie G. Hefley Professor of Logistics and Entrepreneurship and has been a professor in the department of industrial engineering since 2005. Meller focuses his research interests in facility logistics, logistics system design, operations research applications in production and health care and forest systems. He serves as the director of the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution at the University of Arkansas.

Meller completed his doctorate at the University of Michigan in 1992. In 1995, with the support of a National Science Foundation Career Award, he developed optimal solutions to problems involving 15 departments within a facility. His leadership with the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution has been recognized nationally and internationally. Meller has led this multi-university industry/university cooperative research center to receive a third, five-year term of support, ensuring that the center will operate through 2017.

Meller has proven he is dedicated to seeing his students excel in the field. His students value his high standards and hard work ethic. He is the recipient of the “Backbreaker” Award, a student-elected award given to a faculty member who is both demanding and highly respected. He has received many research awards, as well as awards for his teaching.

For Murie, continuing his education as a non-traditional student was not a difficult decision. Although he encountered problems along the way, from dysfunctional rotator cuffs (he can’t raise his arms higher than his chest) to trouble with hearing professors during lectures, those minor setbacks did not deter him from his goal to “enrich myself more in the world of Spanish,” he said.

After 56 years of marriage, his wife, Rosemarie Stanek, died in 2006 from complications of diabetes and a poorly functioning heart valve replacement, leaving Murie to decide what the rest of his life would look like. Living alone was a challenge for him so he decided to embark on a new adventure to fill his time.

“After 56 years of marriage, she died. And I thought, well I’ll just go back to school. So I did,” he said.

Murie holds a photo from the 1970s when he was a young professor (right) teaching Analytical Chemistry.

He was very familiar with the classroom. Spending time either as a student or a professor had always been part of his life. After earning his doctorate, Murie worked as a senior research scientist at the General Motors Research Center for 27 years in Warren, Mich. At night he taught analytical chemistry and instrumentation at Lawrence Technological University.

A professor for almost 40 years, Murie has taught at numerous universities around the country including West Virginia State College, Lake Erie College in Ohio, Lawrence Institute of Technology in Michigan and most recently, Northwest Arkansas Community College.

Teaching such a specialized subject had many challenges, but made the reward even greater when a student could finally comprehend the concept. Murie lived for that moment when a student’s eyes lit up with understanding.

“Many students don’t understand concepts,” he said. “The joy of teaching is making sure someone gets the information.”

“It’s easy to fail a student, but the secret is to make that student never want to miss your class,” Murie said. “You need to give them encouragement so they want to come back the next day.”

He often met with students outside of the classroom acting as a mentor for any challenges they might face at school or at home.

“I’ve had students over the years that have had home problems and just needed someone to listen to them and encourage them,” he said.

Many students returned to Murie after graduation and said, ‘if it hadn’t been for you I never would have finished.’ Those encounters were so rewarding for him as he always hoped to encourage students to continue their education, just as his parents had done for him as a young boy.

His parents were not college educated, but knew the value of education and encouraged their children to study relentlessly. Their strong opinions about the importance of education were very influential in his college career, he said.

While teaching in Mexico, he took award winning photos that helped develop his passion for photography.

As a child, he was interested in archeology; specifically the Aztec and Mayan archeological ruins in Mexico. That curiosity prompted him to study Spanish.

“I thought, if I want to go to Mexico, I need to learn Spanish,” he said. “So all these years it was in the back of my mind.”

In 1972, during his breaks from teaching, Murie volunteered to teach in Mexico. He taught at numerous universities including the University of Guadalajara, University of Americas, the Technological Institute of Monterrey and the University of Guanajuato.

He became entranced with the allure of the Spanish culture and continued to volunteer every December for many years.

Murie on campus in front of Kimpel Hall. He encourages senior citizens to take advantage of the free tuition the UA offers for citizens 65 and older, he said.

When Murie decided to continue his education at the University of Arkansas in 2007, there was no question as to what he would study—Spanish. Taking two years of Spanish as an undergraduate at Ohio University, he was excited for the opportunity to study the language again at the University of Arkansas nearly 65 years later.

The University of Arkansas has a unique program that offers free tuition to residents 60 years and older. Murie benefited from this opportunity and thinks it’s a great way for senior citizens to enrich their lives, he said. “The fantastic Arkansas system to permit seniors to attend class is wonderful,” he said. “I would encourage senior citizens to choose a topic of interest and go for it.”

In October, Murie will be 90, but has no plans to quit pursuing his dreams. “You plan the little steps in life,” he said. “Always have a goal and take all the little steps that give you the capability to finally reach it.”

Murie hopes to return to Mexico and embark on another new adventure—creating a series of photo books featuring the beautiful cathedrals he fell in love with years ago.

My first day on the job, I was met with open arms and welcoming faces. As I climbed the steps to the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House, my phone was vibrating nonstop, alerting me of emails that I was receiving from current staff members. I literally smiled from ear to ear knowing that so many people were welcoming me to the team. As I entered into the work area (then the floor level of the House), I got even more excited. From my previous internship and past experiences, I was used to working in an area where I could interact with others but it would mainly be a quiet environment…the Membership & Marketing team didn’t get that memo! There was so much life and spirit in that open area that I was almost worried that people didn’t take their meds. After about five minutes of adjusting, an outsider wouldn’t have been able to tell that it was my first day. The dynamics of the team were surreal, and I felt as much at home as a young college guy could feel around five screaming working women. But it was from that first moment that I knew it would be a great year at the Alumni House.

I consider myself to be independent and an achiever, always wanting to put my best foot forward. If anything, I had the chance to do that and more working with Membership & Marketing. The projects given to me caused me to actually apply the skills that I had been learning in the classroom during my college career. With my current experience, I knew that businesses were very cross-functional on the daily basis. So was my internship. With any given project, I was focusing on doing background research, looking at associated costs, creating marketing tactics and much more. My supervisor was always around to make sure I was heading in the right direction, but trusted me enough to know that I wouldn’t drive the Association into the ground! I learned the importance of open communication, making sure everyone was on board with a project and how to ensure that everyone involved would be successful.

Thanks to my internship. I am proud to say that I will be working as a project coordinator for the ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting) Institute after graduation! The ALPFA Institute works hard to be the premier global source of thought leadership for Latino talent, diversity outreach and engagement, workplace inclusion and Latina leadership.

These past eight months can’t be compared to anything. From the outstanding people to the freedom and growth, I don’t think I will have another job like this. If I could, I would open this position to everyone so that they could all share in this greatness. Being an intern with Membership & Marketing was more than just completing the tasks at hand; it was getting to know those around me. It was getting to learn and live the purpose of the Arkansas Alumni Association. It was with PRIDE, PASSION and PROMISE that I am sad to give this up, but glad to know that I am leaving better than I arrived.

Jessica Sliger with her husband, Brent, and son, Garrett

Jessica Fay Sliger may not be in Freddie Bowles’ classes any more, but the former student-teacher duo has evolved into a team that collaborates on research and enrichment activities that benefit area students.

“The University of Arkansas gave me so much,” said Sliger, who is the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the College of Education and Health Professions. “I love being a Razorback and I love living in Northwest Arkansas because it allows me to be able to work with the UA on so many things. Dr. Bowles is my mentor. I love that she has allowed me to work with her.”

Bowles is an associate professor of foreign language education.

Sliger said she was blown away when she learned she had won the award because there were other people who were nominated who were deserving of it. Read More

Seniors are invited to take five minutes to learn how their Arkansas Alumni Association can help them after graduation without ever leaving the car. Staff and volunteers will even put an Alumni Association decal on their ride!

There will be free food, free prizes and free membership at every turn! It’s an event you don’t want to miss! We’ll have a hospitality table for grads on foot and scooters, too! Special guests from the Alumni Association National Board of Directors will make appearances during the event!