Finalists

Four finalists await judges’ decision as Arkansas 4-H Governor’s Award marks 40 years

The four 2023 finalists for the Governor’s Award stand with U of Arkansas System President Donald R. Bobbitt and his wife Susan on the stairs of their home. From left, Lani McClure of Pope County; Laven Franklin of Madison County; Jack Berryhill of Hot Spring County, and Ethan Wolcott of Sevier County. The Bobbitts hosted the finalists for lunch. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — The Governor’s Award, the highest honor offered by the Arkansas 4-H program, is marking its 40th year as four finalists eagerly await the judges’ decision on who will be named the 2023 winner.

“The award was instituted in 1983 as a way to recognize one outstanding 4-H member each year,” said Shannon Caldwell, director of programs for the Arkansas 4-H Center.

Applicants must be former state record book winners and submit a current record book along with two letters of recommendation. Finalists are selected during record book judging and are interviewed, with the winner being determined at a separate judging event. A record book is a log that describes the work a member has done on a project and is an important part of 4-H.

The winner is announced at the annual State 4-H O-Rama, which starts July 25 this year and is held on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

“Each finalist exhibits an impressive scope of ‘making the best better’ through their 4-H work,” Caldwell said. “To quote one of the judges, ‘selecting one winner is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I’ve made policies’.”

The finalists were recognized at a luncheon hosted by Donald R. Bobbitt, president of the University of Arkansas System, and his wife, Susan, following rounds of interviews with judges.

This year’s finalists are Jack Berryhill of Hot Spring County; Laven Franklin of Madison County; Lani McClure of Pope County and Ethan Wolcott of Sevier County.

Berryhill, 18, is the 2022-23 Arkansas 4-H state president and has represented Arkansas 4-H at the state Farm Bureau Convention and the American Farm Bureau Convention in Puerto Rico. He also facilitated a roundtable at the Southern Regional Teen Leader Conference in Tennessee. Berryhill has held many leadership positions in 4-H, been a Teen Star and state 4-H Ambassador. He was selected for the 4-H National Congress Youth Leadership team, which is responsible for leading all assemblies at the national congress. Berryhill is also a member of the Tech Changemaker program and is frequently seen at 4-H events working as part of the 4-H Video Crew. Berryhill also has an extensive record of community service.

Franklin, 17, has been part of the Arkansas 4-H program for 11 years. He enjoys music theory, plays the piano and guitar and also likes gardening. He has also started a robotics club and soon those simple club STEM projects turned into him fielding a remote-controlled submersible team for the SeaPerch competition. He teaches piano and leads his homeschool robotics club. Among his achievements were being the state 4-H robotics record book winner and his team placed second in the state SeaPerch competition. He spent 2022 learning JavaScript and C++ coding and was taking college trigonometry.

McClure, 18, has been a 4-H member since elementary school. She has served as state Ambassador, National 4-H Congress delegate and said she is ready and willing to encourage and advocate for Arkansas 4-H families. She is always looking for an opportunity to share her 4-H experience and encourage non-4-Hers to get involved. During her time as a national delegate, she spoke to more than 300 schoolchildren in Atlanta about 4-H.

She has used her skills in her main project areas from encouraging individual development in the fine arts, to leading painting workshops and digital art classes. She also organized and led sections of the Pope County 4-H Achievement Banquet in 2022.

Wolcott, 19, started in 4-H when he was 8. Since then, he’s been a Teen Star, 4-H Ambassador and won the Advanced Record Book competition in 2021. Wolcott has championed community service, especially to other youth and families. In 2022, he lent his energies to three new organizations that help families and youth: 100 Families, Breaking the Ties that Bind and You Matter. Over the last two years, Wolcott helped raise more than $72,200 for his community, just in Christmas projects alone. Wolcott was a finalist for the 2022 Governor’s Award and was inducted into the Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame this year.

Judges for the 2023 Governor’s Award are Christina Breckenridge, Ed.D., chief of staff for the UA System vice president for agriculture; J. J. Pitman, C. A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center director and Desarae Nelson, Ed.D. TRIO Student Support Services director at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.du/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

University of Arkansas chancellor search narrowed to two finalists

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

The search for the next University of Arkansas chancellor is down to two candidates, but names of the two finalists are not being released, according to a statement issued Friday (Oct. 14) by the University of Arkansas System.

UA System President Dr. Donald Bobbitt announced Sept. 2 that four finalists for the top job at the state’s flagship university. The finalists were: Charles Robinson, Ph.D., interim chancellor, University of Arkansas; Jay Akridge, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Purdue University; Daniel Reed, Ph.D., presidential professor of computational science, University of Utah; and Cynthia Young, Ph.D., founding dean of the College of Sciences, Clemson University.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/10/university-of-arkansas-chancellor-search-narrowed-to-two-finalists/

Photo courtesy of the University of Arkansas.

UA chancellor search zeroes in on 4 finalists, including interim chancellor Robinson

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt announced Friday (Sept. 2) four finalists to be the next chancellor for the UA campus in Fayetteville.

They are listed with their date of public forums:

  • Charles F. Robinson, Ph.D., interim chancellor, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (Sept. 12)

  • Jay T. Akridge, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, Purdue University (Sept. 14)

  • Daniel A. Reed, Ph.D., presidential professor of computational science, University of Utah (Sept. 16)

  • Cynthia Y. Young, Ph.D., founding dean of the College of Sciences, Clemson University (Sept. 19)

The finalists were selected with the help of a search committee chaired by Dr. Kim Needy, chair of the College of Engineering. According to a news release, the finalists will each participate in a public forum as a part of two-day visits to campus, including meetings with students, faculty, staff and university supporters.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/09/ua-chancellor-search-zeroes-in-on-4-finalists-including-interim-chancellor-robinson/

Photo credit: Michael Barera

Arkansas Governor’s Cup competition; awards luncheon in NWA

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

Little Rock-based nonprofit Arkansas Capital Corp. announced Monday (March 7) the 12 finalists for its annual Arkansas Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition.

The six finalists in each division are:

Winrock Automotive Small Business Division:

  • R. Lawn; Arkansas State University, Jonesboro

  • Ascend; John Brown University, Siloam Springs

  • Bento; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

  • Kopi Koffee Company; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

  • Limitless Fitness; Central Baptist College, Conway; Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia

  • Orange Otter Toys; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

High-Growth/Technology Division: