UA launches National Office of Advancement

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

The University of Arkansas Division of University Advancement has established a National Office of Advancement to enhance the university’s engagement and broaden its impact across the United States, the university announced Wednesday (Oct. 23).

The UA has appointed four national directors of philanthropy to the new office. According to the release, the directors will leverage the UA’s alumni network to promote the university’s fundraising priorities. The directors will also work with alumni groups, including the Arkansas Alumni Association National Board of Directors and Arkansas Alumni Chapters throughout the United States.

The directors’ mission includes “fostering a spirit of fellowship among alumni, providing continuous updates on the university’s progress and needs beyond the Fayetteville campus, and encouraging unified support among alumni and stakeholders for key initiatives.”

UA launches National Office of Advancement

Scenic Hill taps $31.8 million in financing for UA System solar project

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

Little Rock-based Scenic Hill Solar has secured $31.8 million in financing from Climate United to support a more than $100 million solar power project for the University of Arkansas System. The project was first announced in May 2023.

Following are estimated benefits of the project, according to Climate United.
• The UA System is expected to save over $120 million in energy costs over the next 25 years, directly benefiting over 70,000 students and 17,000 employees across multiple campuses.

• The construction of 18 solar power plants will provide over $120 million of direct economic
development in every region of Arkansas and employ hundreds of electricians, civil contractors, and construction workers.

• In tandem, the UA System has launched educational and workforce development initiatives in renewable energy construction and electric vehicle (EV) repair to expose students to these growing sectors.

• The project will generate more than 4 billion kWh of clean electricity during the 40-year life of the solar power plants. The environmental benefits of this solar electricity generation will be the equivalent of over 7 billion fewer passenger car miles or the planting of 46 million trees

Scenic Hill taps $31.8 million in financing for UA System solar project

UA provides $3 billion annual economic impact to Arkansas

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

The University of Arkansas’ economic impact on the state exceeds “a fairly conservative” $3 billion annually, UA leaders said. They expect the impact to rise as the university continues to break enrollment records.

In a Tuesday (Sept. 10) press conference, UA leaders released an overview of its 2024 Economic Impact Report completed over the past year by the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Leaders said the full report will be released online in the coming weeks.

The economic impact is up 36.36% from a 2018 report showing the university’s $2.2 billion annual economic impact on the state. The new report is based on 2023 data and comprises workforce development, applied research and innovation, student expenditures, visitor spending, and construction and operations.

UA provides $3 billion annual economic impact to Arkansas

University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles Robinson announced Tuesday (Sept. 10) the UA's $3 billion economic impact on the state.

Food science graduate students win 10 awards in Arkansas food protection contest

By Robby Edwards
Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Nine University of Arkansas graduate students in food science combined for 10 awards for their presentations at a poster contest sponsored by the Arkansas Association of Food Protection.

FOOD PROTECTION — Gayatri Dhulappanavar, Arshpreet Khattra, Kaushik Luthra, Abass Oduola, Samuel Olaoni, Faith Ouma, Evans Owusu, Erin Ramsay and Surabhi Wason combined for five first-place awards and 10 of the top 15 spots in an Arkansas Association of Food Protection contest. (Courtesy photo)

The competition took place at the 14th Annual AAFP Conference held in September in Fayetteville.

Kaushik Luthra, Abass Oduola, Faith Ouma, Evans Owusu and Surabhi Wason all won first-place honors, while Wason claimed first- and second-place awards.

Luthra won the Post-Doctoral and Technical Staff category with "Impact of Storage Conditions and Moisture Content on Growth of Pathogenic Fungi in Rice."

Oduola won the Pet Food Safety category with "Impacts of Different Infrared Heat Intensities on Growth and Aflatoxin Production of Aspergillus flavus on Corn."

Ouma won the Interventions, Pre- and Post-Harvest division with "Deterrence of Microbes on Rough Rice using High-Power Short-Duration Microwave Heating Technology."

Owusu claimed top honors in the Other and Miscellaneous area with "Microwave-Cooking of Rice in Steam-Venting Packages: An Evaluation of Quality Attributes."

Wason won the Food Safety, Including Fundamental Understanding of Pathogens section with "Effect of Mild Heating and Relative Humidity on the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Chlorine Dioxide Gas."

Wason was also second in the Interventions, Pre- and Post-Harvest area with "Radiofrequency Pasteurization of Dried Basil Leaves Using In-Package Steaming," while Gayatri Dhulappanavar was third with "Persistence of Salmonella Javiana, Listeria spp. in Hydroponic Nutrient Solution at Different Temperatures."

In the Food Safety, Including Fundamental Understanding of Pathogens category, Erin Ramsay was second with "Survival of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli on In-Shell Pecans Contaminated with Soil" and Arshpreet Khattra third with "Use of Monte Carlo Simulation to Calculate Kill Ratio in Milk Powders."

Samuel Olaoni was second in the Other and Miscellaneous category with "X-Ray Imaging as a Technique to Evaluate Seed Germination and Vigor of Rice Seeds."

Luthra, Oduola, Olaoni, Owusu and Ouma are all advised by Griffiths Atungulu, associate professor and agricultural engineer and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station’s Rice Processing Program.

Khattra and Ramsay are advised by Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food microbiology and safety.

Wason is advised by Jeyam Subbiah, professor and head of the food science department, and Dhulappanavar by Kristen Gibson, professor of food safety and microbiology and director of the Center for Food Safety. 

Atungulu, Subbiah, Acuff and Gibson are all faculty members in the food science department and, along with their graduate students, conduct research for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

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

UA Little Rock receives $5 million to advance cybersecurity education

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

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) has received $5 million in federal funding aimed at enhancing cybersecurity in the energy sector through education, workforce development, and innovation.

The funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response.

“Developing a workforce of skilled professionals to combat cybercrime is increasingly important,” U.S. Sen. Boozman said. “I’m proud to support this initiative to strengthen our state’s role in preventing cybersecurity attacks and create additional opportunities for Arkansans to safeguard critical energy networks.”

UA Little Rock is leading a cohort of partners that include the Consortium for Cyber Innovation, Forge Institute, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB).

UA Little Rock receives $5 million to advance cybersecurity education

UA Pulaski Tech nursing program awarded $5.73 million DOL grant

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

The University of Arkansas–Pulaski Technical College will receive a $5,736,624 award from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand its nursing education program. The grant was secured in cooperation with the Arkansas Community Colleges Association and New Growth, a grant writing company.

The grant will provide funds for additional nursing faculty, student success coaches, grant administrators, and institutional research staff.

“This award recognizes the role community colleges play in addressing the need for skilled medical professionals to work in hospitals, clinics, and home health capacities across the state,” said UA-PTC Chancellor Summer DeProw. “As our nursing program benefits significantly, so will the graduates who will enjoy the financial security these jobs create. And of course, when healthcare in Arkansas improves, we all benefit.”

UA Pulaski Tech nursing program awarded $5.73 million DOL grant

Razorback athletics revenue up nearly 10% in FY2023 to $167.3M

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

The University of Arkansas athletics department set a record in operating revenue in the 2023 fiscal year by generating $167.3 million.

The UA reported $166.5 million in athletic department expenses — also an all-time high — for an operating surplus of less than $1 million.

The figures are from the university’s annual financial report to the NCAA. Fort Smith-based Landmark PLC conducts the annual audit. The 2023 fiscal year began July 1, 2022, and ended June 30, 2023.

The athletics department’s revenues continue a rapid climb. The UA reported $152.51 million in revenue in FY 2022, and $132.2 in FY 2021 revenue. Expenses are also skyrocketing. In the past two fiscal years, the department’s spending totaled $144.3 million (FY 2022) and $111.5 million (FY 2021).

Razorback athletics revenue up nearly 10% in FY2023 to $167.3M

University of Arkansas tackles housing crisis with innovative ‘Workforce 16’ prototype

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

To address the growing housing crisis in Arkansas and the U.S., students and faculty in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas are exploring innovative solutions.

John Folan, a professor and head of the architecture department, is working with students on a new project focused on creating affordable homes for workers earning $16 to $18 an hour.

The prototype, named Workforce 16, is on the lawn of Vol Walker Hall on the UA campus. It showcases core design features developed over four semesters of research. It incorporates a nucleus of 500 square feet with expandable bays, allowing for a 700-square-foot expansion in an orderly manner as income or family size grows. The home utilizes wave layered timber (WLT), a new form of mass timber, accelerating construction time and facilitating future reuse.

For more details, click here.

University of Arkansas tackles housing crisis with innovative ‘Workforce 16’ prototype

UA economist sees ‘soft landing’ for economy as a strong possibility

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Mervin Jebaraj, economist with the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, offers a gymnastics analogy for the Federal Reserve Bank’s handling of the tumultuous economy.

Observers have wondered if the aggressive hike in interest rates could pull inflation under control without crashing the economy and causing a recession. Jebaraj said, so far, it’s been a pretty well-done routine.

“As far as a ‘soft landing’ goes, I think you can safely say that the Federal Reserve has stuck a ‘soft landing’ in 2023. Now if you ever watch those gymnastics, you can get like one to two extra steps before you steady yourself, so that’s where we are and heading into 2024,” he said.

UA economist sees ‘soft landing’ for economy as a strong possibility

Researchers say better rice quality will feed more people

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

About 2.3 billion, or nearly 30%, of the world’s population doesn’t get enough to eat, according to the World Health Organization. Rice is by far the most consumed food in the world with it being a staple food for nearly half the human population.

With the global population expected to exceed 9 billion by the year 2050, farmers and food scientists will have to find ways to keep hunger numbers from growing. One way could be to more efficiently mill rice or grow rice that is better suited to be milled.

A 1% increase in unbroken rice kernels could mean millions more servings of this critical staple grain, increased food security around the globe and improved producer profitability, a study from two University of Arkansas researchers suggests. Professor Lanier Nalley and Associate Professor Alvaro Durand-Morat, both in the agricultural economics and agribusiness department, conduct research for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Researchers say better rice quality will feed more people

Goldman Sachs brings $100 million rural small business investment program to Arkansas

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

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses announced Friday (Oct. 27) it has expanded its $100 million “Investment in Rural Communities” initiative to Arkansas and is making a $20 million commitment to Community Development Financial Institution (CFDI) Hope Enterprise Corporation to foster job creation and help catalyze economic growth across the region.

The new initiative, which first launched in North Dakota in September, is an extension of Goldman Sachs’ successful 10,000 Small Businesses program, which it says has served over 14,000 businesses across the country for more than a decade by providing access to education and capital. The initiative plans to reach rural small business owners in 20 states in the next five years.

“We are thrilled to expand our 10,000 Small Businesses program by partnering with the University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College and Hope Enterprise Corporation,” said Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon. “Through our work together, we can provide rural entrepreneurs with the resources, education and access to capital they need to create jobs and grow the economy.”

Goldman Sachs brings $100 million rural small business investment program to Arkansas

Conference brings muscadine, bunch-grape researchers to Arkansas on Oct. 3-5

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Muscadine and bunch-grape growers and researchers have tended to move in their own circles. Until now.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will host the North American Grape Breeders and Vitis-Muscadine Alliance Conference on Oct. 3-5 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Science, 1371 W. Altheimer Drive, in Fayetteville.

Fruit breeder Margaret Worthington holds "clamshell" containers of muscadines during a tour of the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville in 2021. (U of A System Division of Agriculture file photo)

“To my knowledge, the conference is one of the first national attempts at a collaboration of people working with Vitis and Muscadinia,” said Renee Threlfall, a research scientist, enology and viticulture for the division’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and director of the Arkansas Quality Wine program. “Muscadines are very ‘regional’ so many U.S. consumers have never heard of them, never mind having tasted a muscadine grape or a product made from muscadines.”

“Vitis” is the genus that encompasses all grapes, whether they’re grown for food or wine. Bunch grapes — which include those used for wines, raisins and eating fresh — and muscadines, each belong to a separate subgenus. And that’s where things get interesting.

Muscadines, with their distinct flavor and thick skins, have 20 chromosomes, one more than bunch grapes. However, researchers see benefits in creating a hybrid of the two. That decades-long quest is driven by several factors such as being able to lend some of the muscadine’s disease resistance to the table grapes.

“Breeding efforts between these genera have already begun, resulting in new grape cultivars, some with attributes like Vitis, some like Muscadinia, but also many with attributes of both,” Worthington said. “This project is important because we believe there is much more to be gained in future collaborations, bringing the best of two powerhouse grape species together.”

The conference is the culmination of work conducted under a Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or NIFA. Threlfall and Margaret Worthington, associate professor and fruit breeder for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, obtained the grant in 2022.

The event is comprised of the North American Grape Breeders Meeting on Oct. 3. The following day includes a tour of the Division of Agriculture’s research vineyards and wineries. Oct. 5 is the Vitus-Muscadina Alliance Conference.

The conference will include discussions of breeding, production, marketing and economics. Threlfall also said the results of a survey on consumer preferences for fresh-market grapes will be revealed at the conference.

“We conducted an online survey of more than 900 consumers from all U.S. regions, asking their preferences for fresh-market grape options,” Threlfall said. “These preferences will be used to inform future breeding efforts.”

Attendance is by invitation. For more information, contact Renee Threlfall at rthrelf@uark.edu.

Learn about the Division of Agriculture’s grape-breeding program.

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.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

At least four hospitalized in UA Fayetteville E. coli outbreak

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

Officials with the Arkansas Department of Health are working to determine the cause of an E. coli outbreak at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

The school says more than 100 people have been sickened, and at least four hospitalized, since the outbreak likely began about a week-and-a-half ago.

Bill Marler is an attorney and food safety expert who also teaches at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He says, while it’s still not certain, the source of the outbreak is likely some sort of leafy green vegetable.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-08-28/at-least-four-hospitalized-in-ua-fayetteville-e-coli-outbreak

Stephanie Schuller/Science Source

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of Escherichia coli bacteria (green) taken from the small intestine of a child. E. coli are rod-shaped bacteria that are part of the normal flora of the human gut.

Ahrendsen receives USDA Economists Group Award

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Bruce Ahrendsen, an agricultural economist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, was recently presented the Bruce Gardner Award by the USDA Economists Group for his innovative work.

AG ECON AWARD — Bruce Ahrendsen, professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness for the University of Arkansas System, speaks before receiving an award from the USDA Economists Group in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy USDA Economists Group)

The Bruce Gardner Award has been presented by the USDA Economists Group to a visiting economist since 2008. Ahrendsen is the first recipient of the award from an Arkansas institution.

Research undertaken by Ahrendsen provided technical guidance and support to the underlying development of a time-saving U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency application process, the USDA Economists Group stated in a news release. Ahrendsen also pioneered an analysis of Farm Service Agency primary loan servicing, which laid the groundwork for more recent efforts to improve the loan structuring process, the release added.

Ahrendsen also continues to conduct research to address issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as further analysis of primary loan servicing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture held a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 27 to recognize Ahrendsen and other USDA Economist Group award recipients. The Bruce Gardner Award recognizes non-USDA individuals who have provided “substantial and significant service toward the improvement of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and policies.”

“Dr. Ahrendsen is an internationally respected expert in agricultural finance,” John Anderson, head of the agricultural economics and agribusiness department, said. “We are fortunate to have him as a senior member of the agricultural economics and agribusiness department here at the University of Arkansas working on behalf of Arkansas stakeholders. It is very gratifying to see his significant and ongoing contributions to this vital sector of the agricultural economy recognized with this prestigious award.”

The department’s faculty have joint appointments in the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas’ Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Ahrendsen teaches courses in Bumpers College and conducts research through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“Ahrendsen is considered one of the nation’s foremost experts on Farm Service Agency lending and has made numerous contributions over his career which have advanced the general knowledge and understanding of both Farm Service Agency direct and guaranteed lending programs,” according to the USDA Economists Group statement. “An analysis of program effectiveness is still considered a standard for assessing borrower outcomes.”

The USDA Economists Group is a voluntary organization based at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. However, it has no formal affiliation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and receives no funding or endorsement from the government agency.

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

UA System Board rejects resolution to acquire University of Phoenix

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

A vote held Monday (April 24) that one University of Arkansas System Board Trustee said was nothing more than an “advisory vote,” went against a resolution supporting a deal that would indirectly connect the University of Arkansas System with the University of Phoenix (UofP).

Transformative Education Systems (TES), an organization loosely but not legally affiliated with the UA System, was incorporated to raise the financing to acquire the UofP and enter into licensing and affiliation agreements with the UA System. Arkansas law does not allow the UA System to directly acquire the UofP, according to Patrick Hollingsworth, UA System interim general counsel.

TES has UA System representation, but most of its officers are independent. The three TES board members are UA System Trustee Ed Fryar, former Trustee Ben Hyneman, and Gina Terry, former chief financial officer of the UA System.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/04/ua-system-board-rejects-resolution-to-acquire-university-of-phoenix/

UA, UAMS Researchers Awarded $10.8 Million Grant to Establish Metabolic Research Center

by Talk Business & Politics staff

A $10.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will enable an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Arkansas and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to address the role of cell and tissue metabolism in rare and common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and mitochondrial disorders.

The five-year award, funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, establishes the Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center as an NIH-designated Center of Biomedical Research Excellence. The award recognizes the university’s combination of expertise in advanced imaging techniques, bioenergetics and data science.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/04/ua-uams-researchers-awarded-10-8-million-grant-to-establish-metabolic-research-center/

Extension Homemakers Provide Blankets for UAMS Patients

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Normally, Santa visits patients at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences this time of year to personally deliver blankets donated by Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council clubs and other volunteers throughout the state. Santa could not visit due to the social distancing requirements, but Extension Homemakers still provided plenty of blankets for people spending the holidays in the hospital.

Extension Homemakers in Cleburne, Craighead, Crawford, Jackson, Jefferson, Hot Spring and Van Buren counties donated 342 blankets, helping the UAMS Auxiliary meet its goal of collecting 400 blankets for patients.

https://www.uaex.edu/media-resources/news/december2020/12-23-2020-Ark-AEHC-blankets.aspx

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON — Sarah Payton, president of the Willing Workers of White Hall EHC Club, delivers blankets to UAMS Volunteer Services Coordinator Marcia Dunbar in Little Rock. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

UA Cossatot Virtual Graduation 2020 December 18th