More than 50 educators from the elementary, middle school, junior high and high school levels attended the 2026 Windgate Summer Art Launch for Arkansas Educators June 8-12 at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

Teachers from the schools at Atkins, Bentonville, Bergman, Bigelow, Booneville, Caddo Hills, Clarksville, Concord, Conway, Crossett, Danville, Dardanelle, Dover, Fordyce, Future School of Fort Smith, Genoa Central, Heber Springs, Highland, Horatio, LISA Academy Springdale, Little Rock, Marked Tree, Maumelle, Morrilton, Mulberry-Pleasant View, Oark, Ozark, Pottsville, Quitman, Russellville, Stuttgart, Subiaco Academy, Wonderview and Yellville-Summit participated in the workshops.

The art teachers received instruction in expressive figure drawing, Adobe Photoshop, tailoring and mending, up-cycled sculptures, quilting and weaving, printmaking and mixed media collage.

Dr. Lynnette Gilbert, ATU associate professor of art education, served as director for the 2026 Windgate Summer Art Launch for Arkansas Educators.

Instructors included Nikkila Carroll, sculpture and mixed-media artist; Ella Dover, art education student at ATU; Margo Duvall, associate professor of art at the University of the Ozarks; Jasmine Greer, professor of art at ATU; Ashley Kinsey, adjunct instructor of art at ATU and the University of the Ozarks; Edward Osei, professional artist and fashion designer; Candace Snow, art educator; and Sondra Strong, educator and visual artist.

The final day of the program featured a virtual lecture by guest speaker Dr. Mark Graham, professor of art education at Brigham Young University.

Program participants submitted their original works of art for inclusion in a virtual exhibit.

The professional development program, which was founded in 2018, is made possible through a grant from the Windgate Foundation. Participants earn up to 30 hours of professional development from the Arkansas Department of Education.

Learn more about the ATU Department of Art at www.atu.edu/humanities/art.

Ten high school students participated in an Arkansas Gifted and Talented Creativity, Agriculture and Knowledge of Enterprise (CAKE) Camp hosted by Arkansas Tech University June 8-12.

Campers had opportunities to interact with livestock on the Arkansas Tech farm, go through the steps necessary to make pickles, learn how the four seasons influence agriculture, engage in a trail design exercise, gain the skills necessary to professionally decorate a cake and learn how to make a business pitch.

The free camp was made possible through a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Learning outcomes built into the curriculum included strengthening analytical reasoning, innovation, collaboration and real-world application through creative problem solving.

Susan West, ATU associate professor of tourism, provided leadership for the camp.

“They were tasked with something different in every session,” said West. “I don’t think they realized it, but they learned a lot while they were having fun. There are no grades at camp, but they were thinking…and we always need to be thinking and problem solving. The ability to work with different people is a skill they have sharpened this week. Some of them faced some fears. They’ve amazed themselves, which is the whole reason we do this.”

Four ATU students — Lakan Cummings of Atkins, Jade Hamilton of Bryant, Brandie Reese of Roland, Okla., and Alice Regalado of Warren — volunteered to assist with the camp, as did West’s husband, Howard West.

West said friendships the students developed along the way brought added value to the camp.

“It has been really, really neat to see the bonds that have formed,” said West. “They’ve turned into their own little community.”

Shruti Bhandari, a 2026 graduate of Arkansas Tech University, won two best presenter awards at the 2026 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) World Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things Congress May 20-22 in Seattle, Wash.

Bhandari earned recognition for her research projects entitled “Multimodal Neuromorphic Computing for Cancer Diagnosis: Architecture, Clinical Fusion and Energy Analysis” and “The Advanced Health Risk Predictor: Ensemble Machine Learning System for Multi-Disease Clinical Decision Support.”

Through her research, Bhandari has explored ways in which artificial intelligence can enhance patient care by utilizing emerging technologies. Her work has potential implications in disease prediction, clinical decision support and cancer diagnostics.

A native of Dharan, Nepal, Bhandari had a total of four papers accepted to the conference and was first author on three of the accepted publications.

Bhandari’s attendance at the conference was made possible through support from the Arkansas IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Travel Awards program, which provided a $2,939 grant to assist with travel and conference expenses.

“Winning two best presenter awards at the IEEE World Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things Congress in Seattle meant a lot to me,” said Bhandari. “I was already grateful to have four papers accepted, but presenting two of them and receiving recognition for both was incredibly special. It felt like a reminder that the long hours, challenges and hard work behind the research were worth it.

“My time at Arkansas Tech has changed me in many ways,” continued Bhandari. “I came here wanting to learn and succeed, but I am leaving with so much more than that. ATU has helped me build confidence, resilience and a stronger belief in myself. Through research, classes, internships, leadership roles and presentations, I have been pushed outside my comfort zone many times, and each experience helped me grow. This journey has shaped me into a stronger student, researcher and person. I am thankful for everything ATU has given me and excited for what comes next.”

Bhandari received the 2026 ATU graduate student of the year award and was named to Who’s Who at Arkansas Tech for 2026. She completed her Master of Science degree in information technology from Arkansas Tech in May and plans on pursuing a career in data science and machine learning relative to health-related applications.

“Shruti’s success demonstrates the extraordinary talent and dedication of our students,” said Dr. Michael Bradley, dean of the ATU Graduate College. “Presenting research at an international conference is an achievement in itself. To have four papers accepted and earn best presenter awards for both presentations speaks to the quality of her work, her professionalism and the impact her research may have on the future of health care technologies.”

Six Arkansas Tech University students attended the 2026 Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference June 6-8 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Morgan Blamey of Scranton, Larry Desiderio of Hot Springs, Andrea Guerrero of Atkins, Rose Gunther of Bigelow, J.D. Olivarez of Fort Smith and Briley Parker of Mena completed professional development in the areas of career readiness, leadership and workplace success during the conference. They also engaged in competitions against students from across the United States.

The ATU delegation to the 2026 FBLA National Leadership Conference was accompanied by Dr. Matt Brown, ATU professor of business data analytics.

Learn more about the ATU College of Business and Economic Development at www.atu.edu/business.

Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus recently partnered with Butterball’s Ozark facility to deliver customized TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding training designed to strengthen workforce skills and support operational excellence within one of the Arkansas River Valley’s leading manufacturing employers.

The training was led by Lane Mathews, welding program chair at ATU-Ozark. It provided Butterball employees with hands-on instruction in TIG welding techniques, weld quality, safety practices, equipment operation and precision welding applications commonly used in industrial manufacturing environments. Participants gained valuable skills that can help improve product quality, increase efficiency and support maintenance and fabrication needs throughout the facility.

“Butterball’s Ozark facility is a major contributor to the regional economy and has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to investing in both its employees and its operations,” said Ryan Mikles, ATU-Ozark vice chancellor of business innovation and economic development. “As manufacturing technologies continue to evolve, employers increasingly rely on highly skilled welders and technicians to maintain productivity, quality, and workplace safety.”

Through the ATU-Ozark Division of Business and Industry, the campus works with employers to develop customized training solutions that address specific workforce challenges and support employee development. Programs can be tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses across manufacturing, health care, transportation, skilled trades, leadership development and other industry sectors.

“ATU-Ozark is proud to partner with industry leaders such as Butterball to provide customized workforce training that meets real-world business needs,” said Dr. Sheila R. Jacobs, ATU-Ozark chancellor. “When we help employees strengthen their technical skills, we are not only supporting individual career growth, but also contributing to the success and competitiveness of our regional industries.”

Organizations interested in customized workforce training opportunities through ATU-Ozark’s Division of Business and Industry may send e-mail to wmikles@atu.edu or call (479) 857-0854.

“Butterball’s commitment to investing in its employees is a great example of how workforce development creates value for both the individual and the organization,” said Mikles. “This training provided employees with an opportunity to develop advanced TIG welding skills under the instruction of Lane Mathews, one of the River Valley’s most accomplished welding educators. By bringing together Butterball’s commitment to workforce excellence and ATU-Ozark’s technical training expertise, we are helping employees build skills that contribute to their professional growth while strengthening the manufacturing workforce that drives our regional economy.”

Ballgames. Concerts. Graduations. Community events. And so much more.

John E. Tucker Coliseum at Arkansas Tech University is a place where memories have been made for a half-century, and now its role in supporting the Arkansas River Valley and beyond has been recognized with a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

ATU was notified of the selection in a letter from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. The National Register of Historic Places is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service.

According to Dr. Kenneth R. Walker’s “History of Arkansas Tech University: 1909-90,” the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees prioritized the construction of a new special events center as early as December 1971.

Dr. Thomas A. DeBlack wrote in “A Century Forward: The Centennial History of Arkansas Tech University” that Gov. Dale Bumpers signed a bill in March 1973 that allowed Arkansas Tech to build the center at a cost of $2,562,649. The design called for a 211-foot diameter steel frame dome over the arena and a total square footage of 68,035.

Matson Construction Company broke ground on the special events center project on April 15, 1974. The facility was designed by the architectural firm of Mott, Mobley, Horstman and Griffin.

In October 1975, Arkansas Tech announced that the special events center would be named John E. Tucker Coliseum in honor of “The Original Wonder Boy,” who went on to render nearly a half-century of service to Arkansas Tech as a coach, administrator and chemistry professor.

Construction of Tucker Coliseum was completed in December 1975 and it hosted its first basketball game on Jan. 8, 1976.

Tucker Coliseum was dedicated during a ceremony on Jan. 20, 1976. Gov. David Pryor served as speaker for the event.

Arkansas Tech celebrated the 50th anniversary of Tucker Coliseum during a home basketball doubleheader on Feb. 7, 2026.

Fifty-seven high school students attended the 2026 Arkansas Student Officers Leadership Academy (SOLA) at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

The academy began on Tuesday, June 2, and continued through Friday, June 5. Those in attendance developed their leadership skills, networked with peers in other organizations and made plans for their respective organizations in advance of the 2026-27 academic year. They also conducted a hygiene drive to benefit the Russ Bus community service organization.

Organizations represented at the 2026 Arkansas SOLA were Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Educators Rising, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Future Farmers of America (FFA), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), SkillsUSA and Technology Student Association (TSA).

“These are all different categories and different individuals, but we all share the same common goal,” said Bowen Forbis of Fayetteville, vice president for Arkansas DECA. “Everybody wants success in their life. I feel like these groups provide a foundation for the skyscraper of success that we seek. Having the opportunity to meet leaders like these is an honor.”

The high school students were joined at the academy by approximately 35 state advisors, career and technical education professionals and support staff.

This was the fourth consecutive year ATU has hosted the Arkansas SOLA. The academy is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Career and Technical Education, the Arkansas Association for Career and Technical Education and Arkansas Tech University.

Approximately 100 high school students from the Arkansas River Valley are participating in the 2026 Arkansas Tech University Upward Bound residential summer program on the ATU campus in Russellville.

During the month of June, those high school students are studying English, math, science and electives such as human geography, robotics, theatre, astronomy, leadership, television production, money management, criminal justice and art. They are also engaged in a variety of recreational activities.

After moving in on Sunday, May 31, the first week of the summer program provided the ATU Upward Bound students with an opportunity to tour the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville and learn more about the post-secondary educational options available there. They will subsequently tour other campuses, including the ones at Hendrix College, Central Baptist College and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The Upward Bound classic program at ATU serves students from the public high schools in Atkins, Dover, Hector, Johnson County Westside and Lamar. ATU’s Upward Bound math and science program is for public high school students from Danville, Dardanelle, Two Rivers, Western Yell County and Wonderview. Each of those districts are represented among the approximately 100 students participating in the ATU Upward Bound summer program.

Jill Hendricks, director of upward bound programs at Arkansas Tech, is joined on the ATU Upward Bound staff by target school liaisons Shawna Davis and Annie McNeely.

During the school year, representatives from ATU go into partner high schools to provide academic support for Upward Bound program participants.

Participants in the federally-funded initiatives are exposed to a variety of resources and experiences designed to prepare them for college enrollment and success. Students selected for Upward Bound must meet income guidelines as set by the federal government and/or be a potential first-generation college student.

Following the conclusion of the on-campus summer program on Thursday, July 2, a select group of students from the ATU Upward Bound classic program and the ATU Upward Bound math and science program will visit St. Louis, Mo., for additional learning and cultural immersion.

Learn more at www.atu.edu/upbound and www.atu.edu/ubms.

A monument to Will Rogers located on the Arkansas Tech University campus in Russellville has been added to the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service.

The monument is located outside John E. Tucker Coliseum at 1604 Coliseum Drive on the ATU campus in Russellville. It consists of three plaques that were placed in memory of Rogers and to leave a record of his 1931 visit to Arkansas Tech.

Rogers was a humorist, movie star, newspaper columnist, radio commentator and humanitarian.

“I think it’s hard for us to imagine how popular (Rogers) was as a person,” said Tad Jones, executive director of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Okla., during a 2016 appearance at Arkansas Tech. “He was literally the No. 1, most read newspaper columnist of his day. He was in more than 400 newspapers. He was the No. 1 movie star in the United States in 1933 and 1934. He was the most listened to radio commentator. As a matter of fact, churches on Sunday night had to move their services around so that the congregation could listen to him on the radio and then come to church.

“(Rogers) loved his country and his fellow man,” continued Jones. “When they dedicated the Will Rogers Memorial in 1938, one of the things Eddie Cantor said about him was that he didn’t care about your religion or your color…he appreciated you as a human being. That is definitely a message our country needs to hear today. One of our efforts is to share Will Rogers with as many people as we can as an example of how to be a good American and a good human being.”

The 1931 show at ATU’s National Guard armory was part of a tour of the southern United States that Rogers undertook in an effort to bring relief to regions struggling through the Great Depression.

According to information published in the Russellville Courier-Democrat newspaper in the days leading up to and following Rogers’ visit to Arkansas Tech, the admission price for the event was $5 for reserved seating on the stage, $2.50 for seats in the front section, $1 for general admission and 50 cents for Tech students and children. The newspaper reported that approximately 3,000 people attended the Rogers appearance.

“It was Russellville and this vicinity’s big morning, and the people turned out en masse to hear the cowboy humorist speak,” reads a portion of the article. “The house was with him from the start. He was their own Will, come to help them in an emergency. He could have said anything, and they would’ve liked it. He was theirs. That was enough.”

Rogers’ performance in Russellville raised more than $2,000, which was used to provide payment for laborers to construct a municipal airport. The airport was built on the same parcel of land where Tucker Coliseum now sits.

Arkansas Tech rededicated its Will Rogers monument in June 2016 after it was refurbished through a cooperative effort by the Arkansas Humanities Council and Arkansas Tech.

Dr. Sean Huss’ promise to his students at Arkansas Tech University is simple.

“I won’t give up on you as long as you don’t give up,” said Huss. “As long as they meet me halfway, I’ll be there from day one until the final exam.”

Huss, professor of sociology and criminal justice at Arkansas Tech, was elected by the ATU student body as the 2025-26 professor of the year. It is the second time he has earned that honor. He was previously selected in 2021-22.

He credits an increased understanding of the power of empathy in helping him develop as a faculty member.

“In general, it makes me a far better professor because you shift away from just focusing on content and making sure they hit certain milestones,” said Huss. “It’s more about developing and mentoring. So, what you do is try to meet the students where they are, and in order to do that, you have to figure that out…where are they? The goal would be not to teach way up here, but to bring it down and walk up. Meaning, very simply, to help them be the best that they can be and learn as much as they can.”

Huss said anticipating students’ needs, communicating to them clearly and establishing clear expectations for them are the keys in setting the stage for learning to occur.

“They are a generation in transition,” said Huss when asked about his students. “The reason I say that is they are on the precipice on this major technological shift with AI and some of the other issues. They are also, at the same time, taking on greater and greater burdens.

“Many of my students,” continued Huss, “for instance, are working jobs…sometimes they have families…they’re doing all this additional stuff…and so, if I had to characterize them more sociologically, I would say these are students who are essentially, for the most part, coming from working class backgrounds and effectively being hit by a series of challenges on top of just trying to get an education. So, that informs me in the classroom and helps me kind of balance expectations and requirements. I make it real, real clear to them that this is doable, and this is how you do it.”

Huss grew up in Arkadelphia. He dropped out during his first try at college, but later returned to the classroom to earn his bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

He earned Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at the University of Tennessee before joining the Arkansas Tech faculty in 2005. A graduate of the Leadership Tech professional development program at ATU, Huss was promoted to associate professor and granted tenure in 2011. He was promoted to professor in 2017.

Huss said the students and the community that exists among the faculty and staff are his favorite aspects of Arkansas Tech.

“We do it for the value added and the intangibles,” said Huss. “Sometimes you’ll hear people ask a teacher what they make. My response is, like the poet says, I make police officers, I make lawyers, I make professors. That’s what we’ve done. We’ve had students come in who honestly didn’t think they would graduate, and some of them are finishing their doctorates now. They will go on and pay it forward, and that’s the real payoff.”