News Stories
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ News

Cashing in Education for Career Success
When Tracie Walden, '96, left the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith, then Westark College, she never intended to return to banking. Little did she know that her education at ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ would play a pivotal role in her career back in banking.
August 07, 2024
Former Nurse Followed Winding Road to Current Happiness
Angela Perkins describes the route from Westark Community College in the 1970s to her current life as a rollercoaster. It’s that and more.
July 30, 2024
Longtime Classroom Veteran Moves Easily into Administrative Role
LaDena Nsabimana is pretty sure her years in classrooms in western ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ prepared her for the job she has today as associate director of special education at KVC Academy.
July 30, 2024
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Alumna Brings Urban Flair to Community
Jami Davis, a 2010 graduate of the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith, brings what she learned in the classroom and from her travels to the city through her boutique, Grunge House. As owner and operator, Davis has carefully curated a shop to meet...
May 31, 2024
A Feather in His Cap: The Life and Career of Dr. Charles Preston
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Preston traces his roots in biology to growing up in Fort Smith and attending the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith when the university was still known as Westark Community College. Today, he is one of the world's foremost researchers...
May 31, 2024
Double Dose of Graduation
Joshua Merritt, a recent University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´â€”Fort Smith graduate, celebrated the completion of not one but two degrees during his time at ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´. After starting at the university at just 13 years old, Merritt graduated with a bachelor's degree...
May 31, 2024
Class Notes, May 2024
University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith alumni shared life events and happenings.
May 30, 2024
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Mailbag: Happy Birthday, Numa!
In this back-to-back edition of the ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Mailbag, we celebrate our favorite mascot's birthday. Numa takes another trip around the sun and invites everyone to enjoy his big day with him.
April 19, 2024
What's the 4-1-1 on Graduation?
Spring commencement at the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith is one month away. Graduating students should know what they need to do before the ceremony and what they can access as ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ alums.
April 11, 2024
First-Generation Staff Spotlight: Patricia Hurtado Perez
As a Hispanic first-generation student, Patricia Hurtado Perez, coordinator for the Upward Bound Math and Science program at the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith, struggled with unique challenges. However, she was undeterred along her path to...
April 02, 2024
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Cheer Builds Up Champions
With college nationals just a few weeks away, the all-star ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Cheer team is ready to take Daytona by storm. The ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ cheer team has won 4 NCA Nationals Championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, and has reached the collegiate tournament 14 seasons...
March 29, 2024
Building Foundations with Dr. April Evans
University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith School of Education Interim Executive Director Dr. April Evans leaned on her love of education and literacy, her passion for making a difference, and the relationships she built along the way in her return to ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´...
March 25, 2024
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Mailbag: Where Memories Roar
The ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Mailbag returns with a recap of Homecoming 2024: Where Memories Roar. From competitions, reunions, awards, and games, homecoming week was full of excitement, and the campus was buzzing.
February 23, 2024
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Honors Alumni Award Winners
The University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ – Fort Smith Alumni Advisory Council honored five Lions at the Alumni Brunch today as part of 2024 homecoming events. Dr. Daniel Fudge, ‘12, and Jaime Vargas, ’18 and ‘23, received the Young Alumni Award, Sara Putman...
February 17, 2024
Readying Player One and the Gamer, Cody Holt
Follow the evolution of University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith senior instructor Cody Holt. From gamer to ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ educator and eSports coach, uncover his gaming passion and commitment to student achievement along the way.
February 16, 2024
Coming Full Circle with Yosey Cardenas
At the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith, education and social work academic advisor for the College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences, Yosey Cardenas, shares her story as a first-generation student and how she now uses that experience to...
February 09, 2024
Some Things Are Worth Waiting For
University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith College of Arts and Sciences 2023 alum Logan Aguilera encourages students to practice patience. ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ helped prepare him to be a middle school teacher in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and become a coach of six different teams....
February 08, 2024
Achieving her Dreams
Quynh Nguyen, a 2016 University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith graduate, immigrated from Vietnam with her family when she was 12. As a non-English speaking student, the language barrier was an obstacle she overcame her entire life. ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ was a place that...
January 08, 2024
Life and ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´: How Sarah Murrah Balanced the Twists and Turns to Success
University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith Campus and Community Engagement Administrative Assistant Sarah Murrah describes the twists and turns of life on her journey to obtaining her degree and giving back to the university that made it happen.
November 13, 2023
Staff Voices: Lynette Thrower
Lynette Thrower has worked at the University of ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ - Fort Smith since 2021, following her time as a student two years prior. However, it is the life she lived before getting to ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ that made her the perfect hire for the university.
October 27, 2023Popular Topics
Media Relations
The ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Office of Communications fields all media inquiries for the university. Email Rachel.Putman@uafs.edu for more information.
Send%20an%20EmailRachel Rodemann Putman
- Director of Strategic Communications
- 479-788-7132
- rachel.putman@uafs.edu