Campus Talk: Beach Volleyball Coming To UCA
by October 13, 2015 6:33 am 142 views
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CLINTON SCHOOL PROPOSES EXECUTIVE MASTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE DEGREE PROGRAM: The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is exploring the possibility of an Executive Master of Public Service (EMPS) degree program in collaboration with the University of Arkansas System’s new eVersity distance learning initiative.
The program would consist of 36 credit-hours over a two year period, and would be online only. With a tentative start date of January 2017, courses would be eight weeks long with one week between each course. The program’s cost is projected to be $33,600, but saves admitted students relocation related expenses for two years. Qualified applicants would have significant work and public service experience.
“At this time, the EMPS degree program has been proposed, but not yet approved, and we are gauging interest in the program,” Clinton School officials said in a recent email newsletter.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL COMING TO UCA: Women’s beach volleyball is coming to the University of Central Arkansas after the Board of Trustees voted to add it as the 18th varsity sport at the university.
The beach volleyball season is played during March and April and will begin at UCA in 2017, according to Dr. Brad Teague, director of athletics. Three other institutions in the Southland Conference are set to add the sport in the near future, including the University of New Orleans, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Houston Baptist University. The NCAA began recognizing beach volleyball as a sport in 2010.
UCA’s beach program will compete on new fields being built by UCA student life and intramurals and will be located adjacent to the intramural field in the south part of the campus.
EPA OFFERS $7 MILLION TO SCHOOLS FOR BUS RETROFITS, REPLACEMENT PROGRAM: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the availability of approximately $7 million in funding for rebates to public and private school bus fleet owners for the replacement and retrofit of older school buses. Replacing these buses that have older engines will reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality, EPA officials said.
New to this year’s program is the option of implementing retrofit technologies. Fleet owners can install Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC) plus Closed Crankcase Ventilation (CCV) systems to reduce emissions by up to 25%, and they can replace older buses with newer ones that meet the latest on-highway emission standards as in previous EPA rebate programs. EPA will pay up to $3,000 for each DOC plus CCV, and between $15,000 and $25,000 per replacement bus, depending on the size.
Applicants may request up to 10 buses for replacement and up to 10 buses for the retrofit option on each application. Fleets with more than 101 buses currently in operation may submit two applications. EPA will accept applications from Sept. 28 to Oct. 30. To learn more about the rebate program, applicant eligibility and selection process, click here.
FORMER ASU INSTRUCTOR TO BE RECOGNIZED POSTHUMOUSLY BY NATIONAL COLLEGE MEDIA GROUP: Bonnie Thrasher, former Arkansas State University instructor of multimedia journalism and faculty adviser to the student newspaper, will be honored posthumously by the College Media Association (CMA) for service and outstanding achievements as an adviser. She died at her home on March 31.
Thrasher, who served as vice president for the CMA, will be recognized at a ceremony Oct. 29 in Austin, Texas, during the 2015 National College Media Association convention. Nine staff members of The Herald student newspaper will accompany new adviser and assistant professor in the College of Media and Communication, Sandra Combs, to accept the award. The group will also present a short video about Thrasher.
The College Media Association is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to serving collegiate media advisers and annually recognizes the achievements of individuals through various award programs.
ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGES RECEIVE $4 MILLION FOR WORKFORCE INITIATIVE: The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services on Oct. 6 announced it has awarded Arkansas Community Colleges (formerly Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges) more than $4 million as part of its Arkansas Sector Partnership initiative.
The funds will be used to support the development, or expansion of, work-based training programs within the industries of advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology and the skilled construction trades.