Wednesday Kudos: UA Colleges Earn Accolades

The University of Arkansas is front-and-center, as is Lt. Gov. Mark Darr and Russellville native Trish Henry.

SHANNON TO STEP DOWN AS ARCHITECTURE DEAN
Jeff Shannon, dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, has announced that he will resign as dean on May 15. Shannon has decided to return to teaching.

“I am proud of the accomplishments made by the Fay Jones School of Architecture during my tenure as dean,” Shannon said. “I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by talented and dedicated colleagues. The school, with the new building addition and renovation, is poised to reach even greater heights in the future.”

Shannon, who will teach one seminar course this fall, will return to the classroom full-time in 2014. He will also continue his work as the executive editor of the collaborative publishing venture between the school and the University of Arkansas Press.

“One of the main motivations for this decision was my missing teaching,” Shannon said. “I always promised myself that I would end my career teaching. It’s my first love and the reason I came to the university in the first place. I’ve tried to teach one course a year since I’ve been dean and that’s always been one of the highlights of each semester. So I wanted to make sure I had the chance to teach again full-time while I still had the energy and enthusiasm to do it well.”

Shannon, who has been dean since 2000, is the fourth dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture. An interim dean will be named soon.

UA LAW SCHOOL, BUSINESS SCHOOL NAB HONORS
The University of Arkansas received a double dose of top-20 recognition in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Graduate Schools rankings released this month.

The Sam M. Walton College of Business earned a No. 1 ranking for the number of full-time Master of Business Administration graduates employed at graduation – an impressive 90.5 percent, while the rehabilitation counseling program in the College of Education and Health Professions is ranked 16th nationally.

In addition, the University of Arkansas School of Law is ranked in the top tier of law schools for the fifth consecutive year and continues its steady climb in the rankings.

Walton College’s Executive M.B.A. program is 32nd among public business schools and its full-time program is 37th, according to U.S. News.

The rehabilitation counseling program in the department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders has been ranked in the top 20 nationally for the past decade and has been ranked 16th since 2011, the last year rehabilitation counseling programs were ranked.

The University of Arkansas School of Law is ranked in the top tier of law schools for the fifth consecutive year and continues its steady climb in the rankings. The School of Law tied for 36th place among public law schools and tied for 68th place overall.

DARR NAMED TO LT. GOVERNOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Republican Lieutenant Governors Association (RLGA) announced the 2013 RLGA Executive Committee.

Arkansas Lt. Governor Mark Darr was named to the executive committee roster.

The RLGA is the only national organization committed to raising money and assisting Republicans in their campaigns for Lieutenant Governor, an office that has served as a springboard to elected positions such as Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, or appointments to the President’s Cabinet.

The RLGA currently claims 30 of the 45 Lieutenant Governor offices nationwide, a record number for the organization.

The full 2013 RLGA Executive Committee is listed below:

Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki, Nevada – Chairman
Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, Mississippi – Vice Chairman
Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell, Alaska
Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr, Arkansas
Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa
Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, Kansas
Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez, New Mexico
Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, Tennessee
Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Wisconsin

TRISH HENRY JOINS FRIENDSHIP COMMUNITY CARE BOARD

Trish Henry, CEO of Russellville Steel Company, Inc. and newly installed Chairman of the Board for the Russellville Chamber of Commerce, has joined the board of directors for Friendship Community Care.

Friendship Community Care raises money and works with children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities throughout the state of Arkansas. Founded in Russellville in 1972, it has grown into a statewide, non-profit organization serving over 950 individuals and employing over 1,000 people statewide.

During her tenure with Russellville Steel Company, Henry has served as General Counsel, General Manager and Vice-President. She also serves as a Director for Simmons First Bank of Russellville and is a member of St. John’s Catholic School Board and the UACCM Board of Visitors.