Dionne Mitchell was born and raised Catholic, attending St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock, one of three historically Black Catholic churches in Arkansas. As a 29-year-old, she has her pick of churches in Central Arkansas, but has always sought out a predominantly Black congregation.
“I wanted to be around people that look like me,” she said. “. I didn’t feel excluded (in other parishes). I just always thought it was weird seeing white Jesus in a church.”
Walking into most churches in Arkansas, there’s no shortage of Anglo depictions of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the cross, statutes and Stations of the Cross. But for a Church that’s supposed to be universal, the concept of being welcoming can start with more diverse depictions of the Holy Family. But it runs deeper than that for local Black Catholics, rooted in cultural acceptance.
Setting the Curve: College of Education’s Integration of Technology Prepares Graduates for New Challenges
KristiAnna Mathes ’19, teacher at Julia Lee Moore Elementary in Conway, engages her first-grade students with online learning resources her district implements for students, teachers and parents. Mathes’ time as a University of Central Arkansas College of Education student helped ready her for the teaching challenges that arrived with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In spring 2020, when travel, work settings and schools experienced major shifts in operation due to COVID-19, KristiAnna Mathes ’19 took her kindergarten class on a field trip to the San Diego Zoo a virtual field trip, that is.
Denver Prince
After earning a grant from the National Science Foundation, Denver Prince was attending Vanderbilt University in the summer of 1959 when he was contacted by A.E. Burdick, the academic dean at Arkansas State Teachers College, now the University of Central Arkansas, about teaching at the institution.
“I was taking 14 hours and didn’t have time to come to Conway for an interview. Dean Burdick met me at the airport in Nashville to interview me for the job at UCA,” Prince said. “He came back and reported to Dr. Snow that he felt they should hire me.”
Denver Prince, former chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, views a plaque during the dedication of the Prince Center in 2003
Britni Elder
The University of Central Arkansas has hired Britni Elder as associate vice president of Human Resources and Risk Management. Her first day was Monday, Jan. 11.
In this role, Elder will oversee operations of the Department of Human Resources and Risk Management, along with more than a dozen staff members who focus on recruitment, employment, insurance and benefits, employee relations, classification, compensation and personnel information systems. She will report to Chief of Staff Amy Whitehead.
“I am excited and honored to become a UCA Bear and to lead the HR and Risk Management team,” Elder said. “In HR, we encourage and take care of our employees from the time they step foot on campus to the time they embark on their next adventure. Doing our jobs well helps our employees and their families thrive and ensures that our students discover and reach their full potential. Now, more than ever, we have an opportunity to encourage and take care of the people around u