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New AV¶¶Òõ alum, Joshua MerrittJoshua Merritt (right) and his dad Jason, a senior instructor in the College of Business and Industry, at the 2024 Spring Commencement
AlumniArts and SciencesBusiness and IndustryNews

Double Dose of Graduation

Joshua Merritt, a recent University of Arkansas—Fort Smith graduate, celebrated the completion of not one but two degrees during his time at AV¶¶Òõ. After starting at the university at just 13 years old, Merritt graduated with a bachelor's degree...

May 31, 2024
Jami Davis, '10, is the owner and operator of Grunge House, a Fort Smith boutique
AlumniCommunity

AV¶¶Òõ Alumna Brings Urban Flair to Community

Jami Davis, a 2010 graduate of the AV¶¶Òõ, 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
Dr. Charles
AlumniArts and SciencesLion Voices

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 AV¶¶Òõ when the university was still known as Westark Community College. Today, he is one of the world's foremost researchers...

May 31, 2024
Paper with the words
AlumniClass Notes

Class Notes, May 2024

AV¶¶Òõ alumni shared life events and happenings.

May 30, 2024
AV¶¶Òõ mascot, Numa, dressed as a mail carrier stands atop a pile of letters
AlumniFeaturedAV¶¶Òõ Mailbag

AV¶¶Òõ Mailbag: Happy Birthday, Numa!

In this back-to-back edition of the AV¶¶Òõ 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
AV¶¶Òõ graduate smiles for the camera holding his diploma and a
AlumniArts and SciencesBusiness and IndustryEventsFeaturedFirst GenerationHealth Education and Human SciencesNewsStudents

What's the 4-1-1 on Graduation?

Spring commencement at the AV¶¶Òõ is one month away. Graduating students should know what they need to do before the ceremony and what they can access as AV¶¶Òõ alums.

April 11, 2024
Patricia Hurtado Perez, Coordinator for Upward Bound Math and Science
AlumniArts and SciencesFirst Generation

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 AV¶¶Òõ, struggled with unique challenges. However, she was undeterred along her path to...

April 02, 2024
AV¶¶Òõ Cheer at the 2023 NCA Competitions
AlumniAthleticsFeatured

AV¶¶Òõ Cheer Builds Up Champions

With college nationals just a few weeks away, the all-star AV¶¶Òõ Cheer team is ready to take Daytona by storm. The AV¶¶Òõ 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
Dr. April Evans, center, surrounded by her husband, Shane, and their five grandchildren
AlumniHealth Education and Human SciencesLion Voices

Building Foundations with Dr. April Evans

AV¶¶Òõ 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 AV¶¶Òõ...

March 25, 2024
AV¶¶Òõ mascot Numa, dressed as a mailcarrier
AlumniEventsStudentsAV¶¶Òõ Mailbag

AV¶¶Òõ Mailbag: Where Memories Roar

The AV¶¶Òõ 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
students hold 1928 balloons
AlumniCommunityFeatured

AV¶¶Òõ Honors Alumni Award Winners

The University of Arkansas – 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
Cody Holt poses for AV¶¶Òõ eSports media day
AlumniBusiness and IndustryLion Voices

Readying Player One and the Gamer, Cody Holt

Follow the evolution of AV¶¶Òõ senior instructor Cody Holt. From gamer to AV¶¶Òõ educator and eSports coach, uncover his gaming passion and commitment to student achievement along the way.

February 16, 2024
Yosey Cardenas during graduation, May 2023
AlumniFirst GenerationHealth Education and Human SciencesLion Voices

Coming Full Circle with Yosey Cardenas

At the AV¶¶Òõ, 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
Logan Aguilera, class of '23, coaches a player at Sallisaw during a football game. Aguilera is a geography teacher at Sallisaw Middle School.
AlumniArts and SciencesLion Voices

Some Things Are Worth Waiting For

AV¶¶Òõ College of Arts and Sciences 2023 alum Logan Aguilera encourages students to practice patience. AV¶¶Òõ helped prepare him to be a middle school teacher in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and become a coach of six different teams....

February 08, 2024
Quynh Nguyen, 2016 graduate of AV¶¶Òõ
AlumniBusiness and Industry

Achieving her Dreams

Quynh Nguyen, a 2016 AV¶¶Òõ 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. AV¶¶Òõ was a place that...

January 08, 2024
Sarah Murrah, left, with her husband and two daughters
AlumniBusiness and IndustryLion Voices

Life and AV¶¶Òõ: How Sarah Murrah Balanced the Twists and Turns to Success

AV¶¶Òõ 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
Lynette Thrower
AlumniArts and SciencesCommunityLion Voices

Staff Voices: Lynette Thrower

Lynette Thrower has worked at the AV¶¶Òõ since 2021, following her time as a student two years prior. However, it is the life she lived before getting to AV¶¶Òõ that made her the perfect hire for the university.

October 27, 2023
The words
AlumniClass Notes

Class Notes, Fall 2023

Class Notes from AV¶¶Òõ alumni from the fall 2023.

October 13, 2023
Wes Milam, a AV¶¶Òõ adjunct criminal justice professor and Fort Smith Police Captain, stands outside of the FSPD station
Bell TowerArts and SciencesAlumni

Baby Steps of Ambition

AV¶¶Òõ adjunct criminal justice professor Wes Milam, details his journey from AV¶¶Òõ student to professor while continuing to serve the community of Fort Smith.

October 06, 2023
Alumni Mural
AlumniBell Tower

Alumni Legacy Awards

Twenty students received financial aid through the Alumni Legacy Scholarship in the 2023-2024 academic year. This is the highest number of scholarships awarded in a year.

October 04, 2023

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The AV¶¶Òõ Office of Communications fields all media inquiries for the university. Email Rachel.Putman@uafs.edu for more information.

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Rachel Rodemann Putman

  • Director of Strategic Communications
  • 479-788-7132
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