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AV¶¶Òõ News
![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](/news/_images/joshua-merritt.jpg)
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](/news/_images/jami-davis-alumni-bus-dir.jpg)
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](/news/_images/preston-eagle-feature.jpg)
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](/news/_images/class-note.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2023-mailman-numa.jpg)
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](/news/_images/grad-411-logan.jpg)
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](/news/_images/patricia-perez.jpg)
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](/news/_images/cheer-competition.jpg)
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](/news/_images/april-evans.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2023-mailman-numa.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2023-bt-dayofgivingjpg.jpg)
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](/news/_images/cody-holt-media.jpg)
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](/news/_images/yosey-grad.jpg)
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.](/news/_images/logan-coaching.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2024-quynh-nguyen.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2023-sarah-murrah.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2023-lynette.jpg)
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](/news/_images/class-note.jpg)
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](/news/_images/2023-wes-milam-station.jpg)
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](/news/_images/alumni-mural.jpg)
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, 2023Popular Topics
Media Relations
The AV¶¶Òõ Office of Communications fields all media inquiries for the university. Email Rachel.Putman@uafs.edu for more information.
Send an EmailRachel Rodemann Putman
- Director of Strategic Communications
- 479-788-7132
- rachel.putman@uafs.edu