Not only does the new site include bolder colors, new pictures, an easy-to-navigate menu and up-to-date news and events, but it provides a more user-friendly experience for visitors. By adding a drop down menu to each navigation tab, visitors can access particular pages faster and more effectively.

Visitors who are members of the Association may log-in and receive a personalized greeting, as well as a personalized tab that provides easy access to various areas of the website, based upon the interests of the member. Members also receive access to VIPerks promotional codes, as well as access to the online directory.  By logging in, members can update their public profile by uploading photos, adding friends and blogs, and creating groups.

Non-members of the Association who sign-in will also have a personalized greeting as well as access to many of the websites perks.  A personalized profile, easy event registration, news stories and photos are just a few of the new features that can be found in the online community.

For visitors who do not sign-in to the community, many of the site features will still be accessible; however, the personalization tab and access to your public profile and promotional codes will not become active until sign-in.

By providing visitors with an easier, more accessible way to communicate with fellow University of Arkansas alumni and friends, the Association encourages you to join the online community and start exploring all of its features targeted to improve your alumni experience.

The Alumni Association will be emailing login instructions to all Arkansas alumni and friends for the new online community on Wednesday, February 8.  The email will include detailed login instructions for the online community including a login ID and a link to the new website. If you do not receive the login instructions on February 8, please contact the Arkansas Alumni Association at help@arkansasalumni.org or 1.888.275.2586.

The 4-P initiative was created to help communicate to young alumni what the Alumni Association can provide assistance with as well as how membership in the Arkansas Alumni Association can benefit themselves as well as others.  The 4-P’s the board wants to convey are Pride, Perks, Professional Development and Paying it Forward. The logo will be the face of the 4-P initiative and should illustrate the 4-P’s.  The contest has begun and submissions are due to the Alumni Association by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20. It is open to any students or alumni. The grand prize will be a $250 Visa gift card, a spotlight on the Arkansas Alumni Association’s website and publications, and a gift pack from the Alumni Association.

Members of the Arkansas Alumni Association or members of the Razorback Foundation who did not purchase the travel package may purchase Hog Wild Party tickets. Non-Member guests must be accompanied by a member of the Arkansas Alumni Association or a member of the Razorback Foundation. A shuttle will run to and from the Omni and Anatole hotels, taking members who purchased tickets to Eddie Deen’s Ranch.

Registration for the event will be open until Dec. 29 and tickets for the event will be available for pick up at the Omni Hotel hospitality desk on Thursday, Jan. 5 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Tickets will also be available for pick up at Eddie Deen’s from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

To learn more about the event, or to reserve your tickets today, visit the Hog Wild Party page.

Heath Bowman, assistant director of the out-of-state territories, and Meredith Hawkins, communications specialist, delivered the donated items to Bright Futures, a grassroots organization that is devoted to utilizing area resources to strengthen the community and its families. Volunteers, including Joplin resident and UA alumna, Mai Tucker, and Association board member, Audie Dennis, as well as the Bright Futures staff were thrilled and shocked to see the amount of items filling the U-Haul truck driven by Bowman and Hawkins. University of Arkansas alumni, students, staff of the Arkansas Alumni Association and Division of Advancement, as well as area businesses, including First Security Bank and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce donated hundreds of items to the cause.

“The response to ‘Operation: Holiday Cheer’ was overwhelming. When we began planning the project, I thought I would be transporting a few boxes of donations to Joplin in the back of a van or the trunk of my car. To have received enough items from our partners and colleagues across campus and throughout the Fayetteville community to justify the need to rent a moving truck speaks volumes about the generosity of the U of A family,” Bowman said.

Volunteers donated everything from trees to Christmas costumes. Hawkins recalled unloading “ribbons, ornaments, tree toppers, lights and wrapping paper.” She went on to say that the people at Bright Futures commented that “these will be these families’ first ornaments, like heirlooms.” Local volunteers plan to make packages, which will be distributed by school counselors to children whose families lost their homes and who are living in temporary housing.

When asked how much of an impact the project will have on the families of Joplin, Bowman responded by recognizing the efforts of the staff at Bright Futures. “We were so fortunate to be able to partner with an outstanding organization like Bright Futures Joplin to help in distributing donations collected through “Operation: Holiday Cheer.” Working with Bright Futures ensures that the ornaments and decorations people generously donated will be put to good use and will get to the children and families who need them the most this holiday season.”

To find out more about the “Helpin’ Like a Hog” program and how you can help, contact Heath Bowman at habowman@uark.edu.

Bowl packages are now open to the general public. Two hotels are available, the Omni and the Hilton Anatole, for those wishing to travel with the Association.

If you are interested in reserving your room and learning more about the amenities included in the package, you may visit the Razorback Road Trips page for more information.

A 2008 graduate of the civil engineering department, White, a native of Russellville, understands the struggles that students face when contemplating degree programs, finances and homework. Through his understanding, he and two of his fellow classmates, Trenton Ellis and Meagan Berlau, decided to start a scholarship for civil engineering students. “I was a recipient of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering scholarship. It allowed me to not worry about finances and instead, focus on the things I enjoy in school,” he said.

Looking to give other students that same opportunity, White and his two classmates consulted with faculty and staff members within the department, including Dr. Kevin Hall, departmental chair of civil engineering, who supported them on their endeavors. Deciding that each would contribute $500 to the scholarship, the Honorarium for Dedicated Leadership and Outstanding Character Scholarship was started. Set up for junior and senior civil engineering students, White added, “It is an annual $1,500 scholarship for those who demonstrate leadership skills in academic and extracurricular activities.”

When asked why, at such a young age, they decided to take on such a venture, White stated, “We all had the financial capacity to start the scholarship. We didn’t want to wait.”

Apart from his contributions to helping students financially while in school, he stays actively involved in the Civil Engineering Alumni Society, serving as a board member. Joining two years ago, he is an advocate for the society’s purpose of “unifying alumni and providing them the opportunity to come back and connect,” as well as “giving back to students and scholarships.” Proud to be involved in an organization that allows alumni and students to build relationships, he urges students to make connections with professionals; something he understands through personal experience.

As a junior, White participated in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competition. While building a steel bridge in Lawrence, KS, he met many people within the program, and through his connections, received an internship with Garver Engineers, LLC, his current employer.

“I work in the aviation department. We build airports in the area and help our clients achieve their vision,” he said. Adding that as a project engineer, his job allows him to help with funding, as well as oversee the projects, he claims that “getting to know the clients and seeing a project from its concept through the construction phase is what I like best about my job.”

Although his activities outside of work keep him busy, White can’t imagine it any other way. “The Arkansas Alumni Association is an avenue to connect and give back to the University of Arkansas,” he said. Through his involvement with the Association, he has met fellow professionals who he shares similar interests, such as former Civil Engineering Alumni Society president, Marcus Hopkins, and fellow civil engineer, Paul Selig.

The people he has met, the opportunities he has been given and the impact he and his fellow classmates continue to make on current students are just a few of the reasons why he believes it is worth getting involved.

“It is rewarding to give back to students. You get so much of it and it helps you grow as a professional just as much as they grow as students.”