Human Resource Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Students tell of job promotions; UA system president praises Hinton, faculty
Barbara Hinton, head of the department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders, listens as former students tell how the human resource development program changed their lives for the better. Ricky Bryan of Mansfield, one of the graduates who shared his story, is sitting behind her.
Dametrice Burke of Little Rock (above), William Campbell of Tillar and Derrel Smith of Rogers (below from top) were invited, along with Ricky Bryan of Mansfield, to address current students and faculty at a special dinner March 31 celebrating 10 years of the human resource development program.
B. Alan Sugg, president of the University of Arkansas system, also enjoyed the evening and praised Hinton and her colleagues for their vision in implementing the program.
Photos courtesy Stone Ridge Photographers
It was near the end of the evening when a member of the videotaping crew asked student service coordinator Phil Gerke about getting into the human resource development program at the University of Arkansas.
Maybe the videographer was inspired by the testimonials given by former students who told of being promoted by their employers to positions of greater responsibility and reward. Maybe he was entertained by the catchy slideshow with images of smiling students and faculty members flashing across triple screens as Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” played. Maybe he met some of the officials from other institutions of higher learning across the state that play a part in the program’s success.
These people were all part of a special dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of the HRD program. The March 31 event at the ballroom in the Arkansas Union was part of the annual spring cohort weekend on the Fayetteville campus. The human resource development degree is offered by distance education, linking Fayetteville with two-year colleges around Arkansas to meet the needs of working adults for a university education without leaving jobs or families. For some students in the program, the cohort weekend held each semester may be the only time they visit the Fayetteville campus.
B. Alan Sugg, president of the University of Arkansas system, came from Little Rock to attend the dinner. He enjoyed the cheers as students from around the state responded when their town was called out, and he praised Barbara Hinton, head of the department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders, who initiated the program after consulting on a similar one in Australia.
“I call it the HRD religion,” Sugg said. “This reminds me of a revival. I’m saying, ‘Amen,’ to everything that is said.
“Good things don’t just happen. They don’t just fall out of the sky. A lot of people have ideas but nothing comes of them. Barbara Hinton and her faculty members had a vision and made a commitment to this program.”
Reed Greenwood, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions, also described the vision of Hinton and her colleagues: “This is an expression of hope for a better life, a better future.”
Four former students illustrated the success envisioned by Hinton and faculty members such as Dale Thompson and Sally Carder, now president of National Park Community College in Hot Springs. Thompson and Carder, along with faculty members Kit Brooks and Bobbie Biggs, were instructors in the program when it started in 1996. Other faculty members whose outstanding teaching and support were mentioned by the students included Kenda Grover, Judith Tavano, Jules Beck, Greg Fike, Martha Pendleton and Patrick Pendleton.
Cohort 7 graduates Dametrice Burke of Little Rock and William Campbell of Tillar have been promoted by their employers, state agencies, since receiving their degrees, and each has also earned a master’s degree and is pursuing a doctorate.
Ricky Bryan of Mansfield went from driving a truck to working as director of vehicle safety and Department of Transportation compliance for O.K. Industries as a result of his higher education.
The crowd laughed when Derrel Smith of Rogers described himself and other members of cohort 1 as guinea pigs. With a small child at home, Smith went back to his office many nights to study and often found himself wondering why he hadn’t applied himself when he attended college right after high school. It wasn’t unusual then for him to skip class, but when he started back to college 18 years later he was unhappy when he received a B in a class.
Smith also told a funny story about the technology that delivered the courses. In those early days, classes were held at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale, which is adjacent to the city’s municipal airport. Noise from planes coming in for a landing or taking off often triggered the cameras in the classrooms, leaving those at the other sites wondered what they were supposed to be seeing on the video screen, Smith explained.
Burke expressed what may have been the feeling of many students. She said that, without the weekend- and Web-based program, she would still be struggling to work, raise a family and attend classes to complete a bachelor’s degree. She and Campbell spoke of Gerke’s calm guidance and reassurance that they would make it through to receive a diploma and get their names on Senior Walk on the Fayetteville campus.
Hinton said seeing the program’s success has been very gratifying to her.
“I have enjoyed so much hearing how this program has changed people’s lives and their careers, improved their skills and fostered their desire to learn,” she said. “These are serious students. They have to be working full time to be in the program, and they are here to learn.”
President Sugg summed up the evening this way: “When I see these graduates, I am so grateful to the faculty members, the deans, the department chairs who want to be sure students have the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree.”
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