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Joy Rasphoumy
AlumniArts and SciencesFeaturedIntrepid Ambition

Kitchana Rasphoumy: Designing the Future

Joy Rasphoumy doesn’t just design—she fuels connection. Through every SaatchiX campaign and every AIGA event, she’s building a creative culture where people feel seen, heard, and moved to lead. Fueled by her roots, her vision, and the foundation...

April 02, 2025
Brooke Devine, '17, and her son, Noah
Alumni

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Alumna's Book Touches Readers' Hearts

Brooke Devine, a 2017 graduate of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, recently published her second book, "Love Stays the Same. " It is a touching tribute to her son as he transitions into becoming a big brother.

April 02, 2025
The Bakery District
FeaturedIntrepid AmbitionNews

$7.5 million gift launches ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Center for Nonprofits

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ announced a transformational $7.5 million gift on Wednesday, April 2, which will endow a comprehensive Center for Nonprofits (CNP) at the university. The anonymous gift, one of the largest in ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ history, was unveiled during the public kickoff...

April 02, 2025
Intrepid Ambition, the campaign for the river valley
Arts and SciencesBusiness and IndustryFeaturedHealth Education and Human SciencesNews

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Launches $85 Million 'Intrepid Ambition' Campaign

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ publicly launched its largest fundraising initiative in history unveiling Intrepid Ambition, an $85 million comprehensive campaign designed to reshape access to education, elevate academic excellence, and power economic development across the...

April 02, 2025
Nigel Otero, advising coordinator, College of Business and Industry, stands outside of his office on the second floor of the Flanders Building
AlumniBusiness and IndustryFirst GenerationLion Voices

Nigel Otero: Turning Opportunities into Inspiration

When Nigel Otero came to the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith, he did so knowing it was an opportunity he wouldn't squander. Now, as an advising coordinator for the College of Business and Industry, he's working to inspire students to achieve...

March 31, 2025
Andrea Parton, the discovery and access librarian for the Boreham Library at the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith, stands in the lobby next to a new display of video games
Lion Voices

Cataloging Resources: How Andrea Parton Became the Librarian She Was Meant to Be

University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith Discovery and Access Librarian Andrea Parton never intended to follow in her dad's footsteps. As a librarian, she does the job she was always meant to have.

March 31, 2025
Mae Jemison in Space
Arts and SciencesCommunityFeatured

Mae Jemison, First Black Woman in Space, to Speak at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ

Dr. Mae Jemison, author, astronaut, entrepreneur, and prolific leader in the fields of science and exploration, will speak at the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ—Fort Smith on Wednesday, April 9, at 6 p.m. in the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus...

March 28, 2025
From 1927, a photo of Fort Smith High School, now Darby Middle School, which was the first classes of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ were held.
CommunityIntrepid Ambition

A Legacy of Courage

The story of Fort Smith is one of endurance, evolution, and grit—and ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ has been there through every chapter, turning moments of hardship into milestones of progress. As the region faces the future, it does so with a partner that has never wavered,...

March 26, 2025
An image of nurses in blue scrubs working
AlumniHealth Education and Human SciencesIntrepid Ambition

Uplifting Patient Care

Lindsey France is a lifeline. Every shift, every patient, and every step she helps someone take is a testament to the training, resilience, and compassion that define ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ nurses. She’s not just meeting the standard—she’s redefining it. And...

March 26, 2025
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Jordan Mader, works with students in a chemistry lab as they mix and measure liquid compounds
AlumniArts and SciencesIntrepid Ambition

Preserving Our Future

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ students and faculty are driving scientific breakthroughs with urgency and focus. In the fight against microplastic pollution, they’re not waiting for answers—they’re creating them. They’re transforming curiosity into world-class research...

March 26, 2025
A man programs a piece of robotic equipment in an advanced manufacturing engineering lab
Business and IndustryIntrepid AmbitionNews

Advancing Manufacturing

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ is laying the foundation for the next era of industry in the River Valley—equipping students, workers, and employers with the tools, training, and talent to lead in an advanced manufacturing economy. From engineering labs to apprenticeship...

March 26, 2025
Nighttime at the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Center for Economic Development at the Bakery District
CommunityIntrepid Ambition

Empowering Our Economy

The ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Center for Economic Development is a pillar of our community. By equipping the workforce, empowering entrepreneurs, and supporting the region’s most vital industries, the CED is building more than economic momentum—it’s building a...

March 26, 2025
A ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ psychology professor, Dr. Nicha Otero, browses a stack of books she has in front of her while sitting at a table on the second floor of the Boreham Library.
FeaturedHealth Education and Human SciencesIntrepid Ambition

Researching Resilience

Dr. Nicha Otero is rewriting the narrative of what student success looks like—one classroom, one breakthrough, one act of belief at a time. Her research is rooted in resilience, but her impact runs deeper: she’s creating space for students to...

March 26, 2025
ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Bell Tower
Chancellor

Campus Update, March 21, 2025

University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley provides an update as ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ heads into Spring Break.

March 21, 2025
White buttons that read
First GenerationStudents

First to go but not Alone

More than half of the students who attend the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith are first-generation or the first in their family to attend college. The First-Generation Student Success Committee features nearly 30 faculty and staff - many of whom...

March 19, 2025
Jaylin Barroso (left) and Kimberly Villagrana stand in front of the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Bell Tower holding a flag for Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc., or SIA, the newest sorority to ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ.
NewsStudents

Legacy through Sisterhood

This semester, the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ—Fort Smith became the latest colony for Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc., or SIA, thanks to the years of hard work and dedication of seniors Kimberly Villagrana and Jaylin Barroso.

March 19, 2025
Zach Gramlich at the Capitol
AlumniBusiness and IndustryIntrepid Ambition

Zack Gramlich: Leading from Home

Zack Gramlich isn’t waiting for change—he’s building it. In the classroom and in the Capitol, he’s turning belief into momentum, showing the next generation what’s possible when you lead with purpose and stay rooted in your community. ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ...

March 18, 2025
Students with IEEE check out machinery inside the James W. Trimble Lock and Dam.
Business and IndustryStudents

Field Trip Offers Insight to Engineering ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵs

Students from the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith's Institution of Electronics and Electrical Engineering chapter recently visited the James W. Trimble Lock and Dam in Barling, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, for a first-hand look at engineering careers.

March 18, 2025
Michael Lander, sophomore music history major, and his speed cube in the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center
EventsNewsStudents

Calling All (Rubik's) Cubers

Michael Lander, a sophomore music history major at the University of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ - Fort Smith, is bringing his love of Rubik's cube to the Fort Smith Convention Center for the first ever ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Championship on March 29-30.

March 14, 2025
Mayor McGill shakes hands at a ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Democracy Project event.
CommunityEventsFeatured

State of the City Slated March 17

Fort Smith Mayor George McGill will deliver the 2025 State of the City Address at 6 p.m. Monday, March 17, in the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center.

March 10, 2025

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The ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ 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

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