(Pictured, clockwise from top left) sand artist and storyteller Joe Castillo, wrongly imprisoned former professional boxer Dewey Bozella, artificial intelligence specialist Dr. Kathryn Conrad, and former NBA player and HOOPSLife founder Pat Burke headline the ����vlog����’ 2024-25 Walton Arts & Ideas Series (WAIS).

WAIS is made possible by an endowment established by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. All of the events begin at 7 p.m. and there is no charge for admission.

This upcoming academic year’s series will feature six events, beginning on Sept. 5 with Castillo, an artist, pastor, author and storyteller. Castillo’s latest adventure in creative expression is called SandStory. Drawing in sand on a light table, he is able to create a powerful, fluid way of doing illustrations for large audiences. Powerful, visceral, are just a few of the words that have been used in attempting to describe what Castillo does. He has performed in over 20 countries, for Fortune 500 companies, Presidents, Kings, World Leaders, TED, CBS, NBC, BBC and reached the finals on America’s Got Talent.

The series continues on Oct. 10 with a speaking engagement by Burke, who became Ireland’s first NBA player in the early 2000s. After a 12-year professional playing career, Burke and his wife Peyton in 2013 founded HOOPSLife, a youth-development program that promotes leadership and life skills through basketball to young boys and girls throughout the United States and in Ireland.

On Nov. 19, the Afrique Aya Dance Company, an African dance and drum group, will perform at the University. The Arkansas-based troupe will perform traditional West African dances, drawing on a rich tradition of story-telling and earth-based, lyric movement and music that convey a vibrant, universal narrative. The company has performed and taught residencies and workshops on the music and culture of West Africa in colleges and schools throughout the country.

The series continues on February 12, 2025, with a presentation from Bozella, a former professional boxer who spent 26 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit. His story of courage, strength, faith, and perseverance began in the late 1970s, when he was wrongfully accused of murdering Emma Crapser, a 92-year-old resident of Poughkeepsie, New York. Sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, Bozella fiercely maintained his innocence throughout his ordeal at Sing Sing, and even refused the prosecutor’s offer of instant freedom in exchange for admission of guilt. But in 2009, more than a quarter century later, Bozella would reclaim his identity and his humanity when his conviction was vacated. He was the recipient of the 2011 Arthur Ashe Courage Award and is the author of the 2016 book, “Stand Tall: Fighting for My Life, Inside and Outside the Ring.”

On March 19, the Celtic folk band and dance troupe Celtic Breeze will perform at the University. Founded in Arkansas in 2005, Celtic Breeze performs traditional Irish and Scottish tunes along with American folk songs. In 2014, the group was chosen for inclusion on the Artist on Tour roster of the Arkansas Arts Council. Dancers from the McCafferty School of Irish Dancers in Little Rock will also take part in the performance.   

The final event of the series will be on April 3 with a lecture from Conrad, a professor of English at University of Kansas and an AI technology and culture specialist. Conrad will explore the world of generative AI and the ethical issues that it entails from development to deployment, asking us to consider how we think about technological change and what we value about human work.

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The ����vlog����’ Hispanic Student Association (HSA) will present a pair of on-campus events on April 9 and April 11 that examine Latino immigration to the United States.

On Tuesday, April 9, HSA will host a showing of the acclaimed 1984 film, “El Norte” at 7 p.m. in Baldor Auditorium in the Boreham Business Building. On Thursday, April 11, there will be a panel discussion titled, “The Human Dimension of Immigration,” featuring author Dr. Yajaira Padilla (pictured, left) and immigration attorney Mauricio Herrera. The panel discussion begins at 7 p.m. in the Rogers Conference Center. Both events are free and open to the public.

It is the 40^th anniversary of the release of “El Norte,” an Academy Awards-nominated film that is considered the first feature film dealing with Central American immigration to the United States. The film looks at the enormous human challenges that immigrants face in not only getting to the U.S., but the cultural barriers and discrimination they face as they chase the elusive American dream. HSA Faculty Advisor and Professor of Spanish Dr. Bill Clary will introduce the film and provide historical context.

One of the guest speakers for the panel discussion on April 11 will be Padilla, chair of the English Department at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and author of the 2022 book, “From Threatening Guerrillas to Forever Illegals: US Central Americans and the Cultural Politics of Non-Belonging (Latinx: The Future Is Now).”

Padilla will discuss the significance of the film, “El Norte,” as well as her book, which states that the experience of Central Americans in the United States is marked by a vicious contradiction. In entertainment and information media, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, and Hondurans are hypervisible as threatening guerrillas, MS-13 gangsters, maids, and “forever illegals,” Padilla said. Central Americans are unseen within the broader conception of Latinx community, foreclosing avenues to recognition. Padilla explores how this regime of visibility and invisibility emerged over the past 40 years and how Central American immigrants and subsequent generations have contested their rhetorical disfiguration. Drawing from popular films and TV, news reporting, and social media, Padilla shows how Central Americans in the United States have been constituted as belonging nowhere, imagined as permanent refugees outside the boundaries of even minority representation. Yet in documentaries about cross-border transit through Mexico, street murals, and other media, U.S. Central Americans have counteracted their exclusion in ways that defy dominant paradigms of citizenship and integration.

The panel discussion will also feature Herrera, a Northwest Arkansas attorney and former illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Now a naturalized citizen, Herrera owns his own law firm and is an expert on helping other Hispanic immigrants.

There will be an opportunity for audience questions during the panel discussion.

“The panel discussion on immigration to the United States organized by the Hispanic Students Association is a crucial event for our campus community,” said HSA President María Fernanda Maya Arista. “With a large and growing Hispanic and Latino student population at ����vlog����, it is essential to address the challenges faced by immigrants seeking a better life in the United States. Our guest speakers, Dr. Yajaira Padilla and Mauricio Herrera, bring their knowledge and expertise to shed light on this topic. We will engage in a meaningful dialogue that has the purpose of educating, inspiring, and understanding among our diverse student body. This panel discussion promises to enlighten and foster a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect on our campus.”

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Nichole Sherman has joined the ����vlog����’ Office of Student Affairs as the new director of student engagement.

Sherman, who started at Ozarks on June 1, will be responsible for planning, implementing and assessing major campus events and traditions to promote the retention and persistence of Ozarks’ students. She will oversee the areas of student activities, new student orientation programs and student organizations.

“I don’t have the words to describe how thrilled we are to have Nichole start as the director of student engagement, and I am excited to see what new programs she is planning for next year,” said Terri Thomas, dean of students.

Sherman most recently served as the area coordinator for the residential apartment facilities at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, since 2019. She was also the residence life coordinator at Texas A&M at Texarkana from 2012-2015 and served as a hall director at her undergraduate alma mater, Centenary College in Shreveport, La.

“I am honored to be part of the Ozarks community that supports the overall development and growth of the student,” Sherman said. “The University has a legacy of empowering students to identify their passions, provide a foundation, and entering the world confident and prepared to make an impact wherever they decide to go.”

Sherman said in her new position she hopes “to engage all students to encourage personal development, embrace diversity, and foster an environment of inclusivity.”

“My goal is to collaborate with students, faculty and staff to create a dynamic student experience that impacts student success, retention, and the overall mission of the University.”

Sherman was born and raised in Texarkana, Texas, before going on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Centenary and a master’s degree in student development and leadership from Angelo State University in Texas.

She and her husband, Justin, have two daughters, Harper (6) and Riley (4). She enjoys traveling to different water parks with her family, dancing, and gardening.

“We spend most of our free time seeking adventures and new experiences as a family,” she said.

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����vlog���� will graduate the largest class in its 187-year history during the 2021 Spring Commencement ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, May 15.

The in-person ceremony, which is limited to ticketed guests, will begin at 10 a.m. on the University’s soccer field. Gates will open at 8:30 a.m.

The ceremony will be livestreamed on the University’s Facebook page and Youtube channel.

The Class of 2021 includes 148 candidates for graduation. In addition, approximately 25 graduates from the Class of 2020 have chosen to participate in the event since the University had to cancel last year’s ceremony due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

U of O alumnus Ray Hobbs, the retired chairman and CEO of Daisy Outdoor Products in Rogers, Ark., will serve as the keynote speaker. A native of Clarksville, Hobbs graduated from Ozarks in 1977 before embarking on a long career in the business sector. In addition to his time at Daisy, he worked for Walmart for 24 years, including a stint as the company’s senior vice president for merchandising.

Hobbs has worked as a merchandising consultant for firms like Hanna’s Candle Co. in Fayetteville and Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo. He served as the interim CEO of Bass Pro for 14 months before being recruited by Daisy. He has served as a director for the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation and is past chairman of Economics Arkansas and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation. He and his wife, Debra, also a 1977 graduate of Ozarks, were honored in 2020 with the Pay it Forward Champions Award from the U of O Office of Alumni Engagement.

The student’s welcome address will be given by Petron Brown, a theatre and environmental studies major and business administration minor from The Bahamas.

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����vlog���� art major Madison Clary of Tulsa, Okla., will present her Senior Art Exhibit, “Save the Sea,” from April 13-26 in the Stephens Gallery.

Madison will present an artist lecture at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, in Baldor Auditorium. This event has a limited in-person capacity, but will be shown via Zoom at:

There will also be a reception to meet the artist from 6-7 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, in the gallery.

Clary said the motivation for “Save the Sea” was to create “a sense of panic in the audience as they see the effects of pollution in the ocean.”

“My art does not over-dramatize pollution, but presents it in real life scenarios,” Clary said. “The realistic look of my work explores the recurring problem of material over-consumption.”

Clary said her large installations use organic shapes and a variety of materials and colors to explore human impact on the environment.

“I incorporate recycled materials such as plastic bags and bottles and combine them with ceramic pieces to help the viewer connect the objects of their life with their impact on ocean life,” she said. “For example, my installation, ‘S�ɲ������Ƿɱ��,’ is based on how jellyfish interact with the floating blobs of plastic in the ocean. As they capture their prey in the masses of plastic they also mistake the plastic for food. This confusing environment of the entangled jellyfish causes them to mistake their tentacles for food. To create the free and light movement of the jellyfish, I made them out of delicate materials like tulle, wire, and thin porcelain. The jellyfish float in the gallery above the viewers head to create the experience as if the viewer was at the bottom of the ocean looking up.”

Other pieces in the exhibition use mixed materials, such as recycled plastic, fabrics, wires, and add clay, cement, and resin for different weights and textures. Clary said this use of multiple materials “captures the dense, grimy aspects of pollution while also creating moments of beauty to celebrate the tenacity of life in the ocean.”

Clary, who is minoring in marketing and environmental studies, said her aspiration is to convey scientific information in a visually stimulating environment.

“I hope to bring awareness to viewers and to convince them to change their behavior,” she said. “I capture the attention of the viewer through my choice of form and color. From far away, one would see a flowing, colorful, shiny form, but as the viewer draws closer their experience would shift to see a realistic grimy and filthy environment.”

Clary’s exhibit also invites the audience to participate by placing a baby sea turtle in the environment of their choosing.

“This action helps the viewer connect the consequences of their behavior to the ocean life they are affecting,” Clary said. “We are not able to understand how vast the ocean is, so my work serves as a reminder of this huge and complex issue. This is a problem we cannot sense as it is hidden underneath the ocean surface.”

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����vlog���� will host a limited in-person Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 15, 2021.

The ceremony will take place outdoors on the Hurie Soccer Field beginning at 10 a.m. and will be held in accordance with Arkansas Department of Health guidelines as well as the University’s COVID pandemic protocols and guidelines.

Each graduate may invite up to four guests for the in-person Commencement. Graduates must pre-register their guests and tickets will be required for admittance.

Social-distancing protocols will be in place and masks will be required for all graduates, volunteers and guests. The ceremony will be livestreamed so that families and friends who are not able to attend can watch the in-person celebration.

In addition to spring 2021 graduates, spring 2020 graduates have also been invited to participate in the May 15 Commencement ceremony. It will mark the first time since December 2019 that the University has held Commencement in person.

Many details about the in-person event are being finalized. Additional information will be published at as it becomes available.

For information regarding the University’s Spring 2021 Commencement, please contact the University’s Office of Public Relations at 479-979-1420.

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Christian author, speaker and historian Jemar Tisby will speak at ����vlog���� on Monday, March 1, as part of the Cecil and Ruth Boddie Farmer Chapel Guest Speaker Series.

Tisby’s talk is titled, “How to Fight Christian Nationalism,” and it will begin at 7 p.m. in the Walton Fine Arts Center. The in-person event is open only to Ozarks students, faculty and staff. However, it will be broadcast live on the University’s Facebook page for viewing by external audiences.

Because of limited seating, Ozarks students, faculty and staff must pre-register for the event through this link:

Tisby serves as president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, where he writes about race, religion and culture. He also co-hosts the podcast “Pass The Mic,” which amplifies dynamic voices for a diverse church.

On March 1, Tisby will discuss how Christian Nationalism has played a role in current events in our nation.

“The insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, featured many Christian symbols, from Bibles, to crosses, to prayers in Jesus name,” Tisby said. “This event as well as a cascade of others highlights the chilling reality that Christian Nationalism is the greatest threat to the witness of the Church in the United States today. This talk defines Christian Nationalism, traces some of its historical roots, and offers some ways to fight against its pernicious influence in our churches and society.”

Bringing his message to the masses, Tisby has accumulated a long list of speaking engagements at prestigious festivals and universities across the nation, including the National Antiracist Book Festival in Washington, D.C.; the University of Notre Dame; Washington University in St. Louis; Princeton University; Wheaton College; and Baylor University. With a focus on topics including racial injustice, U.S. history, and the church, he has also addressed the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly, the Conference on Faith and History, and the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities.

His writing has been featured in The Atlantic, the Washington Post, CNN, Vox, and The New York Times. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, “The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism,” which received the 2019 honors for Book of the Year from the Englewood Review of Books, and Best Religion and Spirituality Books from the Library Journal.

Tisby is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Mississippi, studying race, religion and social movements in the 20th century and working with The Witness Foundation to raise $1 million for an endowment to financially support the on-going work of Black Christian ministries. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s of divinity from the Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in Jackson, Miss.

Tisby will also speak during the University’s weekly virtual Chapel service at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 2. His topic in the Chapel service will be, “Having a Renewed Mind for Politics.” The service can be viewed via Zoom at: ()

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Valentine’s Day may never be the same, thanks to the ����vlog���� Theatre’s dark comedy, Murder’s Disposal, written and directed by Dr. Rhonda Shook, associate professor of communication.

John Dunn has been swindled. Twenty thousand dollars has disappeared, along with his new girlfriend. When he turns to Murder’s Disposal to recover the money and execute the girlfriend, the last thing he expects to find is the woman of his dreams, Murder herself.

Murder’s Disposal runs February 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. on Zoom. On Saturday night, following the performance, Shook, cast, and crew will answer questions posed by the audience.

The public is invited to view the play and there is no cost to tune in. Because of language and violence, the play is recommended for mature audiences only.

The Zoom link to the Feb. 12 and 13 performances is:

The Zoom link to the Feb. 14 matinee is:

Shook, who has written numerous plays and essays, said that when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she, Rebecca Bailey, assistant professor of theatre, and Lucas Hoiland, technical director, were determined to offer their students safe opportunities to practice their craft.

“That meant getting creative,” Shook said, “When finding a script to fit our distancing and streaming needs seemed impossible, there was only one option: write our own. Fortunately, we have a playwright in the house.”

Once Shook crafted Murder’s Disposal, she assembled a team comprised of her colleagues from the Dramatist Guild, professional actors and theatre professionals, for the initial read-through.

“These were the harshest critics I could find,” Shook said. “The feedback they provided was incredibly helpful and a revision was written.”

Shook said the entire play is a series of Zoom encounters, something most audience members can relate to.

“The Zoom format made safely-distanced rehearsals easy, but digital-capturing challenging,” Shook said. “Lucas Hoiland relied on green-screen technology and virtual backgrounds to provide continuity and, assisted by senior Taylor Holland, managed the editing as well.”

The fact that the dark romantic comedy is premiering on Valentine’s Day weekend is not a coincidence.

“Knowing that we would be airing our play over the Valentine’s Day weekend, I wanted to create a romance,” she said, “But because I’m me, it’s not exactly conventional.”

Senior theatre major Tiffany Quinton plays dual roles and serves as costumer in the production. Newcomer McKeehan Dilley has a brief but scene-stealing turn as delivery driver, Dude, and guest artist Kody Walker plays John Dunn.

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����vlog���� will hold its 2020 Fall Commencement in an all-virtual format at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19.

The ceremony will be livestreamed via the University’s Facebook page as well as through Zoom. The Zoom link for the ceremony is:

The ceremony will include live speakers as well as visual and pre-recorded presentations. The graduates, family and friends and the campus community will view the ceremony from their respective homes.

There will also be a Brick Ceremony for the graduates at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, via Facebook Live. The graduates will have an opportunity to “place” their bricks in a virtual format beginning on Dec. 7.

Franqua Bedell, a 1999 graduate of Ozarks and a junior college national championship-winning coach and motivational speaker, will present the keynote address. Known as “Coach Q” to his peers and colleagues, Bedell was named the head women’s basketball coach at Odessa College in July.

Prior to taking over at Odessa College, Bedell was the head coach at Tallahassee Community College from 2013-2019. His TCC team won the NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship in 2018. He was named the Spalding NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Coach of the Year after the 2017-18 season. He has also coached at Virginia Commonwealth, Missouri State, Mississippi State University, Southeastern Illinois College, Southeast Missouri State University and Hardin-Simmons University. Bedell is married to Crystal Ness, and they have a son, Amir, who was born in February 2020.

Joelle “Joey” Long, an honors biology graduate from Cabot, Ark., was selected by the faculty and staff to serve as the student speaker during the ceremony.

In addition to the December graduates, several Spring 2020 graduates have chosen to participate in the ceremony and will be recognized. The Spring 2020 Commencement, scheduled for last May, was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Fall 2020 Graduation Candidates

Brandon Batres
Forney, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Criminal Justice, Spanish

Lakota Lillianna Brewer
Rudy, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Art, Marketing, Psychology
Cum Laude

Gloria Cito Cizungu
Kinshasa, DRC Congo
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Spanish, Psychology, International Business

Garrett Hugh Donnell
Rogers, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Psychology
Minors: Education, History

Kirsten Marie Endicott
Rogers, AR
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Art
Minors: Education, Environmental Studies

Marana Joy Fulmer
Scranton, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Business Administration, English, Environmental Studies
Cum Laude

Daicza Garcia
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Health Science, Spanish, Strategic Communication
Magna Cum Laude

Denise Garcia
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Spanish, Health Science, Marketing

Himani Goel
Clarksville, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Accounting
Cum Laude

Ralph Sebastien Goldman
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Chemistry, Management, Philosophy
Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Wade Jones
Booneville, AR
Bachelor of General Studies
Minors: Business Administration, Computer Science

Joelle Marie Long
Cabot, AR
Bachelor of Science
Major: Biology
Minors: Business Administration, Spanish, Chemistry
Cum Laude

Bradley David McGaw
Dallas, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Art, Physical Education

Spencer Lloyd Neal
Van Buren, AR
Bachelor of General Studies
Minors: History, Psychology, Strategic Communication

Kaenan Tye Nix
Chandler, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: American Studies, Marketing
Cum Laude

Sergio Isac Nugent
Katy, TX
Bachelor of Science
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Mathematics, Spanish

Marcelina Pop
San Pedro Columbia, Toledo Belize
Bachelor of Arts
Majors: English, Psychology, Education
Magna Cum Laude

Ashante Terricka Pratt
Nassau Bahamas
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Art
Minor: Marketing
Summa Cum Laude

Adolfo Sotolongo
Miami, FL
Bachelor of Science
Major: Health Science
Minors: Business Administration, Spanish

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2020 Spring Graduates

Juan Daniel Cano
Santa Clara Village, Belize
BS, Business Administration
Minors: Economics, Education, Mathematics
Cum Laude

Cherokee Dawn Gott
Claremore, OK
BS, Environmental Science
Minors: Sociology, Spanish
Magna Cum Laude

Grayson Eugene Hill
Springdale, AR
BA, History, Spanish
Minor: Political Science
Magna Cum Laude

Teranne Meaghan Laurén Morrison
Nassau, The Bahamas
BS, Biology
Minors: Sociology, Chemistry, Spanish
Magna Cum Laude

Lidia Esperanza Caz Perez
Coban, Guatemala
BS, Business Administration, Accounting, Psychology
Minor: Economics
Magna Cum Laude

Rebecca Marie Willems
Subiaco, AR
BS, Business Administration
Minors: Mathematics, American Studies

Andrés Jesús Jiménez Zumbado
San Rafael, Costa Rica
BA, Communication Studies, Psychology
Minor: Music
Magna Cum Laude

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The ����vlog���� Theatre will present the student-written and performed production, “For Hurting Hands,” on Nov. 19-21.

The 40-minute production has been pre-recorded and will be available through Zoom at 7 p.m. each of the three evenings.

Assistant Professor of Theatre Rebecca Bailey said the story “has its finger on the pulse of many conversations happening on our campus and around the country.” The production touches on issues ranging from women’s rights, to Black Lives Matter, to LGBTQ, all from the perspective of college students.

The play was written and performed by students Jonathan Adderley, Petron Brown, McKeehan Dilley, Judy Forbes, Klara McElroy, Alagae Poitier and Ronny Lee Thomas.

This is the theatre department’s first production of the 2020-21 academic year and its first venture into a film format, according to Bailey.

The Zoom links to each evening’s showing are:

Thursday, Nov. 19:

Friday, Nov. 20:

Saturday, Nov. 21:

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