July 29, 2019
International Friendship Day
To be honest, when a colleague asked me to write this blog post for International Friendship Day, I had no idea this day even existed. Apparently it’s tried to get started several times over the 20th century: in 1919 by greeting card industries, again in the 1940s as a reminder of the importance of having…
July 22, 2019
Meet Pascal Schmetz
One of our newer colleagues in the Student Success Center is Pascal Schmetz. He is our Education/Technology Resource Specialist. He is available to assist both students and faculty with his technological expertise. Let him introduce himself: Hi, my name is Pascal Schmetz. In November, 2017 I moved to the United States. Previously I served 13…
July 10, 2019
Feeling Well is Part of Being Well
Know what? Sometimes I don’t feel so good. I’m sad. I’m lonely. I’m angry. Other days I feel great! I’m happy . I’m giddy . I’m hopeful. I’m guessing that many of us around here are like me—more comfortable with our intellect than we are with our emotions. Feelings are for poets and…
June 28, 2019
Toward a Healthy Independence
It’s that time of year again when we Americans celebrate our independence. As with so many of our celebrations, we’re probably not so healthy, and our customs are far removed from the declaration of those colonial signatories. Our American myths tell us to be rugged individualists independent of anyone else, yet politically those colonists recognized…
May 9, 2019
Green Spaces at UAMS
Ever find yourself inside on one of those glorious warm sunny days when nature seems to beckon us to come outside? Maybe, like me, you weren’t raised in the city, and you need some fresh air and a chance to stretch your arms and inhale and exhale deeply. Maybe you miss the chatter of the…
February 4, 2019
The Creative Power of Restraint
Restrained drivers are safer drivers. Restrained passengers will be safer passengers. In life and in vehicles restraint can work well for our success and our creative impulses. On May 24, 1954, Life magazine published an article by John Hersey expressing the views of a committee of parents and educators in Fairfield, CT (1). The article…
December 13, 2018
A Necessary Rest
Finals are over and the fall semester is coming to an end. Everyone is tired, so the Winter Break is the perfect opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to rest, recharge, and relax. Think about it – there are no impending exams or unfinished projects. The old semester is over and the new one hasn’t…
November 26, 2018
See SPOT, Run See SPOT: Therapy Dogs and You
“See Spot run. Run Spot run.” I learned to read with Spot and his family: Dick and Jane and Sally and kitty cat Puff. The cute cocker spaniel Spot was the star as far as I am concerned. Later I delighted in Go Dog Go. The dogs wore hats, worked at jobs, conversed with each…
September 25, 2018
Be a Subversive, Read a Banned Book
Feeling a little subversive? Me too. We’re in luck. This week (September 23-29) is Banned Books Week. Sponsored by the American Library Association and other organizations, “. . . Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.”[1] At UAMS we may forget that challenges to learning and restrictions on reading significantly limit…
May 14, 2018
“There’ll Be Days Like This Celebrate!
As Van Morrison remembered his mother’s wisdom, so I have found, sometimes “there’ll be days like this.” You will graduate. Life is pleasant; it is worth enjoying. This morning, being a Monday, I work from 11:00 to 7:00 so the parking places are fewer and farther away. The bus runs less frequently and is not…