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I don't think this has been posted yet, but there's a big fundraising event coming up on Tuesday.

I wonder if the response to this might not have been better if it had been a friday or saturday night thing.

Exactly. It would have also given parents of the seniors that live out of town/state to have a chance to be present. Definitely kind of strange on the choosing of the week night.

probably has to do with the student-athletes. you have to wait until they get to town, then they are traveling on weekends

Great event and great crowd. Kudos to Dr. Teague and the athletic department for such a successful event.

I think that stage set up looks very well done.



Anyone that went want to give their thoughts?

Sorry to have missed the event. This is a great idea and from what I have read and heard it was big success. Did anyone on here get to attend?

Very nice LCD artcile by David M...see below.

http://thecabin.net/sports/college/2011-08-23/uca-celebrates-nation-achievements

UCA celebrates a ‘nation of achievements’
Posted: August 23, 2011 - 9:55pm

By David McCollum
Bear Nation came together Tuesday night, bound by threads of food, fellowship, awards, recognition, live and silent auctions and a state-of-the-program address.

The inaugural Bear Nation Celebration at the Farris Center was a hybrid of three different events of the past by the University of Central Arkansas athletic department — the Student-Athlete Awards Banquet, the Purple Circle Kickoff celebration and the Purple Circle Tipoff Party.

The festive event occurred on the floor of the Farris Center and utilized the large video board for presentations attracted a crowd of about 750 that included athletes, coaches, fans, major donors and Conway business leaders.

The main point of the evening occurred with Dr. Brad Teague, UCA’s athletic director, discussed grade points and honored some of the athletic department’s highest achievers.

Teague said UCA’s graduation rate for the last year is 85 percent, up from 80 percent the year before. The overall graduation percentage for UCA athletes is 10 points higher than the student body as a whole (53 percent to 43 percent).

In the 17 sports that UCA competes in on a varsity level, Teague said the overall grade-point average for UCA athletes, as of this month after the summer sessions, is 2.94, up from 2.76 four years ago. The grade-point average for the nine women’s sports is 3.16 and seven of the nine programs have GPA’s over 3.0. The GPA for the men’s programs is 2.79.

According to the Academic Progress Rate (APR), the major measuring stick for academic success of NCAA athletic teams, UCA has a score of 949, which means that almost 95 percent of UCA athletes are graduating or staying in school and making significant progress toward a degree.

UCA men’s basketball coach Corliss Williamson, one of the featured speakers, noted that of six players who have left his first program, five have graduated and three are playing basketball overseas and two have gained graduate assistant’s positions in college programs.

“You’re measured by wins and losses but this means as much to me as championships,” Williamson said. “You want young men to take what they learn in sports and carry that over to life.”

In a state-of-the-program address, Teague said the UCA athletic program will strictly adhere to NCAA principles of academic integrity, rules and governance and well-being for athletes.

“I will add a fourth principle,” Teague said. “We will commpete well and win championships. We will continue to win on the fields and courts and in the classroom.”

Men’s cross country, with a 3.26, was honored as having the highest GPA among men’s sports teams last season. Baseball was second.

Tennis had the highest women’s GPA at 3.39, followed closely by women’s cross country and volleyball at 3.34.

[b]Women’s basketball coach Matt Daniel, who was married three days ago and said the event was part of his honeymoon[/b], was recognized as UCA Coach of the Year for last season.

Sugar Bear basketball star Megan Herbert was honored as Female Student-Athlete of the year among nominees that included Melanie Bryant, softball; Jasmine Ellis, track and field; Julie Foerster, soccer; Alex Rios, tennis; Julia Roth, golf; and Chloe Smith, volleyball.

UCA baseball pitcher Dustin Ward was named Male Student-Athlete of the Year among nominees that included Dewan Clayborn, basketball; Logan Dockery, cross country; Austin Emerson, football; Steven Lecuyer, golf; Donovan Loring, track and field; and Andrew O’Brien, soccer.

Don Weaver was named Purple Circle Member of the Year.

You're kidding me, right? A player who didn't even make the 3.0 club (SLC Commissioner's Honor Roll), when the grade-point average for the nine women’s sports is 3.16, is Student-Athlete of the Year?

Guess the "student" part isn't taken too seriously. What a joke!

C.mon regarding Megan. This is not the academic award of the year. I know plenty of former Bears who struggled to get to 3.0 but were serious students and worked hard on and off the court. Some of those have done very well in life. I do not know her GPA or her course load but I know she is not only a great on-court perfromer but also a great ambassador for UCA and well-respected team leader.

The thing that I really enjoy about this board is that it is for the most part always positive. When criticism is warranted it is always civil and rarely mean spirited. We have enough people taking shots at us from outside our ranks, we need to all be on the same team. This board and the folks on it should never be critical of a player, they all want to win and they all want to do their best. We should always be supportive of our young people, period. If you have an issue with something involving the young people, go and talk privately to the decision makers, don't say anything here to hurt the young people.

I pretty much agree with old bear. When the kids are doing their best to represent this university and keeping their nose clean in the process, I'll give them all the credit that they deserve. However, if they knowingly cross the line then there's no doubt they deserve some constructive criticism.

As far as us "adults" that represent the school and "misbehave", then we are fair game for whatever tongue lashing comes our way. We should know better. After all, we are making lasting decisions for UCA and spending the taxpayer's money in the process.

That may be true, but it's not merely the "Athlete of the Year" award either.

"Student-Athlete of the Year" implies some academic portion to the award. Since the SLC standard for any sport's Student-Athlete of the Year is a minimum 3.2 GPA, I would hope that UCA holds a similar, if not higher, standard for its Student-Athlete of the Year, especially given Dr. Teague's comments.

As I read your comment, old bear, I couldn't help but think that private discussions are one of reasons people are taking shots at us. If we can’t have public discussions, then the whole “transparency” thing is just a load of bearcrap.

While you seem concerned about the feelings of one, what about the feelings of the athletes that excelled in the classroom as well as on the court and met the SLC standard? Did WBB have any? They did. Five in fact (way to go ladies!). Same with the MBB nominee (way to go Dewan!).

The Male Student-Athlete of Year met the SLC standard as well. I’m just saying .....

In any event, my intent was to question the process, not to denigrate Ms. Herbert or her athletic accomplishments.