For ten students receiving their diploma from UALR this weekend, graduation is a bittersweet academic victory.They arrived at UALR four years ago following a grueling, 25-hour flight halfway around the world from their homes in Rwanda, a small country tucked between the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda.Some of them barely were able to speak English. All carried on their shoulders the hopes and aspirations of a nation shattered by war and horrifying genocide now trying to heal itself.Those 10 students - the first UALR Rwandan Presidential Scholars - will graduate on May 19 at the Jack Stephens Center with...

Ouachita Baptist University bade farewell to 14 retiring faculty members during spring commencement services May 12, the final campus-wide event of the academic year.

The 14 faculty members served at Ouachita for a combined total of 339 years. Along with four staff members who also are retiring, the group served at the university a total of 410 years, averaging more than 24 years each.

“Friends, thank you for your service. You have made us a better university,” said Ouachita President Rex M. Horne, Jr. “We will not forget your sacrifice and toil at Ouachita across the years. You have done well.”

Two...