UAPB professor expands global efforts
As part of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s efforts to expand international learning opportunities, Suzzette Shaw Goldmon, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator for UAPB’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, recently completed specialized training as a Gilman International Scholarship advisor.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program supports students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, helping them gain critical skills for national security and economic prosperity, according to a news release.
Goldmon was among 50 educators from across the nation who participated in an intensive October training hosted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Center for Global Engagement.
Topics included supporting Gilman applications, helping students craft competitive essays and leveraging the scholarship to increase study abroad participation.
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She also recently served on her first Gilman Scholarship selection panel. In this capacity, she helped review applications from more than 7,200 students nationwide. Of those, about 3,100 were awarded scholarships for the upcoming academic year, which adds to the program’s growing community of 49,000 alumni, according to a news release.
“I’m most excited about the opportunity to broaden the global outreach for UAPB students and others across the U.S.,” Goldmon said. “Chancellor Anthony Graham has made study abroad one of his strategic priorities for ‘growing the pride’ at UAPB, and I’m honored to help advance that mission.”
Selection criteria for the scholarship include the program’s impact on a student’s academic trajectory, preparedness for international study and their potential to represent America abroad while making a positive impact in their home communities.
“Dr. Goldmon’s designation as a Gilman Adviser will help to share the advisement load and is a welcome development,” said Pamela D. Moore, associate dean for global engagement at UAPB.
To learn more about the Gilman International Scholarship, students can contact Goldmon at goldmons@uapb.edu or (870) 575-8819 or Moore at moorep@uapb.edu or (870) 575-8545 (office) or (601) 316-4228 (mobile). Students may also access the Gilman website at www.gilmanscholarship.org. The next application deadline is March 5, 2026.
Free computer class set Saturday
The Jefferson County Broadband Working Group is hosting a free basic computer training from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday at The Generator, 435 S. Main St. The session is open to all adults ages 18 and older, according to Stuff in The Bluff.com.
The community is invited to attend and learn essential skills to get connected. Also, everyone who attends gets a chance to win a laptop. To register, call The Computer Station at (870) 879-0784 or send an email to cg@designconstructbykee.com by Thursday.
Vandalism cripples duck habitat
Waterfowl hunters scouting Ed Gordon Point Remove Wildlife Management Area in Conway County will notice a significant lack of flooded habitat for ducks, shorebirds and other winter migrants during the early portion of the upcoming duck season. This habitat loss is the result of vandalism on the WMA’s water-delivery system.
Earlier this year, thieves stripped all copper wiring to the electric motor and variable frequency drive controls that operate a 200-horsepower pump that helps flood the WMA’s moist soil units.
According to Alex Zachary, wildlife biologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 20 of the 23 moist-soil impoundments on the WMA are flooded with the aid of this pump and a seven-mile network of underground pipes to offer native seed-producing plants that are essential to waterfowl and other migrants during winter.
The theft was much more than a few wires and required extensive repairs. Every electrical component that gives the relift pump “life” was taken, according to the release.
“They essentially stripped everything from the meter loop to the VFD and motor,” Zachary said. “They cut the wire so close to the motor itself that we had to have it pulled and rewound. And the VFD was completely gutted.”
Jason Jackson, Game and Fish statewide wetland renovation program coordinator, said the variable frequency drive operates much like the brain of the system.
“Electric relift pumps like this don’t have gears, so you have to have a way to control the motor’s torque and speed, that’s what a VFD does,” Jackson said. “These aren’t just something you can buy at the hardware store, they’re custom-built and tuned for the application.”
That custom work has delayed the replacement of the system, but commission staff are hopeful that they will have a running pump again by the opening of duck season.
“We’ve still lost a lot of time, as we’d normally be running that pump right now to flood the moist soil units on (Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA),” Zachary said. “We had to bid out the work, wait for bids to come in and then wait for the VFD to be built.”
Jackson says the theft likely will result in more than $50,000 dollars in damage, but the lost habitat is even more painful.
Jackson says anyone with information on the theft is encouraged to call the commission’s Enforcement Radio Room at (833) 356-0824 or the Conway County Sheriff’s Office at (501) 354-2411 or email tips@conwaycountysheriff.org.