Caring Culture

The Caring Culture Committee, consisting of faculty and staff representatives from across the college, advances the College of Education and Health Professions’ caring culture priority and promotes an environment centered on well-being, recognition, and community. The committee reviews data from employee satisfaction surveys, focus groups, and exit interviews and provides input to the Dean on the caring culture priority action items. The members serve a two-year term that can be renewed. The Associate Dean for Administration serves as the chair of the committee. The committee meets two to three times per year to advance its mission.

The members of the Caring Culture Committee are:

• Paul Calleja, Associate Dean for Administration
• Tom Bennett, Chief of Staff, Department of Education Reform
• Alissa Blair, Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Jessica Danley, Speech and Hearing Clinic Director, Department of Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy
• Diana Dunbar, Clinical Instructor, Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
• Anaid Espinosa, Administrative Support Supervisor, Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation
• Tory Gaddy, Director of Development
• BJ Garrett, Clinical Instructor, Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
• David Guess, Information Technology Process Manager
• Emily Hosseini, Accounting Manager/Supervisor
• J L Jennings Jr., Director of Field Placement
• Shannon Magsam, Director of Communications
• Christy Ralph, Instructor, Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation
• Mandel Samuels, Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods
• Kathleen Smoot, Research Advancement Specialist
• Amanda Sullivan, Assistant Department Head, Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation

We Care Together Programming provides funding for events and activities that amplify the talents and expertise of faculty and staff, enhance overall well-being, and promote a sense of community in the College of Education and Health Professions. These events and activities develop and nurture our faculty and staff, who are deeply invested in and connected to the caring mission of the college.

Identifying opportunities to learn from and enhance the variety of talents and expertise in our units is important to cultivating a caring community. Proposals for potential events/activities are accepted on an ongoing basis from faculty, staff, or units. To request funding for your We Care Together Programming idea, apply here.

To recruit and retain engaged and highly effective employees, the College of Education and Health Professions is investing in onboarding strategies and professional development geared towards the support and empowerment of our staff. These investments include developing a comprehensive staff onboarding handbook, providing opportunities for professional development, and establishing a staff mentorship program between new and more seasoned employees.

Conducting regular employee satisfaction surveys, focus group discussions, and exit interviews while actively engaging with the Caring Culture Committee enables the College of Education and Health Professions leadership to understand and address employee concerns, promote a caring work culture, and strengthen employee retention.

In April 2024, the Dean’s office deployed the COEHP Pulse Survey to gather feedback from faculty and staff. Ninety faculty and staff members completed the survey. The Executive Team held a retreat on May 8 to review the feedback and discuss the areas of success and growth opportunities. A positive culture, increased outreach to the state, opportunities to collaborate across programs, and a meaningful impact on students were identified as areas of strength. Opportunities for growth include staff recognition and support, research infrastructure and support, facilities upgrades, and workload fairness.

The Dean’s office continues to (1) engage with the Caring Culture Committee, College Faculty Council, and Staff Advisory Council to review feedback and formulate plans to address concerns; (2) participate in ongoing conversations with research-active faculty to remove roadblocks to the advancement of their research and funding opportunities; and (3) conduct periodic exit interviews with employees and review feedback from the university’s exit survey.

COEHP Highlighters are students from various academic programs in the College of Education and Health Professions who are shining a light on the caring college. The team consists of creative, innovative, and enthusiastic undergraduate and graduate students who partner with the college’s communications team to share about day-to-day life in their major through social media, participate in marketing projects, and assist with developing effective communication strategies for their peers.

If you are a student in the College of Education and Health Professions, passionate about your academic program, active on social media, and eager to share your stories, apply here to become a COEHP Highlighter.

The College of Education and Health Professions has amplified its communication and marketing strategy to elevate its brand, garner support and enthusiasm for the college’s mission, and publicize the achievements of faculty, staff, and students.

The Leading with Care monthly online newsletter and the annual printed magazine highlight the college’s successes. In addition to reaching members of the college, they serve as a crucial outreach tool for alumni, stakeholders, partners, and other supporters. The Leading with Care online newsletter is released on the first Tuesday of each month, and the printed magazine is published each December to serve as the college’s annual report. Visit the Leading with Care website.

Dean Kate Mamiseishvili shares important updates from the college and highlights successes in a college-wide monthly roundup email to faculty and staff on the last Monday of each month.

The college’s communications team grew with the addition of an assistant director of communications in September 2023. The assistant director of communications supports the college’s overall public relations/marketing efforts through social media management, photos and videos, graphic design, and news stories.

In the summer of 2024, the college launched its “WE CARE Everywhere” campaign to share the WE CARE message worldwide. Members of the college community, friends, and alumni are invited to snap photos holding the banners and post them on social media. They are asked to tag the college (under @uacoehp on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook) and use the hashtag #WECAREeverywhere. Those interested in receiving a WE CARE Everywhere banner in the mail may contact Kay Brusca in the Dean’s office (brusca@uark.edu) or Sean Rhomberg (smrhombe@uark.edu) in the communications department.