Alumni News

The year was 1957. Just three years prior, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board that segregation in public schools was in fact unconstitutional. During the summer of 1957, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls (collectively known as the Little Rock Nine) agreed to be the first African-American students to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The concept was simple. With Daisy Gaston Bates, president of the Arkansas NAACP, leading the recruitment efforts, Central High School would become an integrated public school in September 1957, though it wasn’t an easy task. On the first day of classes, the “Little Rock Nine” were met by angry protesters and the Arkansas National Guard who was ordered by Gov. Orval Faubus to refuse entry to the black students.

While chaos at Central High ensued and President Dwight D. Eisenhower debated his plan of action, a young black man by the name of Maurice Horton was completing his final semester as a mathematics student at Henderson State Teachers College, about an hour south of Little Rock in Arkadelphia.

In 1955, two years before the Supreme Court made its unanimous decision, Horton transferred from Arkansas AM&N College to become a full-time student at Henderson, only 10 miles away from his hometown of Curtis. Rather than being met with guards and protesters, Horton and the other black students on campus were able to attend college events and roam around campus as they pleased.

However, eating in the cafeteria was not one of those privileges. In 1957, Horton graduated from Henderson becoming the first African-American student to graduate from the college and one of the first African-Americans to graduate from a white institution in the South. [Read more…] about Horton was Henderson’s first African-American graduate

Jennifer Shnaekel, principal at Malvern High School, was honored recently as the Educator of the Year at the annual Malvern/Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet.

Shnaekel graduated from Henderson State University in 1999 with a bachelor of science degree in education and biology. She has been with the Malvern School District for 18 years, teaching high school biology for 12 years and serving as an administrator for six.

Calling herself a “late bloomer,” Shnaekel said she graduated from Malvern High School in 1981 and worked for Arkansas Power & Light for 13 years before she enrolled at Henderson.

Dawn McLain, who earned her master’s in teaching from Henderson State University in 2008, has been named a recipient of the Milken Educator Award. The national award comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.

She is the only Milken Educator Award winner from Arkansas this year, and is among the 44 national honorees for 2017-2018.

McLain is a 6^th grade science and math teacher at North Little Rock Middle School.

As a lead teacher for her school district, McLain splits her time between the classroom and mentoring students and less-experienced teachers. She is a strong proponent of project-based learning, technology integration and savvy data deployment.

While thinking outside the box inside the classroom, she is also actively engaged in student life and community work such as food drives and the Boy Scouts.

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J.B. Grimes has returned to Auburn University to coach the Tigers football team’s offensive line.

Grimes was an offensive lineman at Henderson State University, helping his team to a 40-6 record in four seasons, including a berth in the 1974 NAIA championship game.

He joins the staff of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn who is also a Henderson alum.

A coaching veteran of more than 30 years, Grimes has coached in 18 bowl games and mentored more than 50 players who have played in the National Football League.

John Stokes says the middle school level presents one of the most difficult times for students.

“The physical and mental changes that students go through during this time is drastic,” he said. “For some, it could make or break. My degree in middle school education ensured that I would have an impact.”

Stokes currently serves as EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology Inc.) facilitator for Hot Springs High School.

“EAST is unlike any other model in modern education,” he said. “It’s a project-based, service-learning oriented program that provides students with the high-end technology available in the most progressive fields in the world.”

EAST is a coordinated effort to provide today’s students with an educational atmosphere that allows them to gain insight into their own abilities to acquire and use information, solve problems and develop valuable experience.

Stokes said he wasn’t originally interested in middle-level education.

“I wanted to be a high school social studies teacher and football coach,” he said. “The late Dr. Fred Parker is the reason I sought a middle-level degree. His passion and guidance at Henderson allowed me to see my true calling.

“The rigor of the middle-level versus a specialty allowed for me to be successful in my role as an EAST facilitator.” [Read more…] about Alumni Profile: John Stokes

Jared Coleman, an aviation major who graduated from Henderson State University in 2017, received one of only four scholarships offered nationwide for an FAA issued type rating in a business jet.

With the scholarship and training provided by CAE, a Dallas-based aviation training corporation, Coleman obtained his type rating in a Cessna Citation. The rating will increase in marketability as a corporate pilot in business aviation.

“If it were not for Henderson, I would not have the education and sought after flight experience,” Coleman said. “The professors and flight instructors were always pushing me to be my best.

“I believe being awarded this scholarship is not only a testament to me, but to Henderson as well. Being recognized as a recipient shows our aviation program is among the elite in the country.”

Coleman also credited an internship he served with Tyson Foods Inc. for his success.

“That eight-week job and the people around me changed my career path and goals,” he said. “The flight operations and the people at Tyson have inspired me to become a pilot in business aviation. My dreams and aspirations are to return to Tyson as a fulltime pilot.”

Katie Kilponen aspired to be a dietetics major when she enrolled at Henderson State University in 2012. But when she attended a fashion merchandising class, she quickly changed her mind.

“I immediately fell in love with it after attending one class,” she said. “After graduating and looking back on all the classes I took during my time at Henderson, the only classes I truly enjoyed and where the homework didn’t feel like homework were my fashion merchandising classes.

“Every class I went to, I was eager to learn more, and that’s when I knew fashion merchandising was the right degree for me.”

During her senior year, Kilponen completed an internship with Dillard’s in Hot Springs. Not long after her internship ended, Kilponen decided to pursue a career with the Arkansas-based department store chain.

“I loved how involved the company was with each and every employee, as well as its clients,” she said. “It was around November when I then became an assistant sales manager for the shoe department. I would help manage and guide associates when the manager was not there.”

It wasn’t long until Kilponen became the juniors’ manager, and was soon tapped to run the children’s department. Three months later, she was promoted to assistant manager and transferred to the Park Plaza Dillard’s in Little Rock.

“Without my degree from Henderson, I would not have progressed as fast in my career,” Kilponen said. “Fashion is a forever changing industry and that’s what I love about it. We are constantly adapting to the environment we live in and fashion is no exception.” [Read more…] about Fashion merchandising shapes Kilponen’s career

Tina Calhoon hopes to one day become a technology facilitator which would allow her to help teachers incorporate technology into their classrooms and lesson plans.

As a fourth grade math and science teacher at Peake Elementary School in Arkadelphia for 11 years, Calhoon incorporates computer science, coding and robotics in her classroom.

“I have always been interested in technology and especially classroom technology,” Calhoon said. “Technology can help make the lessons in the classroom interactive and engaging for the students.

“I knew I wanted to get my master’s degree, but at that time I wasn’t necessarily interested in the programs that were offered until Henderson State announced their Master’s in Technology Leadership program. I immediately applied for graduate school and began taking classes. It was exactly what I had been waiting for.”

She received her master’s in Technology Leadership in 2015.

Calhoon, who graduated from Bismarck High School in 1996, received her B.S.E. in Early Childhood Education P-4 from Henderson in 2006 and her English as a Second Language certification in 2009. She is nearing completion of a program of study in Building Level Leadership, Principal Licensure from Henderson. She has also been taking classes for a cyber certificate from Louisiana Tech University. [Read more…] about Calhoon keen on classroom technology

Two Henderson State University alumni were among 14 teachers named 2018 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Regional finalists.

Amanda Jones, a science teacher at Poyen High School, earned a B.S.E. in P-4 elementary education from Henderson in 2009, and her M.S.E. in special education early childhood in 2012.

She was selected as one of four semi-finalists.

Anne Formby, who teaches math at Arkansas High School in Texarkana, received her bachelor’s degree from Henderson in 1989 and earned her M.S.E. in math in 1995.

The finalists were honored Aug. 30 at the state capitol by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and education commissioner Johnny Key.

The 2018 Teacher of the Year will be announced later this fall.

When Matt Vines visited Henderson State as a Warren High School student in the early 1990s, he was “intrigued” by the university’s school spirit. A scholarship offer made Henderson an “easy” choice for Vines, who went on to serve two years as Student Government Association president.

He was also active in Heart & Key, Student Foundation, IFC and Theta Xi.

Today, Vines is president and an owner of RSource, a healthcare consulting company that employs more than 300 workers, including many Henderson graduates.

“We are hired by hospitals as patient advocates to help their patients resolve issues with their insurance,” Vines said. “I’ve managed our company operations since 2009, but I now spend most of my time meeting with clients, implementing new contracts, and presenting workshops and presentations to hospitals and healthcare associations.”

Vines said he was originally interested in political science when he attended Henderson, but felt the job opportunities would be limited.

“One of my professors, Dr. (Haroon) Khan, talked to me one day during my first year about studying public administration,” he said. “After some research, I decided to pursue public administration. It appealed to me because we learned business and writing skills as well as government and public policy.

“The greatest benefit of my public administration degree came from my enhanced writing skills. The technical writing requirement prepared me for the extensive writing required in law school and practicing law.” [Read more…] about Vines reflects on public admin degree