U of A Doctoral Student One of Seven to Win Future Leaders Award

Photo by University Relations

Arley Ward

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas doctoral student Arley Ward is receiving the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The award honors graduate students who show promise as future higher education leaders.

Ward was chosen from a pool of 200 nominees from 120 institutions.

Ward is one of seven award winners. All winners are committed to academic and civic responsibility. They are also dedicated to teaching and learning.

Ward is a doctoral candidate in history. His research, teaching and service all highlight the importance of community, identity and inclusivity.

Ward’s research examines how marginalized people strengthened their communities during World War II. He places community engagement at the center of each course he teaches. In his classroom, students strive to include those on the margins into the narrative of the United States.

Service is just as important to Ward as research and teaching. As a Campus Diversity Ambassador, he aims to improve retention rates among underrepresented students. He is also the president of the Graduate and Professional Student Congress. In that role, he advocates for graduate students in areas such as food insecurity, graduate housing, childcare and increased stipends for graduate assistants.

“I am very honored and would like to thank Dr. Kathryn Sloan for nominating me for the award, my dissertation chair Dr. Michael Pierce for writing on my behalf and the entire history department,” Ward said.

The Association of American Colleges and Universities will recognize Ward and other winners at its annual meeting in Atlanta later this month.

The award honors the work of K. Patricia Cross. Cross is an emerita professor of higher education at the University of California–Berkeley.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.