Trajectory

Andrew J. Dowdle, professor of political science and director of legal studies received his B.A. from the University of Tennessee, an M.A. from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. from Miami University. He specializes in the institutional evolution of the presidency, the presidential nomination process; U.S. parties and elections; and American national government. He has published in the Journal of Political Marketing, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, American Politics Research, and American Politics Quarterly. He is also the co-editor of American Politics: Transformation and Change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jonathan Langley is the Honors College Futures Hub's director of STEM and Pre-Medical Professions, helping honors students in these fields explore research, study abroad and internship opportunities during their time on campus and prepare for graduate or professional school.

Langley brings extensive experience to his role. Prior to joining the Honors College staff he worked for eight years in the UA's Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, where he helped ambitious students pursue funding for tuition, study abroad, graduate school and research opportunities. He coordinated the application process for the Student Undergraduate Fellowship (SURF) and supported students applying for STEM-focused awards, such as the Goldwater Scholarship, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates. In all of these processes, he helped STEM students think not only about immediate success for funding, but also about their long-term trajectory and the ways in which undergraduate opportunities can culminate in success at the post- graduate level.

Langley also served as an academic advisor in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, where he learned the specific coursework and long-term planning required of students wishing to enter medical school. Before working at the U of A, Langley was an English language instructor at Université du Maine (now Le Mans Université) in Le Mans, France, for the 2011-2012 academic year. Langley earned a Master of Arts in French Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in English and French, cum laude, at the U of A.

In addition to working through how to answer these critical questions, we will use this forum to help med school applicants develop a deeper awareness of some of the most important issues facing medical doctors these days, such as the opioid crisis, the relationship between the American Medical Association and the U.S. government, the increasing elderly population, and the rise of corporate healthcare.

Seminar objectives will be divided into three components:

1. Discovering authentic ways to address the big three questions med school admission committees want to know, through analysis of depictions of doctors in popular media.
2. Developing an understanding of the most prominent public health issues in contemporary culture that shape the daily practice of medicine and the outcomes of the patients that doctors treat.
3. Working with peers in a workshop format to review and revise the medical school application, including, most importantly, the personal comment essay.

Currently the Liebolt Chair of Premedical Sciences, Dr. Mack Ivey is a leading faculty participant in helping U of A undergraduates on the premed track navigate the process of becoming a competitive med school applicant, from working as a mentor to help students select premed “core” and “supporting” course work to discovering opportunities for professional development as part of building a competitive premed portfolio/AMCAS application, and from guiding student leaders of the Alpha Epsilon Delta undergraduate honors RSO for premed students as a faculty mentor to organizing faculty, staff and deans who comprise the Premedical Advisory Committee at the University of Arkansas.

Ivey earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Georgia in 1987. After a post-doc fellowship at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, he joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas Department of Biological Sciences in 1992. His research projects include studies of the disease-causing processes of C. difficile and NASA-funded studies related to Mars and planetary protection. He is a member of the Fulbright College Honors Council, served as associate chair for the U of A Department of Biological Sciences, and was honored with a Distinguished Faculty Award by the U of A Honors College in 2015. One year prior, Ivey “emerged victorious” in the inaugural Life Raft Debate sponsored by U of A Housing and Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences.

 

Jonathan Langley is the Honors College Futures Hub's director of STEM and Pre-Medical Professions, helping honors students in these fields explore research, study abroad and internship opportunities during their time on campus and prepare for graduate or professional school.

Langley brings extensive experience to his role. Prior to joining the Honors College staff he worked for eight years in the UA's Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, where he helped ambitious students pursue funding for tuition, study abroad, graduate school and research opportunities. He coordinated the application process for the Student Undergraduate Fellowship (SURF) and supported students applying for STEM-focused awards, such as the Goldwater Scholarship, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates. In all of these processes, he helped STEM students think not only about immediate success for funding, but also about their long-term trajectory and the ways in which undergraduate opportunities can culminate in success at the post- graduate level.

Langley also served as an academic advisor in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, where he learned the specific coursework and long-term planning required of students wishing to enter medical school. Before working at the U of A, Langley was an English language instructor at Université du Maine (now Le Mans Université) in Le Mans, France, for the 2011-2012 academic year. Langley earned a Master of Arts in French Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in English and French, cum laude, at the U of A.

Sandy Edwards has dedicated her career to improving quality of life through arts and education. Over five decades, her leadership has expanded access to arts, culture and educational opportunities, with a strong focus on Arkansas.

She currently serves as senior advisor for University Advancement at the University of Arkansas, managing Development Outreach. Edwards retired in January 2023 as senior director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, where she played a key role in the museum’s conception, planning, construction and opening. During her tenure, Crystal Bridges became a renowned cultural destination, welcoming more than 10 million visitors.

Before Crystal Bridges, Edwards and her late husband, Clay Edwards, led the University of Arkansas development program from 1998 to 2007, directing the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and helping build unprecedented philanthropic support for the university.

From 1992 to 1998, she worked at Pennsylvania State University, where she helped create the first comprehensive advancement program in continuing and distance education and served on the executive team that launched Penn State’s World Campus. Earlier in her career, she earned national recognition for her work in large-scale concert promotion and the performing arts.

Career: This course helps students explore career possibilities, clarify their strengths and goals, and begin building the tools they need for future opportunities. Through hands-on activities, students will connect their academic, campus, service, and work experiences to the NACE career competencies while developing practical materials such as a resume, professional communication, LinkedIn/Handshake presence, interview stories, and a four-year career development plan. Designed for students from a wide range of disciplines, the course emphasizes curiosity, confidence, professionalism, and intentional preparation for internships, research, leadership, graduate study, and early career pathways. Taught by Louise Hancox. 

Pre-Med: This 16-week course will focus on how to develop your résumé as a first-year premedical student. Clearly medical schools are looking for students who can succeed academically, which is easily demonstrated through a GPA and MCAT score. But it is becoming increasingly important for premedical students to demonstrate tangential skills, such as those illustrated in AAMC’S Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students, that are integral to the success of a physician. This course will examine those skills, help students identify areas of growth in their skillsets, and create action plans to become a more well-rounded eventual applicant to medical school. Discussion will also cover the timelines of the premedical student experience as well as outside opportunities that can benefit a future application. Interested upperclassmen should consider applying for the Med School class offered each spring or consult the Futures Hub resources on applying to medical school.  Taught by Jonathan Langley. 

Research: As an honors student at the University of Arkansas, research will be the culmination of your studies. In your honors research project, you will be able to apply everything you’ve learned in classes to a topic of your choice, guided by an expert faculty mentor. Research will be one of the most rewarding and transformative experiences you have as an undergraduate. In this one-credit hour course, designed specifically for freshmen and sophomores, you will develop the confidence, skills, and connections needed to pursue meaningful research experiences. Through faculty and student panels, tours of research spaces and labs, library-based literature exploration, and guided topic development, you will learn how to identify research interests, connect with faculty mentors, and understand research opportunities across disciplines, including international experiences. Along the way, you will see how research strengthens critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and professional readiness—making you more competitive for scholarships, internships, graduate or professional school, and future careers. Taught by Chelsea Hodge. 

Service: This 16-week course will introduce honors students to the many ways service can connect their interests, talents, and academic goals to meaningful work in the community. The class will center on conversations with community partners who use their unique skill sets for good in areas such as the arts, housing, medicine, and food insecurity. Students will explore how service can address real needs while strengthening their own sense of purpose, responsibility, and civic engagement. Students will also learn how they can give back to the University of Arkansas and the greater Northwest Arkansas community through campus involvement and local nonprofits. Designed for students early in their honors experience, the course will help students see service not only as an activity, but to build relationships, contribute to the common good, and develop as thoughtful leaders. Taught by Megan Hull. 

Emily Voight is senior associate director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. She advises students applying for scholarships and fellowships that support research and graduate education.

As the Fulbright Program adviser, Voight guides graduating seniors, graduate students and alumni through the application process for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. She also co-directs the Advanced Placement Summer Institute, hosted each summer by the University of Arkansas.

Voight earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology and Middle Eastern studies from the University of Arkansas and a master's degree in international affairs from the University of Oklahoma. She received a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study advanced Arabic in Salalah, Oman. Before joining the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, Voight worked in cross-cultural and higher education in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Matthew Halbert is associate director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. He advises students pursuing scholarships and fellowships that support research and graduate education.

Halbert coordinates the Celebrating Discovery Program, which connects Arkansas high school students with University of Arkansas undergraduates conducting research. He also assists with the Advanced Placement Summer Institute and manages the Arkansas Reads program, which provides books to elementary schools in the Arkansas Delta.

Halbert earned a bachelor's degree in music from Central Michigan University, a master's degree from the University of Rochester and the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in pedagogy from the University of Iowa.