UCA Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology

That's a wrap on Spring 2026!
UCA College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences had their graduation ceremony this morning in the Farris Center, and we're beyond proud of all of our graduates!!
Can't wait to see all those bright & shiny faces in the fall!
📸Photos from Dr. Stacy Lom

Last week, Mr. Jones' Social Gerontology class took a field trip to College Square, our on-campus retirement community, to play a few rounds of bingo with the residents!
Field trips like these and other events are a part of our series, where members of the UCA Community bring fun events, educational lectures, and interesting demonstrations to the residents of College Square!

Congratulations to senior Sociology major Kyliyah Thornton on being named this semester's Outstanding Sociology Student! Throughout the semester, she's been working on a rather intensive independent study project with Dr. Toth, as well as collecting original data for an assignment with Dr. Rich.
She received a medal to wear at graduation, as well as her name engraved on a plaque in the department's office.
Congratulations, Kyliyah!

Yesterday afternoon, Dr. Skaggs' Drugs & Society class had some very special guests from the Conway Police Department- Officers Hogan & Reynolds, and K9 Gero!
They gave a special demonstration on searches, what K9s do with their handlers and the specialized trainings, and a few students had the opportunity for a paws-on experience!

✨Alumni Update!✨

Criminology alum Landon Vanderpool has officially joined the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office's Patrol Division!

Holding a lifelong interest in the legal system, he attended college in Northwest Arkansas and earned his Associate's in Criminal Justice. Later, he opted to continue his education and moved to Faulkner County, where he graduated from UCA with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology, and began working with the sheriff's department as a detention deputy.

Congratulations, Landon!

Congratulations to senior Sociology major Connor Atkinson on being named Outstanding Student for the UCA College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences!!
Connor was presented with the award this past Friday at UCA's annual Quoined Corner conference.

Over the weekend, Dr. Sherry Skaggs, Mr. Marty Montgomery, and Dr. Bailey Fairbanks took a small group of students on a tour of the Faulkner County Detention Center, the Faulkner County Justice Building, the Faulkner County Museum (the Oldest Original Jail), the "Old" 4th Floor Jail (the 2nd jail of the county), Unit 1, Unit 2, as well as the new Unit 2 Max groundbreaking area!

✨ALUMNI UPDATE!✨
Criminology alum Mykel Jones was recently promoted to Patrol Corporal with the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office!

Jones graduated from UCA with his degree in Criminology in 2019, and began working as a reserve officer with the FCSO the same year. Overall, he's had a 7 year career in law enforcement, but returned to the sheriff's office in October 2024.

Congratulations, Mykel!

Earlier this week, Mr. Jones' Social Gerontology class took a field trip to College Square- our on-campus retirement community- to give the residents a lesson on some popular technology and apps, like iPads and Doordash!

Welcome back! It's hard to believe we're already almost done with the spring semester- so let's wrap it up on a good note, the right foot, and with a nice little bow 💜