Martin Luther King Day march and ceremony planned

Mary Armwood

The Office of Multicultural Services at Southern Arkansas University will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Memorial March and Ceremony on Monday, Jan. 16.

The celebration is in its 17^th year at SAU and will begin at 5 p.m. with the memorial march to the campus from the intersection of Vine Street and University Avenue. Participants are asked to meet at the parking lot of Miller’s Cafeteria, 2402 N. Vine Street, to begin the march. The program will begin at the conclusion of the march when participants arrive at the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center Foundation Hall on the SAU campus.

The keynote speaker will be Mary Armwood, 2011 Honor Professor at SAU and assistant professor of nursing.

Armwood received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (formerly Northeast Louisiana University) and her Master of Science degree in nursing from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La. During the early years of her career, she worked as a staff nurse and nursing supervisor before coming to Southern Arkansas University in 1979.

At the University, Armwood has worked as a team member and coordinator of the fundamentals course and pediatrics. In 1998, she served as interim chair of the department of nursing. Along with working at the University, she has stayed busy working part-time as a nurse for National Home Health in Springhill, La., and Kids First in Magnolia.

Armwood’s accomplishments include the Faculty Service Award in 2005, Honor Professor in 2011, publication in Women, Health and Culture, citation in the third edition of Maternal Newborn Nursing, and chapter reviewer for Potter and Perry’s Fundamentals of Nursing (8^th ed).

Many students are expected to take part in the march. Cledis Stuart, assistant dean of multicultural affairs and student advancement, said the celebration has grown over the years with Greek organizations increasing their involvement. The public is also encouraged to participate.

For more information, contact Cledis Stuart at (870) 235-4925.