About Us

Associate Dean of Fulbright College
Phone: (479) 575-5890
Email: lhare@uark.edu

J Laurence Hare

Hare joined the U of A faculty in 2010 as an assistant professor of history before being appointed to associate professor in 2015. Prior to his appointment as department chair in 2021, Hare also served Fulbright College as the director of European Studies and the director of International and Global Studies. During Hare's leadership of International and Global Studies and the Department of History, he helped develop B.A. programs that integrated mentorship opportunities across the curriculum and incorporated a "branched capstone" model, in which students apply their learning through multiple experiential opportunities, including internships, research, service learning and study abroad.

He is also the co-founder of Arkansas Global Changemakers, which is an educational and applied research initiative that strengthens local approaches to global solutions by training students to connect organizations in Arkansas communities with counterparts around the world.

In addition, Hare received the Faculty Gold Medal from the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards in 2014 and the Distinguished Research and Teaching Faculty Award from the Honors College in 2017. Beyond the U of A, Hare is also a program mentor and grant reviewer for the U.S. Department of State's IDEAS Program, which advocates for inclusive excellence and national issues engagement in study abroad.

Hare holds a B.A. in history and a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Director of Honors and Experiential Learning
Phone: (479) 575-2509
Email: jwheeler@uark.edu

Jill Geisler Wheeler

Jill, a native of Brinkley Arkansas, moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1999 and never left. She earned all three of her degrees from the UofA with a B.S.B.A. in marketing, an M.Ed. in higher education, and finally an M.S. in counseling. She worked off-campus after finishing her undergraduate degree but returned in February of 2005.

Before her current appointment, Jill served for nearly 20 years beginning as a recruiter in the Office of Admission and later becoming an academic advisor in the Fulbright College Advising Center. Jill started her work with the honors program in January 2012 as the assistant director before being promoted to associate director in 2015. During this time, she has served as the Vice President of Membership and President of Arkansas Academic Advising Network (ArkAAN), both in appointed and elected positions for the Global Association of Academic Advising (NACADA), presented and published on first-year experience, veteran student experiences and challenges related to success and belonging for high-achieving students as well as a regular instructor in University Perspectives for first year students.

In 2021 Jill was recognized by the UofA’s Academic Advising Council (AAC) and awarded the Sage Advisor award where she was described as a “cherished colleague” who “stands out as someone whose experience, insight, and knowledge are integral in the advising relationships others cultivate with their students.”  Jill was also selected as the Employee of the 2^nd Quarter. Her nominator said this about Jill: “Her person-centered advising approach supports nearly 350 first-year honors students, providing them with holistic guidance that extends beyond academic planning."

Associate Director of Global Engagement
Phone: (479) 575-5012
Email: ksabo@uark.edu 

Katie Sabo

Katie earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French language and literature from the University of Arkansas and studied abroad in France. She was a graduate teaching assistant and an instructor of French in the Department of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures before joining the Office of Study Abroad in 2016. She held several roles including Senior Study Abroad Coordinator where she served as the study abroad advisor for students in Fulbright College, managed Fulbright College and Honors College faculty-led programs, led the office’s strategic plan to increase access to study abroad, and managed the office’s program management and application software. She joined Fulbright College’s new Office of Undergraduate Excellence and Global Engagement in 2024 and now leads the management and promotion of the study abroad portfolio in Fulbright College, supporting students interested in studying abroad and working with academic departments to identify and develop opportunities for their students overseas.

Katie has presented at the state, regional and national level through the international education organizations NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Diversity Abroad. She is a program advisor ambassador for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, often serves as a reviewer for the U.S. State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship and is a member of the Board of Advisors for AIFS: American Institute of Foreign Study. She is also dedicated to campus service including active participation in the first-generation college student support network. She loves helping students incorporate study abroad into their academic plan. 

Watching University of Arkansas students build mutual understanding and meaningful relationships with their host communities and extend their discovery outside the United States is the most powerful and treasured part of her work.

Outside of work, you’ll find Katie biking on the Razorback Greenway, hiking in a state park, or enjoying a rock concert.

To explore study abroad opportunities and schedule an advising appointment, visit studyabroad.uark.edu.

Academic Advisor
Phone: (479) 575-3307
Email: samason@uark.edu 

Sammi Mason

Samantha (preferred name Sammi) has worked at the University of Arkansas full-time since 2019, and joined the Fulbright Academic Services office as an academic advisor in 2022. As an advisor housed in the Office of Undergraduate Excellence and Global Engagement, Sammi works with International Studies Majors and Honors students of all levels in the College of Arts and Sciences. Sammi earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and News/Editorial Journalism from the University of Arkansas in 2016 and her Master of Arts in English Literary and Cultural Studies from the University of Oklahoma in 2019.

When she is not working, Sammi is a knitter, reader, and a close follower of pop culture, movies, and TV. As a lapsed cellist, she also has a love of all things music and the performing arts. 

Sammi grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and she has called Fayetteville her home off and on since she began her undergraduate degree in 2012. She currently lives Fayetteville with her husband James and their pets.

Academic Advising Appointments

I will have regularly scheduled academic advising appointments available on my UASuccess Calendar. To schedule an academic advising appointment, schedule an appointment on my UASuccess Calendar. My currently assigned students can find my calendar by going to the My Success Network page of UASuccess. When scheduling, you can select one of the following locations depending on your preferred method of advising:

• Old Main 525: Select this option for in-person advising in my office in Old Main 525. 
• Microsoft Teams: Select this option for synchonous video advising through Microsoft Teams. To download Microsoft Teams, visit the Get Started with Microsoft Teams page of the IT Services website.

In addition to scheduled appointments, I am also available to answer quick advising questions via email at samason@uark.edu. I look forward to talking with you soon!

Academic Advisor
Email: voigt@uark.edu 

Amber Voigt

Amber is a Minnesota native who has lived in Arkansas since 2003. She was a first-generation college student who earned her undergraduate degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Hendersen State University. Amber did not plan on a career in Higher Education, but a series of opportunities and choices led her into this career path, and she cannot imagine working in any other field now. She started working in Higher Education in 2015 at NorthWest Arkansas Community College. In 2017, she joined the College Access Initiative Team in the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education at the University of Arkansas. In 2022, she started working as an Academic Advisor in Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. While working at the University of Arkansas, she was able to take advantage of the tuition discount and earned her master's in Human and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Human Development and Family Sciences in 2024. In summer 2026, her role in the College of Arts and Sciences changed when she became one of the Honors advisors. 

Outside of work, Amber loves to craft, play games, and read. She is a pet parent to a cat named Finn and loves being the favorite aunt to two sweet nieces.

Academic Advising Appointments

My currently assigned students can find my calendar by going to the My Success Network page of UASuccess. When scheduling, you can select one of the following locations depending on your preferred method of advising:

• Old Main 525: Select this option for in-person advising in my office in Old Main 525. 
• Microsoft Teams: Select this option for synchronous video advising through Microsoft Teams. To download Microsoft Teams, visit the Get Started with Microsoft Teams page of the IT Services website.

If you are one of my advisees, you can reach me via email at voigt@uark.edu. If you are looking to schedule an advising appointment, you can schedule an in-person or Microsoft Team appointment through UASuccess. 

Academic Advisor
Phone: (479) 575-3307
Email: samason@uark.edu 

Victoria Trammell

Victoria is local to Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas twice in the Springs 2022 and 2024 with her Bachelors in English/Journalism and Master’s in Rhetoric and Composition from the Fulbright College. She has been in higher education since 2022 and previously taught Composition I and II for the University of Arkansas as part of the Rhetoric and Composition department. Occasionally, she adjuncts for the School of Journalism and Strategic Media. After her six years at this institution as a student, she realized she could not stay away and continued her journey by joining the Fulbright advisory team in October of 2024 and the Fulbright Honors advisory team in June of 2026.

In her free time, you can find her spending time with her cats Owl and Pudding, her dog Algae, reading, or building a Lego botanical set.