FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ryan Cox and Melinda Dunlap have joined the Dean's Office staff in the U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences as academic advisors while Lucas Simmons has been promoted to a new position, aligning Dean Deacue Field's vision for the college with the university's student success priorities.

Simmons, who has been an advisor to Bumpers College students since 2014, is now senior advisor and student experience coordinator. His role includes creating transformational experiences for student engagement, directing new student orientation and retention programming. He is overseeing Cox and Dunlap, who began on Nov. 11.

Simmons continues advising students in the departments of agricultural education, communication and technology; crop, soil and environmental sciences; and horticulture, landscape and turf sciences. He also advises all exploring students and students in the Transitions Academic Program who are concurrently enrolled at U of A and Northwest Arkansas Community College.

Cox joined the college from U of A Pulaski Technical College, where he worked as director of advising and career services since 2016. Dunlap moved to the Dean's Office from Bumpers College's Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, where she worked as an administrative specialist III.

At Pulaski Technical College, Cox supervised nine full-time professional advisors at two campuses, was the point of contact for more than 100 faculty who advise students in their area, assigned advisors for the entire student body each semester, worked with other Student Affairs units (admissions, financial aid, counseling, disability services, records) and maintained partnerships with transfer institutions and other partners.

Cox also managed all career services functions, provided and maintained training for faculty and staff advisors, utilized the advising center to support retention efforts and served on various campus committees.

Cox earned his bachelor's degree in history education in 2005 and his master's degree in college student personnel in 2008, both from Arkansas Tech University. He also earned his Career Development Facilitator Certification in 2014.

He is working with students in apparel merchandising and product development, human nutrition and dietetics, and food, nutrition and health.

Dunlap has assisted AEAB faculty advisors, trained new faculty advisors, assisted students with degree planning, assisted with registration issues, assisted the scholarship committee, helped develop the schedule of departmental undergraduate classes each semester, updated semester plans and check sheets for three concentrations, created and updated student check sheets for around 300 existing, incoming and transfer students, and updated the U of A catalog and departmental handbook.

She has also Agricultural Business Club by coordinating and executing the annual honey and pecan sale fundraiser, worked with officers on club functions and meetings, maintained financial records and assisted with the annual awards banquet.

She is working with students in agricultural economics and agribusiness, hospitality management, and human development and family sciences.

Dunlap earned her bachelor's degree in education from the U of A in 2014 and a Business Accounting Certificate from American College in 1988.

Simmons was named U of A Outstanding Primary Role Academic Advisor and awarded a Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Academic Advising from the National Academic Advising Association, both in 2019.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

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 2.7 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.