FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The most-read stories of 2021 included groundbreaking research, pandemic-related plans, the continuing work to make the university a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus, and a myriad of student honors and awards.

The University of Arkansas news site, news.uark.edu, garnered more than 1.76 million page views during the past year, and readers spent an average of 2.5 minutes reading each article.

2021 Top Ten

Here are the top 10 most-read stories of 2020, based on page views:

1. Study Shows Moral Outrage Is Attractive Among Long-Term Relationship Seekers — Mitch Brown, a U of A instructor of psychology, and colleagues found that people who displayed moral outrage through action were considered more benevolent and trustworthy.

2. Zoom Meeting Participants Can Now Change Display Name — In an effort to improve diversity and inclusion, students asked IT Services whether the Zoom app could be tweaked to allow participants to use a preferred display name rather than automatically picking up the official name in UAConnect. IT Services found a work-around to make it happen.

3. Research Reveals Positive Impact of COVID Remote Learning on Educators' Cultural Awareness — Vicki Collet, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, studied the Marshallese remote-learning experience during COVID-19 and found that focusing on basic and social-emotional connections with students may mitigate the negative effects of school closures. Other top COVID-related stories included:

• COVID-19 Vaccination Appointments Available
• Campus COVID-19 Masking, Social Distancing Guidance Updated
• Physicist, Nonprofits Build and Test Air Purifiers
• Incentives Now Available for Vaccinated Students
• Appointments Required for COVID 19 Vaccination Clinics
• Most University Employees Eligible for COVID 19 Vaccinations
• Northwest Arkansas Council to Host Vaccine Clinic

4. An Evening With Angela Davis: First Distinguished Lecture of 2021 — Angela Davis, recognized as a committed torchbearer in the struggle for economic, racial and gender justice, was invited to campus as the Distinguished Lecture Committee's first lecture of 2021.

5. Preparing for New License Plate Recognition — The U of A Transit and Parking department transitioned to an all-digital form of issuing and monitoring parking permits by using license-plate recognition technology. This story explained the process of getting permits and parking properly.

6. Greek Life Welcomes Newest Members on Bid Day — Over 1,981 women participated in a hybrid recruitment experience at the end of summer. Bid Day was held at the Chi Omega Greek Theatre on Aug. 21 just before fall classes started.

7. U of A Seniors of Significance Class of 2021 Announced — The Arkansas Alumni Association announced the 2021 Seniors of Significance. These outstanding seniors were selected based on their academic achievements, leadership skills and co-curricular involvement.

8. All Invited to 2021 Homecoming Celebrations — The university announced plans for the Homecoming celebrations during the week leading up to the Homecoming football game against the Auburn Tigers.

9. Headed to Tokyo: 14 Razorback Olympians — Just ahead of the Olympic Games, which were delayed a year due to the pandemic, the university listed the students, alumni and staff who would be competing in the Tokyo Olympics. At the end of the Olympic competitions, Arkansas News also provided a proud wrap-up of the Arkansas athletes' results.

10. U of A Music's Jeffrey Murdock Wins 2021 Grammy Music Educator Award — Jeffrey Allen Murdock, associate professor of music education at the U of A, was named the winner of the 2021 Grammy Music Educator Award.

MORE TOP HEADLINES

The next 10 top-read stories include:

11. Ranu Jung to Lead Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research

12. $18M NSF Grant to Build National Semiconductor Fabrication Facility

13. University Enrollment Hitting Record Highs at Start of Fall Semester

14. U of A to Dedicate NPHC Gardens

15. Underlying Themes of Occult Practices Explored in Next Honors Preview

16. Thomas Named CEO of World Trade Center Arkansas

17. Gloria Steinem to Deliver Next Distinguished Lecture

18. Honors College Selects 2021 Class of Honors College Fellows

19. Honors College Announces 2021 Bodenhamer Fellows

20. Dayglow in Concert Sept. 2 at Greek Theater

BONUS STORY

One of the stories from the 2020 Top 20 continued to gain readers this year at a rate that would have landed it among the 2021 Top Twenty as well. The article is about the work of Tiffany Murphy, associate professor at the U of A School of Law. She spent seven years tracking down the evidence that would clear a wrongly convicted client, Karl Fontenot. She started on the work while directing the Oklahoma Innocence Project and continued pro bono after she began teaching at the university.

The university's news site, news.uark.edu, and the Arkansas News email provide news about honors, research, events and similar news about and for the University of Arkansas campus. The email is sent to about 37,000 recipients on a daily basis. Academic departments and student organizations may submit articles via the news site's online submission form. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.