Today at 5:14 p.m.
by Ryan Anderson
FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas’ Land of Opportunity Scholarship endowment — announced in November 2024 — has received a $5 million gift from Chris and Jamie Fowler.
With the donation, the couple joins the Leaders of Arkansas Founders’ Circle, comprising alumni and friends who support the Land of Opportunity Scholarship campaign with a gift of at least $1 million, according to the university.
The UA-Fayetteville Land of Opportunity Scholarship was established to improve educational access for students from all 75 counties in Arkansas, create a partnership between the university and businesses throughout the state, and fulfill the institution’s land-grant mission to uplift the state and its residents.
“Jamie and I are proud to partner with the university and fellow leaders of Arkansas to uplift the entire state through the Land of Opportunity Scholarship initiative,” said Chris Fowler. “Our goal is to help ensure that talented Arkansans are positioned for success, and we encourage others to join us in this unprecedented effort that will create a significant generational impact for Arkansans and the business community.”
The university is “truly grateful for this momentous gift to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship that will propel transformational change for generations of Arkansans,” Scott Varady, vice chancellor for advancement, said in a news release from the university.
“As members of the Leaders of Arkansas Founders’ Circle of the Land of Opportunity Scholarship, Chris and Jamie continue to build upon their legacy of support and passion for advancing the educational mission of the university and directly impacting the lives of Arkansas students just as Chris’ late parents, Wallace and Jama Fowler, have.”
The three-year campaign aims to raise $200 million for the Land of Opportunity Scholarship.
As of Saturday, the campaign had raised 64% of its goal in 11% of the time through more than $127,264,639 in pledges and commitments, said John Thomas, the university’s director of media relations and core communications.
The focus will be on Arkansans who are eligible for Pell Grants — federal aid to students from low-income backgrounds — and the university plans to begin dispensing the additional aid in the fall of 2026 to roughly 100 incoming freshmen, according to Chancellor Charles Robinson.
The goal with the new Land of Opportunity scholarship is to cover gaps in financial need for students that aren’t met by Pell Grants, FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship, among other financial help.
Currently, the graduation rate for Pell-eligible students is roughly 18 points lower than for non-Pell students, Robinson said. However, the Land of Opportunity scholarship will allow those Pell students to learn better and engage more on campus, and “I couldn’t be happier about it.”
Beyond the financial aid, students will have access to robust “wraparound services,” from career counseling, mentoring, and academic coaching, to financial planning and internships in every county in the state, he said. By affecting students from all of the state’s 75 counties — and having internships available to them in their home counties — the university would also assist in workforce and economic development for Arkansas.
This is merely the latest gift to UA-Fayetteville from the Fowler family, as the Wallace W. and Jama M. Fowler House — the chancellor’s official residence — and the adjacent Fowler House Garden and Conservatory all bear the Fowler name, according to the university. In addition, Chris and Jamie Fowler contributed $500,000 to the David W. Mullins Library renovation, which will include a new café, aptly named Fowler’s Nook.
“The Fowler family’s generosity has shaped our campus in countless ways,” Robinson stated in the news release. “With their support of the Land of Opportunity Scholarship, Chris and Jamie are continuing that incredible legacy — providing deserving students with the resources they need to succeed and making a lasting impact on our institution and our state.”
The Fowlers have also supported Razorback Athletics and the Razorback Foundation, according to the university. Gifts to the athletic department include support for the Fowler Family Baseball and Track Training Center, the Christy Rankin Tennis Lobby, and the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Renovation and Expansion.
“From the brand-new Fowler Family Nook in Mullins Library, to the Christy Rankin Lobby in the Dills Indoor Tennis Center, to the official residence of the chancellor, the Wallace W. and Jama M. Fowler House, and the Fowler House Garden and Conservatory, as well as other campus facilities, the impact of Chris and Jamie to improve the lives of students and the university can be seen everywhere on campus,” Varady said in the news release. “We are deeply grateful for their extraordinary contributions.”
The family’s generosity extends beyond UA-Fayetteville.
They have supported the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute — a $5 million gift helped the cancer institute reach a $30 million fundraising goal that’s crucial to attaining National Cancer Center designation — the NEA Baptist Fowler Family Cancer Center for Cancer Care, Arkansas State University-Newport, the University of Central Arkansas Nursing School, Arkansas Hands & Voices, and Arkansas Children’s Foundation, according to UA-Fayetteville.
Recent gifts from Chris and Jamie Fowler made possible the NEA Baptist Mobile Health Unit, the NEA Center for Good Grief — which aids with grief counseling, support groups, workshops, etc. — and the NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation HopeCircle, which provides free support for families navigating cancer care.
Chris and Jamie Fowler are Towers of Old Main and members of the Chancellor’s Society, according to the university. The Chancellor’s Society “is the most-prestigious annual giving group and is made up of some of the university’s most loyal and generous benefactors,” while the Towers of Old Main giving society “is for the university’s most generous benefactors with cumulative giving of $100,000 or more.”
Chris Fowler served as president of Fowler Foods from 1987 until his retirement in 2021, according to UA-Fayetteville. At its peak, Fowler Foods — started in Jonesboro by Jama and Wallace Fowler in 1965 — operated more than 90 KFC/Taco Bell stores in eight states.
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