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Arkansas Times
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The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $7.5 million gift from the Windgate Foundation to create an endowed scholarship fund to make attendance more affordable, the university said Friday.
The gift includes $5 million to establish a permanent scholarship fund and $2.5 million that will be immediately available to support affordability initiatives while the scholarship endowment grows.
Windgate’s previous gave $20 million to UA-Little Rock to create the Windgate Center for Art and Design, which opened in 2018. That dedicated art created what the university calls “a private art school experience at a public school cost.”
Windgate isn’t directly tied to Arkansas’s Walton dynasty but it was founded through the sale of a shoe company to Sam Walton during the Northwest Arkansas company’s ascendancy in the 1970s. Leslie Newell Peacock described the foundation’s origins and its ties to the arts in this 2019 story in the Arkansas Times.
UA Fort Smith’s $15.5 million Windgate Center for Art and Design opened in 2016. UA Little Rock’s $20 million Windgate Center for Art and Design opened in 2018. Both projects followed 20-year relationships with the institutions, Brown said; they weren’t just plopped down. Windgate had supported UA Little Rock’s earlier initiative to expand its applied arts programs, such as furniture design and metal working, and was impressed by its faculty and ardor for the arts.
The gift to UA-Little Rock, the state’s fifth-largest university, comes after a legislative session in which some Republican lawmakers treated it and other universities with hostility. The state appropriations for UA-Little Rock, UA-Fayetteville and the University of Central Arkansas were briefly voted down by the state House after Rep. Ryan Rose (R-Van Buren) raised concerns that some Arkansas colleges teach gender studies classes that he said push ideas with which most Arkansans don’t agree. He said he opposed supporting programs “that at best send students out for low-paying jobs.”
“If we pass these appropriations, we fail to hold these institutions’ feet to the fire,” Rose said.
The funding bills eventually passed both chambers and were signed into law by Gov. Sarah Sanders. The governor later issued a meaningless veto of one line of the UA-Little Rock appropriation bill, eliminating a race-and-ethnicity-related staff position that’s been unfilled for over six years.
The Windgate Foundation is a Little Rock-based private foundation that was formed in 1993 to advance “contemporary craft and strength visual arts education.” The organization is also focused on education, health and community initiatives in Arkansas, according to the organization’s website.
The organization’s grantees include Crystal Bridges Museum of Modern Art in Bentonville, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas.
In a time when critical voices are increasingly silenced, the Arkansas Times stands as a beacon of truth, tirelessly defending the fundamental rights and freedoms within our community. With Arkansas at the epicenter of a sweeping culture war affecting our libraries, schools, and public discourse, our mission to deliver unflinching journalism has never been more vital. We’re here to “slay dragons” and hold power accountable, but we can’t do it alone. By contributing today, you ensure that independent journalism not only survives but thrives in Arkansas. Together, we can make a difference — join the fight.
Griffin Coop is the Cannabiz editor at the Arkansas Times where he writes about the cannabis industry, government, politics and (sometimes) exercise. Send your best news tips and craziest workouts to griffincoop@arktimes.com. More by Griffin Coop
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Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas.
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