A $1.5 million pledge to help faculty at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has been made by a married couple who 10 years earlier established a faculty fellowship program.
The pledge will boost the Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowships, which support teaching, research, service and career development, according to a UA statement announcing the pledge. The funds will not contribute to faculty salaries, according to the university.
The $1.5 million will support faculty in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the college with the largest enrollment within UA. Departments that are a part of the college include economics, geosciences and anthropology.
Each year, the university names 10 Connor Faculty Fellows.
“The fellowships are for junior-level faculty and many of them are in the first years of their career,” Fulbright College Dean ToddShields wrote in an email. Money from the fellowships has helped faculty travel to international conferences, purchase research equipment and conduct experiments, Shields wrote.
Robert and Sandra Connor split time between Dallas and Little Rock. The couple also donated an additional $25,000 to a scholarship fund for students they created in 2010.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 04/10/2014