Walmart Foundation gives $5 million to UA student success center

Student Success Center under construction Thursday Nov. 21, 2019 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Student Success Center under construction Thursday Nov. 21, 2019 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- A $5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation will support a new four-story student success facility at the University of Arkansas.

The Student Success Center, set to open in early 2022, will support students' academic efforts, according to a university news release.

"The Walmart Foundation is making it possible for more students -- especially those from Arkansas -- to access the tools they need in one convenient location, and this grant will help create the first Student Success Center of its kind in the SEC," said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz.

The university will name the center's main floor the Walmart Foundation Academic Excellence Hub, according to the release. The center will include the STEM Studio, Fulbright Advising Studio, First-Generation College Student Outreach and Arkansas First-Generation Student Programming.

"Ultimately, this grant will be used to design a place where more students, especially those whose talents have yet to be discovered and cultivated, will be empowered to achieve their unique academic and career goals," said Trevor Francis, associate vice provost and director of student success.

The university held a Sept. 12 groundbreaking ceremony for the center that will be in place of the former Social Work Building between Memorial Hall and Old Main, according to the release.

The graduation rate at the university has reached 66 percent in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, according to the release. For students without financial, social or academic need, the six-year graduation rate is 77.7 percent.

One of the goals of the Student Success Center will be eliminating significant undergraduate student achievement gaps, according to the release.

NW News on 11/22/2019

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