UA committee to examine Fulbright statue, name on college

A statue of J. William Fulbright stands Wednesday near the west entrance of Old Main on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. The statue was dedicated in 2002.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
A statue of J. William Fulbright stands Wednesday near the west entrance of Old Main on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. The statue was dedicated in 2002. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

FAYETTEVILLE — A committee being formed by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville will consider the removal of a campus statue honoring former U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright and stripping his name from UA's arts and sciences college.

The group will issue a recommendation, but ultimately it's up to the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees to decide on any possible changes, Todd Shields, dean of UA's J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, said Thursday during an online discussion on Fulbright's legacy.

"They have the final decision about naming and public art on the campus," Shields said.

A petition effort to remove the Fulbright statue and strip his name from UA's arts and sciences college has more than 5,900 signatures. Historians in the panel discussed Fulbright and his legacy, which includes creating the international student exchange program named in his honor as well as a record of opposition to civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

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