Donors give $775,000 to University of Arkansas scholarship

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by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) ago 40 views 

University of Arkansas alumni and a student recently contributed $775,000 to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship.

The UA’s Land of Opportunity Scholarship campaign is a three-year initiative to expand educational access for students from all 75 Arkansas counties, improve graduation rates, and increase engagement between the university and businesses across the state.

As of Oct. 31, the campaign had raised 68% of its goal in 33% of the time through more than $136.16 million in pledges and commitments.

United Kingdom residents Fiona Symington and Luke Mitchell established the Luke Mitchell and Fiona Mitchell Land of Opportunity Scholarship Endowment with a $400,000 gift. Luke Mitchell is earning his degree from the UA Global Campus as a distance learner. He leads the go-to-market strategy for Oracle NetSuite and mentors pre-sales consultants across the U.K., Europe and the Middle East. Originally from Australia, Fiona Mitchell is a global client relationship manager and freelance journalist. The couple resides in the countryside south of London.

UA alumnus Chris Lewis established the Land of Opportunity Scholarship Endowment by Roy Christian Lewis with a $250,000 planned gift. The endowment will support students from financially challenging backgrounds and give preference to qualified students enrolled full-time in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Lewis, a registered architect in Texas, grew up in El Dorado. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1978 and a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1979 from the Fay Jones School. He founded his own firm, Chris Lewis Architecture, in 1988.

UA alumnus Bill Clement gave $125,000 to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship endowment. Known as Hawk to his Arkansas friends, Clement is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but has family from Arkansas, including his father who was from Rover (Yell County).

After Clement earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1967, he worked for Owens Corning and eventually became regional vice president. In 1983, he and his family moved to Pinehurst, N.C., where he established investment management firm Clement Capital Group. He served as its president for more than 30 years, providing financial services to people and businesses in almost 30 states.