Walton-supported university hires president; campus site to include hotel, retail

Members of the Walton family announced Wednesday (Feb. 4) the appointment of the inaugural president of a planned university in Bentonville. The Walton-led Runway Group also said campus site work will soon begin on an adjacent mixed-use development with office, hotel, multifamily and retail components.

Dr. David Mazyck has been named the inaugural president of the nonprofit, business-infused university, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. It will be located at the former Walmart Home Office site at Southwest Eighth Street and South Walton Boulevard.

Most recently, Mazyck was professor and head of the School of Engineering Design and Innovation at The Pennsylvania State University. Mazyck’s career includes more than two decades of working at public research universities, entrepreneurial ventures and institutional initiatives after serving in the U.S. Army. He earned multiple degrees from Penn State, including a doctorate in environmental engineering.

According to a news release, Mazyck will oversee the planning and formation of the university that’s expected to prepare students to succeed amid rapid technological change and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The university will embed AI across its academic programs, teaching methods and institutional operations. The inaugural class is expected to begin classes in 2029.

“We set out to find a leader capable of turning an ambitious vision into a world-class institution,” said Steuart Walton. “Dr. Mazyck brings the imagination, intellectual rigor and builder’s instinct to create something genuinely new in higher education. He has consistently challenged conventional models and is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts to design programs that equip students to solve complex problems, lead with confidence and build what comes next in an AI-driven world. His arrival marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, and we’re eager to get started.”

In May, Tom Walton and Steuart Walton said their family will establish a university as part of a mixed-use development at the former Walmart Home Office site. The brothers are the grandsons of Walmart founders Helen and Sam Walton and the sons of Jim Walton, Arvest Bank Group chairman.

In the coming weeks, buildings will be torn down, and site work for the mixed-use development will begin at 508 and 608 S.W. Eighth St., part of the former Walmart Home Office. The two addresses include a three-story, 161,340-square-foot building and a single-story, 77,795-square-foot building on 7.79 acres. Building materials — about 7,000 tons of concrete slabs and foundations and nearly 900 tons of metal structure — will be recycled and salvaged from the two buildings.

The work will prepare the site for the university campus, which will be integrated into a Runway-led mixed-use development comprising office, hotel, multifamily and retail spaces. Led by Tom Walton and Steuart Walton, Runway Group is a Bentonville-based diversified holding company that invests in real estate, outdoor initiatives, hospitality and businesses.

“The university will offer a modern, flexible and accessible model that’s both STEM-focused and business-infused, bringing a distinctive approach to learning that reflects the region’s spirit of innovation,” according to Runway. “The site will begin taking shape, and we’ll share more as designs develop.”

Asked about additional project details, such as the investment, architect, conceptual designs and building square footage, a Runway spokesperson provided the following statement: “We wanted the community to know about the building removal and site preparation work as it got underway — but we’re still working through the details of the integrated development scope and design. We’ll be sure to reach out as soon as we have more to share.”

Several members of the Walton family support the vision for the new university, including philanthropist Alice Walton through the Alice L. Walton Foundation. In 2025, she opened the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine and the Heartland Whole Health Institute on the campus of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She also announced plans for a Bentonville-based health and wellness campus that will include learning spaces for high school students in health sciences, global business, technology and engineering throughout Northwest Arkansas.

“We’re delighted to welcome Dr. Mazyck to Bentonville, and his spirit of collaboration and innovation will be an excellent fit for this new role,” said Alice Walton. “Our region has a strong legacy of entrepreneurship, and with Dr. Mazyck’s guidance, we look forward to developing the next generation of leaders for our region and beyond.”

Asked how much will be invested in the new university and mixed-use development, a spokeswoman for the Alice L. Walton Foundation said no financial information is available to share. Asked about details such as whether the semesters will run like those at a traditional university and how much of the former Walmart Home Office site the university will use, the spokeswoman said it’s too soon to provide details and that the new president will chart the university’s course. Also, initial concepts for the university’s design are being explored, but it’s still in the early stages, and more information will be shared as it becomes available.

According to the May 2025 announcement for the university, its first undergraduate class would comprise about 500 students. Class sizes are expected to grow to about 1,500 undergraduate students and 500 non-degree students. Tuition will be fully paid initially.

“I am deeply grateful to the Walton family for the opportunity to build something truly new from the ground up,” Mazyck said. “This STEM-focused university is being designed with an entrepreneurial mindset and a clear sense of urgency, purpose-built to deliver exceptional value for students, employers and the region. We are creating an environment where learning and execution are inseparable, where industry is embedded as a partner, and where students graduate not just prepared but confident in their ability to build, lead and solve real problems from Day 1.”