Roberts gives $3 million to UA’s Fay Jones School of Architecture

Greg Roberts, a University of Arkansas alumnus and retired principal with WHR Architects, has given $3 million to the university to continue support for an endowed chair, establish an endowed scholarship and a program endowment, and provide for the naming of a studio space in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, the UA said Monday (Feb. 2).

“As a proud Razorback who used what he learned here to build a remarkable career, Greg Roberts knows firsthand the transformative power of a University of Arkansas education,” said Chancellor Charles Robinson. “This extraordinary gift will help give generations of Fay Jones School students the knowledge, experiences and faculty leadership they need to thrive in their own careers. We are deeply grateful for Greg’s generosity and steadfast commitment to the U of A.”

Roberts, originally from Fort Smith, is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and had a successful career in health care design for more than three decades. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the UA in 1971 before moving to Houston to begin his career. Roberts is a member of the Arkansas Alumni Association and the Fay Jones School’s Dean’s Circle. He is recognized as a Thoroughred for his 16 years of consecutive giving to the UA and is included in the Towers of Old Main, a giving society for the university’s most generous benefactors.

“This generous gift from Greg Roberts will significantly impact the ‘design futures’ of the Fay Jones School,” said Dean Peter MacKeith. “His initial gift emphasizes and supports the important role design plays in shaping the built environment to the specific needs of health and wellness. “This new, dramatic expansion of Greg’s gift in both size and scope is testament to his own vision, belief and commitment to the future of the school and its teaching and learning mission as well as to the seemingly boundless generosity of his heart.”

The growth in the field of health care has become increasingly important, especially in Northwest Arkansas with organizations such as Alice L. Walton School of Medicine and Heartland Whole Health Institute and the $700 million, 30-year affiliation announced in September 2024 between Mercy, Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton Foundation. The partnership includes $350 million from the foundation to develop an outpatient center of care for specialty services in Bentonville and $350 million from Mercy to build a new cardiac care center at its hospital in Rogers.

Roberts said it will be advantageous for UA architecture and design students to study health care and wellness design.

“It’s one building type that has been very rewarding for me,” Roberts said. “It’s one type that really has an impact with people, not only on their wellbeing but on their longevity. Early on in my relationship with Dean MacKeith, we talked about how the school should develop a curriculum with a focus on health care and wellness. I’m hoping my gift will help nurture that direction.”

Roberts’ gift increases a $1 million planned gift he made in 2020 that created the Greg L. Roberts Endowed Chair in Healthcare and Wellness Design in the Fay Jones School. From the recent gift, $1 million will increase support for the chair by attracting and retaining highly qualified people for the position, supplementing university support for faculty, and providing the holder with resources to expand their contributions to teaching, research and public service.

Roberts has contributed $1 million to support architectural photography education. Of this, $500,000 will establish the Greg L. Roberts Endowment for Architectural Photography and Visualization. These funds will support professional elective seminars, curated exhibitions, public lectures related to architectural photography, equipment acquisition and upgrades, software for renderings, virtual reality imaging equipment and training and facilities.

The remaining $500,000 will support the Greg L. Roberts Architectural Photography and Imaging Studio, which will serve as the home of the new educational initiative dedicated to architectural photography, image-making and visualization. Studio 019, located on the garden level of Vol Walker Hall, will be converted into a new multipurpose space allowing for photo shoots, photo and archival storage, and studio workstations.

The remaining $1 million from Roberts will create the Greg L. Roberts Endowed Travel Scholarships in Architecture and provide financial assistance to students pursuing a bachelor of architecture for the study abroad component of the professional degree program. Recipients of the scholarships must be enrolled full-time in the professional track architecture program, have at least a 2.75 grade point average, and be entering their fourth or fifth year of the program. The money will be used for study abroad and travel-related expenses.

Roberts attended the UA from 1966 to 1971.

“It was just a time when a lot of changes were going on,” Roberts said. “Those memories and relationships have meant a lot to me, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve made these gifts, to give back to the university and, particularly, the school of architecture. I’m very proud of that education and the experiences that I had during that time. I’m very excited about the direction the department has been going. Particularly since Dean MacKeith took over the helm, it’s made tremendous strides to become a notable school of architecture in the country.”