FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced today that it has made a $10 million gift — the largest gift ever made by the company — to the University of Arkansas.

The gift has been designated toward the construction of the new center for academic excellence, a $30-million facility that will house several interdisciplinary programs and departments. The University of Arkansas will recommend to the Board of Trustees that the building be named the J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Center for Academic Excellence.

In April 2005, J.B. and Johnelle Hunt, the company’s founding couple, announced they would make a $5 million gift toward the construction of the Center for Academic Excellence. That gift put the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century over its $900 million goal.

UA Chancellor John A. White said: "This is an outstanding display of corporate philanthropy by a company that has played such a strong role in the growth and development of Arkansas and has employed so many UA graduates. The J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Center for Academic Excellence will be one of the most technologically enhanced buildings on campus and will be a facility worthy of bearing the Hunt name. We are grateful for J.B. Hunt Transport’s gift. It, together with the gift from J.B. and Johnelle Hunt, will make this much-needed facility a reality."

"We’re grateful to J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. for this magnificent gift to the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and will be honored, if it meets with the approval of the board, to name the Center for Academic Excellence in recognition of their generosity. We are also thankful to the people of J.B. Hunt Transport Services for their leadership in making this gift and their dedication to the University of Arkansas," said Dave Gearhart, vice chancellor for University Advancement. "Of course Johnelle Hunt served as treasurer during the Campaign and J.B. Hunt served as a member of the steering committee. There are many others who deserve recognition at J.B. Hunt including Wayne Garrison and also Kirk Thompson, who was another steering committee volunteer, and the numerous others who serve in the company’s leadership cabinet and on the board of directors who made this gift possible."

Garrison and Thompson are UA alumni.

Dan Hendrix, director of corporate and foundation relations, said: "It was wonderful working with the J.B. Hunt Transport senior leadership to turn the idea of this facility into a reality. The company was enthusiastic about investing in the University of Arkansas and supporting the center. It will be an honor to have such a nationally recognized transportation company and logistics provider’s name prominently displayed for future generations of students to see. People on campus are truly excited about this new facility coming online."

J.B. Hunt Transport Service’s gift counts toward the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, which recorded $1.046 billion in gifts and pledges designated toward student and faculty endowments, academic programs, capital improvements and University Libraries when it concluded June 30, 2005.

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