FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - David Banks, of Fort Smith, will provide $100,000 to establish an endowed scholarship at the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions.

The David Banks Scholarship will benefit students in the department of curriculum and instruction, or the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing in the College of Education and Health Professions. The purpose of the scholarship will be to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students who are pursuing a career in teacher education or nursing care.

Reed Greenwood, College of Education and Health Professions Dean said, "We are grateful for David Banks’ gift. His volunteer service as chairman of the College’s Campaign committee has been exemplary. This gift is more than a leadership gift to the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century: Its real value is that it will provide annual support to one and possibly two highly talented students who are committed to making a difference in the public schools and in healthcare, two fields with critical need for professionals."

Banks is a 1959 graduate of the University of Arkansas and the past chairman of the board of directors for Beverly Enterprises, Inc., the largest nursing home operator in the country. He currently serves on the boards of several publicly held companies. He is a member of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee, the volunteer leadership group driving the Campaign effort, and chairman of the College of Education and Health Professions Campaign committee. He is also a member of the National Development Council - a volunteer organization that supports and advises the University in developing, enhancing and strengthening its academic and research programs. He is the recipient of the distinguished alumnus citation.

The Campaign for the Twenty-First Century - which kicked off on Oct. 26 - is a six-year effort to raise significant gifts from private sources for the University of Arkansas. Campaign funds are being used to help the University achieve its vision of emerging as a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world. Campaign funds are being raised for six critical areas of need: endowed faculty positions, scholarship funds, academic programs, University Libraries, construction of new academic facilities and annual giving.

Banks said, "As a business leader, I have seen first-hand the impact that teachers have had upon employees, communities and their citizens. From these experiences and observations in my own community, I felt it is important to support teacher education. Teachers play such an important role in shaping minds and preparing youngsters for the future and I want to help provide educational opportunities for future teachers."

The College’s department of curriculum and instruction sponsors initial teacher licensure programs in the areas of childhood education, secondary education and middle school education. The department also sponsors endorsements in English as a second language, gifted and talented, reading and special education. The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers a program leading to the bachelor of science in nursing (B.S.N.) and is approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. Nursing students are provided with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in a wide variety of settings. The course of study emphasizes nurses’ varied roles as caregivers, managers, teachers and researchers, and prepares graduates to practice in the complex world of health care.

The College of Education and Health Professions seeks to raise $10.1 million dollars through the Campaign effort.

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