University Of Arkansas Black Alumni Society Anticipates Largest Attendance At Upcoming Reunion

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas Black Alumni Society is set for its 5^th reunion April 7 - 9 at the University of Arkansas. This reunion is expected to reflect the growth of the Black Alumni Society over the past several years with approximately 400 alumni and friends anticipated. The events are open to campus and community attendance.

"We expect alumni from around the world," said Lonnie Williams, Arkansas Alumni Association Board member and Black Alumni Society Board member. "These reunions provide avenues for our alumni to come back to campus and develop an even greater common bond as alumni and as professionals. Each year our attendance has gotten larger and our outreach to alumni and students is increasing." In just one year, the Black Alumni Society has seen an increase in Arkansas Alumni Association membership of 25 percent from 178 to 426 members of over 3,500 eligible UA graduates. This places the Black Alumni Society as the Association’s fifth largest (a share of 29 percent) from among 11 constituent groups.

"The officers of the Society have made great efforts to become more in touch with the University. They have appealed to other black alumni to become more involved with the Arkansas Alumni Association overall and thus the Black Alumni Society has benefited from increased participation," said Jackie McMorris, associate director Arkansas Alumni Association.

"This is a very important weekend for the University and for Arkansas alumni," said Chancellor John A. White. "The work of the Black Alumni Society has been an inspiration to all of our alumni. This constituency group is touching alumni and friends of the University as well as potential students. The support of our alumni is imperative to the University’s efforts to realize our vision of being a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world."

"Chancellor White is doing great things for the University," McMorris said. "Some of his goals are the same ones that the Black Alumni Society have been working for such as increased diversity of faculty, staff and students."

Increased enrollment of African American Students has resulted from University efforts to increase diversity and by efforts to build better connections with black alumni, McMorris said. African American enrollment increased from fall of 1998 to fall of 1999 by 7.4 percent from 880 to 945.

"Our black alumni have not traditionally been connected to the University, but we are creating that link and can demonstrate the changes that are taking place on campus," McMorris said. Among those changes is the creation of a diversity task force to continue University efforts to more fairly reflect the population of the state."

An important outreach effort that takes place during the reunion is to put UA black alumni in touch with both current and potential students. The first day of the reunion features Jennifer Hopkins Career day in which black UA alumni go into UA classrooms and also a career fair to share information with current students on career opportunities. A multicultural leadership conference for high school students by the Office of Admissions is also conducted in conjunction with the reunion.

One of the goals of the Black Alumni Society is to endow a $100,000 scholarship program through the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund. The Society has raised over $85,000 thus far - enough funding to qualify for a $100,000 match from the University.

Since 1990, the Black Alumni Society has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships for African American Students, Williams said.

The UA Black Alumni Society was founded in 1998 by alumni and friends of the University and is part of the Arkansas Alumni Association. UA alumnus Judge Wendell L. Griffin is chair.