Staff Senate Scholarship Now Permanently Endowed

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Staff Senate scholarships have supported 44 student staff members over the last 10 years.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Staff Senate Scholarship Fund, a program that began 10 years ago, has reached the level necessary to become an endowment. The scholarship, originally created to offer one staff scholarship per year, has assisted 44 student staff members with support totaling more than $15,000. In 2010, eight scholarships and three diversity scholarships were awarded.

By reaching endowment, staff senate scholarships can continue in perpetuity.

“We never dreamed we would reach this level when we first started this scholarship,” said Paul Bixby, staff senator and a member of the original scholarship committee. “It is really touching to see this come to fruition.”

The Staff Senate voted in June 2008 to move scholarship funds to a future endowed account. The goal was to reach endowment of $25,000 within five years — a goal achieved two and a half years ahead of schedule on Dec. 9, 2010.

Many of the donations to support staff scholarships in this way came from staff and faculty as a result of a targeting fundraising initiative titled “Give Me $5.” Faculty and staff were asked to pledge $5 per month, and the Staff Senate did fundraising during various events throughout each year.

“This endowment would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our faculty, staff and the entire university community,” said Angela Black, chair of Staff Senate. “In addition to outright gifts, many people gave of their time and their talents to make this achievement possible, including department representatives from various areas of campus, the administration, our friends in the office of annual programs, and most of all, former and current staff senators. It has truly been a campus effort. We know that for many of our staff members, earning a degree can make all the difference between making a living and just making ends meet.”

A recent significant gift toward the endowment was given by Barbara Taylor in November 2010. Taylor, the former associate vice chancellor for human resources, won the 2010 Donald E. Dickason Award from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, which included a $4,000 gift to the charity of her choice. She chose the Staff Senate Scholarship, and her gift put the scholarship account within $2,500 of endowment.

An anonymous donor then pledged a matching challenge gift of $1,250. Donors immediately rose to the challenge, and the pledge was matched within two weeks.

“So many people helped us reach this goal,” said Leanna Foshe, chair of the Staff Senate’s ad hoc endowment committee. “Many of us are emotionally invested in this project, and we are overwhelmed by the fundraising success.”

Currently there are at least three scholarships given each year: the general Staff Senate Scholarship, the Susan Imes Yell Scholarship and the Rick A. Haley Memorial Scholarship. The average annual scholarship is $500.

“These scholarships are an important component in eliminating barriers in turning University of Arkansas staff into scholars,” said Kenley Haley, a former chair of Staff Senate and family member of Rick Haley, a late UA staff member for whom one scholarship is named. “This endowment secures the future of dozens, if not hundreds, of scholarships in the years to come.”

As of May 2009, 10 scholarship recipients have completed their degrees.

“A lot of the staff members are like me, trying to juggle family, work and school, and the Staff Senate Scholarship is a wonderful help,” said scholarship recipient Phyllis Todd.

Nominations are taken each spring for consideration by the Staff Senate. All regularly appointed staff members are eligible to apply. Nominees must have been employed by the University of Arkansas for at least one year. For more information and to download a nomination form, please go to the Staff Scholarship Award page.

The Staff Senate is an employee group on the University of Arkansas campus whose primary function is to work with university administrators to address staff concerns related to the quality of work life on the university campus. The Staff Senate represents nearly 3,600 employees on the Fayetteville campus.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Angela Black, staff senate chair, at 479-575-5415 or ajhand@uark.edu; Leanna Foshe, ad hoc scholarship endowment chair at 479-575-3165 or lfoshe@uark.edu; or Michele Payne, scholarship committee chair, at 479-575-4436 or payne@uark.edu.)