ConocoPhillips Contributes $80,000 to Support Walton College, Engineering Programs

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Marty Schoenthaler, general manager of corporate information technology at ConocoPhillips (holding check, right), presents an $80,000 gift from the company to Dean Dan L. Worrell of the Sam M. Walton College of Business (holding check left) and other representatives of the University of Arkansas.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A gift of $80,000 from ConocoPhillips will go toward enriching innovation, research and student advancement and diversity at the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas.

Marty Schoenthaler, general manager of corporate information technology at ConocoPhillips and a 1983 graduate of the Walton College M.B.A. program, presented the gift to the colleges July 11. “We're investing in programs which encourage youth in under-represented populations to consider IT as a field of study in college. At the U of A, we support the Technology Awareness Program (TAP) and Engineering Career Awareness Program (eCap), which bring secondary students from across the region for a week-long camp to expose youth to innovations and opportunities in information technology and engineering. To further the student experience, we also provide volunteers and hands-on learning demonstrations.”

The money will support programs and scholarships in information systems, accounting, finance, the Information Technology Research Institute and diversity programs in the Walton College and to the computer science and computer engineering program in the College of Engineering. Some of the money also goes to support student professional organizations and Beta Alpha Psi, a student honor society.

David Douglas, interim chair of the information systems department at the Walton College, said the ConocoPhillips gift broadens student opportunity and research. “Their financial generosity allows us to provide world-class information systems for our curriculum, scholarships, student organization support, student job opportunities and information systems research,” Douglas said. “Equally important is the vision and guidance they provide on advisory boards and eagerness to work with our faculty and graduate students on research. ConocoPhillips truly makes a difference for our students and faculty.”

“The relationship we have with ConocoPhillips is simply exemplary," said Moez Limayem, associate dean for research and graduate studies at the Walton College. "Their generous support of course helps us enhance our curriculum but just as important is how it allows us to attract better and more diverse students to our programs.”

ConocoPhillips is an integrated energy company with interests around the world. Headquartered in Houston, the company had approximately 29,600 employees, $160 billion of assets, and $226 billion of annualized revenues as of March 31, 2011. For more information, go to www.conocophillips.com.