FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Friends and colleagues of Mike and Kris Macechko have committed $50,000 to create the Mike and Kris Macechko Endowed Alumni Scholarship for the benefit of the Arkansas Alumni Association at the University of Arkansas.

The scholarship has been established in celebration of the service of the Macechkos, who worked for the university for a combined 47 years.

 “Mike and Kris Macechko have been a vital part of our advancement team,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “They both exhibited a tremendous level of innovation and passion in their positions and showed true dedication to the University of Arkansas. It’s fitting that the Macechko name will live on at the university through this scholarship.”

Mike Macechko retired as executive director of the Arkansas Alumni Association in 2012 after serving as the association’s leader for 24 years. Under his leadership, the organization’s membership grew from approximately 10,500 dues-paying members in 1998 to more than 27,000 members in 2012. Upon his retirement, the association had gone from offering three student scholarships to awarding 298 need and merit-based scholarships valued at more than $650,000.

Macechko also led the $3.4 million campaign to expand and renovate the Alumni House, which led to it being renamed the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Black Alumni Society and other constituent societies.

Kris Macechko, his wife, joined the university in 1990 and will retire from her position as director of constituent relations on June 30. During her time at the university, she coordinated the rededication of Old Main and oversaw the Towers of Old Main giving society. She made significant contributions to the $1.046 billion Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, planning and managing the campaign announcement, the campaign convocation and serving on the campaign gala committee.

Kris Macechko was a key player in enhancing the campus-wide private scholarship process and created and developed the advancement division’s stewardship program.

“The establishment of an alumni scholarship funded by alumni, friends and university colleagues in our names was a singular honor that touched our hearts,” said the couple. “Scholarships that assist students in reaching their life goals have always been a special passion for us, and the alumni scholarship program was a cornerstone of our work with the association. We have served on the scholarship selection committee from the beginning and will now continue to do so with a special personal interest.” 

The Mike and Kris Macechko Endowed Alumni Scholarship will provide financial support for Fayetteville High School graduates who enroll at the university and will be renewable for up to four years, assuming the recipients maintain specified academic standards.