Fulbright College Receives $3.1 Million Commitment From Sturgis Educational Trust

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Creating meaningful international experiences for students continues to be a top priority for the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. A $3.1 million gift from the Roy and Christine Sturgis Education Trust in Dallas now redefines what is possible for Fulbright College students around the globe. The newly established Roy and Christine Sturgis International Honors Program will support select Fulbright College undergraduate honors and graduate students with creative international learning opportunities and promote mutual understanding between exceptional young scholars and people from other countries around the world.

“Global education is driving the way the university approaches student learning, and gifts of this magnitude help us reimagine opportunities to make the University of Arkansas experience more extraordinary,” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “The Sturgis Trust has blazed trails for our students through its generosity, and this gift takes an already outstanding program to another level. Their vision for international education at the University of Arkansas is awe-inspiring.”

The Roy and Christine Sturgis International Honors Program will enhance the existing Roy and Christine Sturgis Fellowships and Roy and Christine Sturgis Study Abroad Research Grants. Each year of funding will support 10 fellowships for highly specialized study abroad and internship experiences and allow students to excel when competing for employment in international relations, academics, private industry and public service. The gift will help the university achieve its goal of providing at least 25 percent of its graduates with the opportunity to study abroad during their undergraduate career.

“The Sturgis name is an established and prestigious name in Fulbright College and is already associated with some of the most outstanding students at the university,” said Todd Shields, interim dean of Fulbright College. “This new commitment will provide vital opportunities for our students’ educational experiences. They are global representatives of our state and our campus, and we are proud of the difference they make around the world.”

The late Roy Sturgis was a native of Kingsland, Ark., and was one of 10 children of an Arkansas farmer and homemaker. He married Christine Johns in 1933 and together they amassed a $40 million fortune, thanks to success in the timber, lumber and sawmill industries in Arkansas and the ownership of other prosperous enterprises. They spent most of their lives in Arkansas and focused their philanthropy on educational opportunities for youth, health and social service programs, medical research and the arts. Thanks to their previous generosity, the University of Arkansas currently has 26 Sturgis Fellows on campus.