National Urban League Partners With Walton College to Serve Arkansans

Photo credit: Ryan Versey

Dean Matt Waller, Sherman Tate and Barbara Lofton.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas chapter of one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations has announced a research and data partnership with the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

After a 20-year hiatus, the National Urban League re-opened an Arkansas chapter in August in Little Rock. The nonprofit organization is launching satellite offices around the state, with the first opening in Springdale. Walton’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion will coordinate services between Walton College and the Urban League of Arkansas.

“The partnership with Walton College will give us a strategic focus that allows us to deliver services to every corner of the state,” said Sherman Tate, board chair for the state’s chapter. The announcement was made Friday, Sept. 18, in Springdale.

The National Urban League focuses on four empowerment areas – education, jobs, housing and health – for the underserved in the United States. To assist in establishing priorities and goals, Walton College’s Center for Business and Economic Research will conduct research and collect data in these four areas for the Urban League of Arkansas.

“Walton is a highly ranked student-centered research institution,” said Matt Waller, Walton College interim dean. “The research for the Urban League fits well with our direction and our mission.”

Urban League board members met with the Center for Business and Economic Research in August to identify areas to study within the state. This research will focus on all Arkansans with an additional focus on African American and Hispanic groups.

“This partnership is exciting for Walton College,” said Barbara Lofton, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “It demonstrates our commitment to diversity and inclusion, not only to Walton College and the university, but to the state as well.”

About The Urban League: The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, the National Urban League has 95 affiliates serving 300 communities, in 35 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.